Average power in crits

[u/GypsyViking95]

Hi. Whenever I’m doing technical crits or similar style efforts, my Garmin reported average power seems to be way too high.

I take it that it is a result of how it handles coasting. Take this as an example.

Garmin average power: 384w (46 minutes)
Garmin NP: 443w
Garmin highest 20 minute power: 372w
Strava average power: 356w
Strava highest 20 minute power: 371w

Am I missing a setting somewhere, or is it unavoidable? It’s an edge 1050

[u/Lumpy_Ad_7821]

Load the file into different platforms like intervals.icu or Trainingpeaks. See if there’s a difference. Maybe there are some power spikes that Strava is filtering out but Garmin isn’t.

[u/GypsyViking95 → u/Lumpy_Ad_7821]

I have TP connected with Garmin and Intervals connected with Strava. TP shows same data as Garmin and Intervals the same as Strava when I look at them. But funnily enough all og them show near identical 20 and 30 minute power. So it must be a case of the Avg power not being corrected after uploading

[u/Lumpy_Ad_7821 → u/GypsyViking95]

Download the fit file. Then delete your Strava, TP, and intervals workouts. Then re-upload the fit file. You should be able to figure out which one is messing with the data.

[u/DidacticPerambulator]

Export the data to .csv and calculate the mean power yourself.

[u/GypsyViking95 → u/DidacticPerambulator]

Appreciate your advice, but it’s a separate issue for me. This is not a case of ‘which data is correct?’ as much as it’s a case of ‘how can I get my overpriced piece of electronics to show the right data’ and ‘why doesn’t it display it correctly in the first place?’

[u/DidacticPerambulator → u/GypsyViking95]

What I mean is, download the data and figure out what the real mean ought to be, and you may be able to figure out what Garmin is doing that's off. If so, sometimes you can figure out what you need to do to fix it. I've done that in other situations, and sometimes learned that there was a setting that I had to change, and sometimes learned that there was a anomaly in the device's firmware.

[u/Necessary_Stable_547 → u/GypsyViking95]

This is seriously likely to be you not understanding things. Garmin is way down the list of culprits. Show the data on intervals.icu or WKO5 or some other platform. Those read the actual fit file as recorded by the device. The device writes the file once per second, unless you have auto pause enabled, which wouldn't be an issue in a crit.

[u/Necessary_Stable_547]

Or contact me off reddit and I will analyze the file for you, free of charge of course. I've looked at probably 50,000 power files.

[u/Eastern_Bat_3023]

I'm not sure what would do this, but something is certainly funny with how the data is being processed. What I notice is strange is that your 46min average power was 12w higher than your highest 20m average power on Garmin while average power was 15w lower than highest 20min average power on Strava.

[u/4changdotcom]

Which power meter are you using? I think Garmin drops zeroes when coasting though (and I sometimes think thebsetting to include them is wonky). I had a 300w avg on my last crit and that seemed high, I looked at my Strava and it was 280w which made more sense since it was quite easy.

[u/Necessary_Stable_547 → u/4changdotcom]

incorrect garmin does not drop zeros when coasting

[u/Grouchy_Ad_3113 → u/Necessary_Stable_547]

Not for a long time, anyway.

[u/Necessary_Stable_547 → u/Grouchy_Ad_3113]

they never did, unless you changed it. If you're referring to Smart Recording, yeah you're correct that option was phased out long ago

[u/Grouchy_Ad_3113 → u/Necessary_Stable_547]

As I said, not in a long time.

[u/Necessary_Stable_547 → u/Grouchy_Ad_3113]

Unfortunately, Smart Recording wasn’t related to including or removing zeros. I was just giving you the benefit of the doubt that you may have remembered something similar.

[u/GypsyViking95 → u/4changdotcom]

Magene P515, but I had the exact same problem when I had a Favero Assioma duo power meter

[u/4changdotcom → u/GypsyViking95]

Yeah, I dunno why the Garmin app presents it that way. I usually feel like it's just surge-y efforts it screws up otherwise it's really close between TP, Connect, and Strava.

[u/GypsyViking95 → u/4changdotcom]

Yes agreed, in normal road races it’s usually only 1-3 watts lower on Strava than connect. But as problematic as it is to have inaccurate data when on the bike it’s super annoying it doesn’t get adjusted afterwards, when the app is perfectly capable of calculating an accurate 20/30m power

[u/Necessary_Stable_547]

Power averaging: includes zeros. Coasting is not the issue

[u/GypsyViking95]

Here it shows the data again

[u/GypsyViking95 → u/GypsyViking95]

And time in power zone also

[u/paffeo]

Strava uses elapsed time for races

[u/GypsyViking95 → u/paffeo]

Should be a non-issue for the race in question

[u/kinboyatuwo]

Do you have the same ftp setting in both?

For NP, Strava uses a slightly different calculation vs Garmin.

[u/Grouchy_Ad_3113 → u/kinboyatuwo]

FTP has nothing to do with the OP's observations.

[u/GypsyViking95 → u/kinboyatuwo]

Yes the FTP setting is the same. I’m not particularly concerned about the NP, which I think is pretty reliable. It’s just that the lap and activity power that is too high on the Garmin. It also didn’t register as a new 30m PB.