Power Training

All I want for Christmas is a POWER METER. That should be the song you are singing.

The USA Cycling Power Training Course was great. There is so much information that you can learn about your riding/training and racing with one of these devices.

The course covered all of the basics regarding terminology. As you can imagine with any new technology or implementation, you have a new set of terms and acronyms. Things like Functional Threshold Power, Normalized Power, Intensity Factor etc.

Currently, here's the problem that I see with this new technology.
If you don't have a reasonably structured training plan, the power meter is going to simply give you more information about your schizophrenia. It will help you change and become more structured. But, if that isn't your goal, save your money and enjoy riding.

However, if you want the most precise method of measuring your performance and improvement. And...if you will use the information to change your training habits, it is worth the investment.

In addition, if you are committed to making changes in your training, you will have to make some other concessions as well. Group riding is not conducive to "training". It's a great social environment but you can't focus on your training goals closely enough. I don't recommend abandoning the local group rides but, it has to be limited and you need to be disciplined enough to stay within your overall training plan in spite of what the group may decide to do.

Back to power meters. I guess you need to check you budget before you decide to start shopping. I'll write more about the pro's and con's of each device... or you can search the web. There are plenty of comparisons out there.