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

[goneriding]

SOP Group 3 this morning. Massive group meant only one turn per lap for the first 3 laps until people started dropping off. The rubber band effect made things interesting and then some guy decided to join in and slow the fast line down which created a gap that I was lucky enough to work back! I felt pretty good for the whole session and had enough in the tank to have a crack up he hill on the last lap.

I'd have a crack at Group 2 but the step up to a faster, smaller group would probably kill me!

The upside was I had one new carbon wheel on this morning as I don't have a cassette thingy to change over the rear. Unreal cornering with the stiffness of the wheel. I even popped a couple of small wheelies up the hill outside the Aquatic Centre with the reduction in weight!

I did a TTT (sort of) on the weekend that had a couple 180 degree corners on a tight course. It was a good lesson in cornering and I noticed, in addition to the new wheel, I was more aggressive in taking the corners.

[vander]

SOP group 3 is/was getting to the stage where it was almost as fast as group 2 just because of the numbers. Group 2 is a bit harder because of the numbers but there is still usually a decent group, surprised they didnt split group 3 by the sounds of it. Then you jump up to group 1 and you only have 4 or 5 of you (atleast when I was doing it).

[toolonglegs]

Sick kids make getting out to train hard .
Snuck out for 70 kms with the aim of stealing a KOM and doing a 5 minute test on a climb. Thought I had done well on the KOM but alas no... harder than I thought .
Then headed over to the 5 minute climb, no chance of a KOM on this one with a couple of young pros often going up it like rockets. Held a good speed for the first 4 minutes but last minute knew I didn't have it.
Bit if a head wind didn't help but I have certainly lost some power... put it down to a few things ( lack of VO2 work and too many long climbs and tt efforts, putting back on a kilo or two , end of season , old age ... in no particular order ).
Any way did a 5.26, best is 5.12... really want to break 5 minutes but will need to get under 90kgs and on good form for that!. Top time is 4.17 by a young kiwi who races here at a pretty high level. One can dream right!.

[jules21]

geez you're pretty close TLL.

got my legs ripped off on a training ride with my group for the GORC in a couple of weeks. 145 km - strava says i averaged 300w, which sounds like a lot for someone who is used to having their legs ripped off by others. is this likely to be vaguely accurate?

[toolonglegs]

Ignore strava power mate... only slightly accurate on steep climbs with no easy sections... and even then with a big pinch of salt.
It does tell me on all my climbs that I am usually the heaviest rider by far because most around me are putting out 100-200 watts less on climbs .

Was all dressed to go out yesterday but my son was in hospital and my wife was staying with him both nights... and she had all the keys to cellars and garages!. So couldn't get my bike!.
Finally got out today but stayed away from hills. Too much eating and not enough riding!. Pushed hard on a couple of 10km sections and kept nice mid 40 avs, 5 man TT this Sunday, then I really will hang up the TT bike. CX can't be far off as the weather is turning crap.

[foo on patrol]

Hope it's not to serious, with your son TLL.

Foo

[Ken Ho]

Finally getting some form back into my legs.
38km today at average 31.38 kph. That's my first ride over an average of 30 in a couple of months. I'm taking the P3 out tomorrow over the same route to compare times. I won't be surprised if I'm slower on it. Still getting used to it and holding the aero position.

[toolonglegs]

Hope it's not to serious, with your son TLL.

Foo

he is ok mate... Appendicitis op. GP spotted it nice and early, visited the hospital at 9am without an appointment and appendix were out by 1pm ... Not bad service!.

[toolonglegs]

2nd hard day today... Just ground out a quick 65 or so trying to stay away from all out efforts ( fed my strava fix yesterday )... But it was rather windy and keeping a 31av hurt, more so on the flats than the hills!.
TTT isn't happening after all... So tt'ing is definitely over for the year... ... Saw the qualifiers for the French champs this weekend and I would have easily qualified had I been allowed.
Oh well... Better start swapping out bikes and gear soon... 5 months of shite weather is starting already!.

[Ken Ho]

Another good ride today, average 33kph over the same route as I did yesterday, this time on Cervelo P3, training wheels, no sperm hat.
Got shaved a bunch of times, and on the last one I was riding right on the edge of the shoulderless road, and flinched, ending me off into the gravel. A quick bit of cyclocross through a ditch and onto the farm headland, all still in the aero position and I proved that the P3 is not just fast on road, it's quite quick off as well.

[toolonglegs]

Rain hasn't stopped for a few days and temps have dropped... Plus looking after a young patient.
So first session on the home trainer in a while. 1 hour to the second... 10 minute warm up... 20minutes hard... 5 minute spin... 20minutes even harder... 5 minute cool down.
I hate my home trainer!... 1hour solid up a giant mountain would be so much easier than staring at a speedo while suffering in front of a fan.
Plus my back hurts for the first time Ina while... For some reason riding a mag trainer is really hard on my hamstrings and that goes straight into my back .
Oh the joy!.

[zebedee]

great training ride with a huge warragul bunch this morning, 40km loop at 36kmh average. 4 new PRs on strava.

[flow.rider]

Preston to King Lake West and back.

I was 10 mins away from home and my rd started slipping so I went back to South Morang to get it fixed.

All up 100.3 kms

I kinda impressed myself on this one the northerly wind on the way was very strong.

I just wanna sleep now.

[Ken Ho]

I hear ya on the mag trainier TLL. 20mins and I'm ready to quit. On the road, I just feel warmed up after that time.
Another smoking ride with the friendly Mackay crew tonight, under Captain Deon of Prolite fame. A lovely moonlit night and a wonderful 44km.

[twizzle]

Toughen up!

My trainer sends my 'nads to sleep - that's real suffering.


Sent from my iThingy...

[toolonglegs]

Toughen up!

My trainer sends my 'nads to sleep - that's real suffering.


Sent from my iThingy...

Does to mine as well ... I don't like standing up on the trainer to give them a rest... don't want to crack more drop outs!. Having the aero attachments on the bars on makes life a lot easier on the trainer though, more positions to chose from.

[skull]

Toughen up!

My trainer sends my 'nads to sleep - that's real suffering.


Sent from my iThingy...

Had that issue this morning

Spent an hour on the rollers and when I was done had pins and needles in the frank and beans.

[twizzle]

And yet it rarely happens on the road... Damn you, trainer!


Sent from my iThingy...

[foo on patrol]

Used to be a common occurrence when I was training and racing in de younger days and still happens now (well when I can ride) so nothing has change for me.

Foo

[foo on patrol]

First day on the bike (roadie) in nearly six months and the Strava reading is 13.9Klms (AT) 22.3Kmh average speed and 45 mtrs of climbing look out you 6yr olds.

Foo

[toolonglegs]

Good to have you back Foo!.
My day was OK but not great... fitness has dropped off in the last few weeks and I wanted to get back on top of it.
Remedy... a 3000+ meters climbing in 70kms with a light weight hill climber for company.
Didn't go to plan though. Pick up was at 8am... he texted about that time and said it was raining 20kms away at his place, were we still going?. I said up to you, I am not too fussed either way ( not really true ). So he says see you in 30 minutes. We have an 80 km drive first and don't get on the bikes till nearly 10am.
Straight into it... 15kms at 8-9% av... but two or three km's average 13-15% .I just settle into my own pace, we pass a few guys in the drizzle going up with back packs on... my mate thinks this is an easy climb like Alpe D'huez, sorry mate this is in a different class . Rain starts really coming down as we hit the hard bits and once out of the tree's the wind gets cold.
At the summit it is cold, rain has turned to sleet and visibility is zero. Quick photo and off we go down the other side, very quickly talk turns to the bail out route... it is really cold, we are soaking wet and the brakes are on the whole way down!. About 10 kms down we are shivering like crazy and the body isn't really working so bailing is the only option. We were planning on adding on another HC col to make it a big day but that ain't going to happen. The descent is amazing ( the way the Tour de France came up the Grand Colombier from Culoz )... I have never been on that section of road but the hairpins are the best I have ever seen. It is so on the list of climbs to do now!... certainly longer andeasier than the side we went up but the views are loads better!.
We finally got back to the car 15kms later not really warming up at all... certainly best to have bailed in the end.
Now to put it into "Strava" perspective... the KOM for that climb is 59 minute... I took 1h22m ... I started at the bottom, the kom kid started nearly 100kms away and carried on for another 100 afterwards... no one is within 15 minutes of his time . The difference between "nearly" pro's and mortals.
Loved it .

[foo on patrol]

The only time I didn't mind riding in the rain TLL was in summer and that was if I started out and then it rained, stuff those conditions at any chance of it happening.

Hoping to be able to do more soon, as I am getting fitted for a CPAP machine and should help me wake up and feel refreshed instead of buggerd all the time.

Foo

[toolonglegs]

If I don't ride in the rain and cold I would not ride for over a third of the year... There's a reason my area has thousands of swamps but no river running into the area as we are on a plateau ... Rain rain rain.
Why you feeling crap on the bike?.

[foo on patrol]

I feel like crap all the time in general life, due to sleep apnea. Have not woken up refreshed in 20+yrs and working 70/80hrs a week just compounds things.

Foo

[toolonglegs]

Bloody hell Foo!