Perceived exertion was the approach used by Lance Armstrong in his 55-km (34-mile) time trial victory in his 6th Tour de France. The following is from an interview by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. "I didn't have a speedometer. I said I'm not looking at speed, I'm not looking at cadence. I'm just going to ride like I feel."
It worked. He won the stage convincingly, taking 61 seconds out of time-trial rival Jan Ullrich. "Going naked" in a TT seems an unusual strategy for Armstrong who, prompted by coach Chris Carmichael, is an extremely scientific cyclist. Lance uses a watts meter on most rides and sends Chris the files to download and analyze for planning subsequent workouts. Lance could have ridden the TT with a watts meter to monitor intensity and avoid crossing his red line. Yet the only feedback he used was what his body was telling him. Like many experienced riders against the clock, he has a keen sense of pace.He has learned to tread the border between going at a semi-comfortable pace (thus losing time) and going too hard early (thus slowing dramatically in the final kilometers).
And here's another I found in www.roadbiker.com. "In a recent interview with VeloNews, 2004 Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus Backstedt commented on how his training changed after several years of poor results. I got back to what I did when I started racing, said the 30-year-old Swede. [I had been] doing all kinds of controlled training, hitting thresholds, intervals, all that. Instead, I went back to what my body told me. I took every single piece of equipment off my bike. At the end of the day, despite what technology tells you, if it's not right, it's not right. It's been fine ever since.
Backstedt's comments have provoked lively exchanges on internet discussion groups devoted to training. Some applaud his return to more "natural" workouts. Others deplore his flight from analysis and scientific training with watts meters and heart monitors. Which approach works best? We like the way Allen Lim, Ph.D., coaches his riders. In his ground-breaking doctoral work at the University of Colorado, Lim analyzed data from power meters used by pro riders in races and training. You'd think Lim would advocate scientific training. He does, but recommends a middle ground: training by feel and then analyzing the results by scientific means.
Structured training plans are important to help you meet your cycling goals. But as Lim and Backstedt point out, you need to be flexible. If your training plan calls for hard intervals, climbing or long distance on a certain day and your body isn't cooperating, it's crucial to recognize that you're not ready for more work. Then apply a combination of less strenuous workouts and more rest instead of blindly soldiering on and digging yourself into an even deeper hole."
The key to improving, using percieved exerion is to ride at an effort you can barely maintain for the distance. Push beyond this and you'll accumulate too much fatigue and slow down. Go easier and you won't be riding at your best for your current fitness level. This maximum sustainable pace is your lactate threshold (LT) which is approximately 90% of your maximum heart rate. You could use a HRM to pinpoint the highest heart rate you can maintain for 30-60 minutes. But you can also ride without a heart monitor (or power meter) and listen to you body, constantly monitoring your sense of perceived exertion. To take this approach, learn to pay attention to your lungs and legs.
The RPE scale
The RPE scale ranges from 6 to 20*, and includes a literal description for each level of exercise intensity. It was designed so adding a 0 to the level of exertion would give a rough estimate of your heart rate i.e. if you were resting (a 6 on the scale) your heart rate would be in the neighborhood of 60. Although RPE isn’t accurate enough for detailed physiologic studies, research has demonstrated an amazingly high correlation for any individual from day to day. In other words if you felt you were exercising at a 13 (somewhat hard) on two different days, and checked your heart rate, it would be quite similar.
How can you use the RPE scale? First familiarize yourself with the levels. Then, using a treadmill or wind trainer, rate your own level of exertion BEFORE you check your pulse rate. With a little practice you will find that you will be amazingly accurate in predicting your heart rate. At that point you can use your own RPE instead of a heart rate monitor to monitor the intensity of the day’s workout.
In addition,
Found on Roadbikerider.com:
Question: I want to improve my power at lactate threshold (LT) so I can excel in time trials and on long climbs. But I don't know how hard to ride during LT training. Lab tests are expensive, I'm told that heart rate is unreliable and I don't have a watts meter. Is there a simple method for nailing LT intensity without all the black magic?
Answer:LT can be gauged by wattage, lactate accumulation, heart rate or perceived exertion. The first requires a relatively expensive power meter as well as a lab test to find your wattage at LT. Actually measuring lactate means periodic blood draws -- not too practical while you're riding the road. And heart rate can vary for a given power output due to hydration status, environmental conditions and other factors.
That leaves your personal rating of perceived exertion (RPE). In other words, how hard you feel like you're riding. In the old days, everyone trained with RPE. Before heart monitors there was no other way. The good news is that research shows RPE is an effective way to determine intensity.
Allen Lim did ground-breaking research on cycling power while working on his Ph.D. in exercise physiology at the University of Colorado. In an e-mail he wrote:"Training prescriptions don't need to be overly complicated. If athletes are in tune with themselves and quite experienced at perceiving effort, then what they perceive as hard can be used consistently as a reference point for training-induced adaptations and for determining training pace."
So, if your workout calls for a 20-minute effort at close to your LT, it's fine to forget the technology and simply ride at an intensity that feels hard. You'll be close to your lab determined ideal intensity.
How hard is hard? Think of effort on a scale of 1 (lying on the couch) to 10
(riding flat-out and suffering). On this simplified RPE scale, LT intensity is between 8
and 9. This is the point at which breathing is at the breakpoint between hard but steady
and labored with gasping. Another way to find it: Increase intensity until you begin to
gasp, then back off a notch.