I use it during a race for attacking. If I know my limit is 190 and I'm currently climbing at 180 I know there's enough left in me to do an attack at the crest of a hill. When I hit 190 I know I have about 4-5 more pedal strokes before I blow up.
If I'm climbing at 170 I know I'm slack'n and can pickup the tempo another notch.
If you have a monitor that allows you to save/download information it can be of great use during a race. You can get information on things such as average heart rate and the time that you spent in various zones. This is especially useful if you are doing a weekly race on the same course or if you are racing a course at various points throughout the season.
When I'm racing I don't look at the monitor. The competition and the terrain will most likely dictate my effort. If you are trying to pass someone and there isn't much time until the next singletrack you just have to do it. A lot of times if you put on a big effort to pass someone and you can get out of sight in the singletrack you can drop that person. I wouldn't want to have to rely on a monitor to tell me how to race or when to pass.
HRM's are most useful for training on solo rides or for working out on a stationary trainer. I would only race with one if it allowed me to save my information for after the race.
I will use it during a time trial event to stay exactly where I want to be the whole event. I also use it in MTB races to be sure I'm not blowing up BOOM!
The only thing I don't use it for is races like Crits and Road races because I have never slowed down or backed off because my HR was getting too high-Something about the dynamics of group races that changes the rules a bit....
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