Power Notes 7/15/2015

For fun I thought I would share some power records from two of the athletes I coach, Innokenty Zavyalov and Bryan Larsen.  I think often times people forget that cycling is a power based sport.  As much as it's important to have endurance, remember that at the end of the day, if you want to win you have to have the motor.  So, let's look at Inno first of all.  

The above screen shot is from a TT he did last Wednesday.  It was a relatively short time at 18 minutes flat.  What's impressive is that he was able to put out 403 watts average in the TT position.  Usually there is a 15-20 watt drop off from the road bike.  Also note that riders can typically put out even more power if they are going up hill.  So, for a comparable uphill effort of 18 minutes I would expect Inno to be somewhere in the range of 425-435 watts.  For someone who is currently about 77 Kilos that's not too shabby.  Considering he's been on a tear of seven wins in the last few months, I'd say this highlights the importance of being able to put out power.  

Now lets look at Bryan Larsen.  This was from a 1 minute power test I had him do at the end of May.  As you can see, he put out a whopping 945 watts for 1 minute.  With of a weight of 84 Kilos this puts him at 11.25 WPK which puts him among the best in the world at that time.  Of course, in bike racing there are many factors that affect that affect the outcome of a race.  But, based on Bryan's power it's clear that he has a powerful half lap kick.  Combine that with a Threshold of 412 watts for 30 minutes and a peak 5 minute power of 577 watts it's clear that he has the punch to do some serious damage in races.  

What's the bottom line in all this?  Power is important.  VERY IMPORTANT.  In fact, you can't win if you don't have power.  So, if you are wondering if you should do intervals or go for a long ride, do intervals.