Cycling Workouts: Discussion/Encouragement/Sharing/Banter

[Ming the Merciless]

VO2 Max work today. Legs and lungs felt good.

 

[HLaB]

As I do most Wednesday's if its dry I take my Z2 workout outside and do a lap of Conington Airfield. The road is getting a bit broken up now but its virtually traffic free and its almost the ideal distanc for a Z2 workout in my lunch hour. Its started to brighten up as forecasted but I could have done with being an hour or two later 🙃

 

[HLaB]

Lol, after doing my main workout outside today to free up my evening for listening to a football ⚽️ game, it was called off. So to fill the gap I fired up TrainerRoad's workout selector and as Id already trained today it gave me.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Low cadence strength endurance for me today. Milder, less windy and sunnier than yesterday‘s damp greyness.

 

[HLaB]

An over/under threshold workout was in my calendar tonight but as seems to have been the story the last few years, I was a bit disappointed by my cadence and didn’t think I got it all out. I think I’ve come to the conclusion the house that I moved into a couple of years ago is just too warm. Or maybe I’m just getting old







Edit looking back, I was able to isolate the hall in the old rented flat and it had pretty rubbish storage heaters, it’d be an average of 11-13deg C in the pain corridor. The coldest I’ll get this house to is 16.5deg C when I leave the house for a few days with no heating on and when I am here the coldest I’ll get the pain hall to 18deg C 🥵

 

[HLaB]

It was flooded this morning in a lot of places and raining, so whilst some of my group still went out, I stayed in bed and then went for a walk after breakfast. That let me keep the heating off and I managed to get the house temperature down to 18deg C so the pain hall was 16/17 Deg C. What a difference for the Anaerobic workout selected by TrainerRoad's AI work ou selector TrainNow. I do like those types of workout though the type 2 fun comes quickly in the long recoveries.

Edit: looking at the Intervals.icu analysis and W' of -0.01 it looks like I got everything out nicely.

 

[HLaB]

Two 20minutes SS blocks (90&94%) were in my calendar tonight whilst my cadence was quite low, I was quite glad how it went and I managed to keep my hr below 90% in the first block and below 94% in the second block, even though I did a fair bit in the TTbars (its easier to get consistent power out there but I heat up faster) . It helped having got the temperature in the pain hall down to 16deg C and it had only crept up to 18deg C at the end of the workout.

It looked something like this.

 

[HLaB]

As most will know, its rained quite alot in the UK of late, and last night to this morning was no exception. I thought my WfH day workout would have to be on the turbore. Then around the back of 10am it actually stopped and there was even some blue around 11am.

The met weather app though said it wouldn't last though and it’d go back to torrential. But another app with a live/predicted radar suggested there was/ is a gap of a few hours. So I thought I'd take the chance and do my usual flat Z2 route. I got about 5mins from the house and a shower started, it looked like the Met was right. The shower lasted less than a minute and its been dry since. The other app/radar was right.

I mostly stayed in a nice easy Z1/2 HR but on a few diferrent narrow places I had cars and a bus behind so felt obliged to up the pace. So Id be high Z2 rather than a relaxed Z1/2 there. Also the new traffic lights which take for ages were actually changing to green when I was a 100m back from them so I upped my pace and weaved through traffic to the outside turn lane. So I ended up with 26s (1%) in Z3.

 

[Dan Lotus]

Evening all, to the best of my knowledge I have never posted on this thread - this should be the first one.

I'm a long term TrainerRoad user from something like 2016, but in Dec 2024 I started using Rouvy, and have really enjoyed it.
I dabbled with their workout programs, but for about the last 8 weeks I have been following a training program on Rouvy, and have a couple of others lined up afterwards as well.

I'm currently on: Serious FTP Builder
I then have these 3 lined up over the spring and into the start of summer - though I have noticed the VO2 max one will need some additional workouts, or races more likely.

I'm visiting Spain in March and June, so this has motivated me to try and get fitter, stronger and lighter.
Poor old TR has been mostly sidelined, and my renewal is coming up in July - I am fortunate to still have the relatively cheaper annual cost of around £80 I think it is, but am unsure whether to continue with it or not.
I don't really need the visual part for the workouts, if it's easy enough I will watch a program, if it's a tough session I normally am just watching the stats etc, so there's no real advantage that Rouvy holds over TR, other than the fact I am enjoying the routes and races on there.

One thing I have found, as a not very powerful rider, Rouvy seems to estimate my FTP lower than TR - the TR AI FTP detection still works, and as an example, I believe Rouvy had me down as 204, but I set it to 210, as after that many years I have a fairly good handle for it, and yesterday I had TR generate me an AI FTP, and it came back with 214.
Some of the Rouvy workouts are tougher, I completed an 0.89IF one the other day, but generally I'm never doubting whether I can make it through.

On the TR ones there were times when I really had to dig deep, count my pedal strokes etc, to make it through - but I'm a stubborn mule when it comes to completing all of the intervals, especially once I am a reasonable way through.
So my question is, should I just go with the Rouvy figure, and or should I up the percentage on the workouts?
I'd prefer not to tinker given the choice.

Additionally does anyone who uses Rouvy for workouts find it, in their experience, to be as good, or maybe 90% as good as TR?

Thanks

Dan

 

[Norry1]

Evening all, to the best of my knowledge I have never posted on this thread - this should be the first one.

I'm a long term TrainerRoad user from something like 2016, but in Dec 2024 I started using Rouvy, and have really enjoyed it.
I dabbled with their workout programs, but for about the last 8 weeks I have been following a training program on Rouvy, and have a couple of others lined up afterwards as well.

I'm currently on: Serious FTP Builder
I then have these 3 lined up over the spring and into the start of summer - though I have noticed the VO2 max one will need some additional workouts, or races more likely.
View attachment 799948
I'm visiting Spain in March and June, so this has motivated me to try and get fitter, stronger and lighter.
Poor old TR has been mostly sidelined, and my renewal is coming up in July - I am fortunate to still have the relatively cheaper annual cost of around £80 I think it is, but am unsure whether to continue with it or not.
I don't really need the visual part for the workouts, if it's easy enough I will watch a program, if it's a tough session I normally am just watching the stats etc, so there's no real advantage that Rouvy holds over TR, other than the fact I am enjoying the routes and races on there.

One thing I have found, as a not very powerful rider, Rouvy seems to estimate my FTP lower than TR - the TR AI FTP detection still works, and as an example, I believe Rouvy had me down as 204, but I set it to 210, as after that many years I have a fairly good handle for it, and yesterday I had TR generate me an AI FTP, and it came back with 214.
Some of the Rouvy workouts are tougher, I completed an 0.89IF one the other day, but generally I'm never doubting whether I can make it through.

On the TR ones there were times when I really had to dig deep, count my pedal strokes etc, to make it through - but I'm a stubborn mule when it comes to completing all of the intervals, especially once I am a reasonable way through.
So my question is, should I just go with the Rouvy figure, and or should I up the percentage on the workouts?
I'd prefer not to tinker given the choice.

Additionally does anyone who uses Rouvy for workouts find it, in their experience, to be as good, or maybe 90% as good as TR?

Thanks

Dan

Hi Dan.

I've not used Rouvy so can't help there I'm afraid.

Choice of FTP is a subject that 10 people will give you 11 different views - so buckle up. At least there is not a massive difference between your Rouvy FTP and the AI FTP from TR. I'd probably leave both of them where they are as they sound like they are working well to give you challenging workouts.

I like TR AI at the moment as it adjusts future workouts after every new input to the system - which I assume the Rouvy Plans will not.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Cold and sore throat at moment. Just been easy walks this week. Hopefully back at it next week, but will ease my way back.

 

[HLaB]

No spin tonight which made it hard to meet the target without actually wearing me out :-/

Over/Unders though are my nemesis workouts.

 

[Dan Lotus]

Fang mountain is a beast - I'm pretty sure I tried it, or a very similar TR workout, as the first workout on my then new Neo OG.
Needless to say I died a thousand deaths, as the Vortex that went before it, was clearly over reporting by about 10% 🤯

Hi Dan.

I've not used Rouvy so can't help there I'm afraid.

Choice of FTP is a subject that 10 people will give you 11 different views - so buckle up. At least there is not a massive difference between your Rouvy FTP and the AI FTP from TR. I'd probably leave both of them where they are as they sound like they are working well to give you challenging workouts.

I like TR AI at the moment as it adjusts future workouts after every new input to the system - which I assume the Rouvy Plans will not.

Good call, and yes I believe you are correct, in that Rouvy does not adapt.

I think the logical step was right in front of me - I'm finishing a 6 week Rouvy plan today, so I think instead of starting another Rouvy one on Monday, I'll try a TR one next, see how that goes, whether I feel there are more tangible improvements and then go from there.
Once it gives me a new FTP, I might try and apply that to Rouvy, and see how the workouts feel then.

 

[Dan Lotus]

I've configured a TR plan (Low volume General build) to start tomorrow.

It's theoretically an 8 week block, but with two recovery weeks built in - depending on how I feel, I may shelve the first one, and then the 2nd one would be the week I'll be in Spain anyway.

I did look at their 'AI build me a plan thing' but couldn't see anyway to put in how much time I had available, and it just kept coming up with 5 workouts a week, and a time required of over 7 hours!
If I could I would, but I don't have that time to spare sadly - weird I could find no way to specify what time I had to spare, so instead I went in manually and did it that way. It's only 3 workouts a week, though one is a 90 minute one, and if there are some interesting Rouvy races I might add one in, and maybe drop the 90 down to a 60 - plus the 60s I can fit in during a long lunch, anything north of an hour is much more of a challenge.
It's a little frustrating that TR doesn't allow you to specify volume and length of the workouts, as for my life I'd prefer either four 1 hour workouts, or two 1 hour ones, plus two 45 minute ones - maybe they have, and I just haven't found it yet.

I completed a race of sorts on Rouvy today, it was a Girona one, and I just scraped into the top half - Rouvy suggests my FTP is 201, TR already has me at 214.
Interestingly, I note on the TR calendar, it's AI prediction for my FTP on only March 6th, is 234!
I'd love that, but I have my doubts - be interesting to see how far apart the FTP readings get, it is a little confusing at present.

Historically with TR the ftp increases have always been pretty constant, and measured, bigger jumps when less fit, and then as I get nearer to my ceiling it has tended to be 1 watt per week, or something in that arena.
Anyway, I'm pleased I am giving TR another crack at the whip, I'll report back on how I get on in due course, and what the ftp comparison goes like.
We're kicking off with a lovely VO2 0.89IF just to start things off with a real bang

 

[Norry1]

I've configured a TR plan (Low volume General build) to start tomorrow.

It's theoretically an 8 week block, but with two recovery weeks built in - depending on how I feel, I may shelve the first one, and then the 2nd one would be the week I'll be in Spain anyway.

I did look at their 'AI build me a plan thing' but couldn't see anyway to put in how much time I had available, and it just kept coming up with 5 workouts a week, and a time required of over 7 hours!
If I could I would, but I don't have that time to spare sadly - weird I could find no way to specify what time I had to spare, so instead I went in manually and did it that way. It's only 3 workouts a week, though one is a 90 minute one, and if there are some interesting Rouvy races I might add one in, and maybe drop the 90 down to a 60 - plus the 60s I can fit in during a long lunch, anything north of an hour is much more of a challenge.
It's a little frustrating that TR doesn't allow you to specify volume and length of the workouts, as for my life I'd prefer either four 1 hour workouts, or two 1 hour ones, plus two 45 minute ones - maybe they have, and I just haven't found it yet.

I completed a race of sorts on Rouvy today, it was a Girona one, and I just scraped into the top half - Rouvy suggests my FTP is 201, TR already has me at 214.
Interestingly, I note on the TR calendar, it's AI prediction for my FTP on only March 6th, is 234!
I'd love that, but I have my doubts - be interesting to see how far apart the FTP readings get, it is a little confusing at present.

Historically with TR the ftp increases have always been pretty constant, and measured, bigger jumps when less fit, and then as I get nearer to my ceiling it has tended to be 1 watt per week, or something in that arena.
Anyway, I'm pleased I am giving TR another crack at the whip, I'll report back on how I get on in due course, and what the ftp comparison goes like.
We're kicking off with a lovely VO2 0.89IF just to start things off with a real bang

View attachment 800336

You can specify how many days a week you can train and also how many hours each day in TR when you Build a Custom Plan.