Got my vo2 max tested for free today as part of a study at Rockhurst college. I'm not really sure how to reference the score of 53.3 that I got, but the guy said it was pretty good? I'll go with that.
Raced the Tour of Hermann RR last Sunday, it didn't go that great. I knew it was a hilly course, and I did a ton of hill repeats in the last 3 months, but it just wasn't enough. Right from the get go it was up up up, down, then up up again. As we crested the KOM climb, 10 miles in, I wasn't that far off the back, maybe 5 or 6 bike lengths, but I had to take 30 seconds to not puke my guts out, and in that time I was dropped big and bad. Spent the last half of the lap pushing a decent pace with Joe and a few others only to call it at the start finish. Spent the next hour or so in the Barrel Bar massaging my bruised ego with the germantown burger and a Guinness.
Bike racing has many faces, that day it was brutal and masochistic, not unlike the expression you might get from Genghis Khan or Bob Berdella just before you meet your final demise. Luckily there are are plenty of days that show you the more fun and rewarding side as well. Like last night at TNW where a couple fast guys sat in with us in the B race to help launch an attack, offer pulls, or a good lead out. Got to give it up to Mark Cole and Eric Finks for taking the time to show us B's a thing or two.
i punched 53.3 into the web and one site said that for your age group that's an excellent vo2 #.... which is nice!
ReplyDeleteIt's a good number, and that metric accounts for your weight. Take the absolute value and I'll bet you're somewhere north of 4.5L/min... meaning if you weighed closer to 75kgs you'd be 60ml/kg/min.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the number mean... in a nut shell, it kind of tips towards potential. Your number says you've got good potential as a club racer (forget the pro, however, because those guys are like 80+).
Comparing Vo2Max to Vo2max won't show you the faster rider, because you need to account for power (i.e. strength). That being said, if you take two riders with the same power output, same rider weight, I'd probably bet on the one with the highest Vo2Max.
While there are some exceptions, Elite cyclists typically have VO2 max scores in the 70-75 ml/kg/min (some higher, some lower). Also it peaks around 26 in most people, drops as you age. Females are also 10-15 points lower than men.
ReplyDeleteJA is correct that there are many other factors, Power to Weight, Efficiency, and more.
Karen being a fairly elite female junior has a higher VO2 then you do, but could she beat you in a sprint? DK200? no, so many other factors.
It is good to know your Power @ V02 and your LT Power compared to this (70%, 80%) so you can train to maximize using power.