Is it acceptable to "-1" a post? My thoughts are, its a race. Unless you're on a solo break and you're so far away from the pack that you can't tell if they're gaining, using a power meter to pace is almost useless. If you're in contact with the pack and wish to stay there you have to go at their speed. Uphill downhill, flat or in a crit, you move with the pack or you get dropped. During last night's Tuesday Worlds, I went on a solo bridge in the last 10 minutes that was completely suicidal. My wattage was way over my normal 6m and I was suffering. They still caught us. If I had paced myself I would have never even managed to bridge up let alone stay away.

That being said, if you plan to be alone (or with very few people) at the base of the final climb, then the PT might be worth it during the race. So the real question in my mind is, is the data gained during a race valuable? The answer to me is an easy yes. I always race with the PT unless its a technical crit where I know there will be a lot of accelerating.

I've seen lots of people put tape over their PT wattage during the race. I am usually capable of not looking at it so I don't bother. But otherwise, I think its an excellent idea.


Who knew I was so opinionated???