Dear Cycling Peaks,
I love your product. Without it, I would have a $2000 square taper bottom bracket. It makes sense out of my jumbled world of watts. You also sponsor my team, which I’m forever indebtted to you for. I know that I’m probably using your product to a small percentage of what I could be using it for, but I still like it. Okay, in all honesty I like to look at the charts and see how high I can get them. It makes me feel good when I see a new high score for anything. Sidenote, its the easiest way to keep a good training journal, I just plug it in.
There is only one suggestion I would have for you to look into. The DSS, Dressing Stress Score. Perhaps you can add this into the already calculated Training Stress Score. The name is not important. I for one, believe this number is very important, and largely overlooked. It’s winter time in Colorado, has been for a few months now. Anybody who has gone out in the cold knows the sensation a DSS would calculate. The act of dressing is tiring. Really. Most days I’m more tired after I get dressed than when I come back from a 5 hour ride, I’ve even started eating and drinking while dressing to avoid lackluster training sessions.
I haven’t finialized the formula yet, but it includes the number of layers, time spent dressing (not including rubbing something into your chamois), and elasticity of your clothing. Layers is easy as typically it is a whole number. Take 4 for example. Time can be measured in minutes, for example today, I’m guessing at least 18. The elasticity is trickier. For example the elasticity of your shorts may not be a high number. Maybe a 0.3. But pulling on tights after shorts, leg warmers, windproof grundos, makes the elasticity factor exponetially high. You know you have a high elasticity factor when movement is inhibited. Nearly a 0.83, yes that’s not a typo. So, if you multiply layers and time then add your elasticity factor, this is a hypothetical 72.83 DSS. Compared to a summer day when you have a jersey, bibs and your biggest elasticity variable are your socks it may be as low as a 3.02. That’s a massive difference, and a lot of energy going into pulling on spandex. I neglected to calculate the number of zippers pulled since as long as your zippers are in good working order the energy expenditure is negligible.
To keep your training at high levels, the DSS must be at zero everyday, or you will not recover well. That’s science. I’ve had a lot of experience with high DSS levels. The lastest scientific research shows that the only effective and legal means to lower your daily DSS is with coffee and or espresso. The accepted dosage is 1 shot of espress0 for every 10 DSS points, error on the generous side.
Just something to think about. Once again, thanks so much for your product, it is with all joking aside invaluable.
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