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Race The Training Thread

This mornings 2 hour ride, I had an NP of 12watts over my ftp. Last weeks Tuesday spin the NP was right at FTP for the two hours. I guess it's the steep hills that require large watts that mess with the numbers. Same PM. Always nice to smash the formula.
Normalized power on hard rides can indeed exceed your FTP. But if I were you, I'd look more closely at your 5-20 minute power during that ride instead. If your 20 minute power is significantly higher than your FTP, then you should retest your FTP. For outside rides, anything longer than 30-minute power is not reflective of my capabilities, though, because you have to contend with things like traffic, traffic lights and other things.
 
First rainy day in ages today. Looks like the rainy season is upon us. Like summer in Manchester. Only hotter!

The usual weekly training blog below.

Cheers, Andy

 
Wiggle sure is taking their sweet time with my trainer... wish I had sent it back when I didn't have any races coming up. Haha.
 
I sent mine back for warranty service because it was defective. The manufacturer has the right (obligation) to offer a repair, replacement, or refund, but I don't think it's even been sent to the manufacturer yet.
 
Not sure about this case, but one problem with using Wiggle in Japan is that when you send things back, they bulk items up in Japan before sending them back. So this can cause long delays.

Because of this, if you buy for example clothing of a wrong size, they advise you to buy the correct size, send the wrong size back, and wait for a refund (as opposed to trying to do a swap which will take time).

Unfortunate about the trainer, you might be better trying to get hold of something else in the meantime? With this great weather, I haven't touched mine for a few months now...

Andy
 
Not sure about this case, but one problem with using Wiggle in Japan is that when you send things back, they bulk items up in Japan before sending them back. So this can cause long delays.

Because of this, if you buy for example clothing of a wrong size, they advise you to buy the correct size, send the wrong size back, and wait for a refund (as opposed to trying to do a swap which will take time).

Unfortunate about the trainer, you might be better trying to get hold of something else in the meantime? With this great weather, I haven't touched mine for a few months now...

Andy

I sent it straight to the UK. It's been there for weeks, but apparently it takes that long just to process them to be sent to the UK distributor, where it's inspected. Which can take another week. And then the replacement will probably take another 10 days or more, if I had to guess. I was told the whole process can take up to 30 days but I'm closely approaching that already.

I should just ride outside more often given that the sun is setting at a reasonable hour now, but trainer rides in the PM are the only way I can get myself to do proper structured training. At least the race is flat, so I should be able to sit in for 18 km...


What make and model is it?

Let's just say it's the one with a whole Facebook group dedicated to how unreliable it is. I plan on upgrading to something else, given the chance.
 
I sent it straight to the UK. It's been there for weeks, but apparently it takes that long just to process them to be sent to the UK distributor, where it's inspected. Which can take another week. And then the replacement will probably take another 10 days or more, if I had to guess. I was told the whole process can take up to 30 days but I'm closely approaching that already.
Ugh, yeah, that's the disadvantage if you order from abroad. Did you try contacting Wahoo directly? I have read that they send our repair kits.
I should just ride outside more often given that the sun is setting at a reasonable hour now, but trainer rides in the PM are the only way I can get myself to do proper structured training. At least the race is flat, so I should be able to sit in for 18 km...
That sounds quite short, is that a TT?
Let's just say it's the one with a whole Facebook group dedicated to how unreliable it is. I plan on upgrading to something else, given the chance.
Are you afraid to say the word "Wahoo"? ;)
 
It only took a few days to actually arrive, the problem is that they are taking so long to process it. I'm not sure if the warranty department has even received it yet.

It's a beginner crit. I didn't really feel like doing the longer ones, partially since they cost proportionately more (dumb policy).
 
Wut? Japanese rules often easily defeat logic. So that's like 30-40 minutes of racing?

I suspect it's because of the cost of keeping the road closed for longer. It's still silly. The fee should be flat. Does JCBF charge E1 more than E3?

I do not mind doing a short race. You suffer more, but for less time... Usually you get a discount for doing multiple races, but the last time I signed up for two I didn't up not doing the second, harder race because I was so gassed from the first one.
 
I suspect it's because of the cost of keeping the road closed for longer. It's still silly. The fee should be flat. Does JCBF charge E1 more than E3?
No idea, our team manager is taking care of that. It might be nice to attract new people to the sport by making it more accessible, although I am not sure whether this was a criterion when they made these rules up. But as far as I understand with the JCBF you need to be a member of a team in order to compete, and that isn't 100 % cheap either.

I do not mind doing a short race. You suffer more, but for less time... Usually you get a discount for doing multiple races, but the last time I signed up for two I didn't up not doing the second, harder race because I was so gassed from the first one.
It seems that also my second road race this year lasts for about one hour, where I thought I'd spend 2-3 hours in the saddle. It is a tad longer than the one in Kataoka, and last year's average speeds were a bit lower. But the DNF cutoff still seems brutal: in the Junior (men) category, only 11 out of 85 athletes finished last year, for E2 it was 27 out of 73.
 
No idea, our team manager is taking care of that. It might be nice to attract new people to the sport by making it more accessible, although I am not sure whether this was a criterion when they made these rules up. But as far as I understand with the JCBF you need to be a member of a team in order to compete, and that isn't 100 % cheap either.


It seems that also my second road race this year lasts for about one hour, where I thought I'd spend 2-3 hours in the saddle. It is a tad longer than the one in Kataoka, and last year's average speeds were a bit lower. But the DNF cutoff still seems brutal: in the Junior (men) category, only 11 out of 85 athletes finished last year, for E2 it was 27 out of 73.

Is it Gunsai? Those dedicated cycling circuits are basically the opposite of velodromes... which is to say they are very hilly.

IMO the whole idea that you HAVE to be on a team (which means 1. there needs to be a team near you and 2. you have spend the time/money to join/be on the time) is entirely unproductive. But again, there needs to be another category. Lots of people in the US raced unattached, at least at the lower levels. Of course, JBCF stands for "Japan Bicycling Club Federation"...
 
Is it Gunsai? Those dedicated cycling circuits are basically the opposite of velodromes... which is to say they are very hilly.
It is the Ishikawa Road Race in Fukushima-ken. The loop is a tad longer at 13.6 km, and E3s do 3 of those for a total of 40.8 km. Judging by the profile, it looks as if there is a tad more climbing involved as last time, about 150-200 m rather than about 130-150 m. So I'll have to work on my pacing a bit and take it a bit easier on the first climb.

IMO the whole idea that you HAVE to be on a team (which means 1. there needs to be a team near you and 2. you have spend the time/money to join/be on the time) is entirely unproductive. But again, there needs to be another category. Lots of people in the US raced unattached, at least at the lower levels. Of course, JBCF stands for "Japan Bicycling Club Federation"...
Yeah, and as we discussed beforehand, the level in E3 seems kinda too high. Currently, I'm at roughly 4 W/kg, so far from being a pro, not shabby either for someone who has just a single race under his belt. Judging by my specific power I should be able to hang in there in the lowest category with no problems. To be competitive in E3, though, I'll have to do some serious training, and add at least 10 % to my FTP, I reckon.

Another thing: the administration is so complicated that you essentially need volunteers who manage the team.
 
Oh, yeah. I will probably go to watch that. Make sure your team has a good hydration/cooling strategy or you will NOT finish.

4.0 watts per kg being the admission fee to race at the bottom category is pretty absurd. I wouldn't be 4.0 w/kg even if I had single-digit body fat...

According to the famous "e-wang chart" you would be a mid to high Cat 3, which is the category for experienced racers.

If I can race cars at a track day without a team or even someone to drive me home if I crash, the least they could do is have a true beginner class with simplified procedures.... like races everywhere else.

Oh well, at least there are still unofficial races I can do, just not as many of them.
 
@OreoCookie
I raced Ishikawa in E3 last year and am planning to go this year too. Like baribari says, last year was astonishingly hot and humid, and riders were dropping like flies. Fingers crossed for more clement weather this year.
@baribari
As long as someone is a member of a team (any team) and qualifies to become a team attendant (one team attendants from each team must attend the manager meeting at each race), then riders can turn up alone and ride no problem. Obviously, as it is a responsible role, a good level of Japanese proficiency is probably needed to become a team attendant.
 
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