by Brian Shaner

That first blast of cold wind almost blew me back into the car.  Why hadn’t I worn warmer clothes? It was in the mid 40’s but that wind was vicious. Later I’d thank that same wind as it seemed to always be at my back giving me a little push up some of the harder climbs. But now I was cold and a bit afraid that I’d bitten off more than I could chew: 141.5 miles with over 14,000 feet of climbing in this thin air. Fortunately, I’d ridden up with Eric Wessler, so I had someone with whom to share this challenge. It was nice to tuck in behind him now and then during the first twenty miles to the foot of Kingsbury. It was 6am and the sun was just peaking over the hills to the east across the Nevada plains.  The changing colors and patterns of light took my mind off the cold and the immensity of this ride.

We got to the base of Kingsbury and as previously arranged Eric went ahead at his faster pace.  I was determined to take it easy and not burn out on the first climb, so it took me an hour to ride the seven miles to the top.  Waiting for me was a well oiled team of Alta Alpina club members.  The first one took my bike, the second filled my water bottle and the third attached my Kingsbury sticker. This happened at every rest stop (with the exception of Carson which we’ll get to later).  I felt like I had made a pit stop at the Indianapolis 500, and was ready to go in less than five minutes.  As I was getting ready to leave, one of the club members asked if there was anything else I needed.  Trying to be clever, I asked if he would mind peddling my bike up Carson for me.  Without missing a beat he asked when and where he should meet me.

Descending Kingsbury was great with a smooth road and little traffic.  After a few miles of gentle rollers, we began the long slow climb up highway 88 towards Carson via Luther.  It was past 9am and those clouds that had looked beautiful a few hours before now looked dark and ominous. But unlike last year, the weather held for the entire ride.  Plus there was more traffic and less shoulder.  I had met Brian Birkeland at the Immigrant Gap rest stop but left earlier than he and his riding companion.  In fact, I didn’t see anyone in front of or behind me most of the way to the Luther turn off.  But then part way up Luther I saw a familiar face as Eric whizzed down the mountain.  I met a hefty rider at the top of Luther who was just doing three passes so only had Blue Lakes left.  Eric and I had driven that route the day before and gone for a hike to get a bit acclimated.   So I told him that it wasn’t very steep (not true) and that it ended at the fourth gate because the real steep part was still covered with snow (true).  Later as I was struggling up some 10% grades on Blue Lakes, I realized that I had not been paying very close attention from the car.  So when I saw my hefty friend descending, I was glad he gave me a friendly ring of his bell and not the finger for misinforming him about the difficulty of the climb.  But all of this happened after Carson.  I was struggling near the top of Carson Pass.  It seemed to go on forever, and even though the views were spectacular, I was beginning to have doubts about being able to complete the ride in the time allotted.  Then just as I was feeling discouraged, the tailwind picked up and seemed to lift me effortlessly up the last few tenths of a mile.  This was not the last time I would have a “helping hand”.

Near Carson Pass

Then there was the Carson Pass rest stop.  I was the only rider there but the three club members didn’t seem to notice my presence.  Unlike the other rest stops, there was no rack for your bike, so I leaned it against one of the tent poles.  Later a gust of wind blew my bike over, but it was saved by a large water bottle.  It was wedged awkwardly between pole and bottle, and I had a cup of soup in one hand, but I was given no assistance.  However, this was my only negative experience with the support staff.  Everywhere else they were extremely friendly, helpful and appreciative that I had chosen their ride.

On the way down from Carson Pass the route turned right up towards the shortened Blue Lakes climb.  I was pretty beat by this time and very glad that the climb had been shortened.  I saw Eric again and he stopped to chat a bit and give me some much needed encouragement.  The rest stop was at the fourth gate, and the views were terrific.  I ate quite a bit of food and took some extra time to see if I could get my legs working.

Near the Blue Lake Rest Stop

I’d completed almost 90 miles with 50 remaining but was close to exhaustion.  The next 15 miles were mostly downhill with over a 2000 foot elevation loss.  I was hoping that the lower elevation and food would do the trick.  And in fact, I was feeling some better by the time I turned onto highway 89 toward Markleeville.  About this time I saw a group of riders gaining on me.  It turns out they were Alta Alpina club members.  One pulled up beside me and said, “You look like you could use a push”, and he put his “helping hand” on my shoulder and pushed me for about 200 yards.  After this help, I felt so good that I tucked in behind them and drafted for the next mile or so.

Just before arriving back at the start at Turtle Rock Park, the route took a left turn up Airport Rd.  This extra six miles had been added at the last minute to make up for the closure of the top part of the Blue Lakes climb.  The club members had told me that it was only a 500 foot climb which was true.  However, the route continued down over the peak and descended another 500 feet.  It was a pretty area and the grade wasn’t too bad, but I was getting very concerned about the 6:30pm cut off at the top of Monitor.  I was going to stop at Turtle Rock to talk to someone about the various cut offs and whether or not it made sense for me to attempt the fifth pass.  But there was a little rise up to the building where I might find someone to talk with, and it seemed a bit crazy to take the time and energy to find out.  So I turned around and continued on towards Monitor.

It was about seven miles to the base and another seven miles up to the pass. I stopped briefly at the rest stop at the base of Monitor and saw some of the eight pass folks who had just finished Ebbetts.  On my way up I calculated that I just needed to average 5mph to make the cut off.  This seemed reasonable for the first mile or so, but then things slowed down.  I had never climbed Monitor (or any of the other passes), and wasn’t prepared for the sections of 8-11% grade that seemed never ending.  I stopped twice to rest which I hardly ever do while climbing.  Each time I stopped I had to have a good talk with myself about continuing.  It would have been so easy to turn around.  I was well below my 5mph and was pretty sure I’d miss the cut off.  But about two thirds of the way up I was passed by another rider who told me that they had extended the cutoff half an hour. And sure enough, even though I missed the cut off by eight minutes, I got my sticker.

Monitor Pass

I stayed in the tent at the top of Monitor for 15 minutes before attempting the descent.  On the way down I noticed that my bike felt a bit wobbly; the steering didn’t seem quite right.  But when I stopped I realized that I was shaking (from exhaustion and cold), and that it wasn’t the bike that was a bit wobbly.  So I took it easy and stopped a few times to take pictures, and I felt much better by the time I was at the base of Monitor.

Monitor Descent

The return to the start wasn’t as bad as I had feared, but my pace was slow, and for some reason I had decided that I wanted to make it back by 8pm.  This was half an hour after the original cut off, but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be DNFed if I made it by then.  So at 7:57 I put my bike on the rack at the finish and by 7:58 #480 had checked in.  Apparently, my Kingsbury sticker had come off, so I was a bit shocked when they listed me as completing only four passes.  But they took my word for it that I had completed five.  Eric had said he was going to do six passes if possible, and he showed up about fifteen minutes later having done just that.  They had some pretty good food for us at the finish, so we just sat around and compared notes for awhile before heading back to our place at Kirkwood.

This was the hardest ride I’d ever done and the closest I’d ever come to quitting.  At the finish I swore I’d never do it again, but on the way back to Kirkwood we were already talking about which passes we’d include in our ride next year.  Since some of my riding buddies are doing the Death Ride this year, I had considered seeing if I could get an entry.  But after the Alta Alpina Challenge, I think I’ll pass.

Categories: Double Centuries
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by Chuck Schroyer

The event started much the same as the 200k and the 300k leaving from the Golden gate in the wee early morning. This 6pm start was in the daylight without rain, this was a good sign. Art Cruz had asked if we could ride together because he had never done a Brevet out of San Francisco and the cue sheets had a lot of turns that could get him lost. Not haven ridden with Art in a number of years I was a little concerned about our possible different riding styles.

The ride started right on time and soon we were able to settle down, once you are on the bike many of the worries seem to go away. The ride out to the first checkpoint 2 Point Reyes Station was cold but nothing we had not prepared for, things were looking good. After a great Chocolate bread pudding that was just out of the oven, I knew I was in heaven, things could not be better riding and eating life was wonderful. I was right things would not get better, soon we started to get the jest of the ride, rolling hills and a constant headwind and I say that with a capital H.

Art and I found that we rode well together and grouped together with other riders during the more winder portions of the ride. The next checkpoint 3 was Peet’s coffee in Petaluma, things were still going well and the Latte with heaps of sugar hit the spot, on to checkpoint 4. We were starting to get a little tired of the rollers and the headwind they seem to sap the strength. Checkpoint 4 was in Healdsburg and it was getting late in the day so there was no soup at Safeway something my mind was hoping for the last few miles. I was able to make up for the lack of soup with a great croissant chicken salad sandwich.

The fun Begins!

Coming out of Healdsburg you go up to Cloverdale where the climbing begins, not like the rollers are actually climbs. Art and I were riding with a group of six when we started the climb, although it was only a 1300ft climb the grade wore you down. I was the first to the top and was feeling good the rest did not fare as well; the blood was running from the wounds of those that overlap wheels on a slow climb, nothing fatal just more battle scars. The run out to Checkpoint 5 proved be harder than expected, 93 miles between checkpoints and the sun going down. The ride support people had set up a bag drop about 30 miles from Ft Bragg and it was a God sent. Something to eat some extra water and the adding of lights and we were off for Fort Bragg, well after some messing with my rear derailleur, things not shifting right.

Wind is howling coming into Ft Bragg around 10pm temperature around freezing and can’t get worm. After putting on two polypro under layers arm warmers and two jackets I decide it is too cold to ride on. Thanks to Art and six plastic bags and one large paper bag under my jersey I was ready to go.

After messing with my rear derailleur again we were off, much in hopes of finally getting to ride with the wind and not into it. 181 miles of headwind was enough for me. We made it back to the Bag drop and were greeted buy some of the greatest volunteers ever, hot bean soup “yes I finally got my soup” and hot Chocolate and best of all and roaring fire. It soon became apparent I was toast I had thrown up everything I ate at Ft Bragg and the soup looked like it would have the same fate. Art was ready to ride and we had 50 miles to Cloverdale to a Hotel we reserved for the night. Think time line here it was 2pm and it had taken us 4 hours to do the 50 miles from Cloverdale. We said our good bye and Art road off in the freezing weather a better man than me. One of the volunteers’ must have felt sorry for me because he offered me his tent and sleeping bag. I closed my eyes only to be awakened by the volunteer telling me it was 4pm time to ride “what the f@*k” I obeyed my commander and got back on the bike, after playing with the derailleur.

No tail wind and bitter cold I was praying for a climb to heat up the body, why is it that it seems to be the only flat 14 mile stretch in the whole ride in front of me. Shifter not working very well only have my two climbing gears but still have the front chain rings, thank God I have a large spread a 34 and a 54, and this will be the saving factor for the whole ride.

Watching the sun rise was glorious but the ride back to Cloverdale became a daunting task, one large climb and rollers that never seem to end. Coming into Cloverdale and seeing other riders made my day. The stomach was not altogether right but ordered pancakes and eggs anyway, got about one third down and felt better. Surprises never cease here pulls up Klay Cardona he had got 5 hours sleep and left an hour and a half after me from the bag drop and made the cutoff at Cloverdale with 15 minutes to spare.

Feeling better and the wind at our backs Kley and I dropped the hammer and make the run to checkpoint 6 Guerneville. We make it there with an hour and fifteen minutes under the cutoff, things were looking up. Still had the shifting problem and again messed with the derailleur this time deciding to oil the cable housing with sun screen, this did not work for when I pulled on the cable it broke in two. It had broken inside the shifter “not good”. Kley and I looked for a bike shop to no avail. I finally just pulled it up tight so that my rear derailleur was on a middle gear and tied it off. We were off; on the flats I would spin above 100 to keep up, using the 54, and grind out the hills with the 34 my life saver.

Pulling into checkpoint 8 brought another surprise there was Art, we got to hear Arts tale of sleeping on the concrete floor of some post office, he did make to hotel in time to shower before checkout. We made a pack to finish this thing together for without each other we would not be here. After tightening my derailleur cable some more to get me into a better climbing range we headed out of Point Reyes station to the finish. With the lower range I could not keep up on the downwind legs, I have to give it to the fixed gear people they are nuts. Only four climbs left with the lower gear I could grind out without walking but knew that the last climb up to the Golden gate would do me in.

At last climb, I talked Art and Kley to go on ahead because I would most likely walk most of it. Pulling the derailleur cable up as hard as I could I was able to get almost all the way up to my climbing gear. I was determined I was going to make it. Coming around the last part of the climb before you cross the road and cross the Golden Gate there was Art and Kley not willing to cross without me, a perfect ending to the most grueling rides I have ever done.

We hit the checkpoint finish line at 8:13pm and all got the same time, 36 hours and 13 minutes.

The rollers added up to 23,342 ft of climbing, total distance 375 miles, knocked off the bike twice by the wind. This was a once in a lifetime experience that has taken me as close to the edge as I would ever wish to get.

Categories: Brevets
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Once point of confusion when people are deciding between the Garmin Edge 500 and 705, is the lack of maps on the 500. Some come to the conclusion that the Edge 500 provides no navigational features, which is not true.  Although you can not get a street level view, with the pre-plotted course shown, you can upload courses from either an existing workout or by mapping them in advance. You add the course in the Garmin Training Center program and then send it to your Edge 500.

After transferring the course to your Edge 500, select Training from the Menu, then select Courses

Next select the course file you wish to use.

Your Garmin now has three additional screens.

The first one shows the hill profile behind and ahead of you.  This is quite useful as you are making a long climb since you get a visual clue of the grade ahead.

The nextr screen which I use primarily is the course on a simplistic map.  You can use this to navigate you way along the course.

The arrow shows where you are and the line shows what is ahead.   If you look at the screen above, it is easy enough to see you bend to the left and then a right turn is coming.  The course keeps getting updated as you move along so you can tell you are getting close to the turn.  At the top of the screen, once you are on the course, it will show the total distance to the end of the course.  If you get off course, you will receive a warning message.  Even if you are off course, but near the course, you can see your location by the pointer and the course line off to the side, and easily find your way back.

The third new screen is only there if you take the time to enter course points in Garmin Training Center.  This involves entered every turn, picking an icon to show left, right, summitt, etc, and the name of the road you turn on.  You then get a live, constantly updated route sheet.

One problem I have noted is with an out and back course.  If you did not go fully to what it thinks is the turn around point, on the way back, it seems to think you are off course and wants you to return to the turn around, but the line still shows and you can follow it back.  It is just annoying to have it flash “off course”, then “found course”, repeatedly.

Categories: Equipment
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by Franz Kelsch with contributions by Steve Saeedi – last updated: May 12, 2010

Years ago, as runners and cyclists, we would sometimes keep a training log in a notebook, or maybe one of those free booklets that Runner’s World magazine gave free if you renewed. I started to keep my workouts in an Excel spreadsheet, which I keep up through today. Computer based programs were released and as manufactures starting to sell devices which provided for data upload, they usually included some program to work with their device.

There has been a recent explosion in the number of websites that allow you to track your workouts online. With the growing popularity of GPS enabled devices for cycling and running, most of these sites allow you to upload your workout directly from the device, making the process much simpler. Why would someone use a web based approach to a training log? There are a several of key advantages to using a web based program. First it is device independent. To this day, Polar still has not released a Mac version of their training program. Some programs have been released only on a Mac. None of these work on mobile devices, such as smart phones. All these limitations are solved by using a web based approach.

There is the additional advantage with the movement to social networks. If I put my workout in my own log, it is not visible to anyone else. With the web based options discussed here, you can share those with your friends who are using the same web based application, over social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and embed code inside your own blogs and websites. The social aspect is enhanced with many of these sites offering a Leader board so you can compare your training with your friends or even all users of that site.

Just a couple of years ago web applications were very limited. That has changed significantly and some of the best web based applications, such as Strava, using Ajax features to give you the feel you are using a local based program. In addition, most all of the web applications are free to use, funded by advertising. So is there any downside to using a web based application? The answer is yes and it is common to the movement to the cloud for both data and applications. Your data is stored somewhere else. It is often impossible to export it out. If the site shuts down then you have lost all your data. So you may wish to keep a local copy of the data using the program that came with your device. My Excel spreadsheet has lasted for well over 10 years, as technology has come and gone.

We are looking at the following web based applications. This is not an all inclusive list, but does include many of the popular sites that allow tracking of workouts.

• Garmin Connect – A free only site geared to those using Garmin GPS devices but does allow manual input .  Also allows for GPX update of Garmin and non-Garmin workouts. Also provides elevation correction for devices that don’t have elevation or barometric altimeters. Can export activities in any number of formats.
• Strava – A subscription only site that allows GPS upload and manual that automatically shows how you are doing compared with other users climbing the same hills.  For devices that don’t have power meters, Strava will calculate and chart wattage for devices that have barometric altimeters. Cannot export activities.  They recently released an iPhone application.
• Plus 3 Network – A free site that allows both GPS upload and manual input.  It has a unique aspect that let’s you earn money for your selected cause, based on your miles.  Each of the optional causes has a sponsor who pays the money.  You earn money based on your miles and/or time depending on type of workout. Cannot export activities.  They have an iPhone application.
• Daily Mile – A free site that is more geared to runners. Allows both GPS upload and manual input.  A Facebook type social network approach to sharing your workouts.  Cannot export activities.
• Training Peaks – A free site, with premium option, that allows GPS upload and manual input.  Some very detailed analysis tools.  You can print workouts but not export the data.
• Ride With GPS – A free only site (provision for donations).  Excellent mapping tools.  Allows upload of GPS files for plotting courses and downloaded of courses to GPS devices.  For devices that don’t have power meters, the site will calculate and chart wattage for devices that have barometric altimeters. You can export individual workouts in a number of formats.
• Map My Ride and Map My Run – Free sites, with various premium options.  Geared toward those who wish to map out their running and cycling courses that can be downloaded to GPS devices.   They do support upload of workout information but do not support uploading from a Garmin Edge 500.   Heavy advertising on free sites is intentionally annoying to encourage you to pay for on of the premium options.  They provide iPhone applications (both free and paid) that allow you to use the iPhone’s GPS to track your route and upload it.

Below is a summary table followed by a detailed review for each site with many screen shots included.

Garmin Connect

If you connect a Garmin device to your computer (either Mac or PC), and click Upload, the workouts are automatically sent to Garmain Connect.  The map of the course and workout details are shown.  You can view the data by splits and also on some of the included graphs.

There is a player option that shows your workout parameters as the pointer moves along the course.  You can easily share your workout on Facebook and get some code to embed the workout in a website or blog.

You can search for other posted routes in your area and download the route to your Garmin device.  There is a nice calendar view that makes it easy to find a particular workout.  It shows the total miles per week, but it adds cycling and running miles together.  There is not tracking of miles on a year to date basis.

The data closely matches the input from the Garmin device, including your split times, calorie estimate and distances.

Strava

This is the only site being reviewed that has no free option, which will make it not an option for many users.  It accommodates other types of workouts but is best suited for cycling.  At this point, it is the only site, other than Garmin Connect,  that will upload Garmin Edge 500 files by simply clicking Upload.  Other sites require browsing to the FIT file or do not support the Garmin Edge 500, one of the newer Garmin devices.

If you drag the pointer along the elevation profile at the bottom, it will show you location on the map and some of your key data at that point in the workout below the map.   This site has a Leaderboard that ranks all users on a week to date based on such things as miles and climbing.  One of the unique features is it will use the uploaded GPS data to see that you climbed a particular hill and show how you compare with others who did the same climb, and provide for an automatic KOM listing.  Below shows the ranking in Strava for the Metcalf climb (in California).

There is also a map for the hill climb and if you run the pointer along the profile, it shows where you are at that point in time compared with the KOM leader.

It is easy to share your workout with Facebook. The site will estimate your power output along the course, unique amongst all the sites reviewed.  You can get graphs for the whole ride or for a particular split.

There is a unique calendar view, with a graph of  miles for each day, with a link to the workouts that day, making it easy to find a particular workout.  It shows your total miles, but adds running and cycling miles together.

You can track which bike you are riding, but beyond that there is no way to track equipment usage.  Strava users can join clubs and see how they are doing with other club members.  You can also have selected Friends.

A unique aspect of Strava is it’s estimate of average power output for the entire ride, or one segment, such as a climb.  Another nice feature is to find local routes, climbs and other athletes.  This could be of great value to someone cycling in an area they are not familiar with.

Plus 3 Network

This site is unique in that it now only allows you to upload your workout, but has a sponsor/cause system so you earn money for your selected clause, paid by the sponsor.

As you do any activity (run, cycle, walk, even volunteer time), you get earn “Kudos”, and therefore more money for your cause.  If you upload a GPS file instead of manually inputting your workout you get more Kudos per mile.  The site does have some graphs for your workout, but only for the entire workout and not by split.  It offers a calendar view of your workouts, but there is not a good way for you to see such things as your accumulated miles over the year or month.  It adds all miles together, regardless of the type of sport.

The site supports some social network features.  You can request another user to be your “friend”.  The site provides a leader board that starts each month and shows how many “Kudos” each person has earned.  You can compare yourself against your friends or everyone on the site.

The social network features are limited and it is not easy to post your network to Facebook.

Daily Mile

When you enter the site you feel you might have entered into Facebook by mistake.  The site is heavily oriented toward social networking.  Many people (including myself) post a lot of work out information on Facebook, but having a site dedicated to those who really might be interested could be useful.

The site offers good tools for showing your miles per week, month and for the year.  They have a calendar view to find your workouts.

There is a leaderboard where you can compare yourself with just your friends, or all users of the site.

The site provides for GPS upload but does not currently support the Garmin Edge 500, so I have been unable to test the mapping features.  You an attach gear, such as running shoes, or a particular bicycle to each workout and then track the mileage on that particular piece of gear.  There is no way to export your workouts.

Training Peaks

Training Peaks probably offers the most features of any of the sites, so many that you can get lost in the site.   It allows you upload GPS data (including browsing to Garmin Edge 500 FIT files) and manul input.   It also allows uploading of Polar HRM files, one of the few websites that supports this.  There are three main views of your workouts, Calendar, Spreadsheet and Dashboard.

The dashboard allows you to add “pods” and track nutrition.  The site allows you to view your data over many different data ranges, such as last 28 days, last 14 days, this week last year, last two years and many more.  For those who are interested in how their training is racking up, this is an excellent site.  It is also the only site that makes it easy to see how  much of your effort is between different sports, while most sites just add all miles together.

There is a very detailed map and graph view.  The graph is very detailed, almost too much so.

You can easily share your workout with others, such as Facebook.  It will even create a shortened URL to use.   You can attach gear, such as running shoes and bicycles to workouts and then track the mileage on that gear.  There is no way to export your data, other than to print it.  I did not evaluate the Premium options because the costs for premium seems to high for post users.

Ride with GPS

This is a free site with excellent mapping tools but none of the annoying advertising like Map My Ride/Map My Run.  It does ask for donations.  You can view your workouts in table or calendar view.

You can upload data directly from a GPS device, or use their excellent mapping tools to draw the course.  If you draw a course, it will create the turn by turn route sheet, although it has errors at times.  Unlike MayMyRide, everyone an print the route sheet.  It has good provisions for embedding the map in a website or blog.  It is also easy to share your workout on Facebook.  Although you can manually input a workout, it wants to know the route, so this site is not recommended for those who do not have a GPS and don’t want to draw out every route they use.  This is understandable because the site is more oriented to mapping than to tracking workouts.

For your workouts you can view the map, workout data, and some graphs.

It will show your activity totals by week, but combines miles from various sports.  There is no feature to see your miles over the course of a year.

MapMyRide and MapMyRun

This site allows you to draw a map of your course, or upload a Garmin GPS file or Polar HRM file.  It does not currently seem to support the Garmin Edge 500 so I had to export to a TCX file to upload.

The main screen has four sections, nestled in excessive advertising.

This screen capture shows how cluttered the screen can be.  The map of your workout is small compared with the excessive advertising.

If you click on the map from an uploaded GPS file, or one you draw, you get a good map view and a nice profile view at the bottom that shows you the percent grade along the route.

The MapMy series as several iPhone applications that allow you to use the GPS in the phone to track your ride/run/walk and upload via the 3G network to the MapMyRide website.  You can export routes, including the ones you draw, to various formats.  MayMyRide has strong mapping tools and allows you to draw maps even on bike trails, something most mapping websites do not support.  A new Leaderboard is being added.  There is strong support for sharing your information via social networks or embedding some code in a website or blog.

There are three paid options, $30, $60 and $99 a year.  Of all the sites, MapMyRide seems to be the most commercialized, which has some advantages in terms of features, but with the downside of the constant nagging to get you to pay something.

Categories: Training Log
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by Franz Kelsch

In another post I wrote about the many cycling power meters that are available to measure in real time the power a cyclists is applying to the pedals. This article provides some of the science behind cycling power and formulas that are being used on the Ultra Cycling website to estimate power for those riders who do not have a power meter. If you are one of the many cyclists who mistakenly say that the effort goes up the the square of the speed, you might want to read this article.

Work, Energy and Power

These terms all mean something different, but are indeed related.  A basic understanding is needed before we move on to discussing Power in cycling.

Work refers to an activity of a force being applied and movement over a distance in the direction of the force.  If you cycle up a hill you are doing Work. The typical unit of the force being applied is newtons.  One newton is equal to the amount of force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram at a rate of one meter per second per second.

Energy is the capacity to do Work.   The source of energy came come from potential energy, as when descending, or energy produced by your body. The typical unit of measurement is the joule. One joule is the energy exerted by the force of one newton acting to move an object through a distance of one meter. The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It is still used for food energy, referred to as Calorie (capital C).  This is called a kg calorie, or 1,000 gram calories. One gram calorie equals approximately 4.2 joules so one Calorie (as in food) equals 4,200 joules, or 4.2 kj.  The body is not that efficient in using the energy in food and only about only 18 to 26 percent of the energy available from respiration is converted into mechanical energy. Considering this efficiency, 1 Calorie of food consumed (4.2 kj energy) can produce 1 kj of energy to the pedals.

Power is the rate of using Energy.  If Energy were money in your pocket, then Power would be how fast you are spending the money and what you bought with your money would be the Work accomplished. The typical unit of Power is the watt.  One watt is equal to 1 joule of energy per second. When we are taking about Power output when cycling, as measured in watts, we are taking about the rate we are expending Energy to moving the bicycle and rider forward (Work).  If the cyclists is applying a power of 100 Watts to the pedals, that means 100 joules per second, or 360 kj per hour. To replace that energy, the cyclists would need to consume about 360 Calories of food per hour.

Forces in Cycling

There are certain forces opposing motion of the bicycle that the rider needs to provide energy to overcome. These forces are:

• Rolling Resistance. This  is friction from contact with the road. It is affected by the bike quality, tire, road surface, tire pressure and weight of of the ride and bicycle.  At very low speeds, on a flat surface, this is the main force.
• Air and Wind Resistance.  Air is a fluid (although one with low density) and any object moving through the air will encounter friction. It is a function of the speed of the bike plus the wind speed, the area and shape of the cyclists and bike, and the speed being traveled.
• Gravity. When climbing the rider needs to put in sufficient energy to “lift” their own body weight plus the weight of the bike. It is is a function of the grade and speed.  As the elevation increases, the potential energy increases.  This potential energy can provide energy back whenever the cyclists descends.

Power is the work required per unit of time to overcoming the net forces acting on the rider and bicycle. If you add each of the above forces and multiple by the speed, the result is the power required. The power is applied by the pedals and equals the force applied to the pedals times the velocity of the pedal movement.

Estimating Power Output

Those interested in the math can read further on how to estimate the power required to overcome each of the forces on the cyclists. These are simplified formulas dealing primarily with static forces and do not take into account all items that affect the forces such as wind, impact of turbulence, mechanical fiction in the drive train, etc.

Rolling Resistance

Terms

• Frl – Force, in newtons, caused by rolling resistance
• Prr – Power, in watts, to overcome Frl
• Crr -  coefficient of rolling resistance – typically 0.004 but can be as high as 0.008 for bad asphalt or as low as 0.001 for a wooden track.
• g – acceleration due to gravity – 9.8 m/s2
• Wkg – mass of the ride plus bicycle in kg
• Vmps – Veloicty in meters/sec

Formulas

• Frl = Wkg x  g x  Crr
• Prr = Frl x Vmps

Example

Take a rider and bike combined weight of 165 lbs (75 kg) traveling at traveling at 20  mph ( 8.92 meters per second), using Cff of 0.004 and with g being 9.8 meters/sec/sec.  The force would be:

• Frl = 75kg x 9.8 m/s2 x 0.004 = 2.94 newtons.
• Prl = 8.92 m/s x 2.94 newtons = 26 watts

Since the power is proportional to speed, the same rider traveling at 5 mph would require 6.5 watts to overcome rolling resistance.

Air and Wind Resistance:

Terms

• Fw – Force on rider and bicycle due to wind drag
• Cw – drag coefficient, typically 0.5
• Rho – air density in kg/m .  Depends on temperature and  barometric pressure. Some typical values are sea level: 1.226, 1500m: 1.056 and 3000m: 0.905
• Vmps – Speed in meters/sec
• A – effective frontal area of the rider and bicycle in m^2.  Typical value is 0.5.

Formulas

• Fw =  1/2 A Cw Rho Vmps^2
• Pw = Fw Vmps

Example

Take a rider and bike combined weight of 165 lbs (75 kg) traveling at traveling at 20  mph ( 8.92 meters per second), with no headwind, using Cw of 0.5, Rho of 1.226 and front area of 0.5. The force due to wind drag would be:

• Fw = 1/2 x 0.5 x 0.5 x 1.226 x 8.92 x 8.92 = 12.19 newtons
• Pw = 12.19 newtons  x 8.92 m/s  = 108 watts.

If you at traveling at 5 mph, instead of 20 mph then:

• Pw = (1/2 x 0.5 x 0.5 x 1.226 x 2.23 x 2.23) x 2.23 = 1.7 watts

Gravity:

Terms

• Fsl – Force in newtons due to the pull of the rider and bicycle down the slope
• Psl – Power in watts required to overcome the force of Fsl
• Wkg – Combined weight of the rider and bicycle in kg
• g – Acceleration due to gravity, 9.8 m/s^2
• GradHill – gradient of the hill, in decimal, the ratio of the rise to the horizontal run.

Formulas

• Fsl = Wkg x g x GradHill
• Psl = Fsl x Vmps

Example

Take a rider and bike combined weight of 165 lbs (75 kg) traveling at traveling at 5  mph ( 2.23 meters per second), climbing a hill with a grade of 12% (GradHill = 0.12).  The force due to gravity would be:

• Fsl = 75 x 9.8 x 0.12 = 88.2 newtons
• Psl = 88.2 x 2.23 = 196 watts.

Combined Forces

Formula

• Total Power = Prl + Pw + Psl   or Total Power = (Frl + Fw + Fsl) x Vmps

Examples

Using the values we already calculated in the above examples:

• Flat Road, 20 mph:  Total Power = 26 +108 = 134 watts.  Here most of the power is used to overcome air drag
• Flat Road, 5 mph: Total Power = 6.5 + 1.7 = 8.2 watts.  Here most of the power is used to overcome rolling resistance
• Climb, 5 mph, 12% grade: Total Power = 6.5 + 1.7 + 196 = 204 watts.  Here most of the power is used to overcome gravity.

Some cyclists mistakenly say the power needed goes up by the square of the speed. Although the force due to air drag goes up by the square of the speed, the power required due to air drag goes up by the cube the cube of the speed.  Speed has a linear impact on rolling resistance force and no impact on gravitational forces.  Remember to get power we multiple the force by the speed.  Air drag forces already have the square of the speed in the formula so to get power your multiple by speed once again.

Real World

The above calculations are based on a simplistic model and exclude the effect of wind and some other dynamic forces.   Wind is very seldom zero and even on a circular course there is net loss of power due to wind, assuming wind is constant. There are also factors influenced by aerodynamics of the type of clothing being worn, the type of helmet, the biking position, turbulence caused as the air flows past the rider.  Except in the case of a tail wind, all these other factors will increase the power required. For climbing significant grades these additional factors are small compared with gravity and can be ignored.  However for flatter terrain at high speeds, some additional watts or power output will usually be measured.

References:

• Analytical Cycling
• Saris CycleOps Website
• Bicycle Science, by David Gordon Wilson, April 2004.

Categories: Training Log
1 Comment »

by Russ Stevens

Those of you who know me better might be perplexed to hear that I rode the Devil Mountain Double yesterday, especially since I swore off rides over 120 miles about a month ago (at least for a little while). After failing to finish the Hoodoo 500 last year, I found myself unable to back off on the mileage or intensity and spent the next four months riding myself into a hole.  I eventually got to the point where everything I did on the bike seemed painful and unpleasant.  I knew I had to change something when I realized I was starting to hate doing something I have loved since I was a little kid.  Luckily, it’s amazing how fast your mind can recover.  It seems that only a few weeks of lower mileage and no intensity were required to bring back my passion for this sport.

Given the fact that I have been taking it easy (or at least easier) for the past month, I really had no idea how to approach DMD.  I knew I could finish and probably even have a really enjoyable day by riding moderately and taking time to enjoy all the rest stops.  However, part of me also wanted to see if I could beat my prior time of 14:20 recorded during the stage race in 2007.  I finally decided to start with the fast folks at 6:00 AM and just see how long I could hang on.  I figured if it got too difficult, I could always fall back to the moderate riding/enjoy myself plan.  With prior stage race superstars like Marc Moons, Robert Choi, Phil Hornig and Graham Pollock signed up, I figured the fall back to plan B would happen pretty fast.

We started the ride with great weather.  It was about 50° in San Ramon and according to a weather station at the top of the mountain, it was actually slightly warmer (54°) on top of Diablo.  The great weather would follow us all day, never being too warm or too cold.

The first half hour of riding was very relaxed.  That only lasted to the base of Mount Diablo.  Marc Moons set a pretty fast pace right at the bottom, and from there things only ramped up.  People started falling off the back as I watched my heart rate climb into dangerous territory.  By the time we got to the top, less than 10 people were left in the front group.  The entire climb up Mount Diablo took only 61 minutes (only 5 minutes slower than my record time up that mountain).

I picked up some time on the descent and for 10 minutes or so, I was actually in the lead, able to back off and recover a bit while the rest of the group caught back up.  Easing back was a smart move because once we started climbing again, things only got more intense.  As we neared the top of Morgan Territory, my power meter started reporting sustained output over 300 Watts.  I was getting worried.  I knew if I maintained this level for too much longer, I would be so tired that even reverting to plan B would still be miserable.  I decided if I was going to be miserable anyway, I might as well stick with plan A and hang with the leaders a little bit longer.  As we left the preserve, our group had shrunk to only five people: me, Marc Moons, Robert Choi, Curtis Taylor, and a guy from Colorado I did not know.

I have to admit that being in the fast bunch on Altamont Pass was a kick.  There’s always a nice tailwind on that road.  We charged over the pass in a rotating pace line, readily clocking over 35 mph.  I kept asking myself, what am I doing here?

As the grade increased on Patterson Pass, it got harder and harder to hang on.  The steeper the hill got, the more power Marc Moons put out.  I would have lost the group except that Marc and Robert stopped for a few seconds for water at the Patterson Pass mini stop.  Skipping that stop allowed me to get to the summit just in time to be caught by the leaders and follow them down the hill.

Some blissful pace lining and recovery along the flat sections of Tesla and Mines Rd brought us to the Mines Rd checkpoint.  It was pretty crowded with riders who started at 5am, so it took longer than I wanted to fill my bottles.  Marc, Robert and Curtis headed out a few seconds before I was ready, but were nice enough to wait for me and Colorado guy to catch up.  Unfortunately, my tenure with the front pack was not to last.  As soon as the grade increased, Marc once again picked up the pace.  Robert matched Marc’s pace and the guy from Colorado also started to pull away.  I knew it was finally time for me to back off or risk not finishing.

To my surprise, Curtis Taylor also started to back off and we both soon found a fairly compatible pace.  I was pretty wiped out and unable to help much, but Curtis was nice enough to let me draft him most of the way up Mines Rd.  Along the way, he informed me that he was doing the stage race along with the guy from Colorado, who was flying to California with his bike for each of the three rides.  As Colorado started to pull away out of sight, Curtis started to worry that Colorado might steal his third place standing, a position he currently defended by only 17 minutes.

My first bout of cramps started on the last few short climbs before lunch.  I told Curtis to keep going, but he did not leave without handing me a packet of his new secret weapon: Pedialyte.  I quickly dumped the packet in what remained of my water bottle, backed off a bit and nursed the bottle all the way to the junction, arriving just as Curtis was leaving.  I quickly topped off my bottles grabbed some food and headed off.

The Pedialyte started working and I was able to leave the junction and slowly increase my power.  What had been a nice tailwind along mines road turned into a stiff head wind on San Antonio road.  I got into my aero bars and picked up some speed.  Pretty soon, I caught up to Curtis and Colorado.

I expected the backside of Mt Hamilton to be miserable, as it always is.  While it certainly wasn’t pleasant, it was better than I expected.  I soon learned that while Curtis was slightly faster than me on the flats, I was slightly faster than him on the climbs.  Since he had helped me all the way up Mines Rd and shared his secret weapon with me, I promised not to go off the front.  This allowed me to back off slightly, giving me not only company but a much less painful climb.  Curtis, Colorado and I stayed within eyesight of each other to the top.

I really can’t describe how magical it is to reach the top of Mt Hamilton on DMD and start the descent.  As I headed down the hill I know like the back of my hand, I started to pull ahead.  As I reached the fire station and started the first mini-climb, I slowed a bit to wait for Curtis.  By this point, he had pulled in front of Colorado.  We left the Crothers rest up just as Colorado arrived.  At that point, I realized there was hope for Curtis to defend his third place position and decided I would do everything I could to help him.

At the Crothers rest stop, I realized I had not seen Phil Hornig all day.  I mentioned this to Curtis and he said he had not seen Phil since the start.  We headed back down Crothers road and just as we made the right hand turn to finish the descent down Mt Hamilton Rd, a rider turned right onto Crothers.  Curtis said, “That was Phil Hornig!” It seemed we now had two people chasing us.

Given the fact that Phil showed up out of nowhere, I fully expected to be quickly passed by him on Sierra road.  This expectation got stronger when I immediately started cramping at the first pitch.  Damn it!  I got off and started walking up the hill, while taking some more Endurolytes, and drinking as much Gatorade as my stomach could handle.  Curtis inched away, but not as fast as I would have expected.  It turns out that when you are tired you can walk up Sierra road almost as fast as you can bike.  After a minute or so, the cramps subsided and I was able to get back on my bike.  I caught up to and passed Curtis.  Ken Emerson welcomed me at the Pet the Goat and informed me that I was currently in third place, about 25 minutes behind Marc and Robert.

I waited about 45 seconds for Curtis and then we headed down Felter.  I could not believe we had not yet been passed by either Phil or Colorado.  We climbed over the Calaveras wall and headed out towards the reservoir, both of us wondering where our two chasers were.  We thought we were out of the woods until Calaveras offered us a nice view of the road behind us at which point we saw two cyclists riding together behind us.  It was time to pick up the pace.

I’m not sure I have ever ridden down Calaveras Rd so quickly.  Curtis and I traded turns in front all the way down the hill.  In Sunol, we were told we were now only 20 minutes behind the leaders.  We left Sunol before Phil or Colorado arrived, but we sensed they were close behind.

We maintained the pace down Niles road and up Palomares, where we were surprised to catch up to two cyclists: the last two of the 5:00 crew.  It was a father and son pair, Max and Bruno Mehech.  The son was only 22.  I thought we would pass and leave them behind, but we must have inspired them because they were still with us at the summit.  Now we had a team of four.

We charged up crow canyon and turned right onto Norris canyon: the last climb.  I started to pull away from Curtis and realized I could probably take third place.  But then I remembered there’s no way I would’ve gotten here without Curtis’ help, so I slowed at the summit to wait for him.  A tie for third place was good enough for me and making friends on the road is more important than any time or place.

Final Stats:

• Total Time: 12:32
• Rolling time: 12:15Miles: 207
• Total Climb: 18,481
• Avg Heart Rate: 132
• Average Speed: 17.0
• Avg Power: 226 Watts
• Place: tied for 3rd
• 1st and 2nd place time: 12:14

Speaking of friends, one of the most fun things in the day was seeing so many people I knew along the way.  Barley Forsman, Peter Merrill and Kley Cardona all joined me at the 6:00 AM start.  Along the way to the Morgan Territory Preserve, I saw Clyde Butt and Joan Deitchman <http://www.facebook.com/joan.grant> .  Ken Emerson greeted me at the top of Morgan Territory, which is also where I saw Dave and Deb Hoag and Brian Chun.  I passed Laura Hipp on Altamont. As I headed up Mines Rd, I saw many other club members heading the other direction on the Mt Hamilton challenge including Guy Neenan, Kryia Adams, Dennis Uyeno and Art Cruz.  Paul Duren and Ken Emerson took care of me at pet the goat.  Susan Forsman went barreling down the Calaveras wall on her fixie just as we were heading up and I saw Scott Guillaudeau as I was descending Calaveras (along with Guy Neenan, Kryia Adams and Art Cruz again).  Ben Waters supported me in Sunol and I saw Steve Saeedi there as well after driving back to pick up Sheila at the end of the ride.  The smiling faces and encouraging words I received from all of these people along the way inspired and energized me the entire ride.

Finally, a big thanks to a Quack cyclists and all the DMD volunteers.  Nobody supports double centuries or makes them as much fun as you.

Categories: Devil Mtn. Double
2 Comments »

by Franz Kelsch, updated 4/1/2010

Why Measure Power?

There has been an evolution from using only using heart rate measurements for training purposes to measuring the power output of the cyclists. To meet this need training method several approaches have been taken to develop power meters than read out the power in watts, being applied to the pedals.  To read about the science being cycling power read this other post.

Two Components

Most power meters are in two components. There is the mechanism to make the reading using something like a strain gauge. This is either built into the crank, the hub or some other part of the bike where power being applied to the pedals can be measured or estimated. Then there is the computer head which is mounted on your bicycle handlebar where you get the reading. The computer heads offer other cyclometer features including speed, distance, heart rate and even GPS on some models. The communication between the two components is either via a wire or wireless.

ANT+Sport^TM is a 2.4 GHz wireless network with standardized communication between devices including bike power sensors, speed sensors, cadence sensors and heart rate straps. This allows separate manufacturers to independently develop sensors and computers, allowing you to pick and choose your favorites to create a system that meets your needs. For example if you have a Garmin Edge 705 GPS based cyclometer, or the newer Garmin Edge 500, which offers no power measurement sensor, it could be coupled with the SRM or Quarq crank to read out power and could be used instead of the computer heads offered by those companies.

Offerings

PowerTap:

This offering is from the Saris Cycling group (makers of the CycleOps cycling trainer). It uses a special hub and handle mounted computer to measure and display the power at the pedals. It requires a rear wheel with the PowerTap hub. There are wireless options. It adds weight to the bike due to the hub and the need to use a wheel that can accommodate the PowerTap hub. It is also expensive, especially for the wireless version. Although there is a 2.4 Mhz wireless option, it does not support ANT+Sport^TM so you are stuck using the PowerTap computer which really looks looks like a prototype built by an engineer for development and not a product ready for the mass market. It can be used on a bike trainer to measure your power output. Moving to another bike will require moving the wheel and the computer head.

Best For : Those looking for a reliable approach to measuring power and are willing spend considerable money and take a weight penalty.

SRM:

This offering is from Schoberer Rad Messtechni. It uses a special crank to measure the power to the pedals. There are a variety of versions to match some of the popular cranks, including DurAce and SRAM. SRM supports ANT+Sport so you can either use it’s computer head (which kind of looks like a prototype) or another device that supports ANT+Sport^TM such as the Garmin 705 Edge or iBike.

Best For: Due to the extreme expense it is geared toward professional cyclists or those who are prepared to spend as much measuring power as they might spend on a good quality road bike.

Polar:

This offering is from Polar, famous for heart rate monitoring. It uses a device to measure chain tension on the bike and transmit that to certain models of their heart rate monitor or cyclometers. It is can be difficult to calibrate and but once it has been it can have a reliable output. You do the power level read out on compatible Polar heart rate montiors (such as the 725i) or Polar Cyclometers. When used with the latest CS600 cyclometer, you can get an efficiency readout on the cyclometer. This efficiency is an estimate of what percentage of the calories being burned by your body go into moving your bike along, a step beyond just measuring power.

Best For: Those who use Polar advanced cyclometers or heart rate monitors and are looking for a lightweight and less expensive approach and are willing to go to the effort get it properly calibrated.

iBike:

This offering from Velocomp is a relatively new approach. It is different in that it does not directly measure your power output as is done with the above products. It measures the parameters of what you work against and then calculates what your power would need to be to achieve the speed you are going. Except for the front wheel pickup it is all contained in a well designed computer head that is about as large as the computer for the PowerTap and weights 100g. You can also easily transfer from bike to bike. It has some negatives. It can not be used to measure power on a bike trainer. It also seems to have a short battery life due to using a non rechargeable watch type battery. It needs to be mounted so it gets a clean air flow since it uses wind speed in it’s calculations so use with aerobars can be difficult. Cost: Moderate to Expensive.

Best For: Those who are looking for a less expensive and very lightweight approach to estimating power. Those with aero bars should look elsewhere.

Quarq:

This offering is from Quarq and uses a special crankset to measure the power, similar to the SRM approach. It offers ANT+Sport^TM compatibility. It’s computer head is one of the more sophisticated cyclometers you can buy and has a GPS option. Cost: Expensive

Vector:

A new type of power meeter called the Vector is being developed by Metrigear.  Vector is an embedded high-resolution force meter that calculates a cyclist’s power by measuring force applied to the pedals. It will use Ant+Sport to communicate with the user supplied head unit or GPS unit that supports Ant+.   It is an interesting concept that could have a significant impact on the market for cycling power meters.   This device has not been released as of April 2010 so real world tests are not yet available.  For those interested, please contact the Metrigear Webstie.

Comparison Reviews:

• Power Tap vs. SRM vs. Polar at BikeTechReview
• Accuracy of PowerTap and SRM at Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise
• iBike Power Meter Reviews – paper that gathers references to many different reviews
• Measurement Comparison of Power Tap vs. iBike vs. Quarq
• Active.com review of iBike

Categories: Equipment
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by Franz Kelsch

For more than 20 years I have been a fan of Polar Heart Rate monitors, a company that was the pioneer in the field. Being one who both runs and cycles, I was happy when Polar came out with their tri-sports S625X watch. When coupled with the footpod and the bike sensors, I was able to measure speed and distance for both running and biking.

It is obvious to many that Polar seems to have lost it’s luster, being replaced by other companies, most notably by Garmin, who focused on GPS.  I did not have an interest early on because tests showed that the early running Garmin watches, which relied only on GPS, were not as accurate in tracking distance, as the Polar HRM was when using the footpod.  This was confirmed later when Garmin released a footpod for their subsequent running watches.

I liked the advantage of the 625X which I could move from bike to bike and to my wrist for running.  I could also download the data to my computer to not only track my progress, but analyze my workouts.  It was this later feature that started to become frustrating with the Polar.  My Polar 625X relied on the ancient IrDa method to transfer the data and also only worked under Windows.  Despite considerable talk on the various blogs, Polar has continued to ignore the Mac, which Garmin started to make software for their devices to run on both Windows and the Mac.

Garmin released the Edge 205/305 series and they looked appealing.  But I heard that the battery only lasted 10 hours, not long enough for some of the double centuries.  They then released the Edge 705, which supported maps, and with a longer battery life.  But the price seemed too high for me.  When Garmin released the new, smaller, Edge 500, I decided to make the purchase.  After a few days, I am ready to compare using it with my two Polar 625X HRMs.

Weight

Turns out that the new Edge 500 was the same weight as the my Polar 625X HRM.

Mounting

I always thought that the Polar watches were easy enough to move from bike to wrist to bike, but the Edge 500 is a dream, with a very clever bike mount that only requires a quarter turn.  My package included two bike mounts and a lot of the special o-rings that are used to attach the mount to the bike, either on the stem or handlebar.

ANT+ Devices

The Garmin Edge supports connection to ANT+ devices.  I purchased the bundle with the heart rate strap and the bike speed/cadence sensor.  Too bad that I could not use my Polar heart rate straps, which are excellent.  If you have a power meter that supports ANT+, you can pair it with the Edge 500.  Note that you can use the Garmin Edge 500 without the speed/cadence pickup since it will use the GPS to calculate speed/distance.  This works well when you have a GPS signal and there are not a lot of sharp bends.  I use this method to mount the Edge 500 on the rear of our tandem, where it replaced out Garmin eTrek GPS.

The speed/cadence sensor is a very nice single unit design that mounts on the chain-stay.  I had no issue with the transmission even though the pickup is quite a bit further away from the Edge 500 unit than is typical where you have a speed pickup mounted on the front fork.

Initial Setup

After charging the device for the recommended 3 hours and turning it on, I was put directly into the setup.  I noted how fast it found the satellites compared with my Garmin eTrek, even though I was indoors.  The setup involved entering your age, weight, height, etc.

Display

Then I went about modifying the display.  Similar to the Garmin hiking GPS units I have owned, I was pleased to find out you could select what data to put where you want it.  You are given 3 different pages you can switch between.  For each page, you can set from 1 to 8 data fields to view at one time.  If you select 5 or fewer fields, one field is displayed at the top in larger characters.

The number of different data you can pick from is amazing.

One thing I notice when setting up the Edge 500 was how difficult it was for me to read. I was not sure why since the size characters on the display were similar to my Polar HRM.  So I compared the two together, mounted on the bike.

The difference in the contrast is quite striking.  The Edge 500 has a contrast adjustment but that seemed to have little affect.  In all cases it was much easier for me to read the Polar 625X display.  Having used the Edge 500 on several rides now, I did note that reading anything but the large sized font at the top, is hard.  Those with better eyesight may not have an issue.

This image is from the Garmin website. I would like to know how they photographed it so the screen is so readable.

Data Download

After taking my first ride I was anxious to download from the device.  I installed the free Garmin Training Center software on my Mac.  I connected the Edge via a min-USB cord, and it was immediately found and the workout was brought in.  I was amazed how good this software was.

I find this layout much better than the Polar software, which mixes your speed, heart rate, elevation all on one graph.  Compare the above view with what I had with the Polar software shown below.

Web Based Options

Garmin also offers free web based software called Garmin Connect.  I gave that a try and the data from the Edge was brought in just as easily.

I tried some of the other web based applications.  One of particular note is Strava.  This site requires payment but does a good job of analyzing your data.

This site offers a very interesting feature.  When you upload your Edge 500 files to it, it can determine when you do certain climbs and then compares your times against other Strava users.  When I did the Metcalf Mauler ride, it knew I had climbed Metcalf and compared with other Strava users.  Too bad that I didn’t have this Garmin GPS device last year when I climbed Metcalf in 13:18, or I would be KOM on their page.

Conclusion

I am happy with my purchase of the Garmin Edge 500 and have taken the Polar speed sensor off my main bike.   It has found a home on the rear of our tandem, replacing the Gramin eTrex I was using.   Downloading the data is much easier, especially for Mac users since I no longer need to boot into Windows to get my data.  The options for analyzing the data is much greater.  I am disappointed in the screen readability.  I am not sure why Garmin can not use the same type of LCD screen that Polar uses, which would make it much easier to read while riding.  Having a GPS opens up a lot of possibilities, such as the automated climb time comparisons that sites like Strava offer.  For a very in-depth review of the Garmin Edge 500, read the blog posting by DC Rainmaker.

Categories: Equipment
9 Comments »

What is Percent Grade

The term “grade” comes from civil engineering and is the most common method of specifying the sloop of a hill. By definition, grade is defined as:

It is not the angle of the hill, which is measured in degrees.  A very steep section could be a 20% grade, which is about a 10 degree angle. A 45 degree angle would be 100% grade.

How Do We Use It?

There are two factors associated with a hill climb, the average grade and the grade at any given point. The average grade is easy to calculate, assuming you know the distance of the climb and the total elevation gain. Let’s take a hill that is 1 miles long with an elevation change of 1,000 feet (0.189 miles).  You can calculate the grade as follows:

On our bikes we don’t actually measure the “run” but measure the road along the slope of the hill.  Using a little trigonometry, we can determine that for this particular set of numbers the “run” is 0.98 miles and the grade is 19.2%. We could therefore use the measured distance on the bike and the error here would only be 2%, even less so for lower grades. We all know from climbing a very steep hill that a grade of 19% is very difficult, but none of the climbs we track have an average grade of 19%.  The steepest of climbs usually average no more than 10% grade, or about 500 vertical feet per mile. In California, Bolhman On Orbit averages only about 10.5%.  So although average grade is certainly a factor, there are several factors that need to be considered.

• Maximum Grade
• Total Distance
• Total Elevation Gain

How each of these impact you as a climb is very much a personal thing.  Some can power over a very steep, short section, and yet fade with a long climb, while others have a very difficult time with a short, steep grade (or maybe they are not using a low enough gearing) but can climb strong for 3,000 vertical feet.

Of all the parameters we could use to describe a hill climb, the hardest to determine is maximum grade.   Unless you are a surveyor, you are usually limited to measuring elevation gain using an instrument that is using barometric pressure (or even less accurately, GPS only).   How accurate is such a measurement?  Pretty good over a significant elevation change, but not so good over a short distance.  Couple that intrinsic error, with the aspect that a very short, but very steep pitch, is not nearly the same factor as a steep climb for 1/4 mile.  So what are the parameters that should be used calculating maximum grade?

Last year I was biking in the beautiful island of Hilo Hawaii and ventured down about the steepest road I have ever attempted on a road bike. This is a view from the top that shows the vertical descent down to the ocean.

There was a sign at the top of the road that said 25% grade.  This picture gives you the idea.

Going down was tough enough, going up was impossible and only one person in our group made it all the way up without stopping.  To excuse myself for walking a section, I stopped and used an inclinometer application in my iPhone to measure the grade, resting in on the top tube.  I measured 35% grade.

Does that mean the maximum grade was 35%?  Even if the measurement device was accurate, it was still over a distance spanned by my two wheels so a bump in the road could have a big impact.  To calculate the maximum grade, we need to decide over what distance.  It is a decision that the designers of all cyclometers that read out percent grade, need to wrestle with.  Make the distance too long and people don’t get the instant feedback they expect.  Make it too short and you get some numbers that don’t reflect what you feel and that fluctuate too rapidly.  So leave your comments here on:

• What is the minimum distance we should use to calculator maximum grade.
• How best to measure it.

We will use your feedback on developing some factor for maximum grade on the hills we track.

Website Changes

We are updating our hill climbs on the Ultra Cycling website (http://www.ultracycle.net).  We are working on maps and hill profiles for the various climbs.  Look for those changes to be coming soon.

Categories: Hill Climbs
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For those who live in the bay area and want to test their climbing skills on some of the local favorites, the 2010 Low Key Hill Climb schedule has been announced. These have had a large turn out and you can make up your own category. Many of the climbs that are planned are also on the Ultra Cycling King of the Mountain hills, so you can have a chance to enter your times here.

The links under the Low Key Hill Climb column take you to their website.  The links under the Ultra Cycling KOM Equivalent column are for the Ultra Cycling website KOM times for that hill.  Note that for the Ultra Cycling website we only include times that individuals input and do not enter any data from the LKHC or other races.

Categories: Hill Climbs
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