Want to ride faster (bicycling)? Three (3) sections of this presentation takes you through a breakdown of actions you can take to become a faster cyclist.

1. By
Morten Pedersen
December 2014 (v1)
March 2017 (v2)
WANT TO RIDE FASTER ?
A Layman’s comprehensive decomposition with actionable items

2. F A S T ? F A S T E R ?
Owning FAST
(Tour de France sprint finish)
Recreational ‘fast’
The right gear makes you fast…
(R. Hesjedal)
Attitude and tricks makes you faster… right!
(P. Sagan)

3. Objective: Ride Faster
A decomposition into actionable items
RIDE
FASTER
Increase your
Watts to
Weight ratio
Reduce
Resistance+
Increase your
Power
(Watts)
Reduce
Total
weight
Improve your
Aero-
dynamics
Improve the
Bike
Mechanics
3
Let’s look closer at SECTION 1
Objective
Level1
Level2
Improve race day
Execution
Prepare for
Race Day with
B-races and by
race simulation
Train by
following a
training
plan
+
SECTION 1 SECTION 2 SECTION 3

4. Contador: 415 Watts / 62 kg = 6.7 W/kg
High power for a light male… a world class pro cyclist
n Increase your Watts by:
n Increasing the cadence while
sustaining the torque
(Power = Torque x RPM)
n Train and race with a power meter to
ensure you are not slacking on the
descents and neither going
overboard on the ascents and flats
n Follow a polarized training program
n Reduce Total Weight by:
n Loose body weight (yes you!)
n Shed off gear weight
(you weight weenie)
Absolute best option is to work on
your power and loose body
weight.
4
Increase your
Watts to
Weight ratio
Increase your
Power
(Watts)
Reduce
Total
Weight
Increase the
Cadence
Your body:
Loose Weight
Your bike:
Shed off
gear weight
Level1
Level2Level3
Train & race with a
Power Meter
Polarized
training program
Nutrition/Habbits

5. High Watts: So you think you are a Pro?
Prove it with >5.0 W/kg over 20 minutes (4.3 for females)
n FTP tests,VO2Max
tests and
CompuTrainer
reports help set the
baseline and track
progress
n Check the chart to
see how you
compare – but don’t
let it discourage
you…
5

6. Indoor training on CompuTrainer
Study your power & cadence after tests & hard work-outs
6
20k TT
On CompuTrainer

7. Smooth Pedaling (pull-push)
For free you can increase your power transfer
n CompuTrainer SpinScan can help you understand and improve your pedal
stroke: push through Power phase, pull through Recovery phase
n A smooth pedal stroke engages more muscle groups thus decreasing fatigue
7
Source: Bikebarn.ca
Source: Bicycling.com

8. Smooth Pedaling (left-right)
Research yourself for in-depth explanation
n Above shows imbalance between left and right
n Opportunity to improve Average Torque Angle (ATA) to come closer to
90 degrees 8
Source: http://hanswinter.wordpress.com/2008/12/29/how-to-improve-your-spinscan/

9. Polarized training
’Hard-Easy’ training with a large portion at low intensity
n “Polarized training” is a fancy new name for a basic old concept—train either at low or
high intensity, but keep the moderate training time between these extremes relatively
small.” – Joel Friel (blog Dec 9, 2013)
n “The bottom line here is that the real issue is hard-easy training, not necessarily
training predominantly in zones 1 and 3”
n “Easy, recovery workouts must be done in zone 1. And due to a lot of one’s training
time being spent in zone 1, the quality of the high-intensity workouts improves.”
9Source: JoelFrielsBlog.com/2013/12/hard-easy-training.html
These studies proved that
athletes training more in
zone 1 (‘Low group’)
improved their race pace

10. Power Zones
Increased power throughout all your zones.
n Polarized training not only helps boost your higher power zones, but
also increases your endurance zones (Z1-Z2) which is key to
endurance races like Gran Fondos, Ironman 70.3, Ironman
n FTP: Functional Threshold Power (60 minutes max. effort). Practical
FTP test is 20 minutes max. effort – minus 5% adjustment
n Determine your zones with VO2Max test
10
Watts
Z2:
165-190
Z2:
150-175
Off season
Race Ready

11. Values
in kg
Weight Reduction:YOU orYOUR BIKE?
Focus first on what weighs most…You!
n Truth is: the leaner you are, the harder and unnecessary it is to lose
body weight – bike weight reduction provides a much higher
weight savings relative to total weight
n For the better insulated folks… yes you guessed it!
11
Person A
Fictive Safeway manager
(Bike: 8% of total weight)
Person B
Anonymous with Danish accent
(Bike: 9% of total weight)
Person C
Could be any ‘precious’ female
(Bike: 13% of total weight)

12. Nutrition & Habits
It’s a science itself & key to success on long distance races
n Talk to Cory or seek advice from other nutritional professionals
n You can start with this simple food rule (Michael Pollan):
Don’t eat food your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
n Beware of the liquid calories – and ‘empty’ calories
n Set yourself up for success with healthy habits long before race day
Race nutrition to be covered in section 3
12

13. Bike Weight: 20 lbs? 12 lbs?
Big differences with many options to shed off weight
Big
differences:
n Wheels
n Frame & Fork
n Group set
(Crank set)
(Brake set)
n Tires
n Saddle
n 1 bottle
instead of 2
n Shoes
13Source:TotalCycling.com

14. Weight Weenies: Keep spending!
Prioritize what provides the biggest bang for your buck
n It costs you nothing to reduce # of bottles from 3 to 2 to 1 (plan refills on your route)
n Changing tires and inner tubes could cost you $200 to shed 200 grams
($1.00/gram)
n A super light frame could cost you $4,000 to shed 400 grams ($10.00/gram)
14
Reduc&on cost in $/gram (direc&onal)
Aerodynamic benefits
(e.g. a new helmet may not shed off much weight, but could improve your aerodynamics)
Better bang
for your buck
Worse bang
for your buck

15. Section 1 Wrap-up
From off season to race ready you can increase your W/kg
EXAMPLE:
n Increased FTP: 225W to 240W
n Reduced weight: 80kg to 74kg
15
Increase your
Watts to
Weight ratio
Increase your
Power
(Watts)
Reduce
Total
Weight
Increase the
Cadence
Your body:
Loose Weight
Your bike:
Shed off
gear weight
Level1
Level2Level3
Train & race with a
Power Meter
Polarized
training program
Nutrition/Habits
FTP: 225W
(70kg + 10kg)
= 2.8 W/kg
(3.2 w/o bike)
OFF SEASON (Cat 5 rider)
FTP: 240W
(65kg + 9kg)
= 3.2 W/kg
(3.7 w/o bike)
RACE READY (Cat 4 rider)
Body Bike