The process outlined
in the previous section will give you a baseline of how fit you are,
by zone. Changes in the wattage for a zone are changes in your
fitness. You can expect of the course of a training period that the
watts for each zone may go or or may go down. The only thing that
you would not expect is that they all stay the same.
A straightforward goal
during each season and year on year is to regularly retest yourself
and see how you are progressing. If your watts are increasing in
some or all zones then you are getting fitter. You should be riding
faster and/or further as a result.
As a beginner it is
fun just to aim to set new PBs for every zone. This will encourage
you to try lots of different types of events which will widen your
horizons and is a good way to find out what you are best at and enjoy
the most. Once you become more specialised then some zones will be
more important than others so you will need to be more selective.
Still one result of this specialisation should be more rapid
improvement in the zones you prioritise though it may also mean
results in a different zone go down.
Mix your tests up, not
just touching every zone but also changing either power or duration.
Say you have plateaued at your zone 5 test. Just hit the reset button
and try going another 5 seconds longer at the same effort or for 3/4
minutes at higher watts. That counts as a PB.
This is great
training in itself and will prepare you for times when you need to
dig deep for longer or harder.
Also use these tests
as opportunities to see what works best for you in terms of
preparation. Some riders ride best following an easy day. Others
ride best after a hard day. You will only find out what sort you are
by trial end error (Graeme Obree failed by over a kilometre in his
first attempt at the hour record. He barely slept overnight, came
back the next day, rode the extra kilometre and more and set his
first world mark).
These power targets do
not need to replace other targets e.g. race placing or Strava. To the
contrary they should complement each other. Improving your power will
result in better places/times and going for places/KOMs is one of the
best ways to test your power.
One advantage of
tracking power PBs is that these are less subject to bad luck. Say
you have set a target of going sub hour for a 25 mile time trial and
have the misfortune to puncture in the first few minutes. The target
is now impossible but that does not mean all is lost. You can fix the
puncture and channel your frustration into setting a new power PB for
the remainder of the race, aiming to ride above your zone 4 best for
the rest of the distance.
If you manage this not only will have the
satisfaction as a reward but also the experience will be great
preparation for you next 25. You may find that you have set a new PB
for 58 minutes and averaged over 25mph in the process, so next time
should be a breeze barring misfortune. Even if you try and fail it
will be time better spent that just limping back to the start feeling
sorry for yourself as you have learned about your limits and what
improvements may be needed in terms of power and/or aerodynamics for
the future.
An additional spin on
power targets is to set them in terms of W/kg. If your target events
include any amount of climbing and/or you want to lose weight this is
especially relevant and can be an additional motivator. This way you
win if you either increase your watts or reduce your weight and win
double if you manage both. (Tools like bikecalculator.com can be
used to give you a reasonable estimate of how long it will take to do
a climb and can be used as an additional incentive if you have a trip
planned with an special target climb in mind).
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