Trying to get to 4w/kg

Sad times – I’ve just been measuring and a 4iii Precision / Stages powermeter won’t clear the chainstays on the left hand only meter option.

The 4iii Precision 3 (which is way more expensive) might just about clear but I think it’ll be tight.

Ultegra cranks don’t really have any other options other than pedal based really – because the right hand arm and spider are all in one place.

So I think my only vaguely sensible priced options are the precision 3 and check carefully to make sure it fits (but could be returned if not) or the Favero Assioma Uno. The latter would mean a change in pedals away from Shimano spd-sl – although I don’t love my current pedals tbh. Always found them a bit awkward to get clipped in – especially when you’re in a hurry pulling away from traffic lights etc.

Doh! That’s annoying!

Or not ride to power 😕😮

To be honest, if your main structured training is indoors on the turbo then it’s perhaps not the end of the world.

However… I don’t think folk appreciate how uniquely insightful a metric it is! Run and swim training methods are in the dark ages V cycling for example (running power meters don’t really work properly yet).

Being able to know your external workload precisely is so incredibly amazing that I never fail to be impressed every time I go on a ride with a power meter, and I’ve had one for about 7 years 🤣

What’s bonkers is how people with power meters can still pace their rides so badly 😱

I’ve stuck my caad12 frame and cranks on eBay and see if they sell. If they do then I think it’s probably new pedal time 😝

As the weather gets better I plan to try and get out on a week night in the road bike with some quick (er) people on road bikes to push me on a bit more. A chaingang would be ideal but not one full of 65kg people with 350w ftps though…

That sounds more like Zwift mate 😉 🤣

280w/75kg would be my guess at the average of our crew.

I reckon by end of the summer if I keep training up I could be near that. Assuming I’m about 260ftp now and 76kgs ish it’s not a million miles away 🤞

Did another ramp test today, 4 weeks into dirt destroyer and I was feeling I’d gone above the normal progression of the plan, the recent over/unders were fairly comfortable and we all know that’s not how they should be!

So, 4 weeks ago I was back up to 242w, today I got 262w 😁 weight hasn’t changed much if anything, still around 75kg +/- 0.5kg depending on the day, so that’s me at 3.49w/kg.

Still a way off my best of 279w and 73kg but getting there. And…

I reckon 6 weeks of dirt destroyer will set me up nicely, hopefully back up to 260w or so.

Seems I’ve done that, 4 weeks in! I’ll be very very happy if I can eek out a few more watts and get close to 270w in the next 2 weeks.

Awesome stuff well done mate.
It is far easier to get back to where you’ve been- it just feels more frustrating to not be there 😃

@joebristol – favero do a Shimano axle kit, it’s selected bodies, and increases the q-factor as well though

https://cycling.favero.com/en/product-sheet?macro-category=20&type=1&selected-id=30

@crosshair – on the vid how do you get the totals graphs under the 42 day fitness?

There’s a tick box option for ‘time in zone’ under the arrow in a circle icon at the top.

@dirtyrider – I’d clocked those but apparently it splays your feet out wider. I’m not wildly attached to Shimano spd-sl. I assume my new 3 bolt shoes will be fine with look keo style cleats that Assiomas use so think I’ll just get the Uno version of them. I’m not serious enough to spend out the money for the duo. If I’ve got wonky legs I’m not sure I could even do much about that 🤣

Got someone enquiring about the caad frame already – fingers crossed it sells quickly. Stuck it on eBay for £395 or offers – caad 12 disc / Cannondale Si cranks with spiderings (compact) and spare fsa rings (36/52) / bb / headset / seatpost / stem and spacers / front post mount hydraulic brake caliper / tools for crank removal and chainring lock ring etc. Hoping that’s a sensible / realistic price.

Did my 3 sets of 8x1min threshold outdoors today and it came bizarrely easy considering I’m still deaf / ill. Found 24 intervals at 300w haven’t left my legs hurting despite a PM calibration To ensure the power was correct.

I can’t help thinking somethings wrong 😂

@joebristol – seems a bit cheap to me 👀

@kryton57 – 8 x 1 min @300 doesn’t sound too bad and I think I’m a lower ftp than you – what rest gaps did you have between each rep?

@dirtyrider – I’m not sure if it is or not – the frame has some marks etc on it. Can’t find another similar frame for sale and full bikes seem to start on auction at £700 upwards 🤷‍♂️

Hopefully heading for a nice peak @kryton57 👍🏻

kryton57 – 8 x 1 min @300 doesn’t sound too bad and I think I’m a lower ftp than you – what rest gaps did you have between each rep?

three sets of 8, with 5 mins between sets. Each 1 min interval has 20s on the first set, 15s on the second set then 10s on the third set.

It felt much harder on the turbo in the last few weeks, but evidentially my outdoor power is 12% higher which accounts for the apparent ease I suspect.

7x3m at 109% FTP with 3m rest between each ticked off today ✅

max HR was 176bpm v the same session last Wednesday which was 185bpm

1m23s in Z4 Threshold (174-193) v last week 13m 13s 🤷‍♂️, didn’t even get above 174 until the last 8 seconds of the 4th interval

guess I need to nudge the 109% on a bit 🤔

I did this one today – just a 45 min ‘threshold’ session – although it’s quite a low progression version at this stage as I haven’t done much threshold work on the turbo yet. Noticed on career stats I’m well up on sweet spot, vo2 and endurance vs tempo and threshold work. So when I do ad hoc ones I’m thinking I might fill those gaps a bit. On threshold I think I’m going to try and get some over unders in there as they’re generally pretty nasty!

Well done all 💪🏻 I’m enjoying my recovery week already 😎
Going to have a second day’s rest today as was bending and lifting all morning at work… and it’s lashing down 🤣

It’s not very motivational weather outside it has to be said – aside from walking the dog I haven’t left the house today 🫣

Enjoy your rest week – it’s well deserved

Thought I’d switch it up a little tonight, did my first race on Zwift since September… 😬

At least I was able to enter C cat rather than B!

Came 17th out of 126 on Zwift, 14th place on Zwiftpower. I was fairly comfortable sitting with the front pack for the whole race, doesn’t really feel as if I was going to drop off. Just the final sprint let me down a bit, I hit 835w but couldn’t hold onto the final sprint power for more than 10 seconds or so.

It was a very flat race, so better for heavier riders with more watts, and in fact I was the highest placed rider under 80kg (75.4kg)! Most of the top 10 were at or above 90kg, averaging 260-300w, there’s me averaging 241w @ 3.2w/kg. 🤣 Not too bad Vs my last race which was in B cat where I averaged 256w @ 3.5w/kg, and came 57th out of 75.

Excellent work mate. That’s a good result and decent sprint.

I still find some of the sprints a little hard to grasp as 1000w sprints are far from uncommon in C.

I raced the same course with Robbo the other day. I got 20th, our times was 5s slower than your race

We made 2 attempts to break away, first one we took 10 riders out the group, 2nd attempt, Robbo went, I kicked past him, held it up the incline but by the time we went round the roundabout we got closed again

I averaged 259w for mine.

@joebristol I think I’ve done Hobson or its variations before and found it really useful for getting q sense of what threshold feels like. Obviously you don’t get the ‘8 minutes in’ feelings but I think the intervals are long enough to feel the rhythm.

I’ve got 4 x 8min to have a go at on Monday and am just having a look at strava to find the right hill to do them on. That said, I’m due an FTP reassessment on Sunday (I use the AI tool cos I hate testing) which might end up adapting that workout away.

@stevious – it didn’t feel too bad so I’m hopeful I’m progressing nicely.

Cycled to work and back today and on the way back in particular I got into a nice rhythm and pb’d a 6 minute segment that my previous best was when drafting with another person for most of it several years ago on a light carbon race bike. Feeling pretty good right now – all the turbo stuff is definitely paying off out on the real bikes.

I know what you’re saying on the testing – the occasional ramp test is ok – but sometimes TR wants to do them a bit too often. I took the AI one this time round for the first time ever.

There’s an interesting Zwift insider article about why heavier riders do better in the lower categories (because they are w/kg based). Basically, the bike weight is a smaller proportion of their overall system weight so their total w/kg is higher. Applies in real life too- most peoples kit/bike/clothing weighs about 10kg regardless of size. So the heavier rider at 3w/kg might still be doing 2.7 overall but the small one 2.4.

Speed Tests: Steady w/kg Across Various Body Weights

Interesting read, that.

This is why many flat C races are won by racers weighing 90-100kg. Check out the category C results of this recent race, for example.

Exactly what I saw in my race last night!

Out with the 17’s for 50 miles today as one of the guys is moving to France so it was a farewell tour. One Cannondale Lefty, several cross bikes and a couple of gravel bikes made an appearance because of the threat of awful road conditions after last nights rain.
I had the 47 Pathfinder’s on at 35psi and to be honest, it’s only really the weight penalty you notice on that ride.
Even doing a few turns on the front it wasn’t really that different.
And I was able to dive bomb the hills in full knowledge I could actually stop if I needed to 🤣

Legs were a bit shocked after recovery week but still, intervals.icu emailed me to tell me I’d done 475w for a minute as a pb. (Although it’s not an all time PB- back in the day I could do 660 🤣).

Out again tomorrow for a steady couple of hours. Hopefully less spikes than today- anything Z2 with a bit of tempo here and there will be ideal.

Out with the 17’s for 50 miles today as one of the guys is moving to France so it was a farewell tour

I was hoping to make it out but appear to have bought some unidentified lurgy back from Majorca with me..

Those crux cross bikes weigh less than my rim braked carbon road bike by the way!!!

Legs were a bit shocked

Applies to me also. Today I had an immense OU set – 5m at 3.8wkg then 5m at 3.3wkg low cadence x 4 continuous. It was the latter that killed me, it was like pulling for a gap for 5 mins only to suddenly face a nasty draggy hill coming next. I failed the third interval with severe pain from mid calf to mid quad across my knees. I’m still ill though, still deaf with a hurty swollen ear canal that’s half closed. I’m hanging on to the fact that has caused my failure.

Likewise, a 3hr Z2 tomorrow, 10 x 1min vo2 max on Monday then a taper through the week into next weeks Southern XC. I hope I can get over this mystery illness.

Yeah they’re nice those new ones 🤩 Was a few of those out but Rich and Kurt were on the old style ones. Some old boy was on a random cross bike too and Darian on his Lefty 🤣
Was a big old squad.

Fingers crossed you manage to recover and peak @Kryton57 🤞🏻

I’m starting Build 2 this week (aiming for ToC) with the small matter of Dirty Reiver on Saturday 🤣
I’ll try training through and see how that goes. Chaingang or Hillingdon on Tuesday, Z1/Z2 Wednesday, vo2 ‘openers’ on Thursday, easy group ride up at Kielder on Friday evening, DR Saturday 🎉 and then maybe an easy lap of the reservoir before we drive back on Sunday.

@kryton57 – it sounds like you need a rest asap – give yourself a chance to recover. I guess you’re trying to hold on until taper week but if you’re ill you’re ill.

@crosshair – that an immense effect 475w for a minute whilst out on a 50 miler!

I went to Cwmcarn early doors this morning and rode Cafell round to the Pedalhounds DH track – descended that then plugged up the tarmac Forest drive round to the off piste where I descended round to the middle fireroad then the twrch final descent down to the car park (only had a few hours). Was good fun – mixture of a horrible climb that constantly hits hairpins and changes steepness so you can can’t a rhythm, a flowy downhill, steady tarmac climb (overtook a lady roadie who was in full gurn mode and don’t think she appreciated me spinning past on an enduro bike with coil shock / 2.5” tyres / covered in mud / with a backpack and knee pads on and giving her a cheery ‘keep going’), tech off piste descent.

Was 21.6km with 725m of climbing so not a bad effort for a couple of hours work. Beautiful day for it too – ground was wet but I’m so impressed with the Assegai I stick on the front wheel a few weeks back – just grips and grips and really confidence inspiring.

Strava pbs all over the place – but mostly uphill. Even though I’m riding the heaviest bike I’ve ever had – 34-35lb ish alloy Sentinel with lyriks and Kitsuma coil. The thing is an absolute animal downhill and spins along well enough. Just heavy and if you stand up to pedal it’s a bit soggy.

Awesome mate- sounds like a fun day out 👍🏻

However… I don’t think folk appreciate how uniquely insightful a metric it is! Run and swim training methods are in the dark ages V cycling for example (running power meters don’t really work properly yet

Indeed! I always found it helpful but there were loads of people in the road club I was in that had no idea on their FTP,vo2 max or threshold power but would do very well racing.

Of course you can be good without a power meter or specific training. It just means that you get more performance from a given amount of training commitment.

Strava pbs all over the place – but mostly uphill

Nice…. well done.

Anyone here have any experience of using sugar water as gel substitute. Seen a few videos on ewetube about it and the idea of saving on packaging. I only really use gels for emergency boost. The videos on ewetube also seem to suggest just using sugar in bottles but I don’t fancy that, quite happy with one bottle of water and one bottle of cheapo maltodextrin.

@anagallis_arvensis Yep! I have bought a couple of soft bottles (got a pair of 250ml ones and a pair of 500ml ones) and I put 200g of table sugar in a big mug, cover it in water, stir until it’s dissolved and decant it into those.
It’s basically like a big gel in consistency.

What I did the other week on my solo century was start drinking my bottle (with sugar in too), then at some point just squeeze the soft bottle into the regular bottle to top it up.

It’s actually easier for counting to not do that though because you don’t know what concentration is left.
If I’m out for 3hrs, with 200g in the soft bottle, I know it needs to be 1/3 empty by the end of hour one.