Scatter Graph

Scatter Graph is also a new graph inside Version 3.0.  Behaving very similarly as the Quadrant Analysis graph, the key difference is that you are able to change the 'channels'(power, HR, Cadence, etc) on the X and Y axes. With the Scatter graph, you can better understand the relationship between your data channels for each ride.  Want to know if your cadence  changes as you produce more power?  Then plot Cadence on the Y-axis and Power on the X-axis.   Want to know how your speed changes in relationship to your cadence or gearing?  Then plot Cadence on the Y-Axis and Speed on the X-axis.  Want to know what at what Heart Rate you produce power at the most? Plot Heart Rate on the Y-Axis and Power on the X-axis.

Lets look at some screenshots below so you can get a better understanding of what these 'shotgun blasts' mean and how they can make you a faster cyclist!

The below screenshot shows a plot of the HR to power relationship in a Cyclo-Cross race.  Note how there are 3 distinct areas that the HR was in during the race(Warm-up/cool-down, Recovery HR during race, and then HR while racing hard) and how those compare against the power produced.  The range of power goes from Zero watts all the way to 800 watts, while the HR remains in a narrow range of 160-173.

This next screenshot illustrates the relationship between speed and cadence. This is also the same CX race as above and with Cadence on the Y-axis and Speed on the X-axis, it shows us how linear the relationship between the two can be.  At a certain point though the athlete is no longer able to(or chooses not to) pedal any faster for a similar increase in speed.  He changes to a harder gear and puts out more force and reduces his cadence in order to create that top end speed.   This could indicate a couple of different things to you. 1) That this athlete needs to be able to pedal faster than he currently can/wants to,  and/or 2) In this CX race the ability to push harder(produce more force) is also important therefore muscular strength must be trained.

In our next example, we have a scatter graph of Power on the Y-Axis and Heart Rate on the X-axis.  This particular workout was a Test for the athlete and taken out of the "Training and Racing with a Power meter" book.   In this case, the "eyes" on the ranges have been checked and this makes the ranges RED and then with a TEXT word(in this case -15 second) highlighted, the rest of the ride is colored BLUE.  This plot is a great example showing the power for each test time period and the corresponding heart rate. It really goes to show how the higher power numbers are not really related to a specific heart rate zone.

This next screenshot is pretty interesting to see.  This is the same testing protocol as above, but now with Power on the Y-axis and Speed on the X-Axis.   What this exponential curve shows is the force-velocity curve of the indoor trainer that this athlete was using during the test. While the athlete was able to produce the maximum watts in the test that he could produce, his speed was limited by the force/velocity characteristics itself.

As you can tell, the scatter graph has a lot of applications in analyzing your power file. Understanding the relationship between your power and also your other data can give you an advantage in deciding the type of training that is needed for your event or what the specific demands are for your event.