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Watts Schmatz this page last updated: 02/01/2015 11:17:52 PM
02/12/08: Today Mary needed a full rest, so we threw the watt meter on my bike and went up to the Clearwater Bridge to confirm our predictions about what it would take me to stay with her while she was spinning 300 watts. Immediately at the beginning of the warmup, I knew things were different. The difference in rotational weight (due to me having the watt meter wheel, and Mary relieved of it) resulted in a 2 mile an hour faster warmup than usual, plus my HR was in the junk zone (136) right away. Mary's HR was her usual 109, and she reported that she felt she was holding her 80-90 watts pretty good. In any case, we hit the bottom of the bridge with Mary in charge of doing her regular routine, but without numeric help. We always let the bridge tease up our effort gradually, always described as, "Let the watts come up on you slowly like the sunrise." I always start the timer at the beginning of the metal guard rail, and Mary consistently reports her watts have hit 300 at almost exactly the same moment. Then she tries to hold 300 to the top. Today we got to the timer start line, and I figured Mary's watts must be 300, so mine would be a little higher. I looked down to start the watch and saw I was already at 525 watts. I shouted. About the 3/4 mark I saw 600+, then 633 around the moment I blew. Mary had dropped me long before, and I didn't even make it to my two times ago mark of the last pole before the finish. The change out of the wheels made a pretty drastic change. We decided Mary is going to have to get extra good at feeling her watts, then she can use a regular wheel for her 23+ Hump attempt. Otherwise, (even considering the wheel swap) the numbers and the effort confirmed what I've always known. I am working like a motherfucker on hills, and the idea that I would only have to be a little more careful to stay in a ride is preposterous, but then I knew that. What I probably could not have guessed about is that when I popped and sat, then spun as easy as I could, I was still pulling 260 to 290 watts. A little bit later on the hill, 100 watts felt like 600. I checked my average watts at the top, and they were 169 which included the 6 mile warmup. On the way back over the bridge I decided to try a quick max, and (as you see above) I hit 829 for a brief moment which is not my best ever, but during that moment Mary was sitting behind me doing her nails, checking her phone messages, and figuring out how to starve me for dinner. Then she rode beside me for the rest of the way up the bridge saying stuff like, "How was that? It looked like nothing. Why are you breathing so hard?" I replied, "This is nothing. This is the way I ride most of the time. By the way, I'm still grinding 269 as we speak. How good are you with that much wattage?" After the bridge I wanted to see how long I could hold 200+ watts. I still don't know, because we were home before I lost it. I only know I can do it for 13.5 minutes. I only mention these figures because I know there may be someone on a watt enabled cycling device who is planning to kick my ass as soon as they can. I owe it to them to provide the advantage of knowing what they need to be doing. I should also mention my weight, but I won't do that, because I am nearing in on the dreaded 200 lb mark. When I get below it, I'll reconsider. Suffice it to say the 829 is not my personal best, and I was limping a little on my left knee, plus I got a bad start. I also owe them the consideration of not mentioning their name, so we will just refer to them as Big Buttholio.
this page last updated:
02/01/2015 11:17:52 PM |
