So much to say, so little time / Efficiency Testing

I've been looking over some of the recent posts. I apologize for all the fragmented information. I'm sure it will get better with time.

There have been a couple different topics over the last couple entries. I spoke of critical power testing as well as pedalling efficiency. I want to talk about how the two concepts come togethers.

Tonight, I performed my second "Efficiency" test. Here's the questions that we should ask: How well can the rider apply power to the pedals when operating near the lactic acid threshold? As with any research, you need to compare control data with test data. In this case, we use the Computrainer(CT) as the control. For the purposes of our study, the CT pedals with 100% efficiency.

We set the CT pacer to perform at the same wattage as your lactic acid threshold. For me, it's in the neighborhood of 218 watts. It's my goal to maintain 218 watts and stay with the pacer. Once the performance is finished, we compare average speed and average wattage to that of the CT pacer to determine the riders efficiency.

I performed the test for myself tonight. I was pleased that I was able to put in a test with 99.1% efficiency compared to the Computrainer. It's my goal to become more efficient than the CT pacer. I've been working on my pedaling pattern diligently. I can tell that it's paying dividends even within a couple weeks.

Don't be confused by this test. It doesn't determine your fitness. It is used to determine your effectiveness as you apply force to the pedals.

Later.