EPIC TRAINING SYSTEMS
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Power Based Training
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"Tom Boonen, 25, of Belgium, courtesy of his trainer, Peter Hespel. In
the test lab, Boonen starts pedaling at 100 watts. Every eight minutes,
the resistance is increased by 40 watts. He can reach 460 watts after 90
minutes (which, of course, means he has just ridden for eight minutes at
420 watts after eight minutes at 380 watts). Give that a try on your
indoor trainer while holding a cadence of 90 rpm. In a sprint, Boonen can
put out 1,600 watts at 110 rpm. His max heart rate is 195 bpm, his
resting HR is in the low 40s, and he has a lung capacity of nearly 7 liters.
He's able to breathe an extraordinary 200 liters per minute at maximum
effort. No wonder they call him "Tornado Tom."  (Source unknown)
History of Training with Power

In recent years, the ability to monitor the demands for cycling through the use
of a PowerTap has become extremely useful to the athlete and
coach by giving an objective measure of training and racing intensity.  
Prior to power measuring devices heart rate monitoring was the standard in
measuring intensity because it reacted in a linear form to changes in power
output in the laboratory.  However, in the real world this relationship proved to
be more complicated than the laboratory indicated.

Heart rate is affected be variables such as air temperature, humidity,
arousal, fatigue, illness, altitude, stress, hydration levels and diet so it
can vary greatly from one day to the next.  Another complication with
using heart rate alone is that there is a significant lag between the
workload being done (power) and the body's response (heart rate) to the effort.
 This can have a profound impact on the intensity of the training sessions, often
causing athletes to train too hard or to terminate training sessions too early
when they are using heart rate to monitor workout intensity and progress.

Basics

Let's start off with the basic concept of power and what it means to you.  
Power is the rate of workload being performed on the bike.  This means
that:

Power (P) = work/time    or      P = force x velocity

with force being the pressure you put on the pedals and velocity being
cadence.  If you look at the formula, you will notice that there are two
ways you could produce more power:  pedal harder or pedal faster.  
Either technique will lead to increased power production and
consequently increased speed on the bike.  Using the PowerTap will
allow you to find the balance between power and cadence so you can
determine your optimal cadence.  Another feature you will notice on your
PowerTap is the kilojoules reading. Kilojoules is a measure of the amount
of total work that you performed during the workout and this is an
important component when considering your caloric expenditure.  
Although kilojoules (KJ) and Kilocalories (Kcal) are different measures,
you are able to estimate how many Kcals you used during a workout by
monitoring the KJ accumulated.  There is an approximate conversion of:

4.2 KJ to 1 Kcal

and human metabolic efficiency of work performed on a bicycle is
estimated at 23 - 25%.  Based on this information, you can then take the
KJ of mechanical work and extrapolate a 1 - 1 measure.  For example, for
a given ride you perform 1500 KJ, so based on the information
discussed above, you can estimate that your caloric expenditure for the
workout is 1500 Kcals.  

This information will allow you to monitor your caloric intake, which can
help you manage your body weight.  Proper calorie management will also
improve the recovery process, thus allowing you to come back and
perform subsequent workouts.

(Various sources Chris Charmichael Andrew Coggan Hunter Allen)
Want to learn more about training with power here are some resources:

Powerfeed Tutorial by Dr. Allen 'Lim, PhD

Wattage List

Power Profiling Chart

Power explained by Robbie Ventura

Epic Power Profile Chart (Modified Version of Andrew R. Coggan Ph.D.)
CYCLING PRODUCTS:

If you are interested in getting a more accurate assessment of your
performance on the bike, talk to one of our coaches about purchasing
Power Tap or Polar products at reduced coaching rates!
We will design a Power Based Program specifically for you.  NO COOKIE
CUTTER PROGRAMS.  This program will take your goals, racing or
otherwise, and design a plan that fits within the constraints of your life and
develop you into the cyclist you want to be.  Based on your individual field test
results, we create a plan, monitor your progress and provide feedback to keep
you motivated and on track to achieve your goals.  Contact us to get you started
TRAINING WITH POWER!!