A 40 kilometer time trial is a great test of a cyclist's fitness. However, it is not sheer power that guarantees the fastest time in a race against the clock. Power moves a cyclist forward by overcoming the three main factors that resist a cyclist's forward motion: gravity, aerodynamics (wind), and friction (rolling resistance).

This past Saturday was host to the annual Wisconsin State Time Trial Championships, near Milwaukee, WI, on the famous (and flat) Double Bong TT course. Since we at CycleOps are headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, we were able to get some power files from the Men's Pro/1/2 race to see a real-world example of how the best power output doesn't always equate to the best time.

by Ryan Baumann, Trek-Livestrong U23 Team

Back during the first week of February the team was in Santa Rosa, CA before the Tour of California for a training camp. Lance joined us for the first ride of the week, and we did two solid efforts on the day, especially for the early season legs!

The Tour de Beauce is a long-standing mainstay of North American stage racing, and 2009 marked the 24th year for this event. The 6 day, 7 stage race attracts an international field with its UCI 2.2 ranking. Winners from prior editions of the classic race include some well-known riders, including Tour de France contender Levi Leipheimer and Garmin-Slipstream team manager Jonathan Vaughters. This year, the young riders from Trek Livestrong tested their mettle against the challenging course south of Quebec City. Team member Ryan Bauman shared his power files and race notes from each stage to give us some insight on the demands of the race.