Hi guys,

I've recently invested in a Stages Power Meter. It seems to be working fine with my Garmin Edge 500.

I bought the PM to improve the quality of my interval workouts and to pace climbs.

I have been training (and to some degree pacing) for years on Heart Rate. Heart Rate doesn't jump around much but so far (admitedly only one easy spin of an hour or so) 3 sec average power DOES jump around a huge amount.

I understand about calculating FTP and defining the zones.

What I'm not sure about is staying within those zones. On a relatively easy spin home my power reading went from say 170w to 220w to 130w to 150w etc without much effort from me, a slight incline, a gust of wind, a change of position.

Do I need to learn to ride with more consistant power output? Is it something you get used to as you see the power number on the screen? Is it just a case of make sure most of your interval is within the zone and don't sweat a few peaks and troughs?

I've only had one short ride with the PM. All input welcome. Thanks in advance.