Cycling question.

Amprodude

Being able to produce 260w of power on a stationary bike for an hour and then struggling to stay with main group of race. Why would this happen?

Bikerbhoy

Amprodude wrote: »

on a stationary bike

There's your answer. . . .

Cookie_Monster

air resistance, hills

petethedrummer

Peaks and troughs.

J Madone

Does your weight have a bearing on this? Unrealistic power output from stationary bike? Sitting off the back of the bunch and getting dropped ?

ZiabR

As already stated, you are not getting a true reflection on a stationary bike. No wind, hills, gradients to deal with.

Chips Lovell

The power you can sustain for one hour is just one factor of many that may determine how well you'll do in a race. Some things to consider:

1. Is the power measurement on the stationary bike accurate, i.e. is it a proper power meter in use.

2. What's your power to weight. A threshold of 260w would be very different for someone of 65kg than it would for someone weighing 90kg.

3. And perhaps the biggest factor is that races are almost never a steady state affair. If you're in the bunch it's steady, fast, steady, fast. It's not the overall speed that will wear you down, it's the efforts you have to make when it ramps up.

4. Also, as J Madone has alluded to, how you ride a race is very important. You'll be amazed at how much energy you can save through good positioning.

Lumen

Did you accidentally sign on as an A1? :pac:

If you're still 69kg ish and the trainer is accurate (unlikely), you have enough watts to get round if you ride properly (draft on the flat and position well for the hills). I'm similar weight and averaged <200W buried in the bunch and ~300-350W on the hills in A4 races.

If you want accurate numbers get a lab test, preferably two (one of maximal steady state, one for VO2Max) but you probably just need to race more.

Amprodude

J Madone wrote: »

Does your weight have a bearing on this? Unrealistic power output from stationary bike? Sitting off the back of the bunch and getting dropped ?

Its a wattbike.

XtotheZ

Racing in a4/a3 dosnt really require a high thresehold, its more about the jumps and surges of racing

wirelessdude01

Stationary bike doesn't take into account those little things that happen out on the road, that moment when you have to brake suddenly, that moment when you get side swiped by a crosswind, the fact that even on a calm day that we still have to cut through the air that we breathe, those tiny little inclines that we don't really notice but which sap a small amount of energy which might be needed later on. All these little things add up.

kumate_champ07

do you sit upright on the wattbike or do you use it while in a tucked aero position?

its easier to produce more power upright but in real life situations youre hitting alot of air resistance that negates that extra power being produced

kumate_champ07

also it takes a while to get used to staying with a peloton and reading the pace change, potential jumps. if you dont react quick enough the distance lost cant be gained. theres alot less power required when your behind many other riders, once a gap forms in front of you, youre in trouble

Amprodude

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

also it takes a while to get used to staying with a peloton and reading the pace change, potential jumps. if you dont react quick enough the distance lost cant be gained. theres alot less power required when your behind many other riders, once a gap forms in front of you, youre in trouble

if you dont have it in the tank you are screwed too like me. I had to wait for another bunch to tuck along with to get me up to speed.

kumate_champ07

Amprodude wrote: »

if you dont have it in the tank you are screwed too like me. I had to wait for another bunch to tuck along with to get me up to speed.

5-10 second sprint intervals will develop anaerobic power which is needed to catch a break,

you can spend 3hrs a day putting the miles in but if you dont have decent peak power it doesnt matter how much of a sustained effort you can put out once someone decides they want to go for glory

kumate_champ07

80% of my training is stationary bike, as long as you replicate race conditions and race posture during that training you can put out the same power on the road/track, usually more since the wind will keep your core temperature down like an air scoop on the hood of a turbo car!