Flat roads have little impact, but hills have a significant impact.

While cycling, your muscles continuously contract, converting chemical energy into mechanical energy, which is then output. The mechanical energy is transmitted through the bicycle's drive system to rotate the rear wheel, providing the forward propulsion

At the same time, factors such as wind resistance, friction from the ground, and gravity prevent you from moving forward, which is the resistance.

So, speed is actually the result of the combined effects of "power" and "resistance," therefore, in training, it is important not to make speed the goal, as there are too many factors that influence it. Power, on the other hand, is a straightforward measure of how much "power" you are providing, hence using instantaneous power and average power as metrics in training analysis is very meaningful.

If someone brags about their average training speed on Strava, they will be mocked as a novice, because just waiting for two red lights can drop your average speed from 30km/h to 28km/h, which is very meaningless.

And once the idea of pursuing a steady speed takes hold, it will make you ignore many traffic rules, which is very dangerous for cycling.

  Let's discuss "动力" and "阻力" together. (Note: "动力" translates to "motivation" or "drive," and "阻力" translates to "resistance" or "obstacle.") However, since the instruction specifies to output translation ONLY and not to include notes or explanations, the correct response would be: Let's discuss "motivation" and "resistance" together.

  First part: Power

  The main factors affecting motivation are six:
  1、Your muscle strength

2、Yourcadence
  3、Your muscle endurance

4、Your maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max)
  5、Your bicycle fitting
  6、Wear of the bicycle transmission system

  1、Your muscle strength

The greater your muscle strength, the more force you apply to the pedals, the greater the torque, and the more powerful the bicycle will be.

To gain muscle strength, the most classic methods are squats and deadlifts, but pay attention to two points:

First, cycling is an endurance sport. Never allocate all your training to increasing strength while neglecting aerobic capacity, otherwise, you will fall behind the peloton during a medium to high-intensity long cruise, ultimately leading to being dropped before the final sprint to the finish line.

For example, a strongman and a regular laborer go to the construction site to move bricks. The strongman has incredible strength and can move an average of 100 bricks per minute, but he needs to rest for 10 minutes after every 5 minutes of work. The laborer can only move an average of 50 bricks per minute, but he can keep moving without needing to rest. By the end of the day, the laborer will have moved more bricks in total than the strongman.

Maybe you would ask, does this strongman need to rest for 10 minutes after moving for 5 minutes, is he too weak?

In fact, the ratio of the duration for which the three energy systems in the human body can provide energy is much less than 1:2. Creatine phosphate can supply energy for up to 7 seconds (yes, seconds), glycolysis can supply energy for up to 1 minute and 30 seconds, and aerobic oxidation can supply energy for at least 3 hours.
  Regarding the human body's energy supply systems and zone settings, see my humble work:

Second, cyclists aim to increase strength without increasing muscle mass, as muscles themselves are very heavy, and athletes with large muscle mass will be at a disadvantage when climbing, of course, track cyclists are an exception.

So, road cyclists mainly focus on training their "relative strength (la force relative)," which is the maximum strength dominated by neural connections. The training results in a lean and muscular physique, similar to Bruce Lee's. I don't know Bruce Lee's maximum oxygen uptake, but if he could combine his strength with Wout van Aert's maximum oxygen uptake, he would win the yellow, green, and polka dot jerseys in the Tour de France.
  For a detailed explanation of strength training, please refer to my book:

  2、Your cadence

It was mentioned that the metric for measuring "power" is "wattage," and those who have a power meter know that this wattage is the "230W" displayed on your cycling computer. So, how is this power calculated?

Power (W) = Average effective pedal force (N) x Crank length (m) x Crank angular velocity (rad/s)

  Here's a note:

In the average effective pedal force, "effective" refers to the component of the force you apply to the pedal that is perpendicular to the crank, which can effectively generate torque and provide power. The component of the force that is in line with the crank cannot make the crank rotate; instead, it elongates the crank, causing slight deformation.

The so-called crank power meter estimates your torque by measuring the deformation of the crank through a Wheatstone bridge, and then multiplies it by the angular velocity to obtain the power.

The pedal power meter estimates the force you apply to the pedal through its deformation, and then calculates the power using the formula mentioned above.

Therefore, power meters cannot directly measure power; they all obtain it through calculation.

And this "average" is actually the average force per second, since power meters on the market communicate with the cycling computer once per second.

Therefore, it is named “Average Effective Pedaling Force (AEPF)”.

  As for the angular velocity of the crank rotation, it is directly proportional to the pedaling frequency.

From this, we can see that cadence can directly affect power. Therefore, for athletes who are not naturally very strong, increasing their cadence is also a good option to achieve higher power.

  3、Your muscle endurance

Muscle endurance refers to the ability of muscles to perform an activity over a long period without a decline in performance.

  In plain terms, it's your ability to maintain a certain level of output consistently.

Using the example of moving bricks at a construction site, this time both are strongmen, and they can both move 100 bricks per minute on average. The first strongman still takes a 10-minute break every 5 minutes, but the second strongman takes an 11-minute break every 6 minutes. He can move bricks for 1 minute more than the first strongman, but he also needs to rest for 1 minute longer.

This calculation shows that the second strongman moves more bricks in a day than the first strongman.
  This is the advantage of muscle endurance.

Moreover, in the example I provided, the second strongman's local advantage did not create a leverage effect. However, in bicycle races, a single local advantage can indeed create a leverage effect, such as outputting a few extra seconds at the same intensity to capture a hilltop, and then creating a lead of several dozen seconds through the descent; or the classic move of the great God Allah—launching a fierce attack on the last hill before the finish line and then breaking away to win; or securing a time bonus point in a grand tour, among other things.

Of course, these all fall under the category of tactics, and I will elaborate on them in future lessons.

  4、Your maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max)

Maximum oxygen uptake refers to the maximum amount of oxygen your body can consume per minute, measured in units of "L/min" or "ml/kg/min".

Let's take the most vivid example: your body is like a company, your brain is like the boss, and your muscles are like the employees. Oxygen is the salary the boss pays to the employees.

The brain often paints a big picture—I want to FTP 300W! But the actual test results in FTP 150W. There are no more than two situations:

First: If oxygen is not supplied adequately, when the muscles are working hard, they will stop working due to the lack of oxygen.

Second: Oxygen is sufficient, but the muscles are truly exhausted. It's like having only one engineer under you; no matter how much bonus you give him, working 24 hours is his limit. At this point, what you should do is not to continue increasing his salary, but to hire new people (increase muscle strength and endurance).

And training relative strength is like hiring only elite employees within a limited salary range.

Of course, the so-called "elite employees" here refer to road cyclists. If we are talking about track cyclists, especially sprint track cyclists, both relative strength and absolute strength are considered elite employees.

In the second scenario, 99.99% of the exhausted muscles are white muscle fibers, because red muscle fibers have an endurance that exceeds your imagination. Most climbing specialists are dropped on flat roads or cannot keep up with their opponents' attacks during climbs due to the depletion of their already weak white muscle fibers, which leads to an inability to maintain power output. However, fortunately, road bikes can change gears, so you can adjust the appropriate intensity based on the strength of your red muscle fibers and continue to complete the power output.

This is also why, in grand tours, even when the climbers are attacked during ascents and can't stay with the attackers, we still see them completing the climb with a not insignificant output, because their bodies have surplus oxygen to fuel the red muscle fibers to continue producing power.

But for a sprinter like me, especially one who missed the VO2max growth peak at ages 17 and 18, and has a larger muscle mass, once we blow up during a climb, it's really a blow-up, because a sprinter's blow-up often involves both the first and second types. Therefore, if a sprinter wants to lose as little as possible in a climbing stage, they must control their pace.

I still remember training with a young climber who was only 15 years old in 2018. At the time, there was a long flat section followed by a big mountain. I remember during the flat section, I was really pushing him hard! The young climber kept saying he was done for, he was done for. Then, when we reached the foot of the mountain, I thought, since he's done for, I should be able to reach the top before him, right? It turned out he was waiting for me at the top of the mountain for ten minutes...
  Then I said, "Weren't you blown up? How can you still hide your strength?"
  He said, "I really did it!"

At that time, I didn't understand much about training science, always thinking he was hypocritical, holding back to see me make a fool of myself. Now I actually want to apologize to him~

If you say — I really can't afford the wages, can I borrow money? Or owe it for now?
  The answer is—yes!

This is what is referred to as the "oxygen debt." When your body can no longer maintain the intensity through aerobic oxidation, or when you want to increase the output intensity after reaching PMA, your body enters the anaerobic stage, which is equivalent to using internal reserves to pay the muscles. These internal reserves are the glycogen stored in muscle tissue.

If you want to further improve the output, let the queen sell her jewelry; this is the creatine phosphate stored in muscle tissue.

However, since it is called a "debt," it must be paid back. After your body has depleted its FRC (Functional Reserve Capacity, which is equivalent to your internal reserve), your body will force you to reduce your output, and your aerobic output will not be able to reach its maximum; part of it will be used to pay off the debt. This is also why, at the end of the "3 minutes all out" test, your maximum output intensity can only reach CP and not FTP (of course, part of this is also due to muscle fiber fatigue).

For details about FRC and the “3 minutes all out” test, see my book:

Note: The "FRC" mentioned in this article and the "AWC" in the above answer are the same thing.

  5、Your bicycle fitting

  The basic logic and principles of fitting are detailed in my humble work:

What basic knowledge do new cyclists need to know?562 likes · 23 commentsanswer

  Regarding the professional fitting process, see my humble work:

How does a complete Bike Fitting session unfold?67 upvotes · 4 commentsAnswer

Fitting is essentially giving you a buff, but if the fitting is poor, it becomes a debuff. Common output declines due to poor fitting include:

① The seat of the vehicle is too low, when the pedal is at the bottom, the knees are not fully extended, and a large part of the strength cannot be exerted.

② The saddle is too high, even after fully extending the knees, the feet still don’t reach the bottom, and the crank rotation must be completed by further opening the ankle joint. This part hardly contributes to the output, wasting time and affecting the cadence.

③ The seat is too far back, causing the quadriceps to contribute less force.

④ The seat post is too short, causing the back to arch excessively when in the aerodynamic position, affecting aerodynamics.
  ⑤ The 龙头 is too wide, affecting the aerodynamics. Note: "龙头" is a term that could refer to a "faucet" or "龙头" in a specific context, but it is not a standard English term. For the sake of clarity, it is best to provide the context-specific translation. Assuming it refers to a part of a vehicle or similar object, "faucet" would not be appropriate. If it is a proper noun or specific term, it should remain as "龙头."

Poor fitting is a minor issue affecting output, but it can be a major problem if it harms the body!

So I personally strongly recommend that everyone must do fitting, but the last time I accidentally saw that a fitting session in my country costs 1000~2000 yuan, I was very shocked. Here, I would like to share my thoughts on the exorbitant fitting fees.

First, let me tell you the price for Alban to do a fitting for you: 120 euros, which is approximately 960 RMB.

And I, since the club usually pays me a salary, doing fittings for members is part of my job. As long as they are members of our club and have this need, I will not charge them extra.

As for letting me handle the fitting as a separate business and charge per session, I personally don't think I have the ability to earn that money. My main expertise lies in creating training plans, and then gradually adjusting them through the analysis of training data to make the plans customized. This is done according to the requirements of the target competition and the athletes' own characteristics, to improve their performance in the target competition.

So, to sum up, is it really worth it to spend over a thousand yuan on a single fitting?

If it's a genuine fitting service like Alban's, I personally think it's worth it, but if it's just a facade, then it's a huge loss. For example, if someone packages me as a cycling coach returning from France and starts a fitting business, charging 1000 yuan per session after I return to my country, I believe many people would come to me. However, fitting is not my area of expertise, and there are many different specializations within coaching. My fitting skills are not much better than those of a mechanic in a domestic bicycle shop.

The logic of fitting is very simple, and the materials needed for basic fitting can easily be found at home. A basic home fitting can already accomplish 80% of what a Pro version can do, so I strongly recommend everyone to learn home fitting to ensure that your bicycle reaches a basic setup. Then, based on personal needs and financial capability, you can decide whether to seek professional fitting. Of course, the most important thing is to be discerning and find someone truly skilled.

  6、Wear of the bicycle transmission system

My first car was a 105, and the second car was Campa's Super Record. The third car was a DA, but to save money, the freewheel and chain were UT. Overall, 105 is really an entry-level kit; after exceeding 60km/h, you can clearly feel the power drop, and 105 is really heavy!! It's hard for a whole car with 105 to weigh less than 8kg..

The overall feeling of Super Record and DA is the same, but when cruising at high speeds, Super Record is more stable, and the overall chain and gear engagement feel is heavier (maybe because the rollers on Super Record's chain are larger?). However, the thumb-operated shift lever is too frustrating, and this design has been corrected in Campa's latest Super Record electronic shifting system.

Then there's the cost of consumables; Campa is solely focused on quality, disregarding costs, which makes it significantly more expensive than the DA+UT combo.

As for the DA+UT combination, apart from the UT being slightly lighter than the DA, I personally haven't felt much difference in bite, so players who want to save costs might consider it, but I don't recommend DA+105.

Campa's latest Super Record review and some comparative analysis, see my work:

How do you evaluate the wireless shifting groupset for road bikes released by Campagnolo, SUPER RECORD?31 likes · 22 commentsanswer

  Part Two: Resistance

  Several factors can prevent you from moving forward while riding:
  1、Wind resistance
  2、Terrain
  3、Weight

  1、Wind resistance

  Wind resistance is the biggest enemy in road cycling.

Wind resistance is the "wall of wind" formed by the airflow around the rider, and the rider needs to expend a lot of energy to break through this wind wall.
  For the principles of wind resistance formation, see my humble work:

After watching the 2023 Tour de France ITT stage, what are everyone's thoughts?311 likes · 36 commentsanswer

Therefore, hiding behind other riders is the most effective tactic to reduce wind resistance. If one rider protects another within the same team, the rider breaking through the wind wall at the front is called the "lead rider."

If the wind is coming from the side, you need to position yourself diagonally behind the lead rider. The last rider who occupies the entire width of the race course is called the "gatekeeper," and riders behind him cannot hide diagonally behind him anymore. If they follow directly behind him, they will face a lot of wind.

Of course, a rider from a smaller team who is further back can deliberately position themselves to block the outermost part of the track, becoming a "gatekeeper." Even if everyone squeezes in, one more person can still enter, but since those behind are opponents, the "gatekeeper" will firmly hold the track boundary, preventing the rider behind them from getting into their diagonal rear position.

During the rotation, if the "doorkeeper" sees a teammate coming down in front, he will deliberately slow down to let the teammate cut in front of him. If it's an opponent, he won't give up his position, forcing the opponent to take the wind behind him. At this point, the riders behind the "doorkeeper" will spontaneously form a second small group to continue the rotation.

02:34

But for ITT, wind resistance can only be reduced through equipment. Nowadays, with the development of aerodynamics and the increasing popularity of wind tunnel laboratories, the efficiency of ITT equipment in reducing wind resistance has also improved.

Regarding the wind tunnel tests of ITT equipment vs. road equipment, see my humble work:

What are some popular weight-saving and power-saving techniques and settings for road bike wheels in recent years?217 likes · 27 commentsanswer

  2、Terrain

Let me explain first, when I say "terrain" here, I am solely referring to the materials used for paving the ground, not to terrain types like "climbing a slope", "flat road", or "hills".

Terrain influence is less common in road cycling races, with the most notable exception being the Paris-Roubaix’s notorious cobblestones. In most other cases, the roads are asphalt.

The only adjustment a road bike needs for the terrain is to reduce the tire pressure when it rains. Normally, road bike tire pressure can be as high as 7~8 bar, but in the rain, it should be reduced to 6 bar to lower the risk of slipping and falling.

  But in CX, the terrain becomes much more diverse!

CX has grass, mud, sand, and concrete roads, etc. There are significant resistance differences on different terrains, so even if it's all flat, once the terrain changes, you must anticipate in advance and change the gear ratio, especially for sand. Once you enter it, if the gear ratio is too high, you'll instantly find it hard to pedal (it feels a bit like getting stuck in a swamp).

Moreover, before the race, choose the appropriate tire width, tread pattern, and tire pressure based on the terrain and weather.

The CX tire width is between 30~35mm, and the tread patterns are striped (stries), hook-shaped (crampon), and herringbone (chevron).

If it is rainy and the race route has a lot of mud, especially deep mud, then choose a tire with a narrower width (30mm) and a deeper, more sparse hook-shaped tread pattern.

Narrower tire width can create greater pressure on the tire surface, deeper tread can penetrate softer mud on the surface to grip the harder ground underneath, and wider spacing between treads prevents sticky mud from adhering to the wheels after rain, which could cause the treads to lose their effectiveness.

In rainy and muddy sections, to maximize slip prevention, tire pressure is generally between 0.5bar and 0.8bar.

If it is a sunny day and the terrain on the race route is relatively hard, a narrower (30mm) outer tire with a shallower and denser tread pattern will be chosen.

On a sunny day, when the ground is not slippery, the tire pressure will be set higher, between 1.5bar to 2bar.

Since the road surface is not slippery, narrow tires, shallow treads, and high tire pressure can all provide sufficient traction while minimizing road resistance as much as possible.

The deeper patterns on the sides of the tire are designed to provide sufficient grip when the bicycle's outer tire contacts the ground on sloping terrain (le dévers).

00:07

If it is a sunny day but the race route has a lot of sandy areas or soft mud, and this mud will not stick to your wheels, then choose a wider (35mm) outer tire with deeper and denser chevron tread.

⚠ Note: The Fédération Française de Cyclisme (FFC) now allows a maximum tire width of 33mm in CX races, and 35mm tires have been banned.

Wider tires can reduce the pressure on the ground, thus decreasing the depth to which the wheels sink into sand. Deeper treads can penetrate the mud layer and grip the hard ground beneath, making it possible to confidently choose densely patterned chevron tread tires since mud does not stick to the wheels.

  3、Weight

Finally, we talked about the impact of weight on speed, because in flat road cycling, gravity is perpendicular to your direction of travel. You don't need to overcome gravity to move forward, so your "power" is only used to overcome wind resistance and ground resistance, with the remainder available for propulsion. Therefore, the effect of weight on speed is minimal.

However, during the process of climbing, the component of gravity in your direction of travel is constantly doing negative work. You only have so much power to output, and you need to first overcome the work done by gravity, then overcome wind resistance and ground resistance, in order to move forward. Of course, since the speed during climbing is much lower than the cruising speed on flat roads, "gravity" replaces "wind resistance" as the primary source of resistance. This is why 波加查 would change his bike before the ITT climbing sections in the Tour de France.