DirtyG – it’s got to be a timetrial then? No drafting etc.

I thought that I might need more leg strength so I tried doing squats with my 24kg kettlebell. One is easy, after ten it burns like some steep off-road climb.

Burpees = leg strength and speed and out breath.

Kev

Hmm. I can do 5w/kg for a minute no bother.

25mph for 20 miles is hard mind. I can keep up about that pace on the flat but any junctions, traffic lights or small hills blow would cause me trouble I reckon. My best commute in Germany was about 21.5mph door to door even whilst rolling along at about 25mph on the open road.

Time trail is fine TSY – I don’t draft when I set out for a fast training ride anyway and drafting doesn’t count. Only issue i have is up here there’s always a constant headwind, no matter what way i go/turn! Would need to be mid summer time too.

@idave, i don’t know – i may have the figures wrong as i said, my head is cotton wool atm. But i’m sure they said 5 watts and something about bodyweight. I’ll check.

It sounds factually correct DGOAB, just saying that it’s not a great way to approach team selection.

Those sound like excuses…

Personally I think it’s quite a large task.. I’ve averaged 22mph over 20 miles on my commute and done 10 miles at 25mph pace… although the womens UK 25 mile record averaged over 30 mph…

On roads in the real world it would be very difficult to attain TT sorts of av speeds,

My best 50TT is 1.59.03 (approx 25.2mph av) about 36miles of this on dual carriageway!

One of my regular road rides, with not many junctions and only a couple of hills would be 34 miles and if I’m going well would take me 1.53 – 1.54 so 17.8mph av or so?

Don’t be too worried about peoples TT times, don’t get me wrong the top boys are mind boglingly fast, but most people on here would be suprised what they could attain.

Interesting… do you mean people can go faster than what they’d imagine?

Dirty – what’s your starting point?

TSY What are you training for? road races, TT’s? Tri’s?

On a TT specific bike, wheels etc, you would go quicker than on a normal road bike.

Dual carriagways are fast, dangerous but fast, generally good surfaces with lorries going past @ 50-60 pulling you along.

The quicker courses are flat or sometimes you start at the top of a big hill but on the way back you stop short of the hill as the rules allow for the start and finish to be a distance apart.

Tri’s Tricky. I’m a fledgling in the world of competitive events but might as well put the training to some purpose.

Going to chuck in some road racing and some casual running events too.

I know I’m not the fastest in the world so just aiming to be the best I can be.

In racing terms they actually do nothing; no prizes for longest at threshold, no prizes for highest watts, you win or you don’t, simple as.

There is also the idea that concentrating on the numbers means you neglect the basic skills associated with racing, the positioning, the shall-I-follow-this-move, the mind games, the ability to screw people over, the knowledge and bollocks required to sprint…

There is so much more to racing than the numbers you produce…

Totally 100% agree with this. This happened to me last year/season I was going to start racing for the 1st time and had never done any structured training. In december I paid for a coach and 2 fitness tests. I also did the idave diet

I started to get obsessed by the numbers and concentrated on the fitness aspect. I made huge gains in 5 months I thought and got excited about my numbers when looking at the hunter allen chart.

I soon realised after a few races I had some work to do. I had no race craft whatsoever. I was obsessed with the data.. my watts/kg, my threshold figure. I was beating all the guys in the club at the hill climbs and TT’s yet they were getting points in races (and wins)

This year i’m doing it a lot different. i’ve had no fitness tests, I don’t know what my threshold or w/kg is. I’m riding outside a lot more (last year i was a slave to rollers)

Off to majorca in a few weeks to get some miles in. 😀

TSY, Not sure my starting point as i’ve been learning bunch riding skills/tactis for the reasons Tricky outlines above so outdoor sessions have been slower than normal, and the rest has been intervals on the turbo. Can I tell you on 3rd March? I’ve a better idea – you can stop in at mine on your lejog ride this year and we can race each other? Whats another 20miles in the scale of things? 😀

I’ve no idea of my w/kg or anything else other than hr zones. I’ll be interested to know when i go for the test but just because i like geeky things*. I’m not planning on actually using a power meter during my training – i’m just going to concentrate on racing, tactics and riding as hard as i can. And anything else i’m told to by the race squad leader.

2 more weekends, then its race time *scared*

*and speaking of geeky things, last night i tried beetroot juice as i’ve read a lot about it recently, the latest being this weeks cycling weekly. After juicing up fresh beetroot, all i can say is, it is rank! Its earthy and sour/bitter! However, i will keep with it to see if it makes a difference. 😐

I’m pretty sure it was a minimum of 5w/kg (for men) in the last minute of a ramp test on a turbo.

They seemed pretty aware it’s quite an arbitrary limit for team selection. I think the problem is that it is such a big club so they needed to set something that was easily measurable and comparable, otherwise pretty much every bloke in the club will want a piece of the coaches time.

My target for this years racing is to not get spat out the back in at least one RR.

Off to majorca in a few weeks to get some miles in

👿

I want to RR.

Aw Molgrips, that makes you seem forlorn…

It’s tough is road racing, you get hammered a lot, even the training is hard; I had to train by myself to get fit enough to train with others.

It’s tough is road racing

As opposed to the comfy sofa that is XC MTB racing? 🙂

RR is a special kind of pain. I’d say much tougher than XC. Once I have been you’re spat out the back, it’s a long way to the finish (so I’m told…)

However, i will keep with it to see if it makes a difference.

There’s no need to take it all the time. For about 3 days before a race 500ml* a day.

*i think it was 500ml, I’ll check later.

I found it far harder than xc mtb, harder than cyclocross, harder than the 3 peaks, harder than fell running. To a large extent, all the above are like time trials in the company of others; your pace is dictated by you. RR us you having to react and ride at the pace set by others just to be in the game, then there’s a layer of mental skill on top; not called chess on wheels for nothing.

Give it a go!

phil, 500ml is loads! I was going for about 250ml for 6 days instead as i couldn’t stomach anymore.

mol, get a race licence then and enter some. But I sgree with idave, its a special kind of pain. My tactic for when i get spat out of the back is to chase down those ahead and drop them – got a few places higher last year in a RR by doing this. Or i look on it as a TT, and see just how fast i can go on my own once i’m off the back.

Road racing is tough. I did a few 3/4’s could hang in the bunch fine. Then came our clubs race which was a 2/3/4. I got it handed to me properly. Dropped in a group of 5 on the 5th lap. Rode on my own for 2 laps. I said to myself i’ll always finish a race.

I crossed the line and everyone had gone back to HQ. The pace in that race was unbelievable.. The 2nd cats tore it apart.. 100 metres after the neutralised zone the pace pushed up to 31mph on a slight incline!

I’d say it’s way harder than XC. You will do anything to stay on someone’s wheel. I have turned myself inside out to stay with the front group after a hill in 1 race as i knew if i lost contact i’d be out of the race

There’s a good quote from cav in his book about track vs road. He said the likes of ed clancy and chris hoy really know how to hurt themselves on the track but the thing they don’t have is the ability to suffer 😀

get a race licence then and enter some

I’ve moaned about this before.. I don’t think there are many local to me.

You will do anything to stay on someone’s wheel

I do that in XC… but there’s no draughting so if you get there you don’t get a break…

But I know what you mean. I’d like to give it a try and find out for myself 🙂

I’ve moaned about this before.. I don’t think there are many local to me.

Where are you? cardiff?

Yep. I think we decided Castle Coombe was the closest place to go.

TSY, if you’re serious about this stuff then I’d suggest talking to Jay on the DT forum.

I’ve moaned about this before.. I don’t think there are many local to me.

I’ve done a few xc races and believe me it is different. If you’re in a break/catching a break or trying to get onto a group it hurts. In XC it doesn’t matter if you lose someone’s wheel. You lose it in a RR and you’re effective out.

Enter a 2/3/4 RR and you’ll see what I mean 🙂

I’ve done a few xc races and believe me it is different.

I believe that.

Otoh in XC if you aren’t near the front you’re also effectively out, so you have to give it everything from the gun to get into the singletrack at the front. And then stay there for the first climb.. and then make sure you don’t put a single wheel wrong on any of the corners on the singletrack otherwise the guy 6″ behind you will come through.. etc etc. For 90 mins with no rest.

I’m sure finishing mid table is easier though in XC 🙂 (not that I’ve managed to do the above for more than a lap or two even on my best days)

The interesting thing in RR was that I found my first few 3rd cat races fast, then the 2nds go faster still, then we went to Belgium… 30mph, in a long line, in 53-12 for 2 hours. I got knocked off in one race and left a scar through a municipal flower bed 2 car lengths long; I thought I’d never stop!

Have a look at Hamish Haynes website, and look at the kms he puts in as a pro in one of the smaller teams, 270km races then 90 kms motorpacing… Bloody animals..

I’m starting to believe that maybe I do need to add a bit more structure to the volume, and then get a race calander sorted out.

TSY, have you considered telling iDave what your objectives/races etc are and paying him to do you a training plan? Assuming he’s still offering that as a service.

You might find the specificity liberating – you won’t have to think quite so hard about rest and what’s relevant and stuff like that – and it’ll almost certainly be a load more effective than just sort of doing things ad hoc, as and when.

And you’ll probably do less but to a much greater effect. Which from your postings on here might be an issue for you. Anyway, just a thought.

I’ve seen iDave eat cakes 🙁

TBH this all just saves me thinking about work, that in itself is liberating.

BWD don’t tell him that, otherwise I’ll never beat him at Cwmcarn.

TBH this all just saves me thinking about work, that in itself is liberating.

I didn’t realise you had a job…

😆

And to Molly 😆 too.

Ahh.. when is the STW cwm carn lap challenge? 🙂

Tricky – the only challenge is coming up with enough excuses as to why one hasn’t got the fastest time 🙂

In your own time TD – post the times up here.

My PB is 56 minutes. It has to be a recent time though, the track is a fair bit slower than it was years ago.

Garmin + strava FTW

http://app.strava.com/segments/twrch-trail-full-lap-airstream-1-884827