Zwift Chat

[Whorty]

Well I've done the ramp test. This sums it up.



Disappointed a bit with the result, FTP down from 215 to 204. But it is a learning curve when doing these test. I thought I'd get to the 300, maybe 320w segment. But failed at about 45s in to the 280w segment. I was spinning and not winning, i needed to just drop my cadence I think. Legs felt good, Heart and Lungs not so much.

Day off tomorrow unless the sun is out, decorating over the weekend. Then next week start on the Gran Fondo plan.

That's interesting .... I did wonder how all the workouts would pan out. Personally I improve more racing, with the odd workout, rather than just workouts. Racing I work much harder and get bigger improvements. Maybe do a month of races mostly, then re-do the ramp test and see where you are?

 

[theboxers]

That's interesting .... I did wonder how all the workouts would pan out. Personally I improve more racing, with the odd workout, rather than just workouts. Racing I work much harder and get bigger improvements. Maybe do a month of races mostly, then re-do the ramp test and see where you are?

I think I made a mistake in trying to maintain the high cadence rather than drop to 85-90 when I went up to 280. 260 was hard but doable at 95. @280 it was evident very quickly the 95 was too fast. But by the time that happened it was too late and I fell off the cliff. 90 seconds later I realised I had more to give but by then it's tooo late. As I said the legs had more, the lungs didn't

There is a learning curve on thses tests. This was my first so a bad one was expected but not desired.

 

[berty bassett]

I think I made a mistake in trying to maintain the high cadence rather than drop to 85-90 when I went up to 280. 260 was hard but doable at 95. @280 it was evident very quickly the 95 was too fast. But by the time that happened it was too late and I fell off the cliff. 90 seconds later I realised I had more to give but by then it's tooo late. As I said the legs had more, the lungs didn't

There is a learning curve on theses tests. This was my first so a bad one was expected but not desired.

shouldn't pay much heed to these tests , there is so much variables that can effect you , youve done a fair bit lately including outdoors hilly courses
you could be tired, dehydrated ,trying something different like spinning or grinding
if i was you i would take more note of what you were doing 6mnths back and seeing if you are doing better or worse than then - its a fairer test
i have never completed a ftp test that i can remember and dont know what my ftp score would or should be
you must be well chuffed with progress this year
i would agree with whorty and say join a race , it is so much more enjoyable than just looking at numbers even if it is basically the same pushing yourself much as you can

 

[peterob]

Well I've done the ramp test. This sums it up.



Disappointed a bit with the result, FTP down from 215 to 204. But it is a learning curve when doing these test. I thought I'd get to the 300, maybe 320w segment. But failed at about 45s in to the 280w segment. I was spinning and not winning, i needed to just drop my cadence I think. Legs felt good, Heart and Lungs not so much.

Day off tomorrow unless the sun is out, decorating over the weekend. Then next week start on the Gran Fondo plan.

I also did my 'after' FTP test yesterday after completing the same 6 week ftp builder that you did. My FTP also went down (from 324 to 295) but this time I measured using my vector pedals rather than the Kickr. I've found that the power drifts a fair bit over time with the Kickr (initially over-reporting and then under-reporting) so longer term I'm better off doing these tests with the vectors.

This drift also explained how I was able to get very good results previously on short races (which consequently got me into cat A). I'm more comfortable now using the vectors for power measurement (now cat B) as they are more consistent and a more sensible reflection of my abilities meaning I'll be able to get more from any future workouts based on ftp.

Well done for completing the builder TB . The last couple of weeks I found tough, particularly the workouts that had me grinding at 60rpm,

 

[bobinski]

TB, i echo what the others have said.
You have made great progress whatever the ramp test suggests, given all the variables hat might affect how you perform. So, get in and join the races or other group races.

 

[Whorty]

TB, i echo what the others have said.
You have made great progress whatever the ramp test suggests, given all the variables hat might affect how you perform. So, get in and join the races or other group races.

You might want to get to the finish line of some of those races/rides TB ..... unlike others

I'll be using the ToWatopia races/rides as my main focus going into the final training for ToC I'm also hoping to get a 3+ hour ride in on Zwift at some stage, but it's finding time to do this which is proving difficult.

 

[theboxers]

You might want to get to the finish line of some of those races/rides TB ..... unlike others

I could do the last stage today, if the 2 leaders don't turn up it could shake the standings up a bit .

I'll be using the ToWatopia races/rides as my main focus going into the final training for ToC I'm also hoping to get a 3+ hour ride in on Zwift at some stage, but it's finding time to do this which is proving difficult.

I'll be doing the Gran Fondo plan leading up to the ToC. Although I may drop the foundation rides for IRW rides, dependant on weather.

 

[Whorty]

Quiet on here this afternoon ... is everyone saving their energy for tonight

I'm officially unemployed, having finished my current role yesterday to spend more time looking after HID, so I'll either be riding more or bored and writing crap on here You may also find me on the high street, cap in hand, singing Simon and Garfunkel songs

 

[bobinski]

I wont be on tonight. Legs still recovering from Girona. Enjoy!

 

[theboxers]

Quiet on here this afternoon ... is everyone saving their energy for tonight

I'm officially unemployed, having finished my current role yesterday to spend more time looking after HID, so I'll either be riding more or bored and writing crap on here You may also find me on the high street, cap in hand, singing Simon and Garfunkel songs

6 months of leisure for me since my departure. I'm now getting a bit antsy but don't know what I want to do. I'm in no rush to jump back into the fold but will have to eventually.

Take the time to decide what you really want to do. You may find something completly different to what you normally do.

 

[Whorty]

I could do the last stage today, if the 2 leaders don't turn up it could shake the standings up a bit .


I'll be doing the Gran Fondo plan leading up to the ToC. Although I may drop the foundation rides for IRW rides, dependant on weather.

I looked at some of the 1st Century workouts and some of the sessions looked really dull. Just 3+ hours at set watts. I took @kipster 's advice though that just pedalling at one pace wasn't great for fitness as you needed to stress the body by varying cadence, power etc.

What i do now is create my own workouts based on how i feel. Sometimes i might do a 'race' prep, e.g 10 mins warmup, 1 minute 'blast', 5-10 mins high watts, then depending how long I want to ride I'll mix a few minutes high, a few minutes rest. Not very sophisticated but really works for me. My focus is always race improvement but you could do something similar? I find it fun creating my own workouts

 

[Whorty]

6 months of leisure for me since my departure. I'm now getting a bit antsy but don't know what I want to do. I'm in no rush to jump back into the fold but will have to eventually.

Take the time to decide what you really want to do. You may find something completly different to what you normally do.

I have a kind of plan, but it depends on HID getting a little bit better. We've just put the house on the market; if it sells quickly then I won't get another contract until we move. If sale looks slow, I'll jump back and start looking for a contract after Easter but we'll have to find a carer for HID too. I quite like what I do as a job (BA or PM) so will be looking for something similar.

 

[steverob]

More detail on Tour of Watopia - the basis of our next league - starting next week: https://zwiftinsider.com/tour-of-watopia-2019/

Looks like they're showing off a few new features to spice things up a bit. Also worth noting that stage 3 is going to be a group workout so we may need to arrange an alternative stage for our league (or just leave that stage out of the league results)

Will you all be trying to do the stages at the same time as each other, or can anyone post a result from any of the scheduled events? I only ask because I'd like to be involved in the league, but most of the time I couldn't make the races you guys enter, as I'm still at work well into the evenings on weekdays.

 

[Whorty]

Will you all be trying to do the stages at the same time as each other, or can anyone post a result from any of the scheduled events? I only ask because I'd like to be involved in the league, but most of the time I couldn't make the races you guys enter, as I'm still at work well into the evenings on weekdays.

Join ZwiftPower, in ZwiftPower join the CycleChat team then your results will show on there after you finish a race. We can then use ZP for the official times and you can ride as and when The more the merrier in the league.

re: league rides now. You can do the Strava segments solo and post a time up.

 

[bobinski]

6 months of leisure for me since my departure. I'm now getting a bit antsy but don't know what I want to do. I'm in no rush to jump back into the fold but will have to eventually.

Take the time to decide what you really want to do. You may find something completly different to what you normally do.

Weight watchers rep?