You Power Profile - Page 2

Age: 46
Category: Road 4, Track 3
Weight in pounds: 152 / 69Kg
Years you have been training seriously: 14 years(83-96 as a NorCal 3, 10 years off, 06-07)
Avg weekly training hours: 10

Best power in:

5 sec: 1169 watts
1 min: 470 watts(haven't really put this one to the test, need some track time)
5 min: 330 watts
20 min: 293 AP, 312 NP
60 min: 285 AP, 287 NP

Measured with a PT-SL torque tested to .98.
License came back downgraded to 4's and currently have no problem finishing rolling road races or fast crits with leaders, can't get away but not worried about getting dropped. Got dropped badly on long climb in RR this past weekend after 12 minute AP = 297, NP = 316 for climb(following half hour of easy pack riding approaching climb) in master's 4/5 race. Finished climb (additional 28 minutes AP = 265, NP = 273) and chased down riders in ones and twos. Got away at end and finished 13th for omnium points.

Sure looks to me like the masters 4's and 5's don't read the power tables

One observation, the tables list "untrained" and then gets into racing categories. I know an awful lot of weekend club and century riders that are a long way from "untrained" and can finish a century or double at the drop of a hat but couldn't hang in a cat 4/5 race. With the approach of pinning the bottom and top of the charts could it be missing a group or two on the low end like those fast but not quite fast enough club riders? That would tend to compress the numbers as you go up the chart and might explain why folks in lower categories don't trust the charts but folks higher up feel they're accurate.

Just a thought,
-Dave

Yes, 517 W for 5 min would be enough to be a world class (male) pursuiter, assuming that your drag is reasonably low. However, you'd have to be able to generate more than that, and/or very aerodynamic, to be in contention for a medal.

FWIW, the nominal characteristics of the riders shown here are based on what it would usually take to win a bronze medal at worlds - IOW, quite clearly "world class", but not necessarily "world beater":

http://www.fixedgearfever.com/module...p=getit&lid=18

I thought it got into "good...very good...excellent...".

Maybe, but that's partially why I've always said, if you want to know how good you are at bike racing, go race your bike.

Age: 22
Category: Road 2
Weight in pounds: 178lbs
Years you have been training seriously: on/off for last 8 years
Avg weekly training hours: 10-18 when serious

Best power in:

5 sec: 1800w
1 min: 750w
5 min: 470w
20 min: 370w
60 min: 350w

The endurance numbers were early season when training for racing. The sprint numbers were from focusing on sprinting. (That 5 sec number is useless in regards to road racing because I am always way too anaerobic to do it at the finish)

My only race win was on a rolling course with a 1 mile climb to the finish. I suck at TT'ing too.

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The faster you go, the fewer passing cars

No argument there, I've said the same thing in a number of posts and agree nobody cares about your power numbers at the finish line

I was just trying to explain some of the continual frustration some folks seem to find with the power tables and the category labels(like it or not they still appear in some prominent places like a published book and WKO+) and if I'm not mistaken that was one of the reasons the OP started this thread.

A long time ago before most of us had power meters I realized that there are strong riders in every category. Every once in a while I'd ride in a combined 2,3,4 race and there'd always be one or more of the 4's that could ride at the front and put the hurt to folks in higher categories. I don't think anything has changed except that it's easier to quantify how strong those strong riders are.

In the TT I did over the weekend the winning cat 4/5 time, winning masters 4 time, winning masters 5 time and winning masters 1/2/3 time were all within a minute or so of each other for a roughly 20 minute rolling TT course. Sure all kinds of things like aerodynamics and pacing come into play and I have no idea what their power numbers were, but it was a good reminder that there are some very strong riders in the lower categories.

-Dave

Hey Andy. Hope I wasn't offending you with this post. I know it isn't perfect, just curious as to what kind of pure power numbers people are putting out. Its difficult to peak over at your competitors power numbers during a race. Yea I have done it.

Also everyone I have a correction for my 5 min power. One of my charts has a 3 min power line right next to the 5 min. That 560 # was for 3 min. My 5 min is 480 actual 525 NP. Wishful thinking I guess, sorry.

Age: 41
Category: 3
Weight in pounds: 215
Years training: 12
Avg Weekly Training hours: 10

Best power in
5 sec: 1470
1 min: 708
5 min: 466 AP/504 NP
20 min: 405 AP/421 NP
60 min: 354 AP/367 NP

Age: 41
Category: Cat. 4 *
Weight in pounds: 145.5
Years you have been training seriously: 11 months
Avg weekly training hours: 9-12
Best power in:

5 sec: 1058 watts
1 min: 515 watts
5 min: 329 watts
20 min: 290 AP, 292 NP
60 min: 222 AP, 258 NP**


*=upgrading next week to 3 which I was 15 years ago when I quit riding.

**=not done a 60 minute test, but theoretically its 284 and i am sure I can hold it for 40k.

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Age: 42
Category: 3
Weight in pounds: 198 (ideal is 166!)
Years you have been training seriously: 15 years
Avg weekly training hours: 7
PM: PT Pro

Best power in:

5 sec: 1277 watts
1 min: 585 watts *
5 min: 393 watts
20 min: 322 AP, 358 NP
60 min: 280 AP *, 330 NP

I've never done an all-out 1 min. nor 1 hour test.

Age: 36
Category: 3
Weight in pounds: 145
Years you have been training seriously: 2 years
Avg weekly training hours: 12-17
PM: SRM Dura Ace

Best power in:

5 sec: 1010w
1 min: 580w
5 min: 360w
20 min: 307 AP, 340 NP
60 min: 270 AP, 309 NP

I haven't done any all-out testing efforts other than 1m this season - all other numbers are from RR's and crits.

Age: 18
Category: 3
Weight: 115 lbs/52 kilos
Years Training: 1.5
Average Weekly Hours: 15


5 Second: 812
1 Minute: 431
5 Minute: 293
20 Minute: 244 AP 264 NP
60 Minutes: 225 AP 244 NP

Age: 62
Category: Cat-2 (long ago, now just an angry tourist)
Weight in pounds: 165
Years you have been training seriously: resumed training one year ago after 20+ year lay off
Avg weekly training hours: I train by TSS, somewhere between 700 and 1100 per week, depending. Being retired gives me lots of time to ride.

Best power in
5 sec: 1050
1 min: 525
5 min: 355
20 min: 300, 307
60 min: 275, 283

These numbers are all taken from road rides during the past month or two. Although I don't intend to race again, I still do training rides with the local Cat 2-3 riders and can hang in OK.

Not in the least - I was just teasingly pointing out how difficult it would be to generate truly accurate standards using such a survey approach.

Speaking of this....


Andy, were the power profile charts done up using SRM data or some combination of SRM and PT data? If so, did you attempt to normalize for the differences between the two?

The top anchor points are all based upon SRM data. The bottom anchor points (i.e., middle of the untrained range) are drawn from a variety of sources in the scientific literature, but all would also reflect power at the crank, not at the hub.

I have made no attempt to generate PowerTap-specific tables, or to adjust the data from individual riders, because 1) the difference would be only a couple of percent, and 2) any such adjustment would not significantly impact someone's power profile (since it would apply to all columns).