60 min Peak Power Number

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Screen shot from Training Peaks.

Yellow- Watts
Red – Heart Rate
Green – Cadence

I only had 1.5 hours to ride this morning. I did a 25 mile loop that took me on fairly flat terrain before and after a 1.5 mile hill (Newport Coast Dr) that gains 472 feet with an average grade of 6% grade. After the crest there is a 5.2 mile (San Joaquin Hills) rolling descent. It requires a lot of work to keep the watts up on the descent which in the end hurts your 60 minute number. But it’s a good little game to play trying to keep the power up on the descent.

My Normalized Power was 233 watts for 60 mins. My weight was 150lb or 68.04 kg.

233/68.04 = 3.42

My 60 min peak number was 3.42 w/kg.

Average Power was 211 watts

211/68.04= 3.10 w/kg

Based on the Power Profile Chart that is right between the top range of Cat 4 (3.38 w/kg) and the low range (3.47 w/kg) of Cat 3.

New 30 sec Peak Power Number

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I have a little competition going with my friend in Omaha, Nebraska SushiJoe.

Last night on my commute I asked him what his 30 second and 1 minute numbers were in absolute wattage and w/kg. I needed a carrot. I needed something to motivate me because the headwinds were demoralizing me. Have I mentioned how much I hate headwinds? I beat his 30 second number in absolute watts and in watts per kg (w/kg)as well. When reading power data it is important to not focus on the absolute numbers so much.

Here is an example. Two cyclists are comparing their wattage output on a local hill of 1.5 miles 6% grade.

John says: “I can hold 275 watts on that climb”

Mary says: “Really? I can only hold 225 watts on that climb”

Who is the stronger cyclist on this climb? Let’s take a look at body weights for these two riders.

John weighs 165 lbs or 78.84 kg

Mary weighs 125 lbs or 56.70 kg

So John’s w/kg is 275 watts divided by 78.84 kg = 3.67 w/kg

Mary’s w/g is 225 watts divided by 56.70 kg = 3.96 w/kg

On this particular climb, based on their weight and power output, Mary is the stronger cyclist because her w/kg for this climb is 3.96 w/kg.

An important concept to remember is that w/kg is a power to weight ratio. As you lose or gain weight your w/kg will change that seems obvious right? But far too many people try to buy their way into better climbing. If you want to improve your climbing lose weight. Typically you will continue to hold your absolute wattage output if you are shedding fat pounds and retaining lean muscle.

Above is a screen shot from Training Peaks. You will see on the left a small frame that shows a time frame and corresponding wattage. The only thing missing to make the data quantifiable is my weight. I weighed 150 lbs yesterday which is 68.04 kg.

My 30 sec peak power was 721 watts or 10.6 w/kg Sushijoe’s number was 7.91 w/kg. Ok Sushijoe there is your carrot. You have to beat 10.6 w/kg.

Being an Ultra cyclist, I am a slow twitch type of rider. I rarely do group rides. It is especially important for me to work on my fast twitch muscle so as not to lose that snap in my legs.

Giro Stage 21….

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How many of you were in horror when watching this? The margin between Menchov and DiLuca was only 20 seconds before the beginning of the stage. It is amazing how fast the mechanic Menchov bested DiLuca in the TT and improved his margin of victory to 41 seconds to win his third grand tour. Menchov adds the Giro to his palmares which already includes the Vuelta victories in 2005 and 2007.

72 Miles with 7200 feet

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Tick mark #6 is the top of Nyes Place.

I love it! They give you a warning LOL!

It’s not until the top that you see you have 3/4 of a mile to climb at 20% grade after that 3/4 mile you are still climbing at over 15% with a couple of “flatter spots” to finish the 1.25 mile climb.

I had a good day on the bike. It was the end of my five (5)day training block. Now I rest for two (2) days and get back at it on Wednesday for my commute.

Here are my May month-end numbers.

Totals/ Rides/ Distance/ Altitude Gain (ft)
May/ 10/ 754/ 34,473
2009/ 50/ 3,582/ 191,976

Yes the mileage is down and the elevation gain is way down for the year. I need to bump it up if I’m going to be ready for my September and October main events.

Here are the rest of the months so you can catch up.




90 miler today..

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I went for a 90 miler today. I got a late start. My legs were sore from commuting. I have ridden only 72 miles in three (3) rides since I got back from Trans Iowa on May 5th. My May numbers will only be respectable because of Trans Iowa (320 miles in one shot). I’ve been sick for over three (3) weeks and it’s getting old. Finally this week I said eff it I’m going to start commuting.

Commuting numbers:

Wed PM 65 miles
Thurs AM 30 miles
Thurs PM 65 miles
Fri AM 30 miles

Commuting total: 190 miles

Today’s ride was a good eye-opener. I’m just not in shape. I suffered from mile 75 to the finish mile 90 and then there was a stiff headwind.

I also established two benchmarks to work from. I timed myself on Laguna Canyon from Pacific Coast Hwy to the point where bicycles must turn off on Quail something? My time to beat on the 7.5 mile “climb” is 24:20

Benchmark for Santiago Canyon is 39:09. From Glenn Ranch to the Sprint point on the Como Street group ride.

Duration: 5:47:13 (6:03:28)
Work: 2946 kJ
TSS: 487.2 (intensity factor 0.94)
Norm Power: 198
VI: 1.33
Pw:HR: 2.68%
Pa:HR: -3.57%
Distance: 90.609 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 818 149 watts
Heart Rate: 80 194 153 bpm
Cadence: 29 178 83 rpm
Speed: 0 43.8 16.4 mph
Pace 1:22 0:00 3:39 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 520 72 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 1097 156 lb-in

WEIGHT ON TODAY’S RIDE– 152.5 LBS OR 69 kg

Peak 5s (609 watts): 8.8 w/kg
Peak 10s (546 watts): 7.9 w/kg
Peak 20s (508 watts): 7.3 w/kg
Peak 30s (426 watts): 6.1 w/kg
Peak 1min (384 watts): 5.6 w/kg
Peak 2min (330 watts): 4.7 w/kg
Peak 5min (308 watts): 4.4 w/kg
Peak 10min (243 watts): 3.5 w/kg
Peak 20min (220 watts): 3.2 w/kg
Peak 30min (200 watts): 2.9 w/kg
Peak 60min (175 watts): 2.5 w/kg

During my ride I discovered another hill! I was so excited when I looked up during a fast descent and noticed a water tower on top of a distant hill. I’ve descended this hill many times and have never noticed that water tower up there. A few lefts and rights and I found the way up through a resedential neighborhood. I was so excited I wanted to call Brandy. Problem was the hill was steep and I need to focus lol!

I also got an idea for some picture taking to liven up my blog. Before the age of digital cameras I used to take pictures of my bike in front of percentage of grade signs. I thought it was cool and my coworkers, who didn’t ride, thought I was nuts for attempting some of the hills I told them about. They would say things like “I can’t even walk up that thing” or “My car hates me when I go up Texas (15% grade)”

Here is the first installment of GRADE SIGNS new label.

This Calle Grande in Orange

Got a new jersey…

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A quick shout-out to my friend in Omaha, Nebraska who hooked me up with a new jersey.

I commuted today. I’ve picked up a lot of new readers so for you that have been with me a while allow me to give the headlines about my commute to the new readers.

I commute 65 miles one way from Encinitas to Huntington Beach. Sometimes I take the train part of the way. sometimes I do both full commutes each way for 130 miles, 8 hours on the bike for the day broken up in the middle by an 8 hour work day. Sometimes on my night time commute I add extra loops to bring up the mileage to 69, or 86 miles.

I did only one leg of the commute today, the northbound one. I have been sick since getting back from Trans Iowa. My recovery was pitiful. Beginning with saying up all day Sunday (until 10ish pm) to disassemble Buckshot77’s bike, and then Monday I couldn’t get to bed early either. By Tuesday I was back to work dragging. Over the next few days I fought off a cold and it finally got me. I have been sick for three (3) weeks. IT SUCKS BIG TIME!!

Here is a picture of my new jersey. Thank you Sushijoe!!

Irvine Ride of Silence Video

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I’m happy to have done this ride. But I have mixed feelings. I’m disappointed in how little was known about this ride. By one account the turn-out was better at Irvine than it was when he attended the Long Beach and Fullerton versions in the previous years. I belong to Team Sho Air which has over 400 members and I believe there were only three members present, including Brandy and me.

On the other hand, the City of Irvine police department provide at least eight motorcycles and three cruises to escort us through our 9.7 mile Ride of Silence. I believe attendance was about 100 riders.

I have included a video below. Please make it a priority to attend this ride next year. In addition, if there are other activities that raise awareness for bicycle safety you should ATTEND and GET THE WORD OUT!!

HERE IS A VIDEO OF THE IRVINE RIDE OF SILENCE HELD ON MAY 20, 2009 SORRY NO GROOVY SOUNDTRACK THIS TIME. IT WAS A TIME OF REFLECTION. A BETTER QUALITY VIDEO CAN BE FOUND ON MY WEBSITE.

The Ride of Silence

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I apologize for the late notice but I just found out about this ride this morning. Please take action in your local area to HONOR those that have been injured or killed!

BRANDY AND I WILL BE AT THE IRVINE COMMUNITY CENTER TONIGHT! WE WILL RIDE IN HONOR OF YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES. IF YOU CARE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF THAT WOULD BE GREAT. COMMENTS OR DIRECT EMAIL IF YOU WANT TO SYNCHRONIZE SCHEDULES.

Here is an excerpt from their website:

WHY DOES THIS ORGANIZATION EXIST?

To HONOR those who have been injured or killed
To RAISE AWARENESS that we are here
To ask that we all SHARE THE ROAD

THE RIDE OF SILENCE WILL NOT BE QUIET

On May 20, 2009, at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin in North America and roll across the globe. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn’t aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.

In 2003, Chris Phelan organized the first Ride Of Silence in Dallas after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and was killed. (Read the full history here…)

The Ride Of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There is no brochure, no sponsors and no registration fees. The ride, which is held during Bike Safety month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those who have been killed or injured.

Please check the resources on this site. If there is a Ride Of Silence in your area, we encourage you to join them. If there is not a ride planned in your area, please consider adding your city to the ever-growing list of sites. To get information on how to organize and host a Ride of Silence, please click HERE.