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Difference between A3 and A4?

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    #62
    RowanHarley
    Registered Users Posts: 110 ✭✭RowanHarley


    https://www.strava.com/activities/1413608842/overview

    Just thought I'd share this training session so someone could tell me for sure if I should be in A3 or A4. Got dropped on a drag into loughrea after winning the hill climb. After that hill, 3 of the 5 lads decided to push up the intensity on the flats, so I spent big parts of the ride playing catch-up, eventually getting blown out the back.


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    #63
    easygoing39
    Registered Users Posts: 1,338 ✭✭✭easygoing39


    RowanHarley wrote: »
    https://www.strava.com/activities/1413608842/overview

    Just thought I'd share this training session so someone could tell me for sure if I should be in A3 or A4. Got dropped on a drag into loughrea after winning the hill climb. After that hill, 3 of the 5 lads decided to push up the intensity on the flats, so I spent big parts of the ride playing catch-up, eventually getting blown out the back.
    It tells us nothing! No heart rate or PM data,plus we dont know your weight either.


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    #64
    RowanHarley
    Registered Users Posts: 110 ✭✭RowanHarley


    easygoing39 wrote: »
    It tells us nothing! No heart rate or PM data,plus we dont know your weight either.

    Hang on and I get one of the threshold efforts then. My weight is ~60kg, sometimes a bit lower. I do have a heart rate monitor but no power meter.

    https://www.strava.com/activities/1391426742/overview

    This one has HR.


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    #65
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,545 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    i average about 27km/h on my own, on 50km spins, with about the same amount of climbing you do. i'm 42, and i would never have considered myself race ready. also, you seem to have taken a 1h15m break according to the elapsed vs. moving times?

    am i reading the data right?


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    #66
    RowanHarley
    Registered Users Posts: 110 ✭✭RowanHarley


    magicbastarder wrote: »
    i average about 27km/h on my own, on 50km spins, with about the same amount of climbing you do. i'm 42, and i would never have considered myself race ready. also, you seem to have taken a 1h15m break according to the elapsed vs. moving times?

    am i reading the data right?

    No, the app crashed towards the end but recorded the time since it crashed without including gps data. A good load of that elapsed time wouldve included changing clothes as well as the last 5k.

    Also, the average speed is including our warmup and is probably lower because the ride had one main hill which slowed the average a lot.


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    #67
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,654 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    Asking folk to his judge you off your Strava details is not the best idea, not much accurate info to be taken from it.

    My honest opinion is go A3, see how you go and enjoy it. Your P2W ratio will be a massive asset if used correctly. Race to see what level you arw truly at and go from there.

    When you are aware of your level get a coach or follow a training programme rather than killing yourself on the road each Sunday.


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    #68
    RowanHarley
    Registered Users Posts: 110 ✭✭RowanHarley


    dahat wrote: »
    Asking folk to his judge you off your Strava details is the best idea, not much accurate info to be taken from it.

    My honest opinion is go A3, see how you go and enjoy it. Your P2W ratio will be a massive asset if used correctly. Race to see what level you arw truly at and go from there.

    When you are aware of your level get a coach or follow a training programme rather than killing yourself on the road each Sunday.

    Looking at coaching prices, they're all very expensive. Any reasonably priced coaches from around the midlands?


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    #69
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,654 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    RowanHarley wrote: »
    Looking at coaching prices, they're all very expensive. Any reasonably priced coaches from around the midlands?

    A bit like L'Oréal, are you worth it?


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    #70
    ABEasy
    Registered Users Posts: 566 ✭✭✭ABEasy


    RowanHarley wrote: »
    https://www.strava.com/activities/1413608842/overview

    Just thought I'd share this training session so someone could tell me for sure if I should be in A3 or A4. Got dropped on a drag into loughrea after winning the hill climb. After that hill, 3 of the 5 lads decided to push up the intensity on the flats, so I spent big parts of the ride playing catch-up, eventually getting blown out the back.

    The lads who dropped you, what level are they racing at?


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    #71
    JK.BMC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 724 ✭✭✭JK.BMC


    RowanHarley wrote: »
    https://www.strava.com/activities/1413608842/overview

    Just thought I'd share this training session so someone could tell me for sure if I should be in A3 or A4. Got dropped on a drag into loughrea after winning the hill climb. After that hill, 3 of the 5 lads decided to push up the intensity on the flats, so I spent big parts of the ride playing catch-up, eventually getting blown out the back.

    What sort of training group is this? Who are these people? What was the point of this training spin? What was the point of 'winning the hill climb' if you get dropped the other side, for example?
    Are these guys you ride with not the best people to be advising you, instead of faceless strangers on social media? Do they regularly leave youths like yourself on your own - 'fxxxxd out the back' - as your strava file suggests?

    There are so many questions here it's beyond funny. For God's sake young man, speak to some responsible adult at this stage, particularly if your club allows young cyclists ride with adults.
    And ignore strava for the time being too


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    #72
    DirkVoodoo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,504 ✭✭✭✭DirkVoodoo


    As above, I think you need to take this to your club. You seem a little out of your depth and the answer you get here is going to be more of a coin toss.

    My own feeling: If you were destined for the pro ranks, you would probably be getting noticed now and as others have said, it wouldn't matter what category you are in as you would be mopping up all around you.

    Enjoy your cycling! That's the most important thing. Train hard, study hard at school and have a laugh with your friends when you're out on the roads around Loughrea. Go and talk to an experienced club mate who can better advise you on what to do next.


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    #73
    Glass Prison 1214
    Registered Users Posts: 1,153 ✭✭✭Glass Prison 1214


    I'd strongly recommend racing A4 to start with. Racing is a lot harder than you would think, and seeing yourself up high on the leaderboards of strava segments can be very misleading. When I started I was expecting myself to fly up the ranks just because I could drop my friends on a hill. The reality was quite different.

    And it's not like you would be stuck in A4 forever. If you are too strong you will get upgraded fairly quickly, and if not, well it probably means you are where you belong.


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