The M Files

Saturday
This morning we had to divide and conquer. As our 14 year old and my wife ran a local 5K, I took our 12 year old to his early morning baseball game. Kyle liked the electronics in the Ford Fusion Hybrid. He regretted not bringing his iPod, which can be plugged in and broadcast in the car. (I didn’t mind that he forgot ). Kyle had a nice game as his team earned a well-played win. Here he is in his second at bat.

Saturday is usually my biggest training day. When we returned home, I set up my triathlon bike for a long ride. My bike is a lot like the Ford Fusion Hybrid in one respect: It’s built for maximum power efficiency. And just like the car, if I don’t ride it the way it was intended to be ridden I just spent a lot of money for minimal gain. Behavior in the saddle/driver’s seat is as essential to peak performance as the technology itself.

Truly a power/energy junkie, I regulate my cycling effort with the use of this SRM power meter.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid and Cannondale Hi Mod Slice. Both built for maximum efficient use of power.

Late in my ride, I came upon an Amish farmer working the fields with a team of six horses. Just as I pulled over to take a photo, he wheeled around to cross the road. The horses came snorting right at me, and I had to squeeze a hasty photo before jumping out of the way. No harm, no foul. The good-natured Dutchman and I both had a good laugh.

Though you can't tell, this is a team of six horses. That equals about six horsepower, I figure. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear!

If engineering convention is correct, that team of horses generates about 4,500 watts of power on average. In contrast, my cycling peak output today was 543 watts, and my normalized power was 215 watts. That power output carried me 59 miles in slightly over three hours.