dahat wrote: » Had my first spin with a Stages Power Meter on today, normalised power came in at 286 with AVG power at 221. Had a few 30 sec sprint's and max power was 800 watts or so (questionable). I have entered my FTP on my 520 at 215 but I suspect it is a bit higher so I must do my next FTP via the head unit on the TCR.
Seadin wrote: » Does normalised power not give you a proper measurement of ftp?
nilhg wrote: » https://www.facebook.com/john.oloughlin.351/media_set?set=a.10155786477669688.1073741840.645774687&type=3 Should be public and available to all, any issues let me know
dahat wrote: » Nice to hear lads getting away tbh,all, i heard all winter was A4 breakaways never stay away etc etc.
Harrybelafonte wrote: » A4 is changing. Thanks God.
Stevieg2009 wrote: » It is for sure some quality riders prepared to go now and take a chance I was in that 1st group yesterday didn't notice the winner going but I was just tucked in trying to hang on legs blew at dunmurry the last time after 2 days of hard racing but good start to the season boyne next weekend which is no walk in the park..
thekooman wrote: » the first 6 weeks of the season see the races dominated by breaks in A4. after that its usually bunch sprints. the stronger lads are weened out and have moved up to A3. Clonard was a bunch sprint on Sat and i heard there were some very strong lads in it but the bunch was well whittled down at the end.
dahat wrote: » Advice given to me was to stay as handy as I can without getting too far up near the top early doors. Seems to be spot on if I'm to avoid early splits.
tuxy wrote: » There is no shame in getting dropped. If you are worried about what others think of you, you will not progress.
tuxy wrote: » Yes, if you are not up to speed by now just use races as quality training sessions. Hang in as long as you can. If you get completely dropped take a bit of a breather and do some good intervals as you complete the circuit. There is no shame in getting dropped. If you are worried about what others think of you, you will not progress.
crazy_kenny wrote: » Got dropped twice at Lacey Cup recently. Rejoined bunch on both occasions after a lot of suffering. Lost contact again on last 5km drag but was happy with effort. Over the 2 hours racing I averaged 197 watts at 63kg. This was my highest average recorded in a race probably because I was chasing so much. I'm finding my positioning really poor. I tend to sit towards the back and don't really bother moving up until splits start happening. At the Lacey cup when the split happened I couldn't bridge the gap. How do others get good positioning and hold that position in the bunch?
InTheAttic wrote: » Everyone is given that advice. It's exactly what was said to me before newbridge - "try and get up around top 10-15 when the drags start so you aren't dropped". I did exactly that on the first lap and was out the back door of the front group during the second drag. I then watched the front group of 20 round the bend of dunmurray drag and disappear. Race over in the first few kilometers. A lot of people underestimate the power of some riders in A4. To me, it sounds like you're putting off the inevitable. Just get out and race and give it a go. Nearly all of us are dropped in our first few races.
dahat wrote: » I'm going to set off as handy as possible
crazy_kenny wrote: » I'm finding my positioning really poor. I tend to sit towards the back and don't really bother moving up until splits start happening. At the Lacey cup when the split happened I couldn't bridge the gap. How do others get good positioning and hold that position in the bunch?
Stevieg2009 wrote: » Spot on there today's A4 rider is tomorrow's A1 rider in a lot of cases never underestimate that....
tuxy wrote: » Don't just go out and cycling at a steady speed for a few hours. But if you have been doing that it's ok this gives you a good base endurance level. Now you must do intervals, you need high power for 1,2 and even 4 mins. And you need to have quick recovery after these efforts. It's not difficult but it just takes the right type of training.
harringtonp wrote: » Yes you'd be pleasantly surprised at how things can calm down later in the year when both A4 and A3 are left with guys whose level is primarily that of the category. Most of your "A1 material" A4s and A3s have moved up at that point. Some guys go from A4 to A1 in a year and its not like they are typical A4 when racing in that category. Did Broadford last Sunday and being an M50 was able to do the A4 race rather than the A1/2/3 (A3 license). And was it handy ? Not a chance, there was a guy from the chain gang cycling club in Kerry who was the only one in shorts on a savage day. He drove it hard from the go finishing 2nd in the end. Was waiting for him (and the 1 or 2 other helpers) to tire but they never did and even just following wheels the whole race I completely blew 3rd time up the climb. This was a very different from my memory of A4 races some years back... then again I am older
crazy_kenny wrote: » That guy from the chain gang won the Lacey Cup A4 the previous week. Similar story drove it from the start to finish. Probably upgraded now.
dahat wrote: » TrainerRoad is the answer.....
InTheAttic wrote: » I dunno. I've been (I'm sure like many in A4 in this day and age) coached for months and have not peaked through coaching. In fact, my fitness has gone backwards as I spent too much time training on the turbo instead of out on the roads. Nothing compares to getting out on a long endurance ride with a few hard drags where you are willing to put the hammer down. Just remember to keep the power on when you come down the drag. If you can do that, it's a good start. I think data analytics is a bit overrated in the cycling game. I'll leave that stuff to the pros.
InTheAttic wrote: » Also dahat, I'm not out to get you by replying to your posts by the way! It's just a matter of opinions is all
