TrainerRoad – STW approved sessions

Patience grasshopper (IMHO obviously) 😀

More seriously I’d finish whatever plan element you’re on as a proper ftp test every 6 weeks is probably the best bet. I’m not sure of the merit of changing mid-plan based on one result unless you felt it was very low / high as the plans have periodisation built into them so rests etc are just as important. Also that one workout might have been really playing to your strengths anyway.

Ebbrets last night for me. It includes 5 second power spin ups which I just can’t manage. I’m sitting at ~240 Watts and if I’m lucky I get to somewhere in the 350 range after 5 seconds when it’s asking for 420. I’m using a power2max hooked up to a basic minoura trainer and trying to add loads of resistance doesn’t seem to work; neither does quickly changing gears.

Wondering if anybody has any hints or tips as it’s clearly something I need to improve on based on last night.

It includes 5 second power spin ups

What’s your cadence like? A few seconds before the interval you want to get into a gear where you’re doing 240 watts at a relatively low cadence, but one that you can still really spin up to a high cadence as quickly as possible at the start of the interval (for me I’d go from about 75 to 120+). Maybe knock up a gear or two before the 5 seconds are up. I’m most definitely not a sprinter but that’ll get me up over 700W. Worth a bit of practice if it’s something you want to get good at. Suspect it does depend somewhat on your turbo too. Basically just go berserk and pedal like a maniac, it’s only 5 seconds 🙂

I was going to state cadence also – I get from 250 to approx 450 watts going from 95 to 110 in the same gear. I tried changing gears once and zoomed up to 850w. Thats when I discovered I had a sprint.

At 240W I’m spinning at about 85-90. I do go berserk and I’m changing down a couple of seconds before but obviously not enough…. Cadence is a bit of a weak spot for me as my max is ~105 without loosing form. Next time this sort of thing comes up I’ll pick a cadence lower for a few seconds before and go properly from min to max.

Angels for me tonight, managed to hit the numbers so its time to up the FTP by 5, ooh goody!

I tried changing gears once and zoomed up to 850w.

jeez – i get to about 650W and the turbo starts rattling!

I started Givens +3 this eve but wasnt feeling it, and then my knee started niggling and I gave up 🙁

Knee pain was exactly the reason/excuse I bailed from Eclipse yesterday. It’s funny, watts I can do without an issue as an ave over 20 minutes on the road is a lot harder to do with very little variation and constant work on the turbo.
Really bringing home to me that I have always trained to my strenghs and not my weaknesses, never enjoyed steady state work and have always had a reasonable level of power but not enough fitness or stamina.

Pain and aches inside on a turbo can be a tell tale sign of positioning or cleat issues.

These niggles don’t surface when riding on the road as you’re always changing your body position, but on the turbo/rollers you tend to sit a lot stiller and thus anything not entirely right gets shown up.

Just a thought.

Thanks, it’s a good thought and something that I need to address. I’m using an old mtb frame as a turbo bike with probably less than perfect set up and have just started on the turbo in earnest this last week and a bit.
Worst bit is that my brother bike fits for a living and would go spare if I told him I’d just chucked a spare frame on the turbo with little thought to set up other than that feels ok..
When I started doing some more road miles a few years ago couldn’t believe how much set up mattered compared to mtb for comfort and it seems the turbo is a step on again.

Funny you should say that Swedish Chef – the knee that I had a niggle in, I know the cleat is a bit worn, or maybe chipped or something: I can feel it rocking in the pedal but I’m going to wait for post cx season to put new cleats on.

I have a feeling using the turbo means glutes don’t get engaged as much so going to do some glute excersizes too

+1 to what Swedish Chef says, you just don’t get the chance to ease up on a turbo, those few seconds of coasting/drafting when your mate pulls in front of you and so on.

Did Geiger tonight, tough but not outrageously so – was within a couple of Watts on all the intervals. Could possibly have been a little higher so my FTP certainly isn’t far out. Depending on the weather I might do Warlow at the weekend then it’s the last week of big efforts of this plan (Sweet Spot mid vol 1) before the recovery week and in to volume 2!

Missed a session last night due to unexpected baby sitting duties, so it’s 4 X 12 @ 95% for an hour followed by 30 mins of Z2/active recovery.

Got to earn tonight’s curry.

Along the same lines, I reckon TSS is quite stingy on the turbo for long steady sessions. Always feels like a harder ride than it does outdoors and that the TSS would suggest. You don’t get those little micro rests, and you don’t get the little rises and falls in power help build up a higher NP. Also reckon a turbo is more fatiguing due to inherent characteristics of resistance (it’s a bit like always riding into a headwind.) Anyway a custom 2hrs of z2 with 2×20 tempo on top for me, there are nicer ways of racking up 125 TSS.

Can you see others custom sessions? I’ve created Darwin + Taku 90 mins for tonight.

I also entered the STW TR team so it’ll be on display!

I don’t think so, its not showing in the TR feed for the STW team.

Not sure if in the App I can then choose to ride it if I stalk your feed.

Trevor?

It does look like there should be an opportunity to see them. There is a folder called workout library under the STW team but it only has 8 workouts in there and they all look like original ones from TR.

Fletcher on a Saturday night whilst my wife is at the pub . What have I become?

It’s not what you have become it’s what you will be 🙂
Eclipse tonight for me, put the decent bike on with stages to compare again and to have a proper position, unfortunately my Kickr seems to lost the plot a bit. Had thought it was hard last time when I attempted Eclipse, know why now as the intervals needing iro 330 watts was showing more 360 on the stages.
Bit of faffing about mid session with calibrating Kickr then stages, having a go controlling Kickr with stages then just dropping the % to get HR in the right ball park. Not had a problem before so hopefully just a glitch, going to try some steady state stuff tomorrow to try and get a definitive answer, technology bah.

It’s not what you have become it’s what you will be

on the flip side, I’m having trouble with where i was v where i am now post injury, not fast by any true sense of the word, but fit and happy

but now

zero motivation, reduced work hours meaning i cannot cycle commute in (for now, makes for nice base miles) a wife back in full time work (2/3 x 14 hour shifts) and 3x kids under 5 knackering me out on all fronts

its been 3 weeks since i even threw a leg over the bike, its cold, its windy, a massive dose of mtfu is needed, probably just need to go get dirty in the woods but all my mtbs are in various states of (dis)assembly

meh

mtfu dirtyrider. my motivation to go on a 100k ride with some CX this morning on an MTB – yep max aerobic effort for me – in 1 degrees and frost is avoiding pallisade, which is 3 times 2 x 10 OU’s over 90 mins 8)

Dirtyrider, not easy coming back from injury motivation to just get out was the hardest thing for me as just felt so slow. If your fit and happy, fast will come as and when.
No wonder sweetspot training has been pretty hard for me, Kickr definately under reading by 10% now. Tried my wife’s stages and was reading exactly the same as mine, which is a relief as worried my stages over reading.
Using the stages to power match the Kickr seems to be the way to go but not happy using decent bike so going to have to bodge an old road frame.

Shame about the kickr, hear that a lot. Wahoo will lend you a calibration kit which might be worth a try. Get the impression that a lot of the accuracy issues are down to the belt drive.

Oh and dirtyrider.. Get on with it! 🙂 Patience and a plan.

After half an hour of Allen key work, fine tuning the belt tension, got what seems to be a calibrated kickr. Legs are too fried to do a decent session after mtb today but it’s looking good.
Cheers for the pointer mrblobby, seems the key is to calibrate it through the app then mess with tension until matches a trusted power meter.
The remainder of the sweetspot programme is going to be easier 🙂

Somewhat disappointed to hear all these problems with the Kickr, seems power meters in general are very sensitive (by nature I guess). Pity considering the cost of them.

To be honest I can live with it having a mechanical issue ie belt tension, something I can monitor and adjust if need be. Just glad I’m in a position that I can test against a known value, be a bit stuffed otherwise. The annoying thing is it was fine a month ago when I compared, I have moved it and done a recalibration in the meantime though.
Life was simpler and less frustrating without gadgets but when they work they are great…

Gadgetwise, really hoping Tacx can get it right with the Neo. By design it shouldn’t have many of the issues that have troubled the kickr. And it’s got real potential for a proper tuneable road feel too.

Somewhat disappointed to hear all these problems with the Kickr, seems power meters in general are very sensitive (by nature I guess). Pity considering the cost of them.

I didn’t think the kickr was a proper PM, just does the virtual power thing based on wheel speed and ideal power curves.

Probably a Galena knocked down a few percent for me tonight, or maybe a custom mash up with a couple of long tempo blocks. Not looking forward to it much as knackered after a though weekend with a pair of sick kids 🙁

@mrblobby re the Neo, have a read of the monster comment thread under the DCRainmaker review (if you haven’t already). Put me off enough to stick with my old dumb trainer and some power tap P1s.

Yes, need to catch up with that thread. I think it’ll likely take them a bit of time to sort out the issues and get the firmware right, but in terms of technology and potential it’s way ahead of the Kickr.

I was supposed to be doing palisade on Saturday but I did The Beast at Coed y Brenin and then Snowdon this weekend instead.

That makes up for it right?

Only if you did all of it at VO2max 😉

Keeler needle for me tonight. It took a bit of concentration to stay steady on the ever increasing power on my dumb trainer but got the hang of it. Didn’t hurt too much either which has me considering another FTP test 😕

Tunnabora done tonight, after Kickr tension adjustment only 3 watts ave difference, nice to have a proper sweetspot session as I was struggling on previous ones with the extra 10% loading !
Something going to have to keep an eye on but know easy enough to sort.

Carillon tonight – forty minutes in the sweet spot zone. I thought that with the single minute of recovery between sets 1 & 2 then again between 3 & 4 I’d struggle as with threshold intervals often needing five minutes recovery but it wasn’t as bad as I expected. At least it’s just Taku next 😆

A very dark place done tonight, very nearly killed me and the last interval was below target power, but wow you just know that something that uncomfortable must be doing you so much good. 8)

Taku for me also, but nearly all – 22 mins done – in the TT position which was good.

A very dark place just looks evil 😯

Jepson for me, 3 weeks into Sweet Spot 2 and my first few workouts with Stages.

Turns out I might be a bit of a stomper as I’m having a hard time keeping my power stable.

Guess it help with technique?!

Tallac this morning (yes morning!) Didn’t realise it had such a short warm-up so struggled with the last effort and needed to drop the power a little.

@Haze – if you feel you are a stomper then find some workouts that address your pedalling technique, it doesn’t take long to get you pedalling smoothly and not bouncing around on the bike.

Don’t know how everyone else is feeling but I’m definitely glad of the rest week next week! The last few minutes of Tallac last night was an exercise in grim determination.