What's new

Race The Training Thread

@baribari
Never say never on those watts/kg :)

Haha... well, I just need to lose a good 15 kg without shedding any lean mass and also learn to ride at threshold for more than a few minutes at a time...hehehe.

I'm at a weird place since I'm too fast to ride with recreational cyclists (did a 150 km group ride almost entirely solo because no one could keep up and I got frustrated with the frequency and length of breaks people were taking) but too slow to ride with racers (need to do ungodly watts to stay with them in the climbs, so they have to wait at the top). But I will try to go do a ride with the nearest JBCF team (which has maybe 3-4 riders) sometime soon.

On another note, I tried out my new free skinsuit today. I felt slightly ridiculous but I could tell how much more aerodynamic I was. And the pad was quite nice. I might have to look into getting some Wave One bibs, even though they're nominally too small for me.
 
@baribari
That's the spirit!
A good strategy for more social group rides could be to go all out on a couple of the longer climbs, but trundle along with the group and enjoy the scenery and chat on the rest of the ride. Best of both worlds.:tup
 
Thanks for the advice, I am a heavy sweater, so I will need all the liquids in the world once it gets hot. And if some of you are coming @GrantT, @baribari we should meet up. In any case, I'm glad I am fast enough to play at this point.

@baribari
I know what you mean. But once you got the trainer, you can help bridge the gap.
 
I just need to lose a good 15 kg without shedding any lean mass

@baribari How overweight are you? Personally, if I needed to lose 15-20 kg (which I've had to do in the past) I'd just get it done. You'll lose muscle but I guarantee you'll be way faster at the end if keep up a reasonable mileage.

Also, I'm a bit confused by this talk of "threshold". When I run, threshold pace is comfortably hard and I can hold it for about an hour. Is it different in cycling?
 
Last edited:
stu,

realistically another 8-10 kg would be great. Dropping 15 kg would put me in "lean even for an athlete" territory. probably not realistic.

Lactate threshold (aka LT aka FTP aka MLSS aka CP60, although the terms don't mean exactly the same thing) is about what you can hold for an hour. I take that to mean it hurts basically the entire time. if you describe the pace with the word comfortable, that sounds more like tempo.


Oreo,

there's going to be a long ride event in Fukushima the day after the race if that sounds like something you'd like to do. Blazen and Blitzen are guest riders each year.
https://www.sportsentry.ne.jp/event/t/78873
 
I am a heavy sweater
Me too. To give a better idea, as well as the heat and humidity, there were no clouds and no wind at all last year. Basically climbing in an oven. Difficult to cool with fluids or go hard when its like that. A stocking of ice down the back of the jersey could be on the menu.
 
Me too. To give a better idea, as well as the heat and humidity, there were no clouds and no wind at all last year. Basically climbing in an oven. Difficult to cool with fluids or go hard when its like that. A stocking of ice down the back of the jersey could be on the menu.

That's what I was talking about with the cooling strategy. I'd probably want the drinks on ice, too.
 
@baribari
I managed to lose 13 kg in about 1.5 years without making any big sacrifices (from my highest average of 86 kg to now 72.5–73 kg). So 8–10 kg of weight loss is easily within reach if you so desire. And I have to say, I feel much better.

Also thanks for letting me know about the other ride, I'll take that into consideration :)
 
To put it in context, I have already lost 32 kg in a year and a half.... but the last kilograms are always the hardest. I was hoping to hit 85 kg more than six months ago. Haha.

Apparently I am getting a voucher instead of having to wait on the manufacturer, so I should have a new Kickr Core in the mail as soon as it goes through. Should only cost me about $100 for the price difference after I request a price match.
 
To put it in context, I have already lost 32 kg in a year and a half.... but the last kilograms are always the hardest. I was hoping to hit 85 kg more than six months ago. Haha.

Apparently I am getting a voucher instead of having to wait on the manufacturer, so I should have a new Kickr Core in the mail as soon as it goes through. Should only cost me about $100 for the price difference after I request a price match.
What was wrong with your kickr? Which model and year was it?
 
@baribari

I didn't know you already lost so much weight. That's really impressive. I lost about 25 kg myself a few years back and I know how it can be a real slog, particularly the last bit. Have you ever thought about doing lots of long slow distance on the bike to kickstart the next stage of the weight loss? I've had success with that strategy before.

I think we are talking about the same threshold training. "Comfortably hard" is just the shorthand Daniels (the guy who popularized threshold training for running) uses for threshold training when you don't have a running watch/HRM. I actually don't do any structured training on my bike as I don't have a trainer or power meter. If you don't mind me asking, why can't you hold threshold pace? In my understanding, it should be bearable but challenging. Also, does tempo/Z3 pace have any place in cycling training? The consensus in running seems to be that Z3 doesn't really do much.

Anyway, I should probably read through all this thread (all 30 pages!) to get up to speed:D
 
I am probably just wildly overestimating what my threshold is at the moment.

I also find long, hard efforts are easier when you're chasing a virtual carrot on the trainer than when you're riding unstructured on the road. I never go into the red as deep on the road as I do during a ramp test.... probably because I know exactly how hard and how long a given interval is, whereas a race, a hard ride, or a practice TT is basically an open question.
 
We have escaped the rainy season so far here in Niigata. Great cycling weather last week.

I got in a solid block of training. The usual training blog below.

Cheers,

Andy

 
I actually don't do any structured training on my bike as I don't have a trainer or power meter. If you don't mind me asking, why can't you hold threshold pace? In my understanding, it should be bearable but challenging. Also, does tempo/Z3 pace have any place in cycling training? The consensus in running seems to be that Z3 doesn't really do much.
With threshold work there is a huge psychological component. I did 3x3x2-minute over-under intervals this morning (alternating between 95 % and 105 % of my FTP), and this is mostly psychological. My body can bear the stress just fine. TrainerRoad spends the first three months focussed on sweet spot work, which ranges from zone 3 to ~100 % FTP. So yes, zone 3 definitely has a place in training, especially during the base period. Z2 and Z3 rides are used throughout TrainerRoad's training plans for recovery and endurance rides, for example. While riding 60-75 % of your FTP is easy, on a trainer, you are constantly pedaling — which is very different from when you are out on the road. So that is more taxing on the body than you think.
 
Back
Top Bottom