Is 3.3 w/kg good for XCO and XCM?

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rtala13

New Member
I'm 19 years old and just started biking about a year. I weigh 59kg.
I raced this season with pretty good results (top 5 of intermediate category) and I'm looking forward to race some bike marathon races.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Take it from a non-competitive trainer. Unless youre already top flight and looking for the marginal gains, don't get too hung up on output and the like.

Im 53 and 19 stone, and can keep with sporting riders less than half my age off road because most have the riding technique of a sozzled octopus and dont waste a stupid amount of time an energy with an inefficient riding style. Their head scrathing at their inability to lose at often twice their weight, carrying the teams water, trauma kit, teaching materials, etc, me is sometimes comical. The only one that ever convincingly left me had ridden BMX in the Olympics, so I think I can be forgiven that one.

Poor lines, little forward observation, comfort braking, often a suprisingly poor mastery of appropriate gear selection, inappropriate positioning...the list is endless, and the loger the haul the more these little mistakes add up into a major cluster F.

Obviously, a good level of fitness is highly important, but once youve reached a fundamentally decent level of fitness don't start getting hung up on W/kg, etc, when some decent tuition and learning to ride properly will uield far bigger gains for less effort. Even better, as you fitness waxes and wanes over the years those skill gains will remain with you for ever.

Some surprisingly high level competitors are actually sheet riders and could easily do even better, but for some reason learing to ride properly isn't trendy.

Of course, if youre already taken a decent level of tuition and have adnaced skills then ignore everyrhing ive just said and concentrate on your output :laugh:

Best of luck.
 
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DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
What @Drago has put above.

If you're racing then I'm presuming you're training? With a group / club / team? Skills are just as important as ability.

My youngest son races, although I'll not put his w/kg here as it's just one of many metrics his team uses. And I'm presuming the 3.3 you've stated is just the 20 min w/kg.
 
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