The training thread: How was yours? (today/yesterday/etc)

[simurs4]

did my first 85km ride today my legs where beyond sore once i got off the bike but are feeling pretty good now. might ride to work tommorow and see how fatigued i am. now i have to try for 100k's and that will do for me . im more interested in moving into ITT's so i just need to start doing some harder interval training now.

[toolonglegs]

Weather is still bloody horrible... wish the winter bike was built up at the moment as the race bike looks bad!... will have to hit the jet wash today.
Monday - 60km 33.5 av ... would have carried on but nearly 2 hours in pouring rain at 9c was enough .
Tuesday - took too long to get my jobs done, so bugger it, I had a day off... probably a good thing.
Today - well as I have to help someone move tomorrow I better drag myself out into the miserable grey again... just trying to drum up some motivation!.

[PawPaw]

BNE
Mates have been doing repeats on the Gateway Bridge for the last few months. I decided to go over there this arvo. Did 6 ascents before sunset.
It's about 5.5%. I did each one out of the saddle at around 60rpm, 20kph, 330 watts.
Messed around trying to get my centre of gravity properly over the pedals and engaging the gluts.

[toolonglegs]

How long each effort?.
I managed to stay dry ... 60 km at 32 av ( jet washed my bike at the start of the ride! ) ... Tried hammering a short strava segment but could only equal my 2nd best time ( for the 3rd time ... Think strava will only let me bet this segment if I do it in 3 second increments! )... Then hit a 5 minute climb but legs are a bit tired... Then 30km home into the wind.

[PawPaw]

How long each effort?.

I wasn't timing them, but the climbs from memory are around 800 metres, so that'd make each around 2.5-3 minutes.

[toolonglegs]

One of the lightweights in the club commented on a strava segment from a while back this morning... sort of saying I was still off the pace... cheeky bugger.
Well that's a red rag to a bull and I am a Taurus . Well my best time was 5.44min, he probably didn't think I could go and take 32 secs off that ... to be honest it kind of surprised me to climb at over 1300 VAM... and to be close to some riders who really can climb with the pros.
105.1kgs bike and me ... can still take 10 off me and 1 off the bike ... .
Finished the ride with the last 45minutes at 35 av... not really a tune up ride for racing tomorrow, but I had planned 3 hard days in a row, so 1 down, two to go.

I can never get analytical cycling working for me... but if someone knows how to use it... can you tell me how much quicker I would be at 10kgs less weight pretty please....roughly of course.
Distance 2.0km
Avg Grade 5.6%
Elev Difference 113m
Elev Gain 113m

Elapsed Time 00:05:12
Resting Time 00:00:00
Average Speed 23.2km/h
VAM 1308
Average HR bpm
Power 408 watts ( strava guesstimate... I have done that climb at 460w for 5 minutes with a power meter)

[PawPaw]

but if someone knows how to use it... can you tell me how much quicker I would be at 10kgs less weight pretty please....roughly of course

Analytic says you averaged 442 watts.
Let's say you lose 10kg and sustain the ability to do 442w.
Roughly, each additional kg of weight consumes 3 watts, so if you lose 10kg, you have an additional 30 watts to increase your speed.
Analytic says if you were 10kg lighter and pumped out 442w, your time would be 4m50s.
So you drop your weight by 9.515%, and your time decreases by 22/312 sec = 7%.

[toolonglegs]

Cheers PawPaw, I think taking another 10 seconds off is feasible on a day I am feeling really good even now, so at 10kgs lighter I think 4m50sec is feasible . Like I say I am not pretending I am going to compete with climbers, but just want to get over the big climbs in touch with the bunch ( big climbs in my races are not Alpine monsters... most are with in the 5 -10 minutes range at 4 to 10% average.
BTW... my problem with Analytical is the Slope... what do you put in there for 5.6%?.

[PawPaw]

BTW... my problem with Analytical is the Slope... what do you put in there for 5.6%?.

I just enter distance and vertical gain and slope is worked out automatically. bit I dont jse the website now, I use the same formula in a spreadsheet.

[toolonglegs]

Sorry I am a bit simple on such things... For analytical cyclings website how do you convert an average gradient into slope/ rise?.
Today I needed to get back on track... Not too hard and not too much vo2... So ended up with 100ks just under 3 hours with one cat4 climb thrown in... Wasn't planned but felt good at the one hour mark so opened it up averaging 35 for the last 65kms... Gotta burn lard some how!

[ni78ck]

dont worry too much about the maths TTL, just drop the kgs and you will smash it!

[toolonglegs]

I know... Just that strava makes it easy to compare ... Kilos are coming off... Just trying desperately not to get sick!... 2 sick kids in the house. Just what I need on a planned hard week lol .

[PawPaw]

TLL,
at www.analyticycling.com ,
on the right hand bar,
hover over 'static forces on rider'
then slide and click 'power, given speed'

for 'Slope', if you know the gradient in % terms, just enter that as a fraction. for 8% gradient, enter 0.08.
If you know the length of the climb and the vertical gain, enter into a calculator -> vertical gain (metres) / length of climb (metres) = gradient as a fraction, then enter that figure at analytic.
(This is strictly not correct, but for climbs <20%, the error is very very small. Gradient is accurately worked out by expressing rise over horizontal run; but horizontal run is very close to climb length on less steep climbs. )

for 'Speed', divide kph by 3.6 to get metres/second.

Analytic will then produce average watts for that gradient.

[toolonglegs]

Apple/shift/4 = saved for future reference .

[toolonglegs]

Grrr... Didn't avoid the sick children curse ... Hopefully it is a quickie!.

[gabrielle260]

TLL - know the feeling - I have a funny feeling I am coming down with the bug my 9 yr old has had for the last week. I get an early indication from my waking pulse so I'm putting the strap and monitor by the bedside tonight ready for the morning.

[PawPaw]

BNE
Intermittent showers this afternoon, so no crit training for moi. Instead a mate and I rode over to the Gateway and did 6 x 800 metre 6% climbs.
I was happy to not get slower with each one. In fact the 5th was my fastest averaging 23kph and 400 watts.

[foo on patrol]

Show off!

Foo

[PawPaw]

Show off!

Foo

400 watts wouldn't have happened if my audax mate didn't push me. He is yet another guy I know who can climb Mt Glorious Rd (Pei Rd) without walking any of it.
As it was, when we were 40 metres from the top on climbs 4 and 5, he says "now finish strong" and he leaves me for dust. WT?! I'd done the first half out of the saddle until the quads burned out, then the next few hundred relying on hammies, and then in the final bit the heart was complaining about a lack of oxygen and my breathing was labored++. That's the trouble with riding with stronger guys. They don't know how hard us weaker guys are trying most of the time.

[vander]

It will only make you stronger Paw Paw. I found riding with a lighter guy made me a whole lot stronger up hills cause I would always try and keep up with him. When you catch/pass them they are not happy.

[foo on patrol]

I'm a believer in sitting for the biggest part of the climb and getting out of the seat, for the last surge

Foo

[PawPaw]

I'm a believer in sitting for the biggest part of the climb and getting out of the seat, for the last surge

Foo

Yeah, that's the logical approach. But I am trying to build endurance OOS.
Next time I go, I'll try your way and see if I go faster.

[foo on patrol]

What are you doing out of bed, at this time of the night Pawpaw, huh??

I have an excuse, I just finished loading the truck, to come back to Brisbane. No wonder you can't climb fast.

Foo

[toolonglegs]

You wouldn't want to know my climbing technique then Foo ... it ain't pretty!.
Back on the bike today for a very gentle 40kms at 30av...NEARLY went out with the club tonight ( well I still have 30 minutes to change my mind ) but decided to wait till tomorrow... seems I got off a lot lighter than the rest of the family for once!.

[PawPaw]

Hi Foo. Why was I up late? well, that's small business self employment for you. Was wading through contract legal-ese, of all things. And I was reading BNA to relax my brain Plus rain rain, so no Friday recovery ride (and no Thu arvo paceline train).

HPRW C grade moved from Lakeside to Nundah tomorrow. Hoping there's no rain because they are shortening the race, and a few of us are planning some shock and awe multiple attacks.