Recently an athlete asked me a question about power cranks:
How do you feel about powercranks? Are you familiar with them? They were mentioned in that article and I was curious. The idea is that each crank functions independently of the other. One leg cannot help the other. It is supposed to help pedal stroke.
This is a twenty minute field test protocol used to determine your “threshold power” or “threshold heartrate”. Knowing your threshold heartrate will help you both plan workouts as well as measure progress in your training.
(Why you should warmup before testing, training and racing, Sample warmups depending on your fitness level)
10 Minutes easy riding in middle chainring, 10 minutes…just easy spinning, get your legs loose, get your mind loose.
30 second spin up to 100 rpms, recover for 2-3 minutes, repeat once…effort should be light to moderate, easy gears.
30 second effort recover 2-3 minutes, repeat once. 5 minutes easy spinning after that last hard effort and finish within about 5 minutes of the race start.
Now you can do some simple math to determine HR training zones, either relative to your LTHR, or as a percentage. These zones are starting points. Each test will have some variation as heart rates can vary from day to day depending on several factors. Taking 95% of your 20 minute average HR is just an estimate for your “true” threshold heart rate which could be determined with a 60 minute time trail.
As long as you maintain the same conditions from test to test, the 20 minute test is excellent for maintaining your current heart rate zones and measuring progress from test to test througout the season. Record in your trianing log your 20 minute heart rate average, the total distance covered for the test and the average speed of the test.
The heart rate is used to determine training zones, and the average speed and distance are used to measure progress from test to test.
| Zone | % LTHR | Easy Math |
| Level 1 (Recovery Zone) | 0-68% | < LTHR – 35 beats |
| Level 2 (Endurance) | 69-83% | 25 – 35 beats below LTHR |
| Level 3 (Tempo) | 84-94% | 15 beats below LTHR up to LTHR |
| Level 4 (Threshold) | 95-105% | Tested LTHR from time trial |
| Level 5 (VO2) | >106% | 5-10 beats above LTHR |
Please send comments/corrections to coach AT steelcityendurance DOT com
References: Training and Racing with a Power Meter, Hunter Allen & Andy Coggen; Dr. Phil Skiba, personal communication
Technique
As I mentioned in the beginning, most riders have the mechanics of a turn down, and can coast through a corner. Taking the speed from above, and applying a good technique to a criterium corner is what can really set a rider apart, and can help a rider save time and energy in the pack, or gain precious seconds in a break.
Skillz Drillz
Now the equipment looks good, it’s time to get your butt on the bike, and get moving. Fast. Being comfortable riding and cornering at speed is a fundamental of racing, and high-performance cornering. The question of “How fast is fast” comes up all the time. Let’s start this way. You need to be comfortable of reaching a speed of 40-45 mph on a bike to really function in a race. While you’ll likely not be at that speed at any point in a race other than a descent, it’s important to know how your bike handles at that speed BEFORE you get into a situation, and also allows you to work backwards to the types of cornering speeds you can expect to encounter in a race.
Skillz Drillz.
You’re piling on the base miles, and since Phil didn’t see his shadow, you’re able to get out on the road. While your racing goals may still be far away, there is no better time to work on your handling skills. Since most of the racing we do involves wither criteriums, one of the best things you can do to improve your bike racing is work on your cornering. Going through a right hander at 30 mph can be down-right scary, but with practice, especially in the early season, you can turn good skills into an effective racing tactic to help you gain time on your competitors in a break, or save energy in the pack. Before we look at drills to help you improve, lets break down the anatomy of fast cornering.