Reasons to be specific...

I have very sore legs today, more than usual and yet my riding this weekend was, at first glance, nothing more than I am capable. If anything it could have been considered a small weekend for a guy who likes to race offroad for the best part of 24 hours at a time. In total we are talking 8 hours training on the road spread across 3 rides and 2 days and yet the damage caused to my muscles has required a full rest day and possibly 2!

So what's changed? Have I gone soft? Old perhaps? I'm glad to report a negative on both counts (OK, maybe I AM a bit older!) The reason lies in the specifics of the training. Until quite recently I have done all of my training with the use of a heart rate monitor. I've done this since the mid '90's when I got my Elite licence and started working with my first coach. Before that period I had become enveloped in the "more is better" philosophy and was utterly convinced that I had the capacity to train in the region of 20 to 25 hours per week.

Why would I think differently? I was doing the hours and seeing improvements so it had to correct didn't it? Working with a heart rate monitor taught me that my true capacity was much closer to 12 to 14 hours which was a real revelation that I have to be honest and say I was quite reluctant to accept. A few years soon proved the theory correct and my best race seasons have never averaged out at more than 13 hours of training per week.

However... there is now a new kid on the block when it comes to training = Power. Well, I say new but in truth the top pro riders in the world have been using Power meters and Ergo trainers for at least as long as I've been riding a bike, but what I should say is new to me, and perhaps new to the everyday riders serious about performance and with goals to do "this" or "that" event.

I've been training with a PowerTap rear hub and also at home with the Tacx Cosmos Ergo Trainer for the last 6 months and the change in my training is nothing short of amazing. The accuracy of training is such that I ALWAYS get the best bang for my buck when it comes to the time invested in terms of gains in fitness. I'm guessing that when training this accurately that I'll be able to achieve the same sorts of results but with an average training time somewhere below 10 hours per week.

Time, the only thing none of us can buy, and so much of it to be saved. Makes the Tacx and PowerTap the best value for money I've ever found...

Rob