D.E.R.P.S.

I've been using a new system for evaluating rides. It's called DERPS. That's an acronym (duh). Each letter stands for an aspect of the ride that you rank on a scale of 1-20.

D ifficulty - how hard was the ride, course, weather, etc.?

E ffort - how much did you push yourself?

R hythm - how well did you settle into the ride? Did you find a sustainable pace at a sustainable cadence or were you shifting all the time and constantly getting out of the saddle?

P ain - how much did all of this hurt?

S uccess - how well did you do, on your own standards? Did you accomplish what you meant to? Did you get everything out of the ride that you wanted?

On a group ride or in a race, you can substitute "Response" for rhythm, since you aren't the only one setting the tempo. Evaluating these factors will not tell you your average heart rate, speed or power. However, it will help you compare one ride to another. And when combined with more "number heavy" data, DERPS can help you remember details about a particular ride or race, for a long-time to come.