The Power Meter Handbook: A User’s Guide for Cyclists and Triathletes

it and still race effectively. Racing by feel, or RPE, is the way all riders did it in the early part of the previous century.
    The elite rider mentioned above is undoubtedly what I call an “artist-athlete.” Elites usually fall into this category. Artist-athletes despise numbers because they “get in the way of real racing.” That’s the way artists think regardless of the medium. Their actions are totally subjective. They just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
    There are many nonelites who down deep are artist-athletes and would really like to race based strictly on feel. Some can do it successfully. But not all athletes are good at doing so, as riding by feel requires a calm, focused approach to the race. Most of us race based on emotions. We start too fast because we’re excited, and eventually we blow up. The same thing happens when we do training rides, such as tempo, intervals, hill repeats, or anything else requiring patience and precision: We start out too fast and then fade. We need a device of some sort—a power meter or even a heart rate monitor—to teach us what the proper intensity feels like. Once that knowledge of proper intensity is eventually drilled in, racing by feel becomes possible.
    Another type of athlete is the “scientist-athlete.” These athletes train to improve performance by trying personal experiments and measuringoutcomes so that they can find what works best for them. If you’re one of these, you’ll thrive with a power meter, as it’s probably the best tool there is for science experiments on cyclists.
    Some people are a mix of artist and scientist. Lance Armstrong is an example. In his prime he liked to experiment and precisely measure everything in training, from calories consumed to wind drag over clothing to power with different bike designs. But when it came to racing, he was an artist who could fool competitors by acting fatigued or blowing them away on a climb after an angry glance.
    You probably know by now which type of athlete you tend to be. Unless you have training and racing by feel totally figured out and are at the peak of your potential, which is doubtful, I feel certain that a power meter can help you. I’ve seen that happen with every athlete, regardless of type, whom I have ever coached with a power-based program.
Multisystem Training
    From what you’ve just read, you may think I’m advising you to disregard your heart rate, speed, and RPE. I’m not. Each is important in its own way and should be monitored throughout a ride. It’s just that looking at the ride through the lens of power makes better sense of all that you are seeing and experiencing from the other three; it makes them more relevant. With power you see the world of training more completely than ever before. It’s like the difference between watching a movie in 3D and watching it only in 2D. In 3D, everything is clearer and more meaningful.
    Figure 1.1 illustrates my point. It shows what happens in regard to heart rate, RPE, speed, and power while a rider is steadily climbing a hill, coasting down the other side, and then starting to pedal again on flat terrain.

    Notice that heart rate and RPE rise as the hill is steadily climbed, while speed and power remain fairly constant. When the rider is coasting down the hill, speed increases as heart rate, RPE, and power decline. Note that heart rate is slow to respond as the rider starts up the hill, and heart rate continues to increase in the early part of the descent. This lag is common with heart rate. RPE increases on the climb as fatigue gradually sets in. RPErather quickly decreases on the downhill side before rising again as pedaling is resumed on flat terrain. Speed remains constantly low on the uphill, increases on the descent, and eventually settles in at a steady rate with the return to flat terrain.
    Now look at the power line. It reflects some of the changes taking place in the other three, but it does so rather quickly. Following a steady level on the climb, power almost immediately responds to the transition from climbing to coasting and from coasting to pedaling on the flat section. The power line presents the most useful picture of the athlete’s performance because it is a direct measurement of the rider’s output.
    The higher the power is up the hill and on the flat terrain, the greater the rider’s performance is. The same can be said of speed. Only power and speed are directly related to performance.