Questions for Achieving an Ambitious FTP Goal
#101
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Ride your bike, ride your bike... someone said that once.
Update - at this point last year I had already finished 2 12 weeks blocks of intensity. I started too early without enough "base" miles. I gained very little during those training blocks.
Now, I just finished 1400+/- miles of fairly strict Z2. Before that was unstructured free riding all spring and summer. I stretched out my Z2 time and volume - a smart trainer helped immensely with this.
This time last year, after 2 training blocks:
192#
15 min threshold effort = 240w @ 148 BPM*** average
4 min VO2 = 305-310w @ 156 BMP average
After high volume Z2 work and a summer of free riding, last night:
179#
15 min threshold = 277w @ 147BPM (nowhere near full gas, finished the effort easily, was trying to keep the same HR level as last year to note the improvement)
4 min VO2 = 326w @ 154 BMP (max 163 BPM**)
Close to a 40w threshold bump, without any interval training. Perceived effort level seemed easier than I recall, the power flowed easier, and I had more in the tank for the VO2 effort.
I was essentially stuck, like Sir Crash seems to be, for the better part of 2 years. Volume at Z2 seemed to be the key. It will be interesting to see what the next few months of hard training will bring...
*** Compared to some of y'all, I have a very low max HR and a tight power range. I see more watts gained per beat than many people I watch on youtube, but they rev into areas that would cause me to explode... not sure if that is good/bad or doesn't matter.
Update - at this point last year I had already finished 2 12 weeks blocks of intensity. I started too early without enough "base" miles. I gained very little during those training blocks.
Now, I just finished 1400+/- miles of fairly strict Z2. Before that was unstructured free riding all spring and summer. I stretched out my Z2 time and volume - a smart trainer helped immensely with this.
This time last year, after 2 training blocks:
192#
15 min threshold effort = 240w @ 148 BPM*** average
4 min VO2 = 305-310w @ 156 BMP average
After high volume Z2 work and a summer of free riding, last night:
179#
15 min threshold = 277w @ 147BPM (nowhere near full gas, finished the effort easily, was trying to keep the same HR level as last year to note the improvement)
4 min VO2 = 326w @ 154 BMP (max 163 BPM**)
Close to a 40w threshold bump, without any interval training. Perceived effort level seemed easier than I recall, the power flowed easier, and I had more in the tank for the VO2 effort.
I was essentially stuck, like Sir Crash seems to be, for the better part of 2 years. Volume at Z2 seemed to be the key. It will be interesting to see what the next few months of hard training will bring...
*** Compared to some of y'all, I have a very low max HR and a tight power range. I see more watts gained per beat than many people I watch on youtube, but they rev into areas that would cause me to explode... not sure if that is good/bad or doesn't matter.
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#102
Noob Bee
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Ride your bike, ride your bike... someone said that once.
Update - at this point last year I had already finished 2 12 weeks blocks of intensity. I started too early without enough "base" miles. I gained very little during those training blocks.
Now, I just finished 1400+/- miles of fairly strict Z2. Before that was unstructured free riding all spring and summer. I stretched out my Z2 time and volume - a smart trainer helped immensely with this.
This time last year, after 2 training blocks:
192#
15 min threshold effort = 240w @ 148 BPM*** average
4 min VO2 = 305-310w @ 156 BMP average
After high volume Z2 work and a summer of free riding, last night:
179#
15 min threshold = 277w @ 147BPM (nowhere near full gas, finished the effort easily, was trying to keep the same HR level as last year to note the improvement)
4 min VO2 = 326w @ 154 BMP (max 163 BPM**)
Close to a 40w threshold bump, without any interval training. Perceived effort level seemed easier than I recall, the power flowed easier, and I had more in the tank for the VO2 effort.
I was essentially stuck, like Sir Crash seems to be, for the better part of 2 years. Volume at Z2 seemed to be the key. It will be interesting to see what the next few months of hard training will bring...
*** Compared to some of y'all, I have a very low max HR and a tight power range. I see more watts gained per beat than many people I watch on youtube, but they rev into areas that would cause me to explode... not sure if that is good/bad or doesn't matter.
Update - at this point last year I had already finished 2 12 weeks blocks of intensity. I started too early without enough "base" miles. I gained very little during those training blocks.
Now, I just finished 1400+/- miles of fairly strict Z2. Before that was unstructured free riding all spring and summer. I stretched out my Z2 time and volume - a smart trainer helped immensely with this.
This time last year, after 2 training blocks:
192#
15 min threshold effort = 240w @ 148 BPM*** average
4 min VO2 = 305-310w @ 156 BMP average
After high volume Z2 work and a summer of free riding, last night:
179#
15 min threshold = 277w @ 147BPM (nowhere near full gas, finished the effort easily, was trying to keep the same HR level as last year to note the improvement)
4 min VO2 = 326w @ 154 BMP (max 163 BPM**)
Close to a 40w threshold bump, without any interval training. Perceived effort level seemed easier than I recall, the power flowed easier, and I had more in the tank for the VO2 effort.
I was essentially stuck, like Sir Crash seems to be, for the better part of 2 years. Volume at Z2 seemed to be the key. It will be interesting to see what the next few months of hard training will bring...
*** Compared to some of y'all, I have a very low max HR and a tight power range. I see more watts gained per beat than many people I watch on youtube, but they rev into areas that would cause me to explode... not sure if that is good/bad or doesn't matter.
As for structured training vs. just volume, I've heard both sides. Anecdotal evidence from both sides that argue structure heavy vs. just volume, so I've kinda given up on trying to decide which one is better and simply respond to time and what I can do. Unfortunately my work constraints in the semesters means that I can't just disappear for 4-6 hours for volume. I'll be adding in volume training in the summer when I'm not teaching.
But it's good to hear you've managed to find gains your way! I'll see how far I can get with my current approach, and adjust as needed. I'll likely go find a coach after my first racing season, once i have a better idea of my racing performances.
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#103
Perceptual Dullard
As for structured training vs. just volume, I've heard both sides. Anecdotal evidence from both sides that argue structure heavy vs. just volume, so I've kinda given up on trying to decide which one is better and simply respond to time and what I can do. Unfortunately my work constraints in the semesters means that I can't just disappear for 4-6 hours for volume. I'll be adding in volume training in the summer when I'm not teaching.
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#104
Noob Bee
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So I've been plugging away, and the gains are pretty small month-to-month. I am in a rhythm though, and hard intervals have just become a regular habit such that if I go a few days without my regular training, I start to get antsy.
Perhaps the biggest feeling of improvement since I started pursuing this seriously has been that now my "resting" power is about the same as my FTP from August 2023. Realizing that in the middle of a hard interval felt good.
Current FTP: 229 watts
Watts/kg: 3.77
Perhaps the biggest feeling of improvement since I started pursuing this seriously has been that now my "resting" power is about the same as my FTP from August 2023. Realizing that in the middle of a hard interval felt good.
Current FTP: 229 watts
Watts/kg: 3.77
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#109
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#111
Noob Bee
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They say that cycling is suffering on a bike. It is only natural that the end point of that journey is the grave. It is then all of our destiny to have the ultimate resting power.
My epitaph:
"Dr. So and So
Husband, Father, Teacher.
FTP at time of death: 120W
Here he lies, with his resting power never higher than it is now and forever more."
My epitaph:
"Dr. So and So
Husband, Father, Teacher.
FTP at time of death: 120W
Here he lies, with his resting power never higher than it is now and forever more."
#112
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Haha, i was just going to post on this forum to complain about how TrainerRoad keeps telling me my training stress is too high, and that I should replace interval sessions with endurance sessions. The Red Light-Green Light rollout is interesting, and kinda funny how it seems to contradict the very plans that it prescribes.
It's kinda the "Whoop"-ing of fitness which, while I understand what it's trying to accomplish, feels like it's trying to tell me how I *should* feel on any given day as opposed to being honest about how I *actually* feel.
TrainerRoad: I'm a grown-ass man with toxic masculinity issues. Don't tell me to how to live my life and destroy my body!
It's kinda the "Whoop"-ing of fitness which, while I understand what it's trying to accomplish, feels like it's trying to tell me how I *should* feel on any given day as opposed to being honest about how I *actually* feel.
TrainerRoad: I'm a grown-ass man with toxic masculinity issues. Don't tell me to how to live my life and destroy my body!
#113
Newbie
You are making quite a lot of progress from what i see, reminds me of my own training a few years back.
I am sitting at around 300W for a 20 min test at 70 kg, nothing crazy by any means. As my name suggests i run a bit as well. Just wanted to share what i have experienced had the biggest impact on my general fitness on the bike and run.
-High protein intake, 3g/kg. This will help you recover faster and increase Vo2 max. Google it, quite a lot of research done on it. Keeping fat intake at around 1,2-1,5 g/kg, protein intake at around 3g/kg and putting the rest on carbs is a great way to get better at using fats as fuel. And making sure you fuel properly before, during and after is important if you want 5w/kg. This i probably where most fail, including myself. If you get sick often, look into calories in and out, you might be underfueling just slightly on daily basis.
-Red meat.
-Higher candace on z2 rides, if you have long legs like me you sort of need to force yourself above 90 rpm.
-Strength training, box squats and deadlifts work for me, might be different for you. I usually go for 20 reps at around 60% of max. 2-3 sets.
-Structured training is a must! A hometrainer is excellent for threshold efforts, you need to get better at these, sorry!
-Low candance (40-50 rpm) training on the bike, again strength training.
Gut bacteria is a big one as well.. but it would take me a few hours to write about that. Google is your friend.
Caffeine
Baking soda
Beetroot extract
Iron supplements if you go above 12h/week
I am sitting at around 300W for a 20 min test at 70 kg, nothing crazy by any means. As my name suggests i run a bit as well. Just wanted to share what i have experienced had the biggest impact on my general fitness on the bike and run.
-High protein intake, 3g/kg. This will help you recover faster and increase Vo2 max. Google it, quite a lot of research done on it. Keeping fat intake at around 1,2-1,5 g/kg, protein intake at around 3g/kg and putting the rest on carbs is a great way to get better at using fats as fuel. And making sure you fuel properly before, during and after is important if you want 5w/kg. This i probably where most fail, including myself. If you get sick often, look into calories in and out, you might be underfueling just slightly on daily basis.
-Red meat.
-Higher candace on z2 rides, if you have long legs like me you sort of need to force yourself above 90 rpm.
-Strength training, box squats and deadlifts work for me, might be different for you. I usually go for 20 reps at around 60% of max. 2-3 sets.
-Structured training is a must! A hometrainer is excellent for threshold efforts, you need to get better at these, sorry!
-Low candance (40-50 rpm) training on the bike, again strength training.
Gut bacteria is a big one as well.. but it would take me a few hours to write about that. Google is your friend.
Caffeine
Baking soda
Beetroot extract
Iron supplements if you go above 12h/week
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#114
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You are making quite a lot of progress from what i see, reminds me of my own training a few years back.
I am sitting at around 300W for a 20 min test at 70 kg, nothing crazy by any means. As my name suggests i run a bit as well. Just wanted to share what i have experienced had the biggest impact on my general fitness on the bike and run.
-High protein intake, 3g/kg. This will help you recover faster and increase Vo2 max. Google it, quite a lot of research done on it. Keeping fat intake at around 1,2-1,5 g/kg, protein intake at around 3g/kg and putting the rest on carbs is a great way to get better at using fats as fuel. And making sure you fuel properly before, during and after is important if you want 5w/kg. This i probably where most fail, including myself. If you get sick often, look into calories in and out, you might be underfueling just slightly on daily basis.
-Red meat.
-Higher candace on z2 rides, if you have long legs like me you sort of need to force yourself above 90 rpm.
-Strength training, box squats and deadlifts work for me, might be different for you. I usually go for 20 reps at around 60% of max. 2-3 sets.
-Structured training is a must! A hometrainer is excellent for threshold efforts, you need to get better at these, sorry!
-Low candance (40-50 rpm) training on the bike, again strength training.
Gut bacteria is a big one as well.. but it would take me a few hours to write about that. Google is your friend.
Caffeine
Baking soda
Beetroot extract
Iron supplements if you go above 12h/week
I am sitting at around 300W for a 20 min test at 70 kg, nothing crazy by any means. As my name suggests i run a bit as well. Just wanted to share what i have experienced had the biggest impact on my general fitness on the bike and run.
-High protein intake, 3g/kg. This will help you recover faster and increase Vo2 max. Google it, quite a lot of research done on it. Keeping fat intake at around 1,2-1,5 g/kg, protein intake at around 3g/kg and putting the rest on carbs is a great way to get better at using fats as fuel. And making sure you fuel properly before, during and after is important if you want 5w/kg. This i probably where most fail, including myself. If you get sick often, look into calories in and out, you might be underfueling just slightly on daily basis.
-Red meat.
-Higher candace on z2 rides, if you have long legs like me you sort of need to force yourself above 90 rpm.
-Strength training, box squats and deadlifts work for me, might be different for you. I usually go for 20 reps at around 60% of max. 2-3 sets.
-Structured training is a must! A hometrainer is excellent for threshold efforts, you need to get better at these, sorry!
-Low candance (40-50 rpm) training on the bike, again strength training.
Gut bacteria is a big one as well.. but it would take me a few hours to write about that. Google is your friend.
Caffeine
Baking soda
Beetroot extract
Iron supplements if you go above 12h/week
I need to add more weight training too. I've been neglecting it in preference of the trainer!
#115
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Just completed my first races of the season, at the La Crosse Omnium. Learned a lot in 2 days of racing than I think I've learned in a year of training. Results:
The La Crosse Omnium Time Trial Masters Cat 4/5: 9th place of 24
The La Crosse Omnium Road Race Masters Cat 4/5: 15th place of 29
I learned a ton. I have a long way to go, but have also come quite a ways. My FTP 10 months ago was 180 watts. But crucially I'm learning that, if you're a racer, FTP needs to be viewed within the broader context of racing, which is more than raw fitness/power.
I'll be back next year for sure!
The La Crosse Omnium Time Trial Masters Cat 4/5: 9th place of 24
The La Crosse Omnium Road Race Masters Cat 4/5: 15th place of 29
I learned a ton. I have a long way to go, but have also come quite a ways. My FTP 10 months ago was 180 watts. But crucially I'm learning that, if you're a racer, FTP needs to be viewed within the broader context of racing, which is more than raw fitness/power.
I'll be back next year for sure!
#116
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Now that I've had a chance to reflect on the results, here are my notes and some small percentage of what I learned or am learning:
Next race is a gravel race this weekend. My goals here are:
1. Ride the wheels. Don't burn any matches you don't have to, especially in the first half to 2/3s. This was my big mistake in the road race (among a few other big mistakes).
2. Try attacking on short, punchy climbs towards the back half of the race, regardless of where you are in the race at that point. See how it feels, and see if you can create some gaps...and then keep them.
- In the road race, I attacked immediately off the front, to try to be the first one to a hard right turn into a climb. I think this was a bad move and ultimately unnecessary.
- I overestimated my engine on the climbs (burning that match early didn't help). Based purely on my fitness I feel I should have done better on the climbs than I did.
- I underestimated how rain can affect not just the race, but also the body. The end of the lap has a steep descent with a couple turns, and a few riders straight up DNF-ed preemptively because they didn't want to ride those descents in wet race conditions. I nearly stacked it and bought the farm the first lap going 45mph in the rain on the descent. Would not advise.
- The worst part of the race wasn't anything I experienced during it, but the ride from the finish line to the car. I couldn't stop shivering and could barely control my bike. It was 50 degrees and I was soaked, wearing only a short sleeve jersey and undershirt. The former boy scout in me told me that I was in the early stages of hypothermia. I was not properly dressed for conditions. Thank god my wife met me there, as she made the rational choices to get me warmed up when I could barely think or see straight between the shivering and heaviness in the legs.
- Twice complimented by people about the size of my thighs. If i had a nickle for every time it happened over the weekend, I'd have a 10 cents, which is not much, but it's weird it happened twice.
- Relatedly, I'm a bit disappointed in myself that I had no sprint left at the end. I feel like the sprint should be one of the things I can actually do, but I was so cooked. I looked at the other guy around me pushing and I just couldn't manage more than one feeble standing sprint stroke before I sat down and resigned myself to coming in a few seconds after the other guy. Lesson: learn efficiency, learn your strengths.
Next race is a gravel race this weekend. My goals here are:
1. Ride the wheels. Don't burn any matches you don't have to, especially in the first half to 2/3s. This was my big mistake in the road race (among a few other big mistakes).
2. Try attacking on short, punchy climbs towards the back half of the race, regardless of where you are in the race at that point. See how it feels, and see if you can create some gaps...and then keep them.
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Hello everyone, it's been a while, but it's time for some reflections after what I would call the bulk of my first season of racing. Two broad topics I'm thinking about today.
Reflection 1: Fitness and Racing
I built this original thread around the question: how can I get to 5 w/kg? Last I checked, I sit right on the cusp of going to 4 w/kg (241 FTP @ 61 kg), which now over a year into my cycling journey is both slower than I thought it would be at first but also feels like an accomplishment in its own right. Power is built over time, and in my case it will be a long time. I'll be proud to achieve 4 w/kg, likely by the end of this year if I keep at it, but gains beyond that are going to be glacially paced I feel. 5 w/kg will take a while, and at some point I may be running up against the biological clock.
That being said, I have raced against guys well into their 40s and 50s who can push watts. It's inspiring. Intimidating, but inspiring. It gives me hope that, over time, I can be that strong into my mid-life. Or at least get stronger. I don't feel like I've peaked (just over 1 year into being an endurance athlete), so I just have to keep on the grind.
My winter training I want to emphasize maximizing my ability to maintain threshold power, and improve my fatigue resistance as I put down power around my FTP for 2-3 minutes, as this has been where I feel I've struggled in my races. On that note...
Reflection 2: Am I now an "experienced" racer?
This season, I have done the following:
I've made so many dumb mistakes in my races. To run down some of my mistakes:
That was fun.
But in through the mistakes there are some things I'm learning about racing and myself as a racer:
Reflection 1: Fitness and Racing
I built this original thread around the question: how can I get to 5 w/kg? Last I checked, I sit right on the cusp of going to 4 w/kg (241 FTP @ 61 kg), which now over a year into my cycling journey is both slower than I thought it would be at first but also feels like an accomplishment in its own right. Power is built over time, and in my case it will be a long time. I'll be proud to achieve 4 w/kg, likely by the end of this year if I keep at it, but gains beyond that are going to be glacially paced I feel. 5 w/kg will take a while, and at some point I may be running up against the biological clock.
That being said, I have raced against guys well into their 40s and 50s who can push watts. It's inspiring. Intimidating, but inspiring. It gives me hope that, over time, I can be that strong into my mid-life. Or at least get stronger. I don't feel like I've peaked (just over 1 year into being an endurance athlete), so I just have to keep on the grind.
My winter training I want to emphasize maximizing my ability to maintain threshold power, and improve my fatigue resistance as I put down power around my FTP for 2-3 minutes, as this has been where I feel I've struggled in my races. On that note...
Reflection 2: Am I now an "experienced" racer?
This season, I have done the following:
- 1 time trial
- 2 road races
- 1 criterium
- 1 short gravel race
- 2 long gravel races
I've made so many dumb mistakes in my races. To run down some of my mistakes:
- Attacking in the first 5k into the first major climb and running in the red until I got dropped because I couldn't hang before the end of the first lap.
- Crashing into a corner on a criterium dodging a crash in front of me, and not being fast enough to recover and never catching back on, limping home alone on course with no wheels to rest in
- Starting way too far back in a gravel race and never getting out of the "washing machine" of the back end of the peloton.
- Starting in a much better position in a gravel race, and not having the opening power to keep pace with the people at the front any ways, and falling into the washing machine anyway (this to me is one of the big differences between road and gravel racing: my road races seem to start with a racer's agreement to work our way into the work, while all of my gravel races begin with a hell-for-leather 600W-minimum blitzkrieg to the first selection point. You better be warmed up right at the start).
- Being cocky with my pulls because the legs feel good, and working myself into a hole from which I never recover from.
- Being cocky with my pulls, successfully tearing the peloton apart, then immediately exploding in the hills. The winners loved me for this I bet, but I felt like ***** as I, once again, limped over the finish line after having raced alone for 40 miles (amazingly, no chase group caught me, probably because the hilly, punchy nature of the course makes drafting a bit less emphasized and more climb+recovery fitness emphasized, so a solo rider could potentially outpace a chase if needed).
- I took wrong turns in two my races, which is always when you sit up and say to yourself "gee, it just got awfully quiet..."
That was fun.
But in through the mistakes there are some things I'm learning about racing and myself as a racer:
- Your legs may feel good in the first half of the race. Do not listen to this idiotic cocky voice in your head. It is a trap.
- I'm a good climber and a bad descender, but this is more mental as opposed to physical: I actually weirdly look forward to climbs as an opportunity to pressure my peers, but descents make me more nervous than anything else. I nearly stacked it into the corner in the rain going 40mph in one of the road races. After that, I promised myself I wouldn't view descents as an opportunity to improve position, but just to get a rest and hold onto a position.
- I'm a talker. I like to chat with other racers to help dispel my nerves. Others probably find me annoying, but I've had great conversations with people at mile 40 of a 60 mile race. Highly recommend.
- I really need to improve my smoothness coming out of corners to hold onto wheels better.
Last edited by sir_crash_alot; 08-05-24 at 12:38 PM. Reason: better wording
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#120
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Appreciate the update, but you really only gave us gee whiz information. We don't need to know about the races. But sure, that's interesting fluff. We want to know about your training. How often, how long and what you do during your training.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding. But if you are only able to hold your FTP for 2 - 3 minutes, then that is not your FTP.
#121
Noob Bee
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Oh, one last bit of reflection: race organizing in this area is very inconsistent. The last road race I did ran the last 10k through a town, complete with stoplights and busy intersection crossings. That is bad news bears for a race, and I'm not sure I'll do it next year. Did get second place in my age group which was kinda nice though.
#122
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Was it actually a race or was it just a ride? Was it a sanctioned event?
#123
Version 7.0
Appreciate the update, but you really only gave us gee whiz information. We don't need to know about the races. But sure, that's interesting fluff. We want to know about your training. How often, how long and what you do during your training.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding. But if you are only able to hold your FTP for 2 - 3 minutes, then that is not your FTP.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding. But if you are only able to hold your FTP for 2 - 3 minutes, then that is not your FTP.
He was clearly discussing FTP vis a vis racing. Racing results are hardly fluff. What kind of recent racing and training have you done that generates that type of comment. Are your races fluff?
My racing is essential to training. In fact, without competition, training is sort of meh.
I got the meaning of his 2 -3 minutes of FTP. He knows what FTP is.
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#124
Version 7.0
Congrats on your training and racing. I have been at this for 16 years with over 10 race days per year plus training. FWIW, I do not talk with anyone during races because I need my total focus on reading the pack several moves ahead, road hazards and controlling my position. If you are nervous, take a skills clinic and learn how to turn your focus onto reading the race.
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#125
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