Ahh, but what to measure...

At M2 Revolution, we focus on the most relevant fitness metric: how much power can a rider sustain for a given period of time - very simple, very direct, and easily tested with our CycleOps bikes which provide accurate and consistent measurement of power output, or shall we say fitness.

Many riders are drawn to Lab testing as a means to measure fitness. While this option can at times be useful, its drawbacks include that it is expensive, can be invasive, and often does little to shed light on the most basic of fitness variables - how much power can I generate for 20, 30, or 60 minutes.

by Melanie McQuaid

Racing a mountain bike is all about power. XTERRA racing requires big fat watts produced in short bursts followed by lung burning, uncomfortably long periods of hard, grinding watts between. Periodically there will be respite found in sections where the power output is interrupted by technical challenges that give your legs a chance to grasp at recovery while you focus on navigating the trails safely. It hurts quite a bit to race a mountain bike well because going fast off road is all about finding the fastest route from point A to point B (you have some options in singletrack) while doling out large efforts hoping that there will be enough left at the end to finish. Ideally, the finish line and your last reserves meet perfectly.

Firstly, a quick background on why I’ve been asked to start writing in this newsletter…..aside from being a ‘CycleOps Power’ sponsored athlete, I am a professional cyclist, and slightly embarrassingly, am very obsessed with my power data. I have worked with David Martin from Australia for almost 6 years now, and recently started to work a little with Dr. Allen Lim. Between the two I am being looked after by perhaps the most forefront sport scientists in cycling.

by Kristin Hilger

Looking back at the first article I wrote for the PowerTap newsletter this year, I finished by saying, “train to race fast and trust your training. Believe in yourself.” I believe that as I’ve entered the second part of the season, those statements are still a work in progress, but they having been growing into a greater reality. I can now start to reflect on some improvements I anticipated during the discussion of my last article.

by Danielle Foster

As a cyclist, what is important to you? For many of us, it is the ability to go a little faster for a littler longer-to produce more power with less effort. As Joey Adams stated last month, it’s about producing more power at less cost, aka, The Green Ride.