The three Ps
The three Ps
Riders now have a lot of data at their fingertips, whether that’s heart rate or power, and that can help with pacing, but it’s not always a good thing.
It’s a tool to use but it can be misused – even the national team did for years. They were given power bands but apart from the very top band, which is governed by ‘I just can’t do it’, you can ride too hard or too easy within that band.
I used to think of The Three Ps: Pulse, Perception of effort and Power. You have to look at all three and match them up. If your pulse is too high and your perception of effort is too high, then regardless of your power (which is just a number) you’ll come to a stop. Pulse and perception of effort are much more important to me than power. Heart rate is also a significantly more affordable gauge of effort.
What’s the kids on the squads used to do, and what I expect a lot of people do now who ride with power, is that they ride to a number, but that doesn’t always tell the full story. People are losing touch with feel. Feel is the most important thing and you can judge that on experience.