I am noticing that power targets can be significantly(?) different when looking at the inside vs outside version of a workout. Notice on Wright Peak the inside is 3x30 @ % 90 / 92 / 90, whereas the outside describes the target as a watt value, in this case 90% for all 3 intervals. That 2% difference for 30 minutes is not huge but not nothing.
I am curious why that is; is it intentional or a bug?
When I actually did the workout outside, my head unit gives a ~20W range, and for the middle interval I aimed for 92% watts anyway. So really not a big deal, just wondering.
This is actually pretty common, indoor workouts sometimes get slight power adjustments to reflect a more structured or progressive load. Outdoors, simplicity is key, so the flat 90% makes it easier to pace. It’s not a bug, just different programming logic based on the setting
It’s a bit tougher to be 100% accurate with your power targets when riding outside, so we often simplify workouts to make the outside version a bit easier to manage/less mentally stressful.
When riding inside (especially in ERG mode), there aren’t any issues with hitting power targets, but when riding outside, there are a lot of other factors at play that need our attention, so simplification does help there. Generally speaking, the training stimulus is all still there, so I wouldn’t worry too much about the subtleties that might be lost.
If you’re up for getting more specific when riding outside, feel free to try and more closely mimic the inside version of the workout you’re doing!