A3 2019

dahat · 07-02-2019 12:46pm

I actually carry a mini chain break tool with 2 spare pins though i've yet to use either, guess that's a good thing!!!

dahat · 07-02-2019 1:04pm

07 Feb Thursday Terror

Today was FTP day so the usual, 05.30 rise, coffee banana then on the turbo for pain!!!

The format was Trainerroad with 3 x 1 min high cadence clearing effort plus a 5 min all out effort then the 20 min TT effort. I matched my last 5 min effort from the previous FTP test. The test itself went good with holding a chosen avg wattage for first 10 mins then a an increase of 10-15 watts for the last ten which i managed though nearer 10 then 15!!!

368 watts @ 94 rpm, avg HR 164, 3.71 watts/kg which gives me an ftp of 349. This is my best ever ftp test in terms of watts & avg hr so i'm chuffed. Watts/kg will always need improving but it's not something i'm going to be silly & drastic over. It should come down to around 95kgs for May all going well.

I've looked back at my FTP history & from my return from surgery on August 1st to date i've lost 8kgs and added 50 watts to my ftp. FTP isn't everything but it's the basis of winter training so i'll take the positives from the results.

barry75 · 07-02-2019 2:01pm

Good result on the FTP nice one,
Its a very hard workout on the turbo

dahat · 07-02-2019 3:29pm

Thanks!

I think i've done all my ftp tests on the turbo, far easier replicate conditions so the results can be compared. I will however try one on a local climb this year depending on the weather as training will be mostly outdoor based once the clocks go back.

duffyshuffle · 08-02-2019 11:34am

dahat wrote: »

Thanks!

I think i've done all my ftp tests on the turbo, far easier replicate conditions so the results can be compared. I will however try one on a local climb this year depending on the weather as training will be mostly outdoor based once the clocks go back.

Well done, good to have a training log back to read, what was your average power for the 5 min test/part?

dahat · 08-02-2019 12:28pm

duffyshuffle wrote: »

Well done, good to have a training log back to read, what was your average power for the 5 min test/part?

418, needs some work & a little more to be gained there before the racing season starts.

Bambaata · 08-02-2019 2:04pm

dahat wrote: »

418, needs some work & a little more to be gained there before the racing season starts.

For me the 5 min power is more important than the 20, more likely to need to use a hard 5 min effort in a race than a 20 min effort (and repeated 5 min efforts at that!). It was a real limiter for me too coming from a TT background but its finally starting to increase through a lot of hard 3-6min reps!

dahat · 08-02-2019 4:23pm

Bambaata wrote: »

For me the 5 min power is more important than the 20, more likely to need to use a hard 5 min effort in a race than a 20 min effort (and repeated 5 min efforts at that!). It was a real limiter for me too coming from a TT background but its finally starting to increase through a lot of hard 3-6min reps!

Repeatability is the key word here for me, training for these efforts will pay off but its bloody hard work as you know.

5min VO2 are repeatable but 5min max efforts can only done on an irregular basis as these efforts require alot of recovery if over used in a plan.

dahat · 14-02-2019 10:48am

11th - 16th Feb

This week saw the return of VO2 efforts which as a direct result of improved ftp were testing though somewhat enjoyable in a sick way!! 4 x 1 min on/ff x 2, a gentle start for this years VO2 efforts. I'm away this Sunday so its a 5 day block for me so the rest of the week was filled with some threshold work and 5 min efforts Sturday which should be fun!!

I finally got some progress on the scales with a drop to 97kgs, pleased and hopefully a racing weight of 95kgs is achieved for March 17th. The reduction is probably due to a reduction in my beloved Hovis Granary bread, sad times buts needs must.

dahat · 19-02-2019 3:34pm

16th Feb

This session was a 60 min warm up with 5 min power efforts with 10min rest betwwen. The segment picked was 2.8% for 2.5km so ideal really.
My average for each 5 min effort was well within previously achieved wattage for same effort so being able to repeat these was very encouraging.

The last effort did hurt & i did need a couple of minutes hanging over the bars before i went on to recover & cool down!!!!!

My early season programme is set as follows:

Clonard 9th March
Carrick 17th March
NTW Wheelers 24 th March
Dungarvan 7th April
Ras An Laois 21st April

My aims for the above would be bunch finishing in each with a Top 20 in any deemed a success. A3 is somewhat unknown for me so while a Top 20 seems a low aim it reflects what i achieved last year racing. I am currently in around 4.3 watts/kg for 5 min power but i have repeatability on this number so hopefully my lard ass is strong enough for a positive result.

dahat · 27-02-2019 1:24pm

The good & the bad

Last weekend had some 5min power efforts with usual Sunday endurance spin. The power efforts went well with all above the previous weeks efforts of the same interval, progress if only slight.Sundays endurance spin was just two of us and really enjyed the spin with the pace even throughout on rolling roads and one decent climb near Clogheen. This climb is a fav of mine as it runs parallell with the first part of The Vee and has little traffic for the 6-7min climb.

All in all a cracking weekend and the feelings were good with weight solid at 97ks so the power efforts crept up on the watts/kg scale.

Tuesday had a new workout for me, race attack intervals. These were a warm up with a 15 sec sprint, threshold for 3 mins @ 90 rpm plus then a 10 sec max sprint x 4 with 6mins recovery between each. On every 10 sec max sprint i was overgeared with awful wattage for the sprint. My cadence only maxed at 110rpm for each so i'll need to be aware of this when i go at it again next Tuesday. In general i was disapponinted with the wrkout as my legs felt good & feeling positive in general.

A final note............i miss sliced bread!!!!

CramCycle · 27-02-2019 1:43pm

thekooman wrote: »

I never feel under fueled or hungry... I actually get hungry quicker if I eat more carbs than protein. It's also important to keep getting plenty of water into you as well. i had another incident where i was having major pains passing water... turned out i was dehydrated due to the intense workouts i was doing at the weekends and not drinking enough fluid. D'oh! :rolleyes:

I get the same with carbs, the more I eat, the hungrier I get. I get the dehydration bit as well, or I used too anyway, caused quite bad back pain.

dahat wrote: »

A final note............i miss sliced bread!!!!

Me too but the cravings do die down. I learned the hard way i cannot just treat myself. I used to think it was OK but now I realise I just keep eating and it kick starts the cravings as well so I just say no unless it is an emergency.

dahat · 05-03-2019 3:34pm

Clonard 9th March
Carrick 17th March
NTW Wheelers 24 th March

A nice block of 3 races starts this Saturday for me with hopes of at least one good showing high. I've been trying to adapt postive thoughts with visualisation methods twoards these races in order to break the absolute fear of A3 i had last season. The fitness feels good which helps but a nagging feeling that i could do with a rub before Saturday won't go away ( too many commitments to ge tone now) so a week of foam rolling will have to do.

Saturdays race is an out & back 76km so should be fast & furious with the likelhood of last weeks A3 winner a favourite so bunch gallop for minor placings most likely. If i am placed for a sprint i will go for one to get some practise in irregardless of any possible placings. Obviously won't attempt anything dangerous as main aim here is to get bike & body home safe.

thekooman · 05-03-2019 5:30pm

dahat wrote: »

Clonard 9th March
Carrick 17th March
NTW Wheelers 24 th March

A nice block of 3 races starts this Saturday for me with hopes of at least one good showing high. I've been trying to adapt postive thoughts with visualisation methods twoards these races in order to break the absolute fear of A3 i had last season. The fitness feels good which helps but a nagging feeling that i could do with a rub before Saturday won't go away ( too many commitments to ge tone now) so a week of foam rolling will have to do.

Saturdays race is an out & back 76km so should be fast & furious with the likelhood of last weeks A3 winner a favourite so bunch gallop for minor placings most likely. If i am placed for a sprint i will go for one to get some practise in irregardless of any possible placings. Obviously won't attempt anything dangerous as main aim here is to get bike & body home safe.

if there is one bit of advice i can offer... WEAR PLENTY OF WINTER GEAR!

DIED on Sunday. pulled out at 83k

dahat · 05-03-2019 6:15pm

thekooman wrote: »

if there is one bit of advice i can offer... WEAR PLENTY OF WINTER GEAR! DIED on Sunday. pulled out at 83k

You did well to make 83k, fair play.

Forecast not as bitter next weekend by all accounts, at least I'm hoping it's not!!!

I don't do well with excess clothing so fingers crossed.

Forecast looks fine & dry for Saturday morning so likelihood of a bumper filed (100+) very likely i'd say.

dahat · 10-03-2019 12:04am

Ras Naomh Finnan

This course looked relatively friendly and an ideal start point for the year ahead. As I'm at the other end of the country a 5.30 rise for an 11 o clock race with a 5pm arrival home meant a long old day.

I had decided to start handy and get warmed up by being involved on the early action on the faint hope I'd land in an early breakaway but it wasn't to be. The legs felt good and condfidence was high after an encouraging start.
The trip out was into a murderous headwind so we were all happy to hit the turn with a tasty headwind home, apparently quote a few were dropped here after chasing back on after an early crash.
The headwind meant pace picked up and lads got a bit tetchy at times with two lads skipping away not to be seen again. The focus now was to remain with the bunch to get invovled with the gallop. The Kms ticked away and I was starting to realise I may have a shot of pts here and I shouldn't leave this pass me by. However failure to mark the last 200 meant I started sprinting around 600 out and blew but got going agsin to finish well up the field and happy overall.

Onto to Carrick next week feeling confident of a good showing.

dahat · 11-03-2019 3:13pm

Man down

With Sunday coming being my main goal event over the winter my immune system has decided to inflict a cough upon me at the worst possible time. My schedule this week has AR today, SS Wed with a sprint session Thursday followed by the usual pre event on Saturday. At this point in time the sprint session thursday looks like being binned but i should be able to complete the rest while assessing hr during each to guage my internal illness.

Not a good start to the week....

Edit: I passed on today's 60mins AR after some honest assessment, I'm sickened to get this now of all weeks.

dahat · 15-03-2019 11:56am

Race Weekend

After a sickly start i had two good workouts this week, sweet spot & a max sprint session (30/20/10 x 3 ea) . Both of these went well so i'm heading into this weekends reace with good legs. The race itself is 96km so longer and lumpier than last week so how this ones goes will be interesting. I will be expecting plenty pace arly on but hope to postion myself handy as i'm expecting some action on a potential crosswind section given the N/W wind. Overall the forecast is for cold and slightly blustery with an odd shower, i'll take that all day long.

My weight has dropped again to 95.8kgs, slowly but surely the kgs are heading towards my 90 kg aim for the summer races.

dahat · 19-03-2019 1:38pm

Tommy Sheehan Memorial

As this race was one of my A targets all winter i was pretty nervous going into the race. The weeks training had gone well so i approached the race as the previous one, handy early with some intention to get away or get into a fluky break in order to get the blood pumping. This again worked well plus had a few digs on the first two laps with crosswinds on the open section, nothing stuck but i enjoyed getting involved.

I came very close to getting totally dropped on the long descent on laps 3 & 4 which is mad when you are at a max speed of 72km/h!!! Mnay matches were burned getting back on each time but i did eventually with the bunch easing up just after to let me recover. At 66km my right hammy & groin cramped which looked like the end of my day, this season though i've been working on psitive thinking, mind over matter stuff so i went into the 36/25 for 600/700 yards to see if i could ease it out. After this i was careful not to blow up so sat in to see if i could make the gallop for minor placings. 5 lads had skipped away on the last lap so the race was between them to sort out.

As we entered the last 15km my legs came back underneath me so made every effort to try get a good result but after making the sprint my legs blew up 25 yards from the line. I wasn't close to the last placings but from photo evidence it looks like i may have made top 15-20 which i am over the moon with. This was my first race beyond 80km so cramps aside it was a good day for the parish!

Can you check placings at all? Strava flybys maybe?

My next race is Sunday, NTW Wheelers which is 120km. The cramps could be an issue here so fingers crossed it wont be.

sullzz · 19-03-2019 1:42pm

dahat wrote: »

Tommy Sheehan Memorial

As this race was one of my A targets all winter i was pretty nervous going into the race. The weeks training had gone well so i approached the race as the previous one, handy early with some intention to get away or get into a fluky break in order to get the blood pumping. This again worked well plus had a few digs on the forst two laps with crosswinds on the open section, nothing stuck but i enjoyed getting involved.

I cam very close to getting totally dropped on the long descent on laps 3 & 4 which is mad when you are at a max speed of 72km/h!!! Mnay matches were burned getting back on each time but i did eventually with the bunch easing up just after to let me recover. At 66km my right hammy & groin cramped which looked like the end of my day, this season though i've been working on psitive thinking, mind over matter stuff so i went into the 36/25 for 600/700 yards to see if i could ease it out. After this i was careful not to blow up so sat in to see if i could make the gallop for minor placings. 5 lads had skipped away on the last lap so the race was between them to sort out.

As we enetered the last 35km my legs came back underneath me so made every effort to try get a good result but after making the spring my legs blew up 25 yards from the line. I wasn't close to the last placings but from photo evidence it looks like i may have made top 15-20 which i am over the moon with. This was my first race beyond 80km so cramps aside it was a good day for the parish!

Can you check placings at all? Strava flybys maybe?

My next race is Sunday, NTW Wheelers which is 120km. The cramps could be an issue here so fingers crossed it wont be.

Any pictures I saw of this race, you are sitting at the front of the bunch.
You also took a lot trimmer from the last time we met.
Well done.

dahat · 19-03-2019 1:47pm

sullzz wrote: »

Any pictures I saw of this race, you are sitting at the front of the bunch.
You also took a lot trimmer from the last time we met.
Well done.

Thanks!

That was the open crosswind section where i had been caught or left in front! Nce to get a few decent pics from the gram as well!

dahat · 25-03-2019 1:24pm

North Tipp Wheelers GP

This race has me slightly concerned for cramping due to the distance of 120km & likely fast pace. I had a busy couple of days beforehand with family events etc so i wasn't totally buzzed up for a race heading to bed Saturday night. Sunday meant an early rise as i had to drop the family to a lift for a swim gala so a 5.30 rise for a 12 race wasn't ideal let me tell ya.

There was maybe 80-90 in the A3/JR race which is a tidy amount on what was a narrow course in one section. I wsn't half as nervous at the start which may be confidence or not exeting anyhing from the race.

Lap 1 i did my now customary trying to get off the front or join early moves but after 25k nothing decent stuck so sat back in to recover on what seemed like the never ending lap of 40km

Lap 2 i tried again a few times and also closed down a few moves as well with the realisition that i'm doing too much starting to dawn on me. The legs however feel good so to heel with it, i'll race this properly till the end.

Lap 3 The winning break of 6 escaped in ones & twos so i missed this but i did try to join the winner 20k out but couldn't get on his wheel for the bried few seconds i tried, not wholly unexpected! The bunch ramped up for the reamining places on offer and while we caught some all that was left was 7,8,9 & 10th place for us. Narrow roads & a big bunch caused a few crashes with lads slwing down at the front so i jumped off at 1100 out and more or less led in the gallop though i felt like i was well away until 10 yards from the line when they nabbed me. I am fairly sure i managed to hang on for 1pt but no confimation as of yet.

All things considered i should have got 7th with a litte more patience but i'd have taken the result heading out the door for the race.

Did anyone else ride this race? I'd be curious to know how it raced to others. I felt it was a good soild gallop for a flatish 120km.

dahat · 25-03-2019 1:27pm

dahat wrote: »

Clonard 9th March
Carrick 17th March
NTW Wheelers 24 th March

A nice block of 3 races starts this Saturday for me with hopes of at least one good showing high.

This block is complete with postives in all 3 races, top 20 in Clonard & Carrick with a top 10 in NTW GP. A slight tinge of regret that i could have nabbed another point.

dahat · 27-03-2019 1:44pm

Progression to the next step...

The plan i followed through the winter to early March was a set package from Premier Endurance and with that expired now i've decided to go on an indivdual package. I have found i work well with pre set workouts and with time a huge factor especially midweek it should suit me.My weight is steady at 96kgs so a fasted recovery spin has been added to my sechdule each week which may help shift a small bit more.

FTP test today so hoping to sneak another few watts of an increase, 1 kg lighter than my last test which is slightly disappointing.

dahat · 28-03-2019 1:18pm

More power = more suffering

FTP has increased to 361 after yesterdays test, + 11 watts from my most recent test in February.

Stats from when i started the log on 01/01

Weight: 99.2kgs
FTP: 330

Current stats

Weight: 96.00kgs
FTP: 361

dahat · 01-04-2019 12:23pm

No racing= coffee n cake!!

No racing weekend gone so some endurance & threshold work done ovr Saturday & Sunday with a noce coffe and cake stop in the Coach House.

Dungarvan on April 7th was part of my plan but can't make it as i've to be in UL that day. My next outing witll be Ras an Laoisd on April 21st and as its a bit away a nice training block can be done beforehand.

Now just to wait till TP updates from Premier Endurance....

dahat · 08-04-2019 11:44am

Anyone raced Dunsany GP?

Is it a "safe " A3 race? Is it a race where non juniors have a chance?

CramCycle · 08-04-2019 12:20pm

dahat wrote: »

Anyone raced Dunsany GP?

Is it a "safe " A3 race? Is it a race where non juniors have a chance?

Its the same route as the Lucan GP, ie the Green Sheds circuit, only difference is the finish line is in Dunsany, with a right turn back upto the start at the end.

Can't comment on the Juniors but I have always found that route safe and race it a few times a year. Hard to say if the juniors will be winding down for exams, but I suspect not.

dahat · 08-04-2019 12:28pm

CramCycle wrote: »

Its the same route as the Lucan GP, ie the Green Sheds circuit, only difference is the finish line is in Dunsany, with a right turn back upto the start at the end.

Can't comment on the Juniors but I have always found that route safe and race it a few times a year. Hard to say if the juniors will be winding down for exams, but I suspect not.

Course be fine for me then and while not a fastman i'd give a good account there all going well.

Another race added to the calender!!

Miklos · 09-04-2019 2:28pm

Follow Colm Bracken or John Priest's wheel and you'll come out alright!

A3 2019

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