LPP is Used 100% of the Time During the Test

Having had a considerable adaptation time  prior to this test, Stephane was asked to use LPP exclusively during this test run. For this he was provided specific pointers that allowed him to fully isolate LPP from his Pro pedaling technique. Stephane used the LPP technique with the active muscular pedaling force being applied from the 6 to the 12.5 o’clock of the upstroke and without the active use of the Quad muscle group.  As I’m sitting writing this post today, I remember how I felt that day. I had a complete sense of acceptance of whatever the results would be. I had developed LPP to help the pure “pedal pushers” at no matter what level of cycling, to get faster and more efficient with less pain. For LPP to be integrated in whatever manner it could,  into higher levels of cycling was for me truly a bonus!  The last thing I told Stephane was to pedal hard but be very focussed on staying LPP pure across the test. To be sure to not to sacrifice technique in the pursuit of speed. To choose the standing and sitting sequencing as well as the RPM progression that would allow him to maintain a solid LPP technique and to let the results fall wherever the did. The following are the test results.  Please click on “Continue Reading —>” if the Overall Performance Data Chart and the Test Summary are not readily displayed for your viewing.

Test Results

Terrain Profile

Power Data Values

Heart Rate Data Values

Overall Performance Data

First LPP Utilization Test Summary (LPP T1)

Once the test was completed, the first indication of an LPP breakthrough was the time to complete the course, which at 51:09 ended up being 1 minute and 6 seconds faster than the 52:15 of  Second Baseline Track Speed Test. That was a welcome surprise for both Stephane and myself. He also reported absolutely no discomfort, soreness or pain in the QUADs. That indicated that he had gone LPP pure.  It was later, when I collected and analyzed the data that a couple of additional nice surprises sprung out the test results.

Detailed analysis showed that all the values that contributed to the speed increase were up from those of LPP Test 2. The Normalized Power went up to 307 Watts from the previous 304 Watts and at 96% of FTP utilization, the 307 Watts value was 4% or 13 Watts off from Stephane’s 320 Watts FTP. The Average Cadence went up from 94 to 97 RPM, consistent with a high level cycling cadence and the Average Heart Rate value went 7 beats up from that of the previous test. What was surprising is that both the Test TSS and the Work values were down from those of the previous test! The TSS value was 73.4 was a reduction from the 74.5 value of the previous test. Moreover,  a parameter indicative of comparative pedaling efficiency, which is the Work in Kilojoules measured by the power meter, and is indicative of the energy that Stephan used to turn those pedals, was 849 Kilojoules for this test and  867 Kilojoules for the previous test. A difference of 18 Kilojoules less of work for 1 mile an hour more of Average Moving Speed!