Quarq Blog

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Power Articles from the Giro d'Italia

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:27:00 -0600

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step’s Giro d’Italia blog has three fantastic power articles on the team time-trial, energy expenditure in the first week of a stage race and dissecting a sprint lead out. Author Koen Pelgrim (@koenpelgrim1) is an exercise physiologist and trainer for Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team.

Truth is in the Data divulges tactics and power outputs in the challenging team time trial.
A Well Deserved Rest Day discusses energy expenditure from the first week’s racing.
The Last Man dissects one of Geert Steegmans’ (@GeertSteegmans) lead out efforts for Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish).

Mark Cavendish Gets His 100th Career Victory Using Quarq

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:34:00 -0600

On Stage 12 of this year’s Giro d’Italia, Mark Cavendish earned his 100th career victory.

“It was incredible,” Cavendish said. “We left it until right at the end. The break had a minute with 10km to go. That’s hard to pull back on a circuit in the rain. Cannondale came to the front but it was more left to my men. Young Julien Vermote pulled and pulled until his legs couldn’t come around anymore. Matteo Trentin normally would come to the front with about 1km to go, but with 2.5km to go he took over and just rode and rode. It wasn’t easy as we were close to not catching the break. Gert Steegmans could have gone and left me in ‘no man’s land,’ but he waited and waited. I was actually stressing a bit to be honest. But I’m so happy, my 100th win and what a way to do it with the guys. I’m so proud.”

Photos: Tim De Waele

Pete Jacobs on Powering Through His Low Points

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:35:00 -0600

Quarq is proud to have more than 25 of the world’s best short- and long-course triathletes riding its power meters in 2013. Quarq power meters provide triathletes at all levels with invaluable information in training and competition that’s every bit as crucial to success on race day as proper nutrition and smooth transitions.

A perfect example of this is how Australian Pete Jacobs relied on his Quarq power meter to guide him through his low point – and every triathlete hits tough stretches – on his way to victory at the 2012 Ironman® World Championship in Kona. Although Pete had a brilliant day, around the 80-mile (130-km) mark of the 112-mile bike split be suddenly felt flat.

“I couldn’t push like I’d been pushing for the previous three hours basically,” Pete said. His wattage was dropping. It was the sort of rough spot, mentally and physically, that can put a race plan in jeopardy. That’s when Pete turned to his power meter for help.

“I just had to relax. I definitely liked having the Quarq there. I was looking at my watts, and my watts had dropped. But being able to see that they had dropped still allowed me to find that efficiency, find what muscles were tired and improve it.” He also watched his cadence. “If I can increase my cadence, it became easier but the watts went up.

“Having that right there in front of me makes it easier to get through those low points, and is also very motiving for the times I was feeling good and watts were right up, cadence was right up. It just allowed me to be a little more in control because I could see what is happening…. I’ll check my cadence, keep my cadence good, keep it high, keep my feet light on the pedals and jus think about the muscles I’m engaging to make the most of my state of fatigue.”

In the end, Pete averaged 281 watts, and 24.2 mph, for the bike leg, which helped set him up for a strong marathon and overall victory.

Listen to the full interview with Pete Jacobs on Zipp.com (MP3 audio, 39.1MB).

Photo: Nick Salazar.

Tour of Qatar: Cavendish Wins Four Stages, Seals OverallFrom the...

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 12:01:00 -0700

Tour of Qatar: Cavendish Wins Four Stages, Seals Overall

From the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team Press Release:

…after his OPQS teammates protected him all race long, Cavendish found enough of an opening in the final 300 meters to sneak up the left side and accelerate for the win. His fourth straight victory at Tour of Qatar also sealed the overall win, and he even took home the points jersey with 70 points.

I’m over the moon, Cavendish said.

Photo: ©OPQS / Tim de Waele

Tour of Qatar Stage 4: Mark Cavendish Wins Again!

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 10:13:00 -0700

From the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team Media Release:

Despite the aggression from other teams to prepare for the bunch sprint, Mark Cavendish was able to get another victory, and the fifth for OPQS in three disciplines in 2013.

Zdenek Stybar did a perfect job with 5km to go, and then Matteo Trentin put me in perfect position in the last roundabout at the 1.5 kilometer point. Niki Terpstra found me with a kilometer to go and moved me into the top 15, and I used the same tactics I did last year when I won on the same stage. The wind came from the right, everyone goes right, so I went left, and was shielded. So, I got the perfect position and acceleration in the sprint to get the win.

Photos © OPQS/Tim de Waele

An Already Powerful Team and One That Will #proveit

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:33:00 -0700

Quarq To Power Omega Pharma – Quick-Step and Bontrager in 2013

The beginning of 2012 saw big changes for Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team: a move to SRAM RED; Zipp wheels, bars, stems and seatposts; and Quarq power meters. The new partnership netted sixty-one victories including nine national championships, the Time Trial and Team Time Trial at the UCI Road World Championships, and Tom Boonen’s historic wins at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

In 2013, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step is aiming even higher, adding Manxman Mark Cavendish to the mix. Cavendish will have his sights set on stage wins and sprinters’ jerseys and the team will once again trust SRAM, Zipp and Quarq to power their performances.

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team: @opqscyclingteam

Bontrager Cycling Team proved their place in the professional peloton over and over in 2012, with a bounty of podium finishes and young rider awards. In 2013 they are ready to #proveit again and SRAM RED’s integrated power meter will conduct their talent, tactics and training.

Bontrager Cycling Team is expanding its roster, equipment and ambitions for 2013. Road, time trial and training bikes will be equipped with the SRAM RED Quarq Power Meter, enabling high-performance analysis and decision making every time we ride. We took some big steps in 2012 and this is integral to going even further in 2013. I can’t wait for the season to begin. – Axel Merckx, Team Director

Bontrager Cycling Team: @BontragerCT

Omega Pharma – Quick-Step ride Quarq’s power meter for Specialized S-Works Carbon Cranksets. Bontrager Cycling Team rides the SRAM RED Quarq power meter, the first and only power meter in a groupset.

Quarq Launches Next Generation Power Meters

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:55:00 -0700

January 22, 2013 – Quarq today announced two bold new power meters that pack enhanced accuracy and versatility into sleek, unified chassis.

Topflight ELSA 10R ($1995/€1787) brings fresh crank lengths, unyielding strength and Power Balance™, and shuns weight. A subatomic spider and SRAM Exogram™ hollow carbon crank arms generate just 735g (172.5mm, GXP, 53/39). In a boon for bike fit and fast finishing triathletes, ELSA 10R comes in lengths from 162.5mm to 177.5mm. Rock-steady RIKEN 10R ($1595/€1428) features durable, integrated electronics, a CR2032 battery and improved clearance for oversize bottom brackets.

ELSA 10R and RIKEN 10R are accurate to +/-1.5% and employ Omnical™, which separates power measurement from chainring selection. Swap from road to TT ‘rings without recalibration. An LED and visible ANT+ ID make installation and operation a breeze.

ELSA 10R is available now. RIKEN 10R will be available on February 22.

See the brochure for more.

Quarq-ELSA-RIKEN-Brochure-web.pdf Download this file

Mark Cavendish in the Colors of Omega Pharma - Quick-Step

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:36:00 -0700

From the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team Media Release:

MARK CAVENDISH IS OFFICIALY AN OPQS RIDER!

The first day of the year coincides with Mark Cavendish’s first outing in the official team jersey. Cav pedaled for a little over an hour and a half on the hillsides of Tuscany, where he spent the end of the year with his family and a few friends.

It was a nice ride, and I was enthusiastic about officially wearing my new kit. The heritage of this team is incredible; it’s been around since 2003. I’m proud to wear this jersey that Tom (Boonen) and the other guys on the team have made unique in the group. Now I, too, want to contribute and feel like this jersey I’m wearing is even more my own.

Photos ©TDWsport.com

Qalvin - A Quick Update

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:16:00 -0700

Is Qalvin hanging your iPhone? We submitted Qalvin 1.3 just prior to the iOS 6.01 update. The instruction set used by Qalvin to access the Wahoo Key has changed in iOS 6.01 and it now freezes the iPhone4. We have created a new version that fixes the problem and hope to see it in the iTunes store soon.

LA RUTA - Stage 3

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:24:00 -0700

5:22 PM - 3 Nov 12. La Ruta awards all done, 1st place Open Men - me! My math had 1st rather unlikely, curious to see the full results. — @topquarq

Jim Meyer’s foray to Costa Rica to race La Ruta de los Conquistadores proved especially fruitful. As well as the experience of a lifetime, Jim took out first place in the Open Men’s category!

Update: The official results show that Jim took home second place. He’s currently neck deep in the contact mechanisms and logistics of moving three trophies between competitors from Brazil, Spain and the USA!

Here are Jim’s power file and report from Stage 3, the final stage in this year’s race.

Stage 3 Totals

Duration: 2:00:21

Distance: 56.48 km (35.1 mi)

Elevation Gain: 187 m (614 ft)

Work: 1769 kJ

Average Power: 245 watts

Normalized Power: 293 watts

TSS: 121.8

IF: 0.780

W/Kg: 3.27

Compared to previous stages, Jim really put the power down on the final stage. His average power, normalized power, intenstity factor and watts-per-kilogram are significantly higher. Reading his report, it’s clear that today he was racing and not pacing.

See the full power file in TrainingPeaks Activity Viewer. (Opens in a new window.)

Stage 1’s data and report. Stage 2’s data and report.

Stage 3 Report

This year is the 20th running of La Ruta. In celebration it was a short 3 day format, with a non-timed white-water rafting trip on the morning of the last day. Wake-up was again at 4am for food, then we were off to the rafting trip.

We rafted for 3 hours down the Rio Pacuare. It was excellent. Right through the jungle with amazing views and warm water. Our guide was very friendly and also apparently quite skilled.

The rafting ended right at the start line of the stage 3. We had over an hour to eat some food and claim our bikes. No need to change clothes, since we were required to raft in our cycling gear, helment and all.

I had looked at the overall standings the night before and found that I was in 2nd place in the Open Men. Elite / Pro is a separate category. In 3rd place was rider #200, just 45 seconds behind me. Turned out he was staying at our small hotel and I was able to spot him by the big #200 on his official race bag. The 1st place guy was over 10 minutes ahead, nothing I could do to catch him.

So at the start, I lined up about 30 minutes early and even then had to assert myself and simply went to the front and cut in place right behind #200. He is was a Spanish guy and had a very bright pink and blue jersey that was very easy to identify.

This stage is a flat run to the beach along paved and gravel roads and railroad tracks. Total distance 55km and no climbs. This would be a road / cross style tactical race. We rolled out as a huge group for about 10 minutes. It started raining and the pack was very nervous; I was ready for a huge crash at any time.

Then we flicked a quick left off the pavement and the lead motocycle hit the gas and the race was on. On like Donkey Kong. Rain and mud flying everywhere, rough gravel road, a mine field of potholes and everyone at maximum effort. The chaos subsided a bit after two river crossings that help us form into smaller groups. Number #200 was not in my group, and due to my pack position at the start, I figured he was just up the road.

We were now on smooth gravel and I quickly realized that the others in my group were not going to pull. So I sat on the front for about 20 minutes and bridged to the next group and found #200. We rode as a group for a while then took a few quick turns in town before approaching one of the infamous a railroad bridges.

Jim’s pull to catch #200. 19 minutes at 330 watts Normalized Power.

I was about 5th in our group onto the bridge. You simply carry you bike and walk across the bridge, stepping on each lateral railroad tie. There is no other floor, so if you slip, your leg will go straight down between the ties. It would be really hard to actually fall off or through the bridge, but it could really hurt and is not fast.

Once on the other side we rode straight down the center of the railroad tracks for a bit before a nice line opened up on the left, outside the tracks. It was a smooth transition to the outside and I watched the guy ahead of me hop out onto the new line with ease. I tried to follow, but my rear wheel caught the slick steel and in the next moment I was in the grass with the my group flying past. No love from these guys. I banged my shin but was otherwise okay, but my front brake hose was rubbing on the tire. I brought zip ties in my pack, so I stopped and reattached the hose to my fork.

I got rolling again within a minute total, but now I had to bridge up to the group again. It took a solo 20 minute effort on gravel roads to catch them, but again I found #200. I made the final catch on another set of railroad tracks, this time no bridges, just riding down an endless rock garden in the center. No possible way to pass.

The solo effort after the crash. 301 watts NP. That’s after two days of racing and 114 miles; 22,600 ft of climbing; 8,202 kJ of work and 542.1 TSS points. And the crash and 19-minute pull. Wow.

We exited the tracks and the group sat up and started drinking and eating, so I attacked and they all chased back on within a minute or two. I shuffled back in the line and they kept a strong but manageable pace. The wise thing to do was just sit in and mark #200, not risking blowing up in the last 15km of the race. There was not much trading of pulls and I watched as #200 went to the front and pulled for over 5 minutes.

I felt the pace slacken a bit as he started to fade, so I took my chances and put in a big attack on the left. I was head down for around a minute then took a quick peak to gauge the distance. Huge gap, no chasers. I had got lucky with the timing and caught them all in laziness. Now the question was - how far to the end? I had 48km, so supposedly only 7km to go. We were parallel to the beach on a dirt road now, and as the kilometres ticked by, I could see more signs of civilization. Pavement at 52km, a shipyard, a hill and a nasty headwind. The gap was steady, with them maybe 30 second behind. I didn’t dare look back. Then a mess of cars and a left turn to the finish line. I crossed the line alone, but the others came in a bunch sprint less than 10 seconds behind. Time - 2hrs, 11sec, 19th overall across the line.

The successful attack. 12 minutes at 326 watts average power and 326 watts normalized power. A VI of 1.00!

So I was pretty sure I had defended my 2nd place position, but then at the award they called #200 for 2nd place and me for 1st place. Apparently the leader did not start or finish as he is unlisted in the stage 3 results.

The final official results have not printed yet, but according to my math, I was 21st overall, the 4th amateur and the 4th American behind Alex Grant, Todd Wells and Pua Mata. Of course, Alex and Todd were over 2 hours ahead of me and Pua is a girl, but it works for me.

And now, only one thing left: #ahhffseason!

— Jim

Stage 1’s data and report. Stage 2’s data and report.

LA RUTA - Stage 2Jim finished in 20th place on Stage 2 at La...

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 08:15:00 -0600

LA RUTA - Stage 2

Jim finished in 20th place on Stage 2 at La Ruta and sent us his power file and another great report.

See Stage 2’s power file in TrainingPeaks Activity Viewer. (Opens in a new window.)

See Stage 1’s data and report. See Stage 3’s data and report.

Stage 2 Totals

Duration: 4:36:13

Distance: 84.58 km (52.56 mi)

Elevation Gain: 2427 m (7963 ft)

Work: 3580 kJ

Average Power: 216 watts

Normalized Power: 266 watts

TSS: 230.9

IF: 0.708

W/Kg: 2.89

Stage 2 Report

Today started at 4am for breakfast and I was very happy to find I had a good appetite. I was also happy to poop. These things are important. We took a short bus ride to the start and found our bikes. Then I found nature calling for a second time.

I finally found a restroom, but when I returned to the start line I found everyone already lining up and I would start about 2/3rds of the way back. It was a neutral rollout through town, then we would start a one big mega climb up the volcano before a long decent down the other side.

The race started, but right at the end of the fencing there was a small traffic jam which restricted the flow down to just 2 or 3 bikes wide. This instantly strung out the field into one big long line. I popped through and put the hammer down to get up somewhere at least in sight of the lead motocycle. I never got there. We snaked through town, gently climbing and after 10 minutes the gentle climb was no longer so gentle and I realized this was going to be the race.

The good thing about starting in the back is that it is generally easier to move forward in the field. We climbed past some really fancy estates on the pavement until the road turned to gravel. From there it was a mix of surfaces - hardpack, chunky-pick-your-line-gravel, semi-mud, and a 5-8 minute bike carry. My favorite was a steep dual-track of 16” paved concrete strips, it was a booger to keep straight enough to keep on the tracks and not roll off an edge into the rocks.

That section ended with a steep mud-rock climb that was lined 2 deep on each side with spectators cheering. As I came up and let out a hoot and holler and yelled “Me gusta!” They all cheered and then a bunch of them reached out and gave me big pushes up the hill. That is a trick to remember in the future.

After that excitement we had some quick paved downhills before pointing up again for the another 3000ft climb, this time all on the road. I saw Mieke and she told me I was 21st place, which was my first indication of where I was in the field. I picked off a couple guys in over the next 10-12 kilometers of climb and then we jumped off the pavement for the descent. In all the climb took 2hrs 36 minutes, climbed 6785ft over 21.3 miles. Normalized power 277 watts.

The story was this descent would be gnarly rocky. What I didn’t realize is that I would spend the next hour on gravel, mud, rocky rollers at 9000ft before actually reaching the start of the descent. When the descent came, it happened in a big hurry, plummeting 5000’ in 10 minutes over fast gravel / rocks and then a smooth well maintained swoopy residential road. Although not single track, this was a nice section of mountain biking and was certainly the highlight of the day.

Jim’s got two go-to bikes for endurance racing. We think he’s aboard the S-Works Epic, which would have been sensational on this descent. Sixteen-and-a-half minutes at an average of 46.8 km/h (29.1 mph).

I could see the town in the valley below on the way down and figured we would drop into town and the finish line in a park. I got to town and had to navigate through town a bit, then some more, then more, the whole time hammering up the hills expecting the finish any moment and not wanting to get picked off by a chaser behind. Then we exited town and an official pointed me down a gravel road. No park finish, it would be more rural. My Garmin clicked over the official stage length (78km) and I took my last swig of water from my pack and the last drop of coke from my bottle, still on the hustle for the finish. No music, not really any cars, but there was a short, but steep dirt road to the right.

And an official race sign pointing me up the steep dirt road. Insert expletive of your choice.

It was truly steep and I leaned down really far forward and suddenly found myself wondering if there was any nutritional value in the salt crusted on the top of my Garmin.

The finish was not at the top of the hill, nor at the bottom, nor around the corner, but I felt like we were slowing making a big lap through this coffee plantation. I heard a noise ahead but it was a tractor. Finally I popped out on the pavement again and they shot us straight across the road into the finish area. Total milage 86km. I guess they decided to make up the 10km missing from the stage yesterday.

I ended 20th place in 4hrs 36min. I had not seen another racer since the top of the climb 2 hours ago. Turned out I was just 2 minutes behind the women’s winner Pau Mata.

Tomorrow is another early morning, but starts with a non-timed rafting trip in honor of the 20th running of La Ruta. Race starts at 1 pm and is a flat run out to Limon and finishes on the beach.

— Jim

See Stage 1’s data and report. See Stage 3’s data and report.

LA RUTA - Stage 1 Jim Meyer, Quarq founder and Technology...

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:06:00 -0600

LA RUTA - Stage 1

Jim Meyer, Quarq founder and Technology Director, is in Central America participating in La Ruta de los Conquistadores, “Costa Rica’s premier mountain bike race and one of the most difficult athletic events on the planet.”

From the La Ruta web site:

La Ruta, the only bike race that traverses the American land mass from coast to coast - from Pacific to Atlantic - is no easy day at the beach. Between its sea-level start and finish, the 161-mile route crosses 5 mountain ranges that force you climb a cumulative 29,000 feet!

Jim finished a commendable 30th place on yesterday’s Stage 1 and sent in his power file and race report.

See the full power file in TrainingPeaks Activity Viewer. (Opens in a new window.)

Totals

Duration: 6:35:04

Distance: 98.61 km (61.27 mi)

Elevation Gain: 4456 m (14,619 ft)

Work: 4622 kJ

Average Power: 195 watts

Normalized Power: 258 watts

TSS: 311.2

IF: 0.688

W/Kg: 2.61

Report

So in the last couple days I tried to read up other people’s La Ruta races to catch a few tips on what to bring on the race. There were a few helpful things, but I did start to wonder a bit what I have gotten myself in to. All the talk of endless climbing and mud.

I traveled down and got registered without trouble. I do find that the whole experience lacks the level of organization that we feel as westerners / Americans / industrialized nation citizens. The whole approach here is less regimented and exacting - you just kinda go with the flow. What time is dinner? Where? Which bus? Where do I leave my bag? The key is not to worry much, just sort it out as you go.

The race started right on the beach and had a 15 minute neutral rollout that served as a perfect warm-up. Then it shot straight up a steep hardpack gravel road. It took around 350 watts at 60-65 rpm to get me up it. I didn’t really know exactly what the rest of the course would be, but if it was 110km (68mi) full of climbs like this, I knew my legs would absolutely explode far before the finish. There were 490 starters, I topped the climb somewhere around 30-40th place.

We did more gravel down for a while, then got into the rutted out mud sections. This was around 1.5-2 hrs in. This section was really up and down, steep and slick. Some could be ridden, most not. I was with 6-8 guys for a while, then they gapped me and I was alone for a while. At the end of each up and down mud section, there were stream crossings, some ridable, others waist deep. Then on one of the mud walking climbs, I caught the 6-8 dudes and walked up the climb past them all and never saw them again. I have no idea what that was about, I hadn’t intentionally changed pace, so perhaps they were duking it out and all popped together. I didn’t really pay attention to how long this all lasted, I just stayed in the moment and hiked along. Strava has the section as 4.7 miles in 1hr 6min. That’s 4.3mph - slow going.

After that was gravel road roller stuff before dumping out on a road climb. At this point we we around 55km in, about half way done. I then remembered that I had forgotten to look at the course profile in the morning. I really didn’t know how long this climb was going to be. I climbed for 15 minutes, just spinning up the road. Then 25min, then 30. Then a guy passed me that spoke English and he said the climb topped out at 1200m. We were only at 700m and had likely started at 200m. This was good and bad news. Bad news was there was a pile more climbing to go, good news was we would end up way up high and likely could only go down from there. I had an okay pace going, not super fast, but making time.

After the 2nd paint marking indicating 1km to the top, I got a big cramp in my hamstring. I quickly did some paperboy switchbacks in the road to keep from locking up, and dug out some salt tablets. It eased quickly, but from then on I was concerned that it would come back.

It had been really hot on some sections of the climb, sometimes I really felt like I was cooking. But there were bits of shade and sometimes a slightly cool headwind, which was very welcome. Right over the top of the climb it started a full downpour of rain. The descent went down some crazy steep paved roads and a couple of locals blew past me. I had been hot before, but was now shivering cold for 2-3 minutes. Then the rain stopped. Then we climbed and I got hot again.

We rolled along towards the finish, 80km, 85km, 90km, I was expecting 110km total, and wondered what the content would be. Then I passed a guy that said 9km to go. Then 6km. According to these two separate spectators, it looked like the end would be around 99km. These last kilometers kept on a steady climb, and I had good legs so I held the pressure on. 3km, 2km, 2km, 2miles, 1km, 2km, 1km, 2km, 1km, 1km…. blah, blah. The spectators dont really know where the finish is, but the numbers are at least trending the right way.

I crossed the line in 30th place in 6hrs 31min. I was pretty beat, but had kept the race under control and didn’t have any dark moments. Overall, it was easier than I had expected. In particular, the 8+ mile road climb really made it much easier than other ways that we could have covered the distance. Still a hard day, but a bit less epic than I had mentally prepared myself for.

Tomorrow will be easier, no big mud sections - just one big a** climb up the volcano and a huge descent down the other side. I had an appetite tonight so hopefully I will be fueled up and ready to go in the morning.

— Jim

See Stage 2’s data and report. See Stage 3’s data and report.

Ironman Hawaii Power Rewind

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:04:00 -0600

In the days leading up to this year’s Ironman Hawaii, newly crowned Ironman® World Champion, Pete Jacobs, and six-time Ironman Switzerland winner, Ronnie Schildknecht, who finished in 19th place, shared their power targets and plans. On Sunday morning after the race, TrainingPeaks’ Joe Friel analyzed their power files and questioned them about the data and their race performances.

Ronnie rode hard out of T1. He saw the numbers were high but by the time he brought it back the damage was done. The heat and humidity of Kailua-Kona had taken its toll. Pete, on the other hand, did a perfect bike ride at the front of the field and went on to cross the finish line in first place.

Watch the video below to hear more from Joe, Ronnie and Pete.

View the complete power files on TrainingPeaks’ 2012 Ironman World Championship page.

The Ironman World Championship

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:08:00 -0600

On October 13, the entire planet will turn towards the triathlon mecca, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, for the Ironman® World Championship.

This year, Quarq is equipping a host of contenders with the SRAM RED Quarq Power Meter including:

Mirinda Carfrae
Rasmus Henning*
Pete Jacobs
Chris McCormack
Luke McKenzie
Jordan Rapp*
Ronnie Schildknecht
Marino Vanhoenacker

In addition, we’ll be partnering with TrainingPeaks to deliver race day power analysis. Follow @quarq and @TrainingPeaks on Twitter for more.

If you’re on the big island, come and see us at the Ironman Expo or the SRAM, Zipp and Quarq Retail Lounge on Ali’i Drive. There’s more details in the schedule, below.

Best wishes to everyone travelling to Kailua-Kona and racing in the Ironman® World Championship!

Ironman® Hawaii Press Release

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The SRAM, Zipp and Quarq Kona Event Schedule

Photo: Chris McCormack by Eric Wynn

* Rasmus Henning and Jordan Rapp use Quarq’s Specialized S-Works compatible power meter.

Analysis of Ronnie Schildknecht's Ironman Switzerland Performance

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:54:00 -0600

On Sunday July 15, Ronnie Schildknecht took his sixth Ironman Switzerland title in a time of 8:17:13. He came out of the swim nearly six minutes down at 55:38, moved to the front on the bike with a 4:27:42 and stayed there on the run with a 2:51:09. Ronnie was kind enough to share his power file with us and answer questions about the data and his performance.

View the power file in TrainingPeaks’ Activity Viewer. (Opens in a new window.)

Totals

Entire Workout: 4:28:21
Distance (km): 177.78
Work (kJ): 5168
Elevation Gain (meters): 1931

Averages

Speed (km/h): 39.75
Power (watts): 321
Cadence (rpm): 86

Metrics

Normalized Power (watts): 333
1 min Peak Power (watts): 423
5 min Peak Power (watts): 375
20 min Peak Power (watts): 359
60 min Peak Power (watts): 350

Upon opening Ronnie’s power file there are two things that strike you: it is a two-lap bike course and he rode the first lap much faster!

It’s clear that after coming out of the water six minutes down, Ronnie hammered to get to the front. If we split the ride in two, his average power for the first 89km is 339 watts vs. 305 watts for the second. The difference in average power on the two climbs is even more significant – 356 vs. 313 watts.

Ronnie raced through the first 29km of flat terrain at 343w and 44.5km/h. He went over the undulations at 346w and climbed at 356w. At this point he had been riding for 63km at an average of 347 watts. He continued to power after the descent, going another 30km at 327w and 42km/h.

Ronnie may have ridden the first half (89km) fast but it was incredibly consistent. His VI is just 1.02 and even though the course has undulations and hills there are only four minutes in 02:11:58 that he wasn’t pedaling.

Duration: 2:11:58
Average Speed: 40.4 km/h
Average Power: 339 watts
Normalized Power: 347 watts
Variability Index: 1.02

Ronnie’s average power for the entire ride is 321 watts. Assuming this is his target Ironman power, he burnt some matches in the first half of the ride!

Six 20-minute matches. Four-and-a-half in the first half of the ride. The lone 20-minute match in the second half was burnt on the climb.
Six 10-minute matches. Five in the first half of the ride.
One 5-minute match.
Sixteen 1-minute matches! 15 in the first half of the ride.

The second half of the ride, by comparison, is tamer.

Duration: 2:16:15
Average Speed: 39.1 km/h
Average Power: 305 watts
Normalized Power: 317 watts
Variability Index: 1.04

Race reports say Ronnie moved into second place at 125km and into first at 130km, then hammered up the ‘Beast’ climb and put three minutes into his chasers. Ronnie’s only 20-minute match on the second lap began burning when he reached the undulations, 118km in. At the end of this 20-minute effort, at the 130km mark, he was in first place.

With the benefit of Ronnie’s data, we can see the front-runners were all pushing hard in the first half of the bike ride. Ronnie’s power is lower through the undulations and considerably lower on the climb the second time around, but he kept the now chasers at bay. Following the descent, he rode the last 18.5km of the bike ride at just 289 watts. Ronnie’s VI is higher on the second lap but that’s probably influenced more by soft-pedaling and the reduced pace as he approaches T2.

Ronnie ran a fast marathon off the bike – a 2:51:09 – and the first half was staggeringly fast at 1:22:17. Was this a result of a calculated slowdown into T2? Was he aware the pace was so high on the first lap – for himself and everyone else? Did the rain and wind on race day affect performances? Let’s find out.

Quarq: First of all, what do you consider to be your strengths in triathlon? Is a strong bike ride one of them? We haven’t seen a race file like this before – where someone has ridden so hard, still run so well and dominated the field.

Ronnie: I would definitely say the bike is my strength and I am able to run solid off a hard bike. I also have a lot of experience on this course and I know where I can relax and where to go harder.

Quarq: Did the race go as planned? Or do you think your winning margin was partly due to incorrect strategies or even inexperience from your fellow competitors?

Ronnie: The race went as planned for me. I had great day. I knew that when I got on my bike and the legs where just spinning easy compared to the power numbers I was pushing. I planned to ride quite hard after the swim to catch up. I also know my power numbers I can ride on a stellar day, but my effort for the first lap on the bike was definitely on the high end.

When I got to the front I of course was a bit fatigued from the effort but I actually went a bit easier on purpose. I relaxed and just tried to hold a steady pace, especially on the hills. I kept the power lower than in the first half. My goal was to hit the marathon in the lead but also as fresh as possible.

Quarq: Do you have a target power number for Ironman bike rides? Is it tied to your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) or pre-race testing?

Ronnie: I have a range of power numbers that I get through pre-race testing. Then it also depends on the day I have. On a stellar day it would be 320 Watts and on a good day maybe 300 Watts. My FTP is about 390 Watts.

Quarq: Wow. Originally you were a 70.3 guy. Did you use a power meter then? How do the numbers differ?

Ronnie: On a 70.3 my power numbers are between 350-370 Watts depending on the day and the course. On really flat courses I find it hard to have a high average power output because you are tucked in a position and can’t use other muscles where on a hilly course I can use other muscles more (out of the saddle or sliding back).

Quarq: We’re seeing a trend, particularly amongst triathletes and endurance mountain bikers, to hit the lap button and monitor lap power to pace themselves on a long climb or section of a course, or even against specific competitors. Looking at your lap markers, there are some fairly obvious segments.

Going over the climb on the first lap
Powering after the descent
Beginning lap 2
Catching the leaders and going over the climb a second time

Do you have a strategy tied to the lap button or are we reading too much into it?

Ronnie: Yes, I wanted to reset the lap average power on all these four points. I used it as a reset and then I can go from there. Especially in lap 2 and after catching the leaders I wanted to control my average power.

Quarq: What fields do you use on your head unit?

Ronnie: Lap power, 3sec. power, cadence, ride time.

Quarq: We can’t see the weather conditions in a power file but it’s something that can play a big role. We read there was rain and wind at Ironman Switzerland and that you crashed. Is that right?

Ronnie: Yes it was raining almost all day, which made it hard in corners. Then my front wheel slipped on a zebra crossing in the first lap. The last 20Km on the bike ride there was hail, which made it hard to steer and pedal.

Quarq: Is that why your power on the second lap was lower?

Ronnie: The reason for the slower second lap was, apart from the last 20Km, not due the bad weather.

Quarq: Your Pedal Force / Pedal Velocity is very consistent. Even though there are climbs and undulations, you maintain steady power and cadence, with both slightly lower on lap 2.

The first 28km stint makes for the best viewing: 343 watts, 343 normalized, VI of 1.00, average cadence of 86rpm and an average speed of 45km/h. A fresh, strong Ironman athlete can move!

The great thing is you maintain your pedal stroke throughout the entire ride. Is pedaling technique something you focus on?

Ronnie: I try to cover the whole range of cadence in training. In training I try to ride a 90-100 cadence or a 75-80 at the same power output (for example when I do a 10 minute FTP interval). I think especially the high cadence training helped my technique and it also gives me options in races. Normally I try to stay between 80-90, that’s where I feel the most comfortable.

Quarq: Thanks for taking time out for us, Ronnie. We can’t wait to see you in Hawaii!

View Ronnie’s power file in TrainingPeaks’ Activity Viewer. (Opens in a new window.)

Ronnie’s web site is http://www.ronnieschildknecht.ch. You can also follow him on Twitter and Strava.

US Pros Making An Impact With PowerPhoto: Glenn Kasin The...

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:07:00 -0600

US Pros Making An Impact With Power

Photo: Glenn Kasin

The Bontrager Livestrong and UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Teams both made a big impact at last week’s 2012 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. United Healthcare’s Rory Sutherland (@rorysutherland1) and Jake Keough took stage wins while Bontrager LIVESTRONG’s Joe Dombrowski (@JoeDombro) and Ian Boswell (@theboz91) took 4th and 5th overall.

The Tour of Utah isn’t the only big American event in 2012 where these teams and riders have delivered stunning performances. Back in May at the SRAM Tour Of The Gila, Sutherland took stage 1 and the overall general classification. Dombrowski had two podiums and finished 3rd on GC. And Bontrager LIVESTRONG’s Lawson Craddock and Ian Boswell went 1-2 on the final stage - the Gila Monster. Bontrager LIVESTRONG won the teams classification.

The Amgen Tour of California was sandwiched between these events and there we interviewed Boswell and Sutherland for SRAM’s Tour Insider series. In these short videos they explain how they use power in training and racing, what they’ve discovered using a power meter, and how important getting the numbers is.

Special thanks to Peyton Skelton (@PeytonSkelton), videographer, and Dave Towle (@davedtowle), interviewer.

All American Weekend

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 11:00:00 -0600

It was a stellar weekend for Quarq-powered athletes in North America across every cycling discipline.

At the Tour of Utah, Bontrager LIVESTRONG’s Joe Dombrowski (@JoeDombro) and Ian Boswell (@thebos91) continued to #PROVEIT, finishing fourth and fifth on general classification and first and second in the best young rider classification. @LeviLeipheimer (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) outclassed his fellow competitors on the Empire Pass climb to finish first on the final stage and sixth on GC. Levi’s win gave Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@opqscycling) their 46th victory in 2012.

In New York, Jordan Rapp (@rappstar) punished his fellow competitors on the bike at the inaugural Ironman U.S. Championships and crossed the finish line 13 minutes ahead of his nearest challenger. Jordan also announced his intention to race in the Ironman World Championship this October in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Rebecca Rusch (@thequeenofpain) conquered the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race yet again, beating her own course record on the way to her fourth victory in a row. Honey Stinger/Bontrager’s Tammy Sadle (@tnsadle), who’s currently working with Quarq on a great MTB power meter series, finished in 8th.

O,symetric Chainrings Photo: Osymetric USA Since the Tour de...

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 11:37:00 -0600

O,symetric Chainrings

Photo: Osymetric USA

Since the Tour de France we have been fielding many questions about O,symetric chainrings and their compatibility with Quarq power meters. O,symetric chainrings are compatible and you will find detailed information for each Quarq power meter below.

SRAM S975, CinQo Saturn for Rotor 3D and CinQo Saturn for FSA SL-K Light Quarq Power Meters

O,symetric chainrings will fit 130BCD and 110BCD models.

In most cases, the slope on S975 and CinQo Saturn power meters must be changed to maintain +/-2% accuracy when using a different make and model of chainring, and this is true for O,symetric chainrings.

To maintain perfect accuracy, sending your power meter and chainrings to the Quarq factory for calibration is best. The next best option is Quarq’s Qalvin App, which lets you calibrate your power meter in the field.

With Qalvin, you can carry out the calibration routine yourself using a hanging weight or enter a reference slope from our calibration tables. A reference slope for the O,symetric 130BCD 52/42 combination is in the calibration tables. This slope will also work for the 52/39 and 53/39 O,symetric combinations.

Quarq has not tested a 110BCD O,symetric chainring combination so we cannot provide a reference slope. To recalibrate a 110BCD power meter you must send your power meter to the factory in Spearfish or use Qalvin as described above.

What is a slope? The slope is a multiplier used to convert pedal force into newton meters of torque and, ultimately, into the watts you see on your head unit. When we say “calibrate” we mean a routine that sets the slope. The Calibrate menu item in Garmin Edge 500 and 800 head units sets the zero offset. Think of setting the zero offset as a “tare” - like zeroing a kitchen or bathroom scale. Setting the zero offset does not set or change the power meter’s slope.

Updated (Jan 25, 2013): ELSA 10R, RIKEN 10R, SRAM RED, Quarq for Specialized, Quarq for Cannondale

The O,Symetric rings will fit all models, 130BCD and 110BCD, but they are not recommended for the SRAM RED Quarq power meter. With the OmniCal™ feature you do not need to adjust the slope.

Why not with RED? The SRAM RED Quarq power meter uses chainrings with a bolt hidden behind the crank arm. Standard chainrings must be inverted to fit a SRAM RED Quarq power meter, which makes the chain catch/drop pin redundant. Due to the hidden bolt it is also difficult to install and tighten alternative chainrings to the recommended torque setting. Please do not remove the power meter spider from the crank arm to install alternative chainrings as this may affect your warranty. For best-in-class shifting we recommend you use the SRAM RED Quarq power meter with SRAM RED shifters, Yaw™ front derailleur and the factory-fitted X Glide R™ chainrings.

A Day in the Life

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:14:00 -0600

SRAM Pro Race Service is a fixture at Europe’s premier road races and triathlons. They ensure SRAM’s sponsored teams and athletes have the products and support they need to win the most revered races on the planet.

At this year’s Tour de France I worked alongside @SRAMJase and @SRAMBen from Pro Race Service to support the Quarq power meters used by Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team.

Pro Race Service in Liege. Photo: BrakeThrough Media

Team bikes in Liege, ready for Stage 1 of the 2012 Tour de France.

The Tour De France is arguably cycling’s most glamorous event and following the race from town-to-town you see some amazing sights and the sport’s best riders. But it’s not all glamorous. Behind the scenes, team managers, trainers, soigneurs and mechanics work hard to craft stage wins and keep everything running smoothly. And riders work hard to stay healthy and alert.

Tony Martin and Rolf Aldag discuss equipment.

Mechanic Kevin Desmedt makes adjustments.

Feed station in the mountains.

Tony Martin finishes a warm-up. All photos: BrakeThrough Media

SRAM Pro Race Service works equally hard to ensure teams are ready to race with SRAM RED components, Zipp wheels, bars, stems and seatposts, and Quarq power meters.

At the Tour de France, and at most major races, a typical day for Pro Race Service goes like this:

Wake up and ride
Eat breakfast at the hotel
Drive to the race start in convoy with the team buses
Visit SRAM’s sponsored teams and meet with the riders, mechanics and team managers
Watch the race start
Hit the road, grab a bite to eat and high-tail it to the race finish or check in to the next hotel
Watch the race finish live or on TV
Visit SRAM’s sponsored teams at their hotels to discuss product choice, installation, operation and performance on today’s and tomorrow’s stages
Eat dinner
Return to the hotel, upload the day’s photos, respond to emails and retire, ready to do it all again tomorrow

The day starts at 8:00am, if you don’t include the ride, and normally finishes about 10:00pm. I didn’t count the miles we covered in the car but it’s more than the bike race!

3497km and counting.

The Pro Race Service cars carry replacement brake and shift cables, some spare parts and a typical bike mechanic’s toolbox and stand. When it comes to Omega Pharma – Quick-Step’s Quarq power meters, the tools you need are a little different. I added a backpack containing a notepad, pen, iPhone running Quarq’s Qalvin app and a Wahoo ANT+™ Key. Spare CR2450 and CR2032 batteries, spare magnets and a power meter spider and Edge® 500 computer are in there too.

In the days leading up to the race, teams are based at a single hotel. This gives you the opportunity to talk at length with managers, trainers, mechanics and riders, although you’re not the only one vying for their attention. Here Levi Leipheimer trains, receives new equipment and gets filmed at the same time.

During this time the power meters on each of the bikes are checked using Qalvin. The zero offsets and battery voltages are noted and transferred to a spreadsheet, and then monitored from day-to-day to ensure everything is okay. Checking the zero offset is within +/- 500 and not moving more than 50 points day-to-day is still the best indicator of power meter health.

Using Qalvin as the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step mechanics prepare bikes in Liege.

The SRAM RED Quarq power meter makes check-ups easier. You wind the crank a couple of times and if the LED doesn’t flash then the battery is flat or no magnet has been fitted to the frame.

For those interested, this is exactly what I do:

Wind the crank.
Plug in the Wahoo Key, launch Qalvin and connect to the power meter using its ANT+™ ID. This is easier on the 2012 Quarq power meters because the ID is printed on the outside.
Go to the Diagnostics screen and note the Battery Level (volts) and last Zero Offset.
Go to the main screen, titled Sensor, and Set Zero, noting the new zero offset.

We like battery voltage to be above 2.8. Voltage can be affected by temperature, but power meter transmission generally begins to fail around 2.7 volts.

At the Tour de France I watched Omega Pharma – Quick-Step’s team mechanics and trainers use Qalvin the same way, including scribbling on notebooks and transferring numbers to spreadsheets. We work with them on an ongoing basis to ensure everything is running satisfactorily from event to event.

With Koen Pelgrim, Omega Pharma - Quick Step Pro Cycling Team Trainer.

I’m pleased to say the team’s power meters worked flawlessly throughout the event and we’re aiming to post some power analysis on the blog in the coming weeks.

Now, I said this is hard work and there is constant travel, transfers between hotels and 14-hour work days. You do though get to be inside the barriers at cycling’s most prestigious event and for that I’m forever grateful. The following photos are not all from Quarq-sponsored, or even SRAM-sponsored, teams and athletes, but remind me that at the end of the day my job takes me to the Tour de France!

Tony Martin heads to the start house for the Prologue.

Quarq power meters adorn the team car in Liege.

Approaching the finish in Tournai.

Tony Martin emerges from the team bus in Visé to talk about his crash on Stage 1.

Cancellara, in the yellow jersey, goes to sign in at Visé.

Peter Sagan’s Tourminator bike is unveiled. Jim and Iri from BrakeThrough Media and James Huang from BikeRadar and Cyclingnews.com are in the front row.

A privileged seat on the Liquigas team bus to watch the stage finish in Tournai.

— Troy@Quarq

Analysis of Jordan Rapp's Ironman Texas Performance

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:46:00 -0600

On Saturday May 19, Quarq triathlete Jordan Rapp won the 2012 Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas in a time of 8:10:44. Jordan came out of the water in 53:36, five minutes down on the leaders; his 4:25:43 bike ride was the third best on the day and he ran a course record 2:46:55. Jordan was kind enough to share his power data from the race and answer some questions about his performance.

Before we begin, we must say Jordan was immensely generous with his time and knowledge. He shared insight on power data, race strategy, assessing strengths and weaknesses, and how he uses test events to prepare for his target race.

Here is a recap of the results, lifted from the Memorial Hermann Ironman 2012 Results book.

This is the summary of Jordan’s ride:

Totals

Time Riding: 4:25:08 (excludes wheeling the bike in and out of transition)
Distance (km): 179.5
Work (kJ): 4657
Elevation Gain (meters): 488

Averages

Speed (km/h): 40.6
Power (watts): 293
Cadence (rpm): 77

Metrics

xPower/Normalized Power (watts): 295
1 min Peak Power (watts): 374
5 min Peak Power (watts): 329
20 min Peak Power (watts): 318
60 min Peak Power (watts): 306

Here are Jordan’s ride plot and histograms for power and cadence:

There are some obvious trends in Jordan’s power data and the first is exceptionally good pacing. His Variability Index (VI) is just 1.007!

Assuming his target wattage is 295w, there are literally no accelerations. He burnt just one 1-minute match and zero 5- and 10-minute matches.

We know from the results and race report that Jordan came out of the water five minutes down. There were six in the lead group and Jordan passed four of them in the first 105km (65mi) of the bike. He caught Rasmus Henning with 15km (9mi) to go and went back and forth with him, entering T2 tied for second position. Mathias Hecht swam with the leaders and biked 4:18, putting him more than 10 minutes ahead when the run began.

So does Jordan stick to his pre-race plan no matter what, employing a consistent bike ride for a great run, or is there a time when on-the-road decisions usurp power data? Let’s find out.

Quarq: Your bike ride is super consistent, but there are some segments where you’re riding 15w higher or lower than, say, a goal output of 300w. One of those is the first 15-20km (first 20 minutes) of the ride. Did you take off faster because you were five minutes back?

Jordan: You always end up starting a bit faster. Some of it is just the natural sensation of getting rolling - Ironman pace isn’t very hard when you are fresh - so it’s a lot of work to keep the power down early (as opposed to the end of the ride, where it’s hard to keep the power up). But EVERYONE is fresh at the beginning. So there are lots of guys that can ride my Ironman pace for an hour or 90min or two hours. And I don’t want to do any pace making for them or give them a chance to push the draft zone. I want to make sure I don’t give anyone a free ride for any amount of time. So I certainly let the pace flow a little more freely early. I think the majority of it is just the excitement of racing, the adrenalin, etc.; it’s just hard to keep the power in check. I’m sure it’d be better if I kept it a bit lower in that first half-hour, but as metronomic as I am, I am not a robot. Racing is fun, and sometimes it’s fun to let the dogs run a bit.

Quarq: For the next 90km (55mi) you rode very steady, then at around 105km (Lap 6/65mi) there was another 15w higher burst. Your peak 1-minute and 10-minute outputs happen here. Is this where you heard Mathias Hecht had 5+ minutes on you?

Jordan: Actually, it’s where I caught Joe Umphenour and Balazs Csoke, and I was sure that Rasmus and Mathias *MUST* have been just up the road. The Texas course is tough because you rarely can see more than a mile up the road, and most of the time, probably a ½ mile or less. I actually thought I was gaining on everyone. The last report I’d gotten - at about 30mi - I was supposedly only 3min down to the lead. So I was pretty sure that when I caught those guys, that I was about to catch everyone. This was the one “mistake” I think I made. I was a bit worried about Joe and Balazs using me for pacing, but given that I’d already ridden 5min into them, I shouldn’t have been. Especially not that late into the ride. I might have been able to put that surge to better use later in the bike or even just save it for the run.

Quarq: From 165-175km (Lap 11/~106mi) power and speed are noticeably lower, but the course profile looks relatively flat and you still rode past Umphenour and Henning. Is there anything special about this segment? Did they go out too hard? Are you all resting coming into transition?

Jordan: Some of this I’ll keep secret. I had already dropped Joe - at 105km - but this is where I caught Rasmus. I would have liked to have that peak 10min power here instead of at 105km. Once I caught Rasmus, I tried to put on a surge to drop him, but I couldn’t hit that extra 15w burst for long enough. Plus Rasmus seemed a lot more willing to press the pace to make sure I didn’t ride away. Considering that I had ridden 5min into him at this point, it was clear that he was upping the pace to make sure he didn’t let me get too much of a lead in the end of the bike. So, once that became clear, I became more tactical in my riding. That section is reasonably “technical,” by which I mean there are a fair number of turns, especially from 170km onwards. So I used the turns and aid stations to engage in a bit of brinksmanship. I’m certain that I rode slower than I could have as a result, but at that point - given that I now knew Mathias was way up the road (too far to be sensible on his part) - I was pretty sure that Rasmus was the man I’d have to beat to win the race. So I made some decisions that I thought might swing the odds in my favor. Whether they actually had any effect on the race or not, I obviously have no idea. But that far into the ride, the mental aspect is certainly important. So I did what I thought I could to gain an advantage.

Quarq: The lap markers in your file are interesting. There are 13 in total. The first five are 30 minutes long, but then they become somewhat random – 10, 15 or 30 minutes long. What are they based on?

Jordan: I will always lap on the 30min, if I haven’t lapped before then. However, I sometimes lap for what I consider to be a decisive point - like when I pass someone and want to make sure I keep the power up after the pass. Or if there’s a climb (which obviously isn’t the case on this course). Or maybe if there is a long straightaway where maybe I think I can see the leaders and want to put in a surge to catch them. Almost inevitably - unless the topography shows a climb - I will have no idea why I pushed lap when I did. The one exception in this case is that lap at 105km. Sometimes, however, I’ll use a later lap button to reset the overall clock, so that I continue to work on a 30min base - for example, when I look at my clock at see a lap time of 5:05, I might know that I’m 3hrs, 35:05 into the ride because it’s very easy to keep track of how many 30min chunks I’ve done (7 in that example). That’s important because I use the overall time of the bike ride to guide my nutrition, so it’s important that if my lap clock gets out of sync with the overall clock that I work to bring them back into sync with each other when I can.

Quarq: Continuing the previous question, what fields do you have on your head unit? It sounds like you watch lap power at those decisive points.

Jordan: Primary screen is: 3sec average // Lap Average Power // Cadence & Lap Time. Secondary screen is: 3sec average // Ride Time // Avg. Cadence & Avg. Power. Tertiary screen is: Distance (I use this primarily to reference when I’ll hit an aid station, but also for some courses for when I’ll be approaching a certain climb or descent, etc).

Jordan’s Pedal Force/Pedal Velocity Chart also makes for interesting viewing.

Quarq: Your pedal force/pedal velocity is very consistent, just like your power output. You’re slightly stronger and more consistent in the first two hours and your cadence slows just a little after that. That matches what you said about being fresh at the beginning. We were shocked to see your average cadence is just 77rpm. We recently learnt Bert Grabsch, German and former World TT champion, rides as low as 65rpm but don’t expect to see people run off the bike with 77. Is that what works best for you?

Jordan: I used to ride just under 85rpm (as opposed to just under 80rpm), but my cadence actually dropped a bit when I switched to shorter cranks. <shrug> And I used to ride 53/39 rings, but switched to 54/42 rings after realizing that the 54 was a tactical weapon. Generally, I try to make sure my cadence doesn’t get below 75 for too long or above 85 for too long. I generally say I like to ride at “about 80rpm.” So as long as I’m 80+/-5rpm, I’m happy. My first two Ironman wins - both on 172.5 cranks but with 53/39 chainrings were at 82rpm. My last two have been ~78 (78-79 - depending on how you really look at it for IMC 2011, and 77rpm here). I think the latter half of this - especially the last 10-15km - I was lower than normal for a variety of reasons, so I’d guess the average for the bulk of the ride was about 78-79. That seems to be what works for me. Even at REALLY high effort, I rarely ride above 85rpm. And I’ve had some stellar short - 20km - TTs at 78/79, so while my cadence generally increases as my power increases - which is typical - it doesn’t always. When I race an Ironman, 80rpm is my target. When I race a half, I try to keep it a bit higher. But in general, I just ride whatever cadence feels good, as long as it’s higher than 75 and lower than 85. But I do train at a wide range of cadences. Some of my long rides, I keep the average cadence over 90rpm. And sometimes I ride super low cadence for training as well (like 55rpm at a very strong effort) So I like to be trained at a wide range of cadences. And then I just ride what feels best.

Quarq: Do you ride at a certain percentage of your FTP? Does it change depending on the event - Olympic distance, half ironman and ironman - in line with conventional wisdom?

Jordan: I don’t really believe in the idea of FTP. I use CP - critical power - which I think Dr. Phil Skiba does a great job of explaining here: http://physfarm.com/new/?page_id=511. 295np works out to about about 77% of CP in my case, which would likely work out to about 80% of “FTP” if you were to actually calculate what you believed my FTP to be. And yes, it definitely changes with race distance. I typically ride about 10% higher - whatever metric you use - for half-Ironman. I struggle to get the next approximately 10% that I “should” be able to get for Olympic distance; I’m just not nearly as good at the short stuff. I think some of it is that the swim is a harder effort in Olympic distance races, many of the courses are more technical (in and around cities) with more turns, and where I think you need to be comfortable at a higher cadence to really be able to roll the power on quickly. That’s definitely not my strong suit. I’m a real rhythm rider. I like wide-open courses with minimal hard corners. Then I settle into pace and just let the power roll. Joel Filliol used to refer to me as a diesel. I’m like a freight train - fast once I get rolling and in a (relatively) straight line, but not much good for cornering. I actually think I ride rolling courses well, but I think you can get into a good rhythm on rollers that I just never seem to find on a more turn-heavy course. So I’d say - in general - I typically under-perform at Olympic distance. And I think I’m pretty representative for ½ Ironman - I think a lot of guys can hit that approx. 90% of “threshold” for 56mi. And then I think I tend to over-perform at Ironman. “Horses for courses,” as the saying goes.

Quarq: There’s this race in Kona, Hawaii, with a long, straight bike ride that might suit you… Sorry, don’t respond to that. How did you discover you under perform at OD, over perform at Ironman and race best on wide-open courses with few corners? Did your power meter help you determine your strengths and weaknesses as an athlete, did race results play a role, or was it something else?

Jordan: When I race Olympic distance, I can see that my power is - relatively - pretty poor given what I should be able to do. I often end up riding only about 2-3% higher than I do for a 70.3 race. But it’s not an inability to ride fast for a short ride. I do plenty of 20km/30min/45min TTs at power much higher than that. So it’s not like I can’t go fast. I just can’t seem to go fast in an Olympic distance race. And, based on what I’ve seen in training, that seems likely to be the result of the typically more technical nature of many Olympic distance courses. There are generally just more turns and 180s, which I also struggle with in training. I’m just not good at road racing where there’s a lot of power-on/power-off. Occasionally, there is an Olympic distance course that suits me - NYC is one, with it’s basically straight shot out-and-back bike course - where I’ve had good rides before. And some that are awful - the Life Time Fitness course in Minneapolis is a terrible course for me. But Olympic distance racing on any course still always feels a bit rushed to me. With a stand alone TT, I feel like I can warm-up, get settled, and then attack the ride. But the all-out nature of the swim in Olympic distance racing seems also to put me out of my comfort zone as well, even when I’m certainly fit enough.

Jordan: Olympic distance racing is a rush. Some guys thrive on that - Simon Whitfield is a great example. But for me, I’ve never felt like I’ve been able to carry over my fitness well into a race. I’ve certainly tried to improve, but at the same time, it seems a bit foolish to try to change who you are, especially when it’s not necessary. I like racing long course triathlon, and thankfully there are lots of good opportunities for me to do so. So I don’t feel like it’s really a weakness I need to work on very much, moreso because I might never be able to change it. Of course, if I could do just as well in Olympic distance racing as I do in Ironman and 70.3 in spite of my weaknesses, I’m sure I’d do more of them since there are a lot of great races and good prize money up for grabs. If I could win HyVee racing at just a bit faster than 70.3 pace, you better believe I’d do it. But I’m definitely not that talented. I don’t think anyone is. The best triathletes at every discipline are really, really good. I have no desire to race Simon Whitifield in a draft-legal triathlon (or really any Olympic distance race, draft legal or otherwise). And while I’m certain that he’d do better at Ironman than I would in an ITU race, I’d certainly give myself a chance of winning in that latter case.

Quarq: So, how much does what you know about yourself, and what you’ve seen in training, drive what you do on race day?

Jordan: Race results are merely validation of training. Or, as my good friend Paulo Sousa likes to say, “races are an opportunity to express your fitness.” Nothing changes on race day to your body. It’s not like you show up at the start line of a race and suddenly are a different athlete, especially for long course racing, where tactics are much less important than overall fitness. So I always make a plan for racing based on real results in training. Not what I think I “could have done” or “should have done” or “would have done” in training; I base my expectations and my plan off of what I actually did. I don’t like to have outlier races. That obviously applies to races that are worse than expected. But is also applies to races that are better than expected. I shouldn’t somehow discover that I was able to ride 10% harder than I thought I could. Of course, the chances of that happening are also slimmer because I do stick to my power meter - which some people might see as a detriment, but at the same time, I do also know how I feel. And it’s hard to hold the power up at the end of the ride. If I was coming into transition and the power was just rolling on, that’d be a sign I’d paced too easily. And that would be equally frustrating - or maybe even more frustrating - than a race where I got caught up in the race and ignored my plan and ended up under-performing on the run as a result.

Jordan: Certainly a race is not the time to find out what you are capable of. Or, perhaps more specifically, the bike portion of an Ironman is not a time to find out what you are capable of. I used my race at Wildflower - two weeks prior to Texas - as confirmation that my target wattage for Texas was reasonable. There’s certainly more risk taking in a half, especially on a course with more climbs - especially climbs in the back of the course - like Wildflower, since you can push/recover/push again. A ride where a higher VI is optimal is almost always easier to pace well, since you have some margin of error. But I didn’t just go into Wildflower to see how it would go; I had a plan for both races based off of my numbers in training. So while I was certainly more willing to “let it ride” a bit more at Wildflower than I would in an Ironman, I still went in with goals, though I was more willing to change that plan based on how I felt on the day, whereas an Ironman pace plan - particularly on the bike - is more set in stone. The problem with risk taking during Ironman on the bike is that you don’t find out until 2hrs into the run that the first 2hrs on the bike were too hard. And, on the flipside, when you are on the bike that long, it’s also easy to lose focus and let your watts slip down, and even a small percentage drop can add up to a lot of time on the day. Riding less power than you wanted because you weren’t paying attention can also be very costly.

Jordan: I also would say you can use your power meter not only to determine your strengths and weaknesses, but also to define and train them. Like, for Texas, which is quite flat, it was important to make sure I had some good training in the aerobars on flat roads with super steady power output. But for Wildflower, it was important that I also had some good time over some hillier roads and with a bit more ability to be “punchy.” Train how you are going to race, and then race how you trained. So a powermeter is both a feedback device - “I’m going to do 5min at a hard effort and see what power I can hit,” which useful in evaluating how training is going both in real time and after the fact - as well as a goal setting device - “I’m going to try to do 15min @ Xwatts today and see how that feels” - as a well as a pacing guide - “what is my power/average power during this race/interval?”

Jordan: Race results are certainly important as well, though. If you have “great power” but a relatively poor bike ride, then it’s important to say, “why did that happen?” “Was I bad about staying in the aerobars?” “Is my position bad?” “Did I have too high a VI?” “Was I not careful about tire pressure?” Etc. Or, even, “Am I just unrealistic about what it takes to race at this level?” So you also don’t want to race in a vacuum of your own goals/expecations and ignore the reality of results. A power meter can show you just how valuable an aero helmet really is to your placing. But it can also help you during the race itself in terms of race tactics. In other words, part of why I was confident that Mattias had ridden too hard is not only because I knew that he must have ridden at least X% harder than I did, it was ALSO because I knew that my own power was pretty damn good - not in relation to my expectations, but in terms of where it’s put me at the end of the day in the results.

Jordan: A powermeter tells you how well you executed your own race plan. Results tell you how good that plan actually was. Ultimately, it’s how fast you go, not how many watts you pushed. Don’t ever forget that.

Quarq: Thanks for your time and generosity, Jordan. We hope our readers enjoy your insight as much as we did. Is there anything you would like to add?

Jordan: Probably not. I’m sure I’ve already given away way more secrets than I should have. I like to win these things, you know, not teach other guys how to beat me!

When Quarq staff reviewed Jordan’s power data, the criterium and cyclo-cross racers highlighted that his surges are just 15 watts, or five percent, more than his target output of 300 watts. Compare Jordan, or more broadly, Ironman racing, to Ryan Trebon’s ride at Cross Vegas 2011. Ryan’s average power was 369 watts, but any time he was pedaling he was putting out 500+ watts. Ryan burnt nineteen 1-minute matches in his one hour and six minute ride. Ironman triathlon and cyclo-cross are two very different disciplines and this quick comparison shows how a power meter can give you crucial insight into yourself and the demands of your target event, and guide your training.

Stay in touch with Jordan on his blog and Twitter. Other related links include Jordan’s Ironman Texas awards speech, his Ask Me Anything About Ironman Texas thread on Slowtwitch and Ironman’s own Inside Look at Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas 2012 video.