Orbea (Spain) - In road cycling, effort, perseverance and dedication are the only way to the top, but in this era of data and technology many cyclists are focussing on watts and are training smarter, not harder.

Once powermeters were tools for elite cyclists, with high price tags and complicated data, but nowadays they are more affordable than ever and are supported by easy to use apps which make setting up workouts and monitoring your training simple.

The trends are clear, more cyclists than ever are choosing to add a powermeter to their road bikes to help them optimise their training and monitor the results.

Consistency is the Key:

The big advantage of training with a powermeter is the repeatability. Power is affected only by the force you apply to your pedal, and unlike heart-rate, perceived effort or speed it is unaffected by external factors.

Monitor Your Progress:

A powermeter also allows riders to monitor their fitness gains, carrying out easy fitness tests on a regular basis. With this data it is easy to make informed decisions about the effectiveness of training plans, or even feed information back to personal trainers.

Make it Easy With an App:

It is true that if there is a need then there is an App and cycling training is no exception. Apps such as Training Peaks, Komoot or Strava all accept data from your powermeter, match it up with heart rate, and give accurate feedback on training and fatigue. Armed with this data it is easy to adjust your training program and avoid the trap of over training which many riders fall into.