Horizontal vs. Vertical bike fitness: your fitness in two dimensions

Competitive cyclists most often worry about and try to increase their threshold power putting much stock in this number and less if any thought into the ability to repeat a given effort.

Consider this… you’re in a race, attack 40K into it and stay off the front averaging 325 watts (103% of your threshold power) for 20-25 minutes. You open a gap of two minutes mid-way through this effort and hope just a few others join you but are caught by the peloton and proceed to suffer the balance of the race and finish deep in the pack.

Now this… you’re in the same race, attack one-third of the way into it and average 325 watts for 25 minutes getting re-absorbed in the pack at this point. You do this again two-thirds through the race and once again are re-absorbed. In the last 10K, two others attack and you go with them and finish the race top-three.

In the two above scenarios your threshold power is 315 watts. Clearly in the second scenario your repeatability is much greater. These scenarios demonstrate Horizontal vs. Vertical fitness. Here’s why it’s important to focus on both.

Your vertical fitness is what you can average for various durations; often referred to as ‘mean maximal power’ or ‘critical power’ for anywhere from 5 seconds to 1 hour. In the example above I’ve used threshold power (other monikers – CP60, Functional Threshold Power, Maximal Steady State Power) as an example. The same principal applies to all durations. Simply, what is one’s maximal sustainable average power for given duration?

Your horizontal fitness is the repeatability of the effort. In the above example, 325 watts for 20-25 minutes how many times in one event before fatigue sets in and the ability to repeat is gone. Fatigue for this duration is defined as a 3-5% reduction in power. Consider the criterium racer that ‘jumps’ multiple times per lap. He may need 75 or more jumps in a 75-90 minute criterium. Does this racer’s average power per jump lessen mid-race? How many jumps does he have in him and is he able to sprint at race end? This horizontal fitness idea is often referred to as one’s ‘matchbook’. Great way to look at it… How many matches do you have in your matchbook?

So what to do? Don’t ignore either horizontal or vertical fitness and work backwards. What are your goals and are they feasible is the start-point. Now figure out what kind of vertical and horizontal fitness ability you need to be successful in your event. Look at your past race files, your team-mates or riding partners or search out the info online and devise a plan to get where you need to be in both fitness dimensions.

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