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    @AzulShiva - In a short interval, HR is an unreliable measure of effort as nicely shown by Alex. For example, I found being rested made my HR more labile, resulting result in a higher HR for a given effort. Where you more rested coming into the first interval? Commented Sep 23, 2016 at 17:02
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    +1 for a clear summary of why HR can be difficult to interpret . That said, I think you are brush off monitoring fatigue too much. Changes in resting HR, differences in the association between perceived effort and HR, ability to elevate the heart rate and max recorded HR in a all out race effort (e.g., road race sprint) can all provide insight into fatigue status. While power perceived effort and power can be used to similar effects, it is nice to have multiple lines of evidence that shows it you are not simply lacking motivation, but are in fact fatigued and need to rest. Commented Sep 23, 2016 at 17:23
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    I understand, however when you have power data and PE it is also telling you these things (making HR essentially redundant), as well as enabling far more insight to be gained into actual training stress and cumulative training loads over shorter and longer periods. This is where the paradigms of training by HR and training with power begin to diverge. As to keeping an eye on resting HR, yes if it's significantly elevated it can be a sign of a few things (but what is often not evident until later). That said, one does not need a HRM for that, just a watch and your finger on your pulse. Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 3:22
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    With current technology, HRMs only tell you how fast the heart is beating. They don't tell you stroke volume so you can't get cardiac output. They don't tell you how much oxygen your current blood state can carry, or how much is being used. This is why cardiologists need a lot more information than pulse rate in order to know what is happenning in your circulatory system. HR turns out to be a very limited piece of information, affected by many other variables. That's why it can be difficult to interpret -- and difficult to use to guide ride effort. Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 16:17
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    Another source of noise when interpreting HR: dehydration can cause your HR to rise. If you're on a long ride and not drinking enough your HR can trend up while your power output trends down. (And, BTW: great answer, @AlexSimmons!) Commented Sep 25, 2016 at 18:09