Testing

Through the kindness of a couple of friends with access to better technology than myself, I have some stats.

Height: 5'10.5"
Bodyweight: 180lbs
% Body Fat: 16.2

Lactate Threshold Power Output on a bicycle: 275 Watts
LT heart rate: 174 bpm

The body composition numbers are a little old, Christmas has come and gone since then, and I find myself deep in the heart of winter. As such, both my body weight and body fat % are a little bit higher than this. But we'll use these as a bench mark for the season.

The LT test confirmed what I'd suspected as my LT heart rate...and in terms of power told me what I already knew: I'm no natural. Any gains I make toward doing okay in bicycle races are going to be hard earned.

A little bit of calculator work then gives me a power output of ~ 3.35 Watts/kg of bodyweight. In the cycling world, power output is typically quantified as such. Given the fact that by the end of last season I'd scraped and clawed my way up toward finishing mid-pack in local Cat 4 races and have made my season goal for the year an upgrade to Cat 3 on the road, I'd say this is a fair to okay number for January.

For comparison: The strong local riders are typically kicking out about 5.0 Watts/kg at LT. Untrained riders are probably down in the 2.0 Watts/kg scale. World class riders are probably doing more like 6, which is simply astounding.

6 Watts/kg at LT for a guy my size would mean I'd have to consider it very tough but reasonable to put out 500 Watts for upwards of an hour. Translating into speed, that'd be like riding in the drops and holding it at probably 28-29 mph for an hour. An impressive daydream, but it's not going to happen in this lifetime.

I've set what I've deemed as reasonable goals for this season: Boosting my power output at LT to ~300 - 320 Watts by the end of August while reducing my body weight to 170-172 lbs. This throws me into the 3.7-3.9 Watts/kg range and (hopefully) capable of rolling comfortably in a Cat 3 race.

To that end, the nutritional side of things has been good of late--chock full of high quality eats--but a hair too bountiful. I'm back to measuring portions again. A pain in the ass, but it's always worked well for me.

Try it if you too are cursed with an insatiable apetite and have trouble shedding excess pounds despite a devoted exercise routine.

As for developing power on the bike, I have a lot of ideas. Some conventional, some not so much so.

My big focus this year is going to be keeping weights in the regimen year round and working hard to develop leg strength (and possibly to a larger extent, to maintain a balanced physique and a manner of functional upper body strength). At the same time, I'm going to incorporate a lot of drill work designed to increase leg speed and pedalling efficiency. The translation of that should be an increased potential for PRODUCING power.

The other half of that equation is going to be sustaining that power at and beyond my anaerobic threshold. To that end, I suspect a lot of painful-ass interval work will come into play.

It's a bit early yet for me to incorporate LT work into the routine. My legs just aren't ready. So lately, all riding has been focused on aerobic conditioning, pedalling efficiency, and force delivery. Being that it's dark more than it's light...and colder than a pimp's heart right now, I'm fighting for any time I can get on the bike. Presently, it's commuting to and from work, a lot of time on the rollers, and the occasional frostbite fest: a weekend jaunt outside.

Add to that staving off injuries and bad posture, fighting the never ending battle of increasing flexibility (and of late, joint mobility), and trying to put a little less on my schedule every day--and you've got a plan for the year.