‘‘Power meter’’ is a phrase that comes up again and again in the context of training and racing. Whether it is a sport in professional or amateur form. An indispensable element for efficient riding and winning, or one that kills the pleasure of riding? A wonderful invention for fanatics staring at all manner of statistics and the main enemy of romantic riders? Perhaps simply a tool, as the others dictate? A boon of modern technology, useful in the hands of an informed user? Is it worth using a power meter in ultra cycling?
Ultra cycling – races over a very long distance.
Ultra cycling has been growing in popularity recently. By force, it is also undergoing professionalisation in equipment and training. So what are the prospects for using power meter in ultra cycling? Or should the matter be put differently? Recognising that, regardless of the distance and the characteristics of the discipline, some basic issues of training and exercise physiology are immutable? The very definition of ultra is very capacious. For me, it is a long ride that includes overnight. I also race often over distances of 200-400 kilometres. My longest ride was almost 800km in 32 hours. This year I am aiming for Race Through Poland and The Bright Midnight. – Which are “slightly” longer routes.
I have been training with power meter for years.
Power meter has served as a training tool for me for more than a dozen years. For nearly fifteen years I raced XCM and stage races. For the past three seasons, I have switched entirely to gravel racing and ultra formulas.
Most people I talk to about training expect an ultra cyclist to train ultra-long. This is not the case. I don’t spend my whole life on the bike. One, it’s not my job or responsibility. Two, that just as important as the hours and kilometres of training, is carving out time for recovery. It is during rest that an increase in form occurs. Training is only an incentive for this. Adding more and more kilometres is therefore ineffective. This is where the power meter, an element that improves training efficiency, comes into its own. Power, as an objective indicator, makes it possible to avoid training… at too high an intensity. Yes, the problem is usually overdoing it in the name of the ‘the harder, the better’ principle or performing the first few repetitions in a series ‘to the point of cutting off’. Not being able to perform the next ones correctly. Of course, the feeling after such an effort is that ‘we went all out’. What comes out of the analysis is that the total time in the set zone does not agree at all. Apart from the subjective feeling of the athlete, the problem is also the drift of the heart rate. In my case it is particularly noticeable in dehydration, heat and generally changing weather conditions. With a race lasting 24 hours, these stimuli are really important. Another issue is the change in heart rate with increasing fatigue during training blocks of several days, e.g. at a training camp. Yes, this is an important part of monitoring fatigue and overtraining, but it will interfere with the performance of specific exercises.
For six years, I have been working with Daniel Paszek, a cyclist trainer, on my training plans, and after switching from marathons to ultra racing, my preparations have not changed that much. Longer rides (approx. 200 km) have been added. Aerobic endurance is always the basis. We also experimented a little with polarised training. Contrary to appearances, I do quite a lot of training with 20-45s repetitions and incomplete rest breaks. In this case, heart rate intensity control is completely useless, as it increases throughout the series. Training for ultra is therefore not about riding all-day cofferides :). What seems particularly useful in long-distance races is determining the power for FatMax. That is, the point at which the body is able to burn the maximum amount of fat. The reserves of this energy source are almost inexhaustible. By training and trying to raise your FatMax zone, you will be able to ride faster while saving glycogen and avoiding ‘bombs’. In ultra cycling, this is more important than theoretical FTP or VO2max values. This is also the power value that I try to maintain as much as possible when riding for about 24 hours. Power meter has two more advantages – calculating energy expenditure for a race (you may be surprised how many kJ such a dozen or so hours of riding costs) and determining training loads and estimating peak form according to TSS values. Finally, the most important thing is to determine training zones, whether from performance tests, field tests or competition readings. We can perform training sessions with great precision, but it will be completely pointless if the input data is incorrect.
Races can turn out differently. It is good to be prepared for every scenario.
The ideal recipe for winning ultra races should therefore be to ride ‘by the book’ according to the set power output. Seemingly, nothing could be simpler. Most of my friends are surprised when I say that power readings are much less important to me during a race than during training. Of course, I also follow the readings, and after the start I analyse what went wrong. The latter is particularly important. However, every race is different and has its own rules. Ultra is a very broad discipline, where we have both a mass start and riding without drafting. If a group of strong rivals pulls away from the start, do we let them go because we have to stay within the set zone? Seemingly a rational approach. However, catching up with the peloton alone later on may be impossible, and we practically ‘give up’ the race at the start. If our strength is climbing, should we not try to break away from a rival who we will then have no chance against on flat sections?
Great Lakes Gravel 2023. A strong group and an explosive beginning.
The GLG 2023 competition can serve as an example.
We started with a strong group. Every now and then, a ‘red light’ would appear, and I would consistently exceed my FTP. This went on for about 150 km, and there were 475 km to go. 🙂 Despite everything, I decided not to give up and preferred to risk complete exhaustion rather than simply abandon the race. In the end, it turned out that this time I outlasted my rivals and won.
It’s surprising how much time you spend in higher power zones when the race goes like this. A distance of 470 km and 17 hours of riding, with a total of one hour at threshold and 20 minutes > Vo2max. That’s why training in higher zones is so important.
For comparison, the same race a year later – GLG 2024 in a no-drafting format. Here, it was a solo ride ‘by the book’ with a slight drop in power at the end. I spent over an hour more in Z2 (8h15 min) and thus almost an hour less in the threshold and VO2max zone. (only 34 min. in total). In the ‘no draft’ formula, the advantage is actually well-calculated power, which we should ride at for the expected riding time.
Gravemageddon 2023 – 120 km without food, drink or warm clothes.
During a race that lasts several hours or even several dozen hours, there are always crises related to weather, nutrition, minor injuries, and unexpected events on the route. That is why, in my opinion, the most important thing is to understand your own body, draw on previous experience, understand your rivals, and be able to calculate coolly. And also the willingness to take risks. Gravmageddon is a perfect example. I was well prepared and riding great. Everything was carefully calculated… Except that I missed the second buffet. At 120 km and 2,000 m to the finish line, I was left completely without food, drink, and warm clothes from my transition bag. Of course, it ended with a complete shutdown and getting off the bike. Here again, experience and determination proved to be more important than dry power values.
The graph perfectly shows the moment of exhaustion.
As can be inferred from the descriptions above, power meter is invaluable during preparation and useful during the race, but it cannot dictate a competitor’s decisions during the competition itself.
Which power meter to choose?
When choosing a power meter, we face a dilemma: should we choose the one with a CR2032 battery or a rechargeable battery? Both solutions have their advantages and disadvantages.
What does a battery give us? First of all, the possibility of replacement on the road. CR2032 batteries are available at every station and kiosk. In an emergency, they can also be transferred from a heart rate monitor, for example. When participating in a multi-day race with electronic shifters, it is recommended to take one spare.
What are the advantages of rechargeable power meter? Powercrank-E has a low profile and fits in any frame. From experience, I know that the battery lasts for 80-90 hours at ‘normal’ temperatures. This gives us 3-3.5 days of reserve. When riding a multi-day race, stops are inevitable. The meter, phone, tracker and lighting all need to be charged anyway. Even with a dynamo, you need a power bank. Recharging during breaks does not seem to be a problem. Of course, there is an additional cable and a free USB port. For me, however, the main advantage is the tightness of the construction.
Any additional removable component, even if well-made and sealed, is potentially the weakest point. Most problems with power measurements (early Powertap, Quarq, Stages) were due to leaks in the battery cover.
However, the choice is yours. 😉
Train wisely and… measure your progress. 🙂
Cycling is one of the few sports in which it is possible to measure the intensity of an athlete’s effort so accurately, determine their metabolic thresholds and control their training. The use of power meter was undoubtedly one of the milestones in the development of training methods. The use of power meter in gravel racing or ultra racing is a natural progression. It allows you to train more effectively, avoid overtraining and set better racing goals. However, the power meter itself is a tool that requires quite extensive knowledge to use correctly, drawn from literature, the athlete’s experience… or relying on the guidance of a coach or a well-designed AI based training app.
See you on the road!
Łukasz Klimaszewski.
