Cycling Workouts: Discussion/Encouragement/Sharing/Banter

[HLaB]

That cadence was $h!t tonight. On hindsight I was too full of gas for anything productive tonight and it showed with the cadence.



PS I didn’t die and come back to life in the first block, something must have interfered with the HRM or it wasn’t 100% lubricated with sweat until that point. Well not till the end of the last block according to W'


https://global.discourse-cdn.com/tr.../f14280819de02230bc22471bf1cb70657e5b0f02.png
It got the gas out of my system though and I feel better for it 👍

 

[IrishAl]

Tenerife training camp / Bike day 2 report. Was aiming for 5 sets of 4mins at VO2max/Z5 today but I bit off more than I could chew. In the end I got 4 efforts done before turning for home. Yesterday I picked up the bike and got an hour in before it got dark. Saddle needed adjusting which I couldn’t get sorted until back at the hotel. Tomorrow is an easy hour, lots of walking.

 

[Legs]

Jo’s away up in Hull, so I took the chance to do an extended workout this evening. I often stick a long Z2 erg block on and watch a fillum, but this evening I did back-to-back Zwift workouts: first a bit of upper Z2:

Then a further, more intense session on slightly fatigued legs:

 

[Norry1]

I had to do an indoor FTP Test this week. Roy favours an all-out 30 minute effort which he then "rounds" down to an appropriate FTP. I averaged 260W for the 30 mins and he's set my indoor FTP at 255W now. I'm usually 10ish Watts higher outdoors and weather permitting I have to do the same test outside on Saturday.

I did the outside FTP Test last Saturday (13th). After averaging 260W in my indoor test I aimed for 270W outside but soon realised that was too conservative. After about 8 minutes I was averaging 283W and feeling ok. I hit some temporary traffic lights which took my average power down to the 250's and nearly packed it in - but decided to keep going and by the end of the 30 minutes my average was back up to 271W (NP 276W).

Roy set my outdoor FTP at 275W on the back of it which I think is about right.

 

[IrishAl]

I did the outside FTP Test last Saturday (13th). After averaging 260W in my indoor test I aimed for 270W outside but soon realised that was too conservative. After about 8 minutes I was averaging 283W and feeling ok. I hit some temporary traffic lights which took my average power down to the 250's and nearly packed it in - but decided to keep going and by the end of the 30 minutes my average was back up to 271W (NP 276W).

Roy set my outdoor FTP at 275W on the back of it which I think is about right.

Good effort. Out of interest why do you think you hit better numbers outdoors? Overheating indoors maybe?

 

[Norry1]

Good effort. Out of interest why do you think you hit better numbers outdoors? Overheating indoors maybe?

Not really sure. I don't feel like I'm overheating indoors. For the shorter efforts I think being able to chuck the bike around outdoors makes a difference but that isn't the case for FTP type efforts. Maybe something around the momentum/inertia outside?

 

[mjd1988]

Not really sure. I don't feel like I'm overheating indoors. For the shorter efforts I think being able to chuck the bike around outdoors makes a difference but that isn't the case for FTP type efforts. Maybe something around the momentum/inertia outside?

Impressive - What trainer do you use Martin?

 

[HLaB]

Not really sure. I don't feel like I'm overheating indoors. For the shorter efforts I think being able to chuck the bike around outdoors makes a difference but that isn't the case for FTP type efforts. Maybe something around the momentum/inertia outside?

Whilst you may not be overheating indoors, outside cooling is more natural/optimum, and as you say you benefit from momentum/inertia, so most folk do better outdoors. I am one of the few freaks though, whilst outdoors I follow the norm for short intervals, I can not switch off and deliver maximum power over a longer period, where I can indoors. Thankfully, TrainerRoad predicts/ detects FTP so I've not done an actual FTP test in ages:-)

 

[Norry1]

Impressive - What trainer do you use Martin?

I use the Tacx NEO 2T but I record power from my Powertap Pedals as I use them outside as well. Dual recording has shown them to give very similar results (1 - 1.5% difference).

 

[Norry1]

Whilst you may not be overheating indoors, outside cooling is more natural/optimum, and as you say you benefit from momentum/inertia, so most folk do better outdoors. I am one of the few freaks though, whilst outdoors I follow the norm for short intervals, I can not switch off and deliver maximum power over a longer period, where I can indoors. Thankfully, TrainerRoad predicts/ detects FTP so I've not done an actual FTP test in ages:-)

I find it interesting to compare the various FTP estimates from Strava, XERT, Intervals.icu etc. Normally they are in the same ballpark but occasionally there are some wide variances.

I think part of Roy's thinking ref the 30 minute test is the psychological factor of seeing what I can push myself to actually do.

 

[Norry1]

Tenerife training camp / Bike day 2 report. Was aiming for 5 sets of 4mins at VO2max/Z5 today but I bit off more than I could chew. In the end I got 4 efforts done before turning for home. Yesterday I picked up the bike and got an hour in before it got dark. Saddle needed adjusting which I couldn’t get sorted until back at the hotel. Tomorrow is an easy hour, lots of walking.

Hope it is still going well.

Wendy has just booked us a week's hols in Tenerife at the end of April - so I may be nicking your routes

 

[HLaB]

I find it interesting to compare the various FTP estimates from Strava, XERT, Intervals.icu etc. Normally they are in the same ballpark but occasionally there are some wide variances.

I think part of Roy's thinking ref the 30 minute test is the psychological factor of seeing what I can push myself to actually do.

Intervals takes their calculation of a single max effort and the default for that is only 60s or thereabouts and a lot have folk have a good MAP but can't sustain it. You can extend intervals sampling period and get a more accurate estimate but it still requires a max effort.

I'm not sure what Strava uses but it's last year estimate is only 1w higher than what TR detected for last year. It's a little further of, 13w this year but it probably doesn't have much samples to go off yet.

I've never used Xert myself.

A good 30mins test will give you good data that's not over polluted by MAP/Anaerobic energy 👍

 

[Legs]

I tend to perform better in ramp tests - I recently got a ramp-test FTP of 310W, but have been struggling to sustain 305W over a 25-minute TT. It makes the Zwift workouts tough!

 

[IrishAl]

Hope it is still going well.

Wendy has just booked us a week's hols in Tenerife at the end of April - so I may be nicking your routes

Yes all going well. I did a light recovery session yesterday morning. Out early(ish) at just after 7am. It’s still dark here until around 7:45, which I hadn’t really planned for. I have my bike lights but I wear prescription glasses so had to resort to wearing my regular glasses and I just stuck close to the resort rather than heading out into the unlit wilderness. Given the early morning darkness I’ve switched my daily plan about a bit and agreed with the wife that I’ll do my spins in the late afternoon. It’s low 20oC so not too warm, but warm enough for me! Today was 2 10 minute intervals at above FTP. Ideally I’d have done a 3rd interval but darkness was descending and I don’t trust my eyesight at 45mph downhill.

You’re welcome to use my routes but it might be better if I give you some more general route info and you plot your own - so far I’ve just done some out and back type routes. Where about are you staying?

 

[Norry1]

Yes all going well. I did a light recovery session yesterday morning. Out early(ish) at just after 7am. It’s still dark here until around 7:45, which I hadn’t really planned for. I have my bike lights but I wear prescription glasses so had to resort to wearing my regular glasses and I just stuck close to the resort rather than heading out into the unlit wilderness. Given the early morning darkness I’ve switched my daily plan about a bit and agreed with the wife that I’ll do my spins in the late afternoon. It’s low 20oC so not too warm, but warm enough for me! Today was 2 10 minute intervals at above FTP. Ideally I’d have done a 3rd interval but darkness was descending and I don’t trust my eyesight at 45mph downhill.

You’re welcome to use my routes but it might be better if I give you some more general route info and you plot your own - so far I’ve just done some out and back type routes. Where about are you staying?

It is great to have an understanding wife innit. Mine is great too.