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When you type, "Why train with power?" into Google, 416 million results pop up in under one second. People are talking and writing about it. A lot. And last week, I decided to jump on the bandwagon. 

I have trained with heart rate for all the years I've raced so far and I thought I was doing just fine, thankyouverymuch. But for a couple weeks recently, it felt like I was finishing every workout with a frustrating sense of failure. No matter what I tried -- more cadence, more connection with my pedals, deeper breathing, better eating -- tears -- it seemed like my top heart rate zones were inaccessible. My coach said it was a normal thing to experience a "plateau" at this stage of the game. But I was totally over the feeling. So naturally, I panicked and made some inquiries. If my small sample size is any indication, I think we can safely say that 100% of the 416 million Google hits I mentioned extol the virtues of training with power. Power is truth. It does not change with fatigue, it does not matter what time of day it is, it doesn't care if you're stressed out, it is not susceptible to illness and your age is not a factor. 

My coach, Richard La China, is happy I made the switch. "A power meter allows you to accurately measure the amount of work you are doing, it's that simple. Nothing is left up to interpretation and we can work with this data to maximize your training," said Richard. "My athletes send me their heart-rate data but there is a ton I can't see: Were they well hydrated? Were they having difficulty with the elevation? Were they having a fight with their spouse that morning, or a hard day at the office? All of that can impact your heart rate. But watts aren't affected by that stuff -- watts are watts. I train lots of people with heart rate but once they switch to power, I start to see real results because I have a way to measure them. There's no way to measure results with heart rate. I can see wattage increasing. I can see functional threshold increasing."

Another one of the people I talked to was Norco Factory Team rider Andrew Watson who recently hosted a seminar on training with power back home in Ontario. He echoed Richard, saying, "Power is a quantifiable, unbiased data point to base your training off of." But it's just one of a few points we athletes can keep track of to paint a clearer picture of the work we're doing on the bike. "Speed, heart rate and perceived exertion all have many variables," he said. "Don't toss out the heart rate monitor, but complement it with power."  

In my internet search, I stumbled on a video PowerTap produced featuring Dr. Allen Lim, who went on to found Skratch Labs. I was struck by his analogies: "You wouldn't bake a pie if you didn't how hot the oven was. At the same time, you wouldn't go to the gym to lift weights if you didn't know how much you were lifting. In the same way a thermometer can tell you how hot the oven is, and a scale can tell you how much load you're lifting, power output tells you what you're really doing when you're cycling, whereas heart rate only tells you how you are responding. If you really want to optimize your performance, you need to know both." 

If you're interested in adding watts to the data fields on your cycling computer, I'd highly recommend the G3 Hub from PowerTap. It easily connects to my Garmin, it's light and though this is a relatively pricey piece of equipment, I think it's one I'm going to have for a very long time, and I'm looking forward to the improved training it's enabling. Now to save up for the mtb version ... 

I'll just leave you with a couple basics: 

PowerTap G3 Hub MSRP: $789.99

Weight: 325 grams

Compatible with: Shimano, SRAM, Campagnolo / Garmin, Joule (ANT+)

Where can you get one?: Contact Crank Cycling, or find a dealer near you. 

How it works: The hub has a strain gauge that measures the amount of torque/force -- work -- you put into the rear wheel. Power is energy (joules) consumed over time and is measured in watts. For example, the same amount of work is done if you ride 10 miles in 30 minutes or 10 miles in one hour. But riding 10 miles in 30 minutes uses more power because it was done faster. Average Power is equal to the amount of work you do over time and that's what your PowerTap is measuring. 

 

Me, Powering Up Vulcan / Chris Holmes (@greenlaker) photo

Obligatory Shimano vs Sram Post

I was excited when I got the Trek to be going back to a full Shimano drive train. Everything from shifters to derailleurs, brakes, cranks and even pedals have got those nice little XTs stamped all over them. But after what seems like a ton of riding and racing already, there's trouble in paradise.

Gearheads are notorious for vigorous debates between the merits of Shimano vs Sram. Each side boasts rabidly loyal customers that will fight ad nauseum over things I don't understand or care about like ratios, materials and on and on. I never really entered the fray because you know what they say about arguing on forums ...

Anyway, this isn't a forum, it's a blog so I can say whatever I want and moderate your comments after. Besides, until now I didn't realize how much I have to say on this topic. So here is my "user's review" with absolutely no nod to engineering or design whatsoever (unless colour counts!)

Last season I rode the Giant Anthem Zero (above) and it came spec'd with full Sram X0. It was a beautiful bike and I didn't know how good I had it when it came to shifting. I remember when I picked it up from the shop, I hated the Sram. The thumb-thumb shifting after getting used to Shimano's thumb-trigger really screwed me up and I felt like I had to relearn this most basic skill. But the brain is an amazing thing and after the second ride, it was second nature. I never gave my shifting a second thought. Oh, the things we take for granted!

This season, on the Trek (above) and its Shimano XT build, I'm spending more time than ever fussing with stuff I don't think I should have to be fussing over. As much as I love this bike (and I can't stress that enough) the shifting is really starting to grind my gears. Last night I raced it in the Superfly Tuesday night series and was reminded once more how annoying it is to not be able to shift under power (read, abuse my equipment as sometimes happens in race situations) and count on my drivetrain to work through the mud and hills of Albion.

So here is my Shimano vs Sram match up.

Sram X0

• satisfying "chk" on every shift
• even under too much pressure (like a climb) shifting remained reliable
• highly adjustable controls which is great for women with smaller hands such as myself
• sleek metal/carbon design on the shifters
• set and forget -- tuning stayed in place for a whole season! (whereas my XT has trouble doing that for one whole ride.)

Shimano XT

• notably light
• unreliable shifting, sometimes taking two pedal strokes to get in gear
• limited adjustability of controls means I can't find a position I can reach with thumb and finger that doesn't cause me to have to move my hand, twist my wrist or cramp my fingers
• limit tuning required after almost every hard ride
• plastic parts although light, feel cheap and make me worry I'm about to break it every time I shift into the big ring

Final score? Sram 4, Shimano -3.

It's a knockout.

And speaking of knockouts, look at these beauties!! Sram's new X0 groupo, in colour! Dear Santa ...