Beasty’s 2012 cycling pursuits ….

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

hope my advice doesnt come across as condescending as you have a few more years experience than me!

Not at all - you've actually done quite a bit more track racing than I have, and I've only been road racing for 2 years

In terms of the Wattbike, the absolute times are not my main focus, it's more a matter of improving my times, and getting my pacing and gearing right. Having said that it is a remarkably accurate piece of equipment, except for the starting. I can practice that by turning the air and magnetic resistance up though

I've only ever done two 500m TTs and two 2km pursuits (in the last two vets championships), and it's clear from my Garmin records that I lose quite a bit of time in the starts, and I clearly need to work on this. I reckon that riders in my age category typically lose about 4s getting up to speed in the pursuit, and a bit less in the 500m. I'm losing around 5-6s in each discipline. Part of it's down to gearing though, and again I'm hoping the Wattbike will allow me to experiment a bit more ton establish my optimum cadence for each event. Interestingly in the pursuit the riders in the Masters typically slowed down towards the end, while I was able to maintain pace throughout in both vets championships, and I think my overall pacing was good

NB - I did experiment with some starts at Manchester recently, but was then castigated by the coach for going too slow!

GlennaMaddy wrote: »

The Lion isn't roaring 250 kms a week like The Beast of Fingal ;-)

Maybe I should be in the same group as RobFowl then as he's over 10 years younger than me

Anyway, first 3,000km of the week completed - unfortunately none of them on the bike - guess that makes it a "rest" day:rolleyes:

TBH in the League races I took part in last season there were perhaps half a dozen of us who worked hard whenever we turned up - 2 of them ended up in Group 3 with the League title and runner's up position between them. On the Bog of the Ring I could probably cope (and contribute) in Group 3, but would get crucified by those half my age and 80% of my weight on the hillier courses

The last thing I'd want to do in a CP is just sit in and let someone else do the work (until we get caught by the faster groups;))

Back in Manchester this morning. I've been feeling a bit under the weather, so decided not to go full out for the full session. Instead I started my track accreditation process. I did get accreditation about 12 years ago, but it lapses if you don't do any Structured Quality Training at least every six months, and as my one and only such session was during the last millenium I need to start again if I want to do some of these sessions

The process is a bit more complicated than when I last did it, involving 4 different sessions to prove you are fit enough and safe enough to take part in the full training sessions and track racing. I hope getting to some of these sessions will help prepare me for the Masters events later in the year

Today was quite simple to show the very basic skills of line lapping - 20 minutes on the blue line (changing every half lap) followed by 4 laps at the very top of the track, perhaps 50cm or so from the fence (being so high on the track adds about 45m in length to the 250m track)

I started off warming up for 20 minutes or so - as I knew I wouldn't be pushing hard for the full session I took the opportunity to do a fast sprint, using the 45 degree banking to get up some speed. I did perhaps 2-3 laps at full pelt, and established a new personal record for the track - I don't think I've ever had my HR up to 184 on it before (only 2 bpm slower than my highest recorded) - I suspect it was something to do with a bug I seem to be carrying

Anyway, the formal bit of the session was quite straightforward, and I finished off with a few extra fast laps at the top of the track

Details of all the laptimes recorded via a transponder are here. I'm pretty sure the laps showing no 50 and 200m splits are those I spent mainly at the top of the track.

So after 23 years working for this company they finally decided to check out if I am likely to drop dead tomorrow, and offered be a health assessment. I certainly was not going to pass up the opportunity for a V02Max test paid for by someone else, so I've spent most of today in a BUPA hospital in Manchester

Numerous tests were undertaken. The flexibility test involved sitting on the floor, legs stretched out flat, and pushing a wooden measure as far forward as I could. After some initial stretching of the hamstrings in preparation I gave the test a go. I couldn't even reach the piece of wood - Fail! I wasn't too surprised given my previous back problems - 20 years ago I was told I had a particularly degenerative spine - probably more typical of someone who was my age now then! Anyway, I know this is definitely an area I can improve on, and I'm going to (finally:rolleyes:) make stretching part of my daily routine.

I was asked to move to another room for the hearing test. "Pardon?" was my response, and another fail ensued.

The grip strength test involved squeezing a scale as hard as I could. Now upper body is not my strong point - what really surprised me was my left hand is slightly stronger than my right one, despite being right handed, having broken my left wrist 2 years ago, and knowing I have arthritis in my left wrist!. Having said that, it came out normal overall for my age.

Then onto the lung test - basically exhale into a tube as hard as you can for 6 seconds. I ran out of breath after 2. It's very strange trying to exhale when you feel absolutely nothing is left to come out. Having said that, the biggest surprise of the day was that I apparently have a lung age of 26:D

Then onto the exercise bike, ECG electrodes attached. I was told they would take it up to 85% of predicted MaxHR. I enquired how they predicted this, and was told it was based on the 220-age formula, indicating a MaxHR of 169 for me, meaning I would just have to get the HR up to 144. I did point out that I hit 184 last week, but to no avail.

We then had to wait for the doctor to come in and supervise, in case I had a heart attack there and then. A bit strange really when I will hit over 144 when cycling alone on pretty much every ride I do!

I had to start off at 50w for 2 minutes. they said it would normally increase by 25w every 2 minutes, with the test expected to take 8-10 minutes, depending on how long it took me to get to a HR of 144bpm

After 2 minutes they actually increased it to 100w, and then 150w. They then applied 25w increments, up to 225w, when finally I hit 144bpm. I didn't break out in a sweat, and would question whether this was a true test of my V02Max, given other tests I have seen involve pushing yourself to the limit. Anyway the result was a "predicted" VO2Max of 44.2, putting me at the top of my age category. I know I can improve on this, if for no other reason than they weighed me fully decked out in winter clothing, with pockets weighed down with all sorts of shrapnel. I reckon that probably added about 2kg, which if adjusted would bring my V02Max up to at least 45.

These tests indicate to me there remains scope for improvement. My body fat percentage is 19% - perfectly healthy, but 16% would be equally healthy. I know that I could probably lose more weight just by cutting out crappy food. I have improved my diet considerably in the past couple of years, put there remains scope for further improvement. They estimated that at my current level of activity I need a calory intake of no more than 3,730 per day - I don't think I'll be starving if I can keep it below 3,500, and with a bit of luck I may be able to further increase my activity levels.

The tests showed that during exercise burns a higher proportion of fats as opposed to sugars (when compared to the norm) which indicates a decent aerobic fitness, and supports the view I am more of an edurance cyclist than sprinter

And so to the prognosis.

The bad news is I'm gonna die...

The good news is it's hopefully not gonna happen anytime soon, and United won, and City lost, and Chelsea drew, and no-one cares any more about Liverpool, as they're out of it (or more accurately were never in it)...

RT66 wrote: »

I care, so here's an old joke for you..


Ferguson, Dalglish, Redknapp, AVB & Moyes sitting in a bar.........?

.
Harry buys the first drinks and Rednapp the second, AVB the third and Moyes the fourth. Kenny's turn, goes to the bar and comes back with 4 pints, one of his own and one for Harry, AVB and Moyes. Fergie furiously stands up and shouts"WHERE'S MINE?"To which Kenny replies, "Sorry Fergie, this is the fifth round and you're not in it."

Track, Road, or TT - name the time and place RT66 ....

So after Tuesday's Health Assessment, it wa back on the track on Wednesday lunchtime and Thursday morning

Wednesday was disrupted when one of the older guys came off and they had to call an ambulance, meaning we were off the track for about 10 minutes. He was only going very slowly on the Cote D'Azure, but he had put a new tub on the front. You're supposed to rub them down with alcohol wipes before trying out new tyres on teh track - basically he had no grip.

Hence rather than pound it out for the full hour, I took the opportunity to try a flying 200 and a 1km TT. Conditions were far from ideal, as I had to navigate other riders on the track, and may have considered alternative gearing in race conditions. Anyway I averaged 44kph, hitting 47kph, over the full distance, which would give me a total time of 1m 22s. Aerobars, skinsuit and aero helmet would have made a difference, as would a clear track. My HR hit 181, which is a bit of a difference with the 144 I was limited to in the previous day's VO2 Max test (indeed it took me nearly 12 minutes to get the HR up to 144 on Tuesday, and less than a minute on Wednesday.

I averaged 52kph over the flying 200, which translates to around 13.8s, which is 0.8s faster than I did in the (outdoor) IVCA championships last year - I'm sure I can go a bit faster, particularly with higher gearing.

On Thursday there were 4 or 5 of us who basically formed a line, with 3 of us stsying on the track for the full hour, line lapping for the most part. It was particularly cold (indeed my feet were still cold at the end of the hour - I've been finding it warmer in the garage on the Wattbike. Hence it took some time to get warmed up. However once the chain gang was fully formed the pace picked up and we were averaging 43kph for the first 30 minutes. All but the two fastest riders eventually dropped off the line for a break - there was no chance I could keep the pace up with changes every 3 laps so I eased back a little also, before joining back in later on.

Overall I averaged 40.3kph, which wasn't too bad considering the previous day's efforts. Interestingly looking back at the Garmin records, I averaged 157bpm for the hour (159 for 50 minutes the previous day), but when I hit the front my HR shot up to around 167, dropping back to 157 when I was away from the front

In total I did just over 70km over the 2 sessions, at an average speed of around 39.5kph

Sr. Assumpta wrote: »

How annoying. Next time just roll/kick him off the track (potential spinal injury bedamned) to await his ambulance, and then carry on cycling; preferably leave him face up so that he can see you whizzing past. That'll teach him!!

We stayed on the track for a few minutes while he was lying there, and they'd pretty much already rolled him out of our way. I think the problem was he's probably in his 70s, and they were concerned he might croak it and didn't want the rest of us to witness it (in case it put us off riding again), so they called us off the track. It's not even as if he'd spilt any blood or anything, so the track was perfectly rideable.

I personally think they should simply ban these old codgers. Basically anyone who's 20 or more years older than me really shouldn't be riding a bike.

Training was skewed towards the back-end of the week following a trip to NY on Monday and getting about an hour's sleep on the flight arriving back on Wednesday morning

I held out for a Wattbike session on Wednesday evening followed by another on Thursday (after a drive to Belfast to pick up the new bikes), a commute on Friday and another Wattbike session last night.

On Thursday I did a 10km TT, improving my best time by 10s to 14m 24s and on Saturday I managed a 30 minute TT, covering 20.5km at 265w, which is only 100m down on my best. I know I could improve on that when fresh, and also need to get a fan for when I'm on the turbo, as I'm definitely getting overheated in these sessions.

I managed to get out on the road bike this evening. I'm not putting lights on the new Cervelo S5, and so was on the old (now officially "training" bike). It looks like it might be another couple of weeks before I get a chance to get out on the new bike

Total distance for the week was 180km, bringing the YTD to 1,387km

Next week will be front loaded, with a trip to the Europa League on Thursday and the Track World Cup on Friday, followed by a couple of days in Cornwall (I'll be taking 5 flights in 5 days, which will severely limit cycling opportunities. I'll hopefully get out or on the Wattbike on Monday and Tuesday evenings, and a commute on Wednesday.

Last week pretty much went to plan, with a Wattbike session on Monday, followed by evening training with Lusk_Doyle on Tuesday, and a commute on Wednesday.

In the Wattbike session I did a 3km prsuit in 3m 56s, a 10s improvement on my previous attempt, and only a couple of seconds outside my pacing in my best 2km, with the last 2 km being almost as fast as my best standalone 2km. I've said previously it's not so much the absolute time I'm interested in, given the Wattbike does not suffer the same inertia as a track bike, but being able to hold that pace over 3km improves my confidence over what I may be able to achieve in the 2km.

I managed to get out for my first spin in Cornwall earlier today, getting a couple of KOMs including a Cat 4 climb! (looks like Strava has barely penetrated Cornwall, making some KOMs relatively easy to get where they are already set-up - the main problem is finding them, so I'll probably have to make a few of my own up). Flat roads are difficult to track down in Cornwall, so I got a bit more climbing than usual in.

Total distance for the week was just under 190km, bringing my YTD to 1,577km

Tomorrow I'll be back on the track in Manchester for the second (of four) sessions required to get accreditation. I'll also be on the track on Thursday, and plan to get out on Tuesday evening and maybe getting on the Wattbike on Friday. Hopefully I'll be able to give "The Beast" her debut over the weekend

In addition to the 2 track sessions set out above, I had my first race of the season today. In addition I managed a commute, and evening training session and yesterday's road test of the new bike.

Total distance for the week was 250km, bringing the YTD to 1,827km

I've been suffering a bit from a head cold/virus over the past couple of days, but it doesn't seem to have slowed me down too much. Assuming no deterioration, the plan will be to do a couple of commutes and evening sessions next week, and then getting out or on the Wattbike over the weekend

Training went pretty much to plan during the week. I got the 2 commutes in on Monday and Wednesday, plus a shortened one on Tuesday when I was dropping the car in for its service

I pretty much TT'd the track session on Thursday, recording an average speed of 37.6kph according to the Garmin, but it was actually a bit faster as I had the wheel circumference set too short - the actual speed was around 38.4kph over 61 minutes, but it was probably around 38.8kph when the first 2 or 3 minutes of speeding/warming-up are excluded.

I tried a 1km TT on the Wattbike on Friday, but after a good start I tailed off badly during the final couple of hundred meters to finish with a time of 1:11.69, just under half a second outside my PB. I reckon I'll improve that when I get a chance to try it when fresh though.

Then this morning I did get a chance to get out on the new bike, and with some careful planning the Beast has managed to get her first four KOMs, so no complaints there

Total distance for the week was 261km in a fraction over 9 hours, to leave the YTD total at 2,351km which is just under 600km more than at the same stage last year, and I'm pretty much keeping to my target of 250km per week.

Plans for next week are another 3 commutes plus a couple of evening session, and hopefully getting another spin in over the weekend.

Bit of an odd week, after a longish spin on Monday, the lack of a car resulted in a 1 way commute on Tuesday, then a couple of days in London, with a commute home on Thursday evening, and back to work the following morning, picking the car back up on Friday afternoon. Then there was the vets DMS at Batterstown this morning.

A total distance of 210km for the week, bringing the YTD to 2,836km. That's over 700km more than at the same time last year, and over 450km more than the year before.

Next week will be a bit more of the same, with a trips to the UK on Monday returning Tuesday and Friday returning Sunday, so time on the bike will be limited making it another rest week I guess ...

It's been a while since I posted a CP chart, so here's the one I've built up over the winter training, with the black line showing yesterday's ride:



It doesn't tell the full story, as it does not include any data from my Wattbike sessions (which would improve the "short end" of the curve, with a maximum power of around 1,130w, and filling out the dip a bit at the 1 minute mark. It also does not include any race data (I'm waiting for the Garmin Vector to come out which I could then swap between race and track bikes) - typically this data would help fill out the long end of the chart - last year my CP was at 269w, compared with only 239w on the chart above.

One thing it does show is my peak 5 minute power (which is pretty much the length of the Ardgillan Hill climb) is just over 370w, which is actually slightly higher than when I set my best time last year. I guess it's indicating I've lost the "right type" of weight (about 7-8kg, or 9% of my bodyweight) since then, as I seem to be maintaining pretty much the same power output. Hopefully it will also help instil a bit more confidence on the hillier race circuits.

You can skim through the individual rides (black lines) using the CP chart, but I agree it's difficult to see the progress over time.

What I found useful were some of your previous comments about AWC. I see that as showing what I have in reserve when operating on or near the CP line. I actually suspect the CP line should be a bit higher and AWC a bit lower, but that only really comes out when I am pushing myself to the limit, which is typically in the Swords League (which are CPs rather than DMSs, and where I will push hard throughout the race)

... it's a pity the PM battery died today, but I should still have some interesting commute data to upload to Strava later on, even recognising the effect of the tailwind;)

A bit of a tailwind this morning - average speed on the inward commute was 38.1kph, compared with a previous best of 35.5kph - an improvement of 2m 23s. Icing on the cake was 7 KOMs:D