Little Things Part III: Watts

So now lets suppose you've given up on dieting and your bike is as light as it is going to get, how much fitness do you need to add to improve your time? Can we just will ourselves to be faster?

I think a person might will an extra 3 watts. On the Clarks climb... congratulations... you just saved 8 seconds! That's twice what we got for saving a pound of weight. Given this, I find it hard to believe anyone is really sacrificing power for weight and coming out ahead overall. I think if you're going to lose weight, you better make sure the watts don't suffer.

Even more importantly, it emphasizes what we all knew deep down: the bike helps, but the motor is a lot more important. Even small improvements in fitness make a difference.

On another note, there is a downside to bicycle commuting. Once you've ridden TO work, you are committed to riding home in the dark that night -- all 30 miles.