guadzilla

Sorry looking at my post, i wasnt clear enough (I was also combining my run and bike workouts). I am doing the Fitzgerald 80:20 plan and it is structured a little differently from what you describe.

His approach is that 20% of the total weekly volume (approximately) is at intensity - not 20% of the rides. So this tends to be mixed in ocross workouts. On the bike, that intensity is mostly on weekends with some VO2 work thrown in on weekdays. On the run, it is the other way around - weekdays are VO2 intervals along with easy volume, weekends are longer aerobic efforts.

I had called it "traditional" because i was assuming that in a typical 8-10 hour training week, a typical cyclist might only be doing 2-3 hours of intensity (above FTP), which kinda puts him in the 80:20 definition (well, the 80:20 definition i am working with). But this would exclude a fair bit of tempo/SST time as well, so yeah, in hindsight, calling it "traditional" was a mistake.

Side note - i have also noticed that there is very little Z1 time on the bike - it is all Z2 of higher. That echoes what you were saying about not spending too much time in Z1 (something i have been very guilty of in the past, on my long weekend rides).

Your point about what you are training to do is valid. My current regimen would get me slaughtered in any kind of a bike race - i have no top end whatsoever. But it's been fantastic for medium distance tri.

phrantic09

Are you using “normalized power” to stay in your target zone or just keeping an eye on your 3s average as you’re cruising? I’ve been using NP over a 75 minute course and trying to land at 95% 2x weekly completely fasted first thing in the AM. The course has a few hills and rollers so maintaining consistent power is tough. That’s been my biggest challenge-staying roughly in the zone I want to.

Below is pretty typical of this route, this was 1:05 long. My FTP sucks after three years off (still better than the 170 it was in February though). I was actually attempting to pace myself in Z2 and Z3 on this ride.

WhyFi

I have been targeting based on 3-sec power. I'm not a small guy, so I'll often throw that target out of the window for inclines and go over by necessity, but we're talking about efforts that are usually under a couple minutes in my area. On downhills, I'll try to maintain power as long as practical, which is tops out at about 40mph for me.

phrantic09

I’m going to try going one gear bigger today and see how it works over a 20 mile loop.

NoWhammies

Thanks everyone. Lots of good advice/suggestions here. I have a power meter on my bike so I can use that to start structuring some kind of workout. I also know my MAP and have translated that in to my FTP. So I have those numbers. Now I just need to get a workout plan going. This is where I need some help.

I like the idea of doing 80:20. That is 80% of my ride are easy while 20% are hard workouts. A challenge will be finding an area where I live that I can get an extended workout/ride in, but one thing at time.

Are there any free online resources for designing workouts? I will try to post a power curve/time in zones from my last ride when I have a spare moment. Thank you.

guadzilla

At your stage, i do think a mix of volume and intensity is going to give you good results. The Eddy Merckx comment about "ride lots" still holds true for most of us, I feel.

TrainingPeaks has a wide range of pre-cooked plans. They are not as good/customized as coaching plans but i think for most of us who are not at the pointy end of things, they can give comparable results. Check that out. TrainerRoad also has some very good plans, but those are more intensity/SST driven.

Also, dont try to estimate FTP from MAP or power curves - do an FTP test.

rower2cyclist

A lot of people you see on the roads have thousands and thousands of training/racing/riding in their legs. Not easy to get there, and but certainly possible. I have no idea how you knew he was riding effortlessly tho. A lot of good riders have a superb technique and they just look super smooth when they are riding hard and fast.

My only contribution is whatever you do make it consistent. Be consistent in your training. Stick to a plan no matter what. Family, kids, work, life...It won't be easy my friend. It takes tremendous physical and mental effort to get to that guy's level. You should be willing to training weak after week, for months and years. My friends ask me how do I wake up at 4:30 and ride hard for two hrs. I answer because that's the only time I can do. You should be willing to sacrifice a little bit.

Every year you also get one year older so your ceiling gets a little lower. I would even hire a coach. Be ready to get out of your comfort zone. Learn how to suffer. This is very important. You gotta increase your pain threshold. Set realistic short & long term targets. Test yourself regularly. Don't ride junk miles. Know your strengths and weaknesses and address them properly. Good luck my friend.