Oct 01, 2023

DO WE NEED A POWER METER AND/OR A HR MONITOR FOR RACING?

I DIDN'T HAVE A POWER METER FOR A LONG TIME. Then, I had one on my MTB for about 18 months. Followed by 3 years without, until this summer...

... now I have 3 giving me all kinds of intel.

But, do we need one?

No.

Long answer,
maybe.

Reasons not to use a power meter:

Cost
Focus on wrong data
Potentially useless training

Reasons to use a power meter:

Training alone
Immediate feedback vs the lag of a HR monitor
Ability to know if we are actually improving our output.

Endurance racing situations where a power meter would be almost pointless?

Cross Country MTB, Cyclocross, Crit racing. These races almost always have such rapid changes of pace as to make the power meter useless.

There is little to no time to be looking at the data screen.
The efforts are often so violent that setting a power ceiling would be counter productive.

Endurance racing situations where a power meter could be gold?

Time trialing
Solo or small group break away...

... ideally, over very steady terrain.

Is a HR monitor helpful at all in racing?

Yes.

During the races with rapid changes in power needed, a HR monitor is great to give overall feedback on the amount of work being done by our bodies.

Do we really need the devices at all?

For training alone, I think they can be quite helpful for analyzing our efforts in terms of power and stress on the body.

Low power, high HR could indicate illness or overall fatigue.
High power, low HR could indicate superior fitness.

For racing, they are most useful for

In race feedback
Post race analysis
Typically highest numbers are recorded and used for future training markers.

Are they absolutely necessary?

No.

Often, during the really intense XC and crit races, I'll put my computer in my back pocket to give 100% focus on the race dynamics. This requires racing on feel, a skill honed over time...

... which means a lot of our training must be race simulation.

It's not all about how our bodies feel.

But, the feel of the race.