Updated
January 22, 2016
| By Bob Fugett
t @ P/W
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Simple is simple, and possibly the simplest way to
describe something is to use a formula.
It does not have
to be a true mathematical formula but maybe just quasi-mathematical such as the
one below:
The formula t @ P/W is at the core of principles described in
Cycling Performance Simplified.
You may have noticed that the formula's At sign operator (@) is not
a
typical Equals sign (=) or similar, so this should be a clue
that it is not about something that is merely
equal to, greater than, less than, or
relative to something
else.
It is something which is in and of itself significant... an intrinsic value.
It stands for the amount of time (t) you can hold a specific power (P,
in watts) relative to your weight (W, in kilograms).
In other words: how long can you turn your pedals at a given power to weight
ratio?
Such as:
5min @ 4.41
Such expressions can be used to precisely define your current health
and cycling ability, and if you must make them equal to something else
you need only compare your own time at power to weight ratios to that of other
riders.
Stating this concept as the formula t @ P/W, and
then
highlighting its significance as the primary metric for judging performance, is
an expression unique to Cycling
Performance Simplified, and it undoubtedly represents the most refined and
useful way to assess your cycling ability ever.
You need only track your development based on the amount of time you
can hold any given watts, and everything else will fall into place.
For example, let us say you can ride 5 minutes holding a 300 watt
average, and you weigh 150 lbs which converts to 68.04 kg.
That results in the time at power to weight shown above, that is: 5min @ 4.41
You can easily compare that performance to anybody else in the world.
You and friends could even print out your own figures to pass around like trading
cards (just for fun) to see who can do what to whom.
For your convenience, you can use the
Power
to Weight Calculator which will convert your pounds to kilograms while
calculating the ballpark estimate average speed that would result from any
specific power to weight performance on a course which starts and finishes
at the same location.
The Allen and Coggan table (also presented by the
calculator) takes this time at power to weight concept one step further by dividing required efforts into
specific time categories
using data gathered from a sampling of actual real world performances in
order to account for best sprinter,
best jumper, best pacer, and best long haul time trialist while
outlining a simple metric for finding the best overall performer.
Taking information from the Allen and Coggan table we can
thus state (more intuitively for
people without power meters) that our 5min @ 4.41 is equal to a
performance expected for:
Cat 3 Men
Race categories are generally stated from Cat 5 up to Cat 1 and Pro
divisions.
The
online calculator does a quick and rough calculation for your Race
Category, and you can compare
your own real world results at 5 sec, 1 min, 5 min and FT (Functional
Threshold) to the Allen and Coggan table
(presented with the calculation) in order to get a baseline on how you stack up to other
riders.
Speed in miles per hour is extremely variable over varying courses and
conditions, but over the widest possible range of riding
conditions and courses (discounting team tactics), the rider who holds the highest power to weight
ratio for the entire ride or race will always be the winner.
Of course, you might choose one of the old ways (in addition to speed)
that people previously used in order to guess at their level of performance such as heart rate, perceived effort, or awards.
Unfortunately, all of those methods are really guesstimates at best, because each
method varies wildly (even for the same athlete) over a range of ride
conditions, plus race results can easily be attributed to
pure luck as much as to any close measurement of ability.
However, stating that a performance is 5min @ 4.41 provides an objective
repeatable reference that is the same for everybody anytime and anywhere in the world.
Beyond the comparative aspects, using a power meter in this way allows insight into elements of
performance that otherwise defy measurement.
We once enjoyed a
ride with somebody whose average power output was significantly higher
than reported rides of the strongest riders in the world, but that person
was beaten on every hill and worn down to a schmear until they were finely dropped from the ride entirely.
It would have been easy to believe the rider was weak and severely out of
shape, but the data from their power meter showed their average power
output for the full two and a half hour ride rivaled the absolute limit of
human potential, and they were by far the strongest rider there that day, but
they were also by far the heaviest... and physics
will not be denied.
How sad it would be for that person if their only performance benchmark
came from
there inability to beat much lighter riders absent an absolute objective reference.
On the other hand, effective use of time at power to weight for
informing a training program will ultimately result in skills and abilities that beat
those other guys, so it is not just a matter of finding something
good in a bad situation.
A summary of the situation just described might be, "Listen dude, you
are about as strong as a human being can get (and that is impressive), but
if you really want to beat those guys, you are just going to have to lose
the weight."
Once you have an understanding of your current level of performance based on a
simple objective repeatable reference you can work rationally (and most
efficiently) to improve.
Therefore, the simple formula t @ P/W with the concept it embodies is the basis for everything else in
Cycling Performance Simplified.
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