BICYCLES

Don't be discouraged. Let me add a few thoughts in no particular order.

In 2000, I went to Europe to race for the first time. I did well enough to get to train with the Belgian national team under their coach and I got to ride in some big Grands Prix. That's the first time I saw professional Six Day racers racing at speed in person. Not only were they ridiculously fast but the level of skill was so beyond anything that I had seen before, I couldn't comprehend it. I remember telling someone that I would never be that good. Well, eventually I was and I got to race Six Days, World Cups, blah blah blah. Fast forward to 2009 when I was racing the World Cup in Manchester and I was the only non GB rider on the track when the Brits were doing their final prep for their 4k team pursuit world record attempt and I'm watching them blow by me over and over and I got the same feeling. Long story short: everyone is a little shell shocked when they see how good "good" actually is.

Okay, now here is the sobering reality: I was a very, very mediocre professional. I would constantly get worked over by the really great guys: world champions, olympic gold medallists, TdF stage winners, etc. Yes, we were all professionals and all getting paid but some of those guys were so, so much better than me.

Additionally, here are the perspective of the numbers. Were my power numbers okay? Yes but what I really needed was to have those numbers and weigh six kg less. The best guys had numbers similar to mine but weighed plenty less. The few guys near my size had better power numbers.

Also, when you hear 407w for an hour, you probably think that's me holding 407w for 60 minutes. That's not. That's an hour's average power in a race setting. If I remember right, it was a 90 minute circuit race where I was in a three man break for over an hour of it. So we were moving. The 20 min and 10 min numbers were more of a steady effort and both taken from races.

Lastly, I could never replicate these numbers in training. All of my best numbers came out of races.

Here are my best times in standard timed races. These are from recollection so I might be off a little on some but I'm pretty sure these are right:

200m TT (for sprint qualifying): 10.6s
1km standing TT: 1:05.4
4km individual pursuit: 4:41.6
40km TT: 47:51 or something like that.

I never won anything in any timed race, although I thought I could be a decent road TT guy if I really tried. Conversely, for someone who never trained for it, I was always pretty good at team pursuit.

 

Impressive as hell. Ill try to use this information to be encouraged and not discouraged! I'm typing this with very sore legs. I've been brutal to myself this week, trying to push myself. I'm not even at a 200W average yet. I know, pathetic. But I'm just getting back into working out since a hip replacement and back surgery. I used to cycle back in the 90's (in my mid-late 20's). I thought I was good then, but I just rode as fast as I could go for as long as I could go. No telemetry. I'd blow past the club riders and leave them in the dust. I think I might have been blissfully ignorant. Thanks for the info.

 

It's about power-to-weight ratio...just like in cars. What's faster - a 500 hp 911R or a 500 hp e60 BMW M5? Hint: it's not the 2 ton+ BMW.

To properly assess where you're at, take your 20 min average power and divide by your weight (in kilos) to get your W/kg.

Sherpa was at ~6 W/kg but anyone (i.e., a non pro) at 3 W/kg+ is doing very well IMHO.

 

Your next question is going to be about physiological parameters. My V02max was in the 70's but I can't remember where (I want to say the lower side but they might have been 78 or 79 at the height of the season). Lance Armstrong's at the time was something like 88 or 89, I remember our doctor telling me. All of my numbers were good with exception of my hematocrit. My hematocrit was consistently between 39 and 41 percent when I was training. Just about everyone else was between 48 and 49 (and I know why). Anyways, that's practically anemic.

If there was ever a good candidate for EPO, it was me. I was offered it numerous times in my career but, to be honest, I was never really tempted. Not only was I petrified of getting caught and labeled a cheater and having all of my hard work and clean results flushed down the toilet but it also involved needles and injections which are way, way out of my comfort zone.

 

Well heck..theres a realistic goal! I can get there. I'm 190lbs at 6'3'

 

FYI, the world class standard when I raced was 7 w/kg. I don't know if it still is. It could be higher now or it could be lower. I don't know where the drugs stop and the better training begins or vice versa.

 

You can easily get there -- all day long!

I am 5'9" and 145# (65 kg) and FTP @ 260w. I am a total amateur by any stretch the word -- pounding it hard for about 18 months only, and I'm 47 years old.

Use structured workouts (I use TrainerRoad and Sufferfest videos) when on the trainer, and for every outdoor ride, "plan your work, and work your plan".

 

For FTP, I think you need to whack 5% off your average 20 minute power in order to roughly approximate a 1-hour effort.

 

GC wise it was a poor TdF. Quintana was ill, Contador fell, Nibali and Aru drove the Giro, Valverde and Mollema both lack the overall quality's to play a winning role in the GC.

Froome looked vulnerable this time, but there was nobody there to really challenge him and his team.

Considering the olympics, quite surprising to see Cancellara winning the time trial given the lenght of the TT.

 

Cancellara left the TdF early, probably with Rio in mind. An Olympic Gold Medal is a pretty nice retirement present to himself.

 

It's lower. If a rider is at 7 w/kg, everyone pretty much knows they're doping.

 

Actually, here is my next question: When you were at your best, what gear ratio did you usually use for a duration that was pretty much flat with no incline or decline? I'm asking that question assuming your cadence was close to 90rpm

 

Holy hell. That would be roughly 602 for me. If only. The thing that I dont understand is that with my Cyclops/Virtual Trainer Bike, I cant even move the damn crank with a power over 450. I literally cant move it, even standing on it. But I have upgraded to a large 50+ tooth sprocket on my road bike and can crank that along at 26 mph (Strava recorded) no problem (Flat terrrain, short bursts). From how that feels, I estimate that to about 230W on my Cyclops. So if I were to deliver 400W of power to my road bike, I'd be going significantly faster.

 

I have no idea. It depended on all kinds of things. My cadence was always a little higher than 90. I was never a big gear person though. There is video from the team car of my solo breakaway at the national road race championship and in the last 20km of a 200km race, I was in my biggest gear (which I think was a 12) at 55kph on a slight uphill (like 1% to 2%) all the way to the finish. You would have to work out that cadence but that might help.

Here's something that might help you even more: I would train on the flats in a 53x18,17, 16 at an average speed of 20mph at 141bpm for 6 hours three days a week. Yes, those gears, that speed, and EXACTLY that HR. I can't remember but I think it worked out to about 250w average. It was a very, very specific workout that allowed for absolutely zero variation. That was part of the aerobic base training that my doctor put me on. Over time, the HR would stay the same and the power and speed would go up.

 

Just went to the garage and counted the teeth to find analogous ratios on my gears. I cant wait to try it out tomorrow (for a short duration, I'm sure) to see what that is like. 6 hours at 20mph sounds downright hellish, tho.

 

I've been supremely impressed by some of the trips you've posted here. The one about your derailleur breaking and your knees killing made me think I never want to do that!

 

I agree about the lack of GC depth at this TdF. What I did find thrilling was the unconventional risks riders took and the quality of effort from individual stage winners. I mean most of us hate to see bunch sprints determine results after long hard races.

Froome could not rely on early TT races to create his buffer, but then he responded by making that critical escape, risking all on a high speed descent. That was wonderful and what bike racing is about. Despite the lack of consistent GC challenge, I think he did earn his GC win. If you look at the GC contenders, they all had problems, including Froome when he was out front on his own, but he overcame his problem while the others did not. The Sky team depth was crucial but Froome still had to stick his head out several times to win the GC and he won stages in dramatic style. The 2014 TdF was the one that was really messed up.

Our crappy cable service provider here did not offer coverage of the men's TT but I was happy Spartacus won the Olympics TT, I love watching him ride the classics, breakaways and he was always a contender on tough courses. I think the particularly tough TT course suited his puncheur nature. Still, you also have to wonder how high Dennis might have finished, if he didn't have to swap bikes because of the broken handlebars. He was only 1'10" off the winning pace and 8" off Froome's time.

 

Let's hope it doesn't ever happen again. In retrospect, I should have stopped for 5 minutes and found a tool (or rock) to fix the darn thing. My impatience cost me about 3 weeks of significant pain in my left knee. Lesson learned: no Strava segment or "group ride" is worth risking my health unless I'm getting paid to ride of wear a medal around my neck.

I've got a final climbing/training ride this weekend with some friends, then we head out for the Blue Ridge Breakaway: Blue Ridge Breakaway - Haywood County NC - next weekend. 10k feet, 100 miles. Whoo hoo!

 

I think that when I started those workouts, my power was 190w. And I was a decent pro then, too. The key is riding long periods (5 hour minimum) in a 3 beat HR window that raises your aerobic threshold. It is very hard, very mentally draining training. You can't do hills and you can't have a lot of stoplights. But over several weeks and a few months, my power at that HR climbed dramatically and thats when I started to get pretty good.

 

+1

In other words, L(ong)S(low)D(istance) at about 70-80% effort to build a strong aerobic base. Cardiovascular fitness.

I think that aside from the dullness of the experience, the sunburn and time commitment are even more daunting challenges. The issue with sun exposure is even more acute nowadays, compared to decades ago. There's also just too much stuff going on nowadays with people's lives as we get older in our ever-more-crowded mindspace. When you're young, you have less baggage and you can make a go at it so long as you have adequate support.

BTW, your cycling CV is nothing to scoff at. You really earned your place amongst the best in the sport.

 

Sounds a lot worse than water-boarding. I used analogous ratios this morning for a couple miles. 6 hours of that seems inhumane.

 

It's nothing compared to the tests they make you do to find out where you're lacking and what hr range you need to do that training in. Now those are inhumane.

They're 90 minute tests where you're in a lab, pedaling on an awkward exercise bike in this increasingly difficult power curve while breathing exclusively through these tubes while doctors poke you with needles to take and test your blood every 90 seconds. I hated those tests.

 

Thanks. That's nice of you to say.