Originally Posted by TheKillerPenguin
well, knowing where you are in comparison to others fitnesswise can give you the confidence you need to get the job done in races, or it can make you realize you need to work on your fitness to be able to pursue the tactics it takes to win races.
It helped me to realize that even though my sprint is non-stellar, my 1-5 minute power numbers were high enough above the Cat4 average that the ideal tactic for me as a Cat4 was to sit in until the last 2-4 minutes of the race and then take off. I was able to do that with enough success that I'm now a Cat3--and according to the chart that tactic won't work anymore, lol.
--Steve