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A really solid week of training last week. Don't think I've put in that kind of volume since we had our first son 12 years ago. Rolling back the years!
A really solid week of training last week. Don't think I've put in that kind of volume since we had our first son 12 years ago. Rolling back the years!
How many weeks of base do you plan to do?

I was originally planning to have a rest after Tsuchiura and call April base month, but then I changed plans and decided to do a high intensity block... a little regret since April is a great month for long rides!
 
How many weeks of base do you plan to do?

I was originally planning to have a rest after Tsuchiura and call April base month, but then I changed plans and decided to do a high intensity block... a little regret since April is a great month for long rides!

I called it base training, but it's not really base training. I've been doing intensive training all winter and doing some cyclocross.

Next up is a 150km / 3,000m gravel race in May. So I took last week to build some endurance and shed some weight in preparation for that.

From now I'll try to do a nice balance of volume and sweetspot work to get ready for that.

Here is our team intro for that event if you are interested.

Cheers! Andy

 
How were the new tires and wheels?
I looked at the 55s on the website, but they seem to be using the same picture as the 40s...
 
I've been very impressed by the wheels.

The hub seems fast. I have been knocking out good speed just sitting in zone 2.

And the wide rim profile and tubeless set up makes a really forgiving ride.

Tyres are IRC which I chose because their tyres are the best I've used for CX and gravel. Also relatively cheap and next day delivery.

I will do a proper post about setting up the wheels and their performance.

This is what they look like.

Cheers, Andy

20210403_081532.jpg20210403_081456.jpg
 
This is the post about wheel set up. Should automatically translate okay.

Cheers, Andy

 
Another week of training done. From here on in the training gets specific for this year's big gravel rides. 200km and 2,600m climbing was a nice shock to the system yesterday!

The usual blog link and cut and paste below.

Cheers, Andy



「keep on keeping on」

last week's training blog
先週のトレーニングブログです
変な日本語すみません!

I did 2 easy days
2 days of sweetspot
some CX
and then some volume & climbing
2日間イージーの後に
2日間のスイートスポットをやりました
そのあとはCX練習して
最後にボリュームとクライミング練習をしました

・monday: rest
・tuesday: recovery 30km
・wednesday: road sweetspot / tempo 115km
・thursday: road sweetspot 75km
・friday: CX tempo 20km
・saturday: road 200km, 2,600m up
・sunday: road tempo 55km

happy to see my fitness increasing last week too
先週フィットネスが上がることが
続いて良い

from now I want to make the riding specific for may and june's gravel events
これからのトレーニングは
5月と6月のグラベルイベントに専用のライディングにしたいと思います

keep on keeping on!
がんばります!

#imezi #imezi167 #167grv #imezisealant #プロジェクト167
 
You have much energy.
 
That's so great.
my appitite is going to get wet this tues and wednesday, rain expected
gathered so branches for a fire when it rains for two days
cabbage, carrotts and mackeral for the real appitite lol
 
I'm so jealous. I haven't turned the pedals in about three weeks. I'll do an easy spin in two days at the earliest. Then 10 more days of indoor training. Until I am back in the wild.
 
@andywood That's amazing scenery! Much better than battling Tokyo car traffic.

I'm finishing up my TR Traditional Base high volume plan. I'm not sure if I'm going to be setting new FTP, although I do feel like I might be getting another 8-10W bump.

Instead of last recovery ride today, I went for what I was planning to be 160km ride with about 1300m vertical, but instead I had to turn back at around 55km mark for total of 800m of vertical.

I'm still impressed with the ability to be able to cruise at around 160-175W for few hours at a time.

Also just realized that I became #14 for one of the strava KOMs around my place and I wasn't even trying to go 100% there.
 
mylunch today
makeral sandwich
DSC_0256.JPG
 
Concluded 4 week block of TR Traditional Base 1. I'm going to be repeating it, but adding 2 recovery rides on Wed and Fri + making the weekend rides longer. My goal is to do 12hr of riding in week 1, 14hr in week 2 and 16hr in week 3 (original is 11hr). I'm going to be in-between jobs and I've manage to negotiate few weeks break before starting new job. My plan is to do lots of outdoor riding, I hope the weather holds up.

I was supposed to do ramp test today, but since I had very patchy 4 hours of sleep, instead I've opted to bump my FTP by 10W and just do the first Z2 workout. So far my guess is in the ball park with my HR being in the right zone. Thursday after some decent sleep.
 
I'm so jealous. I haven't turned the pedals in about three weeks. I'll do an easy spin in two days at the earliest. Then 10 more days of indoor training. Until I am back in the wild.

Good timing as we enter the best cycling season!

Andy
 
Concluded 4 week block of TR Traditional Base 1. I'm going to be repeating it, but adding 2 recovery rides on Wed and Fri + making the weekend rides longer. My goal is to do 12hr of riding in week 1, 14hr in week 2 and 16hr in week 3 (original is 11hr). I'm going to be in-between jobs and I've manage to negotiate few weeks break before starting new job. My plan is to do lots of outdoor riding, I hope the weather holds up.

I was supposed to do ramp test today, but since I had very patchy 4 hours of sleep, instead I've opted to bump my FTP by 10W and just do the first Z2 workout. So far my guess is in the ball park with my HR being in the right zone. Thursday after some decent sleep.

The regular increase in volume over 3 weeks in a training block is always good. Maybe try to increase the training stress as a whole? Do you measure TSS or record a stress score in Strava?

If your 4th week is a rest week, I recommend emptying the tank as much as possible in the third week. Take the 4th week really easy and test FTP at the end.

Andy
 
Wrote a review of the new tubeless road wheels here.



Basic text copied below but it is better viewed with pictures via the link.


Cheers, Andy

imeZi/IM-250 55mmTLR review

the main characteristics of these wheels are
1. 55mm deep rim
2. 26mm wide rim
3. TLR tubeless ready
4. Imezi IM 250 hub

1. 55mm deep rim

spring on the Japan sea coast means strong winds
the performance of the deep rim is noticeable into a headwind
it's easier to keep a good speed into a strong wind

*imezi flight test

on my circuits in the valley
strong winds hit from 4 sides
I haven't noticed any stability issues

*valley circuit

for power training I've found it easy to keep constant power with a changing tailwind and headwind

*sweetspot power pic

deep rims are often seen as slower on climbs
but these are lightweight wheels
on a climb with changing gradients
I found the wheels to be fast and responsive

*yahiko profile

they are also responsive to out of the saddle efforts

2. 26mm wide rim

2a. ride rim comfort
the wide rim offers greater shock absorbance
this can be easily be noticed on snow plough damaged roads

*road nota

on a wide rim, the tire holds a greater volume of air
more air volume means that you need less pressure to ensure that the rim does not bottom out on the road when you hit irregularities
so you can have a comfier ride

I rode 700km in 7 days on these wheels with no complaints

*strava 7 days

2b. wide rim speed

a smoother ride is a faster ride
like suspension on an MTB
there are less "impediments" to progress
so the bike can rolls faster

2c. wide rim cornering and descending

wide rims can take corners quickly and safely
this is noticeable on some of my training routes with right angle corners

*cornering circuit

this is basically due to having more tyre surface on the road

*cornering pic

2d. wide rim aerodynamic performance

wider rims have less drag

*aerodynamic pic

3. tubeless set up

similar to the wide rim benefits
lower tyre pressure with tubeless
means a comfier ride
more speed
and better cornering

* sealant

by using sealant
the risk of punctures is also reduced


4. Imezi IM 250 hub

the hubs are Imezi's original IM250

the first thing I noticed is the wheels keep good speed
this is similar to riding expensive Japanese boutique brand hubs

the hub keeps on turning
this means you can keep good cadence
with less gear changes
and results in a higher average speed

*the loop

In summary, I think this is a light and fast wheel set. The wheels offer a very comfortable ride and keep speed easily.

Big wheels keep on turning!
 
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