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Beasty's objectives for 2010

12467

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,141 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    Beasty wrote: »
    splitting it between outward (290-300w target), and inward (again 290-300w, but pushing harder towards the end when there'e more of an uphill - I've hit over 360w for 5 minutes (330w towards the end of a hard commute) and will see if I can keep it above 300w for the last couple of km)

    FWIW, I've now realised that the CP value under the graph does not mean FTP (CP60) it actually means aerobic threshold. On my graph the CP value is 4W lower than the CP60 value.

    Despite our roughly equal CP values (your 267W to my 273W), your AWC value is much higher (33kJ compared to my 16kJ). I am not sure I believe that your CP is lower than mine, but taken at face value...

    This means you have quite a lot in reserve to spend in the most efficient places on the TT course. Each kJ is 50W for 20 seconds, so you have a full 11 minutes of 50W "boost" in the tank.

    Generally speaking you want to push later rather than earlier, uphill rather than downhill, and with a tailwind rather than a headwind, so this would support the idea of pushing significantly harder for the second half.

    edit: didn't see the new course before posting that


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Race report here

    Time 27m 8s, placing me 20th of 39 starters
    Speed – 35.4 kph average, 60.4 kph max
    Power – 286w average, 290w pedalling, 297w normalised, 576w max
    Work – 468kj
    HR – 170 average, 179 maximum
    Cadence - 86

    CP Curve
    10mTT.jpg?t=1275076257
    The pleasing thing about the curve is I created a new maximum between 21m 30s and the race duration of just over 27 minutes, being pretty close to the CP curve throughout that period.

    I posted elsewhere earlier today that I only looked at the power readings throughout the ride, with a couple of glances at the speed also. I also checked the time as I was coming up to the finish to try and make sure I finished less than 1 minute behind “aeroman”

    In terms of the spread of effort throughout the TT, averages were as follows:

    First quarter 302w (normalised 313w)
    Second quarter 286w (normalised 292w)
    Third quarter 266w (normalised 272w)
    Fourth quarter 295w (normalised 305w)

    This confirms everything was pretty much to plan – keeping power just around/under 300w for quarters 1, 2 and 4.

    What happened in quarter 3? – I had just taken my minute man turned into the wind, and guess my attention turned to the final hill, and conserving a bit for it. It was only when aeroman overtook me that I realised I should still be pushing harder, and picked up the pace again. In fact, having him in my sights on that final hill was a bit of an incentive, and I probably only lost 10s or so to him up the hill.

    Basically for that third quarter I was at least 20w less than perhaps I could have been. What difference would that make? – maybe 10s or so, and it may have curtailed me a bit on the final hill. Hence although I think I could have pushed a bit harder, I am not sure it would have made a massive difference. Another 5w throughout the ride gives 10-15s off the total time.

    This also confirms I was reasonably constant in terms of effort. Interestingly I only dropped below 60 rpm cadence for about 40s throughout the ride and most of that would have been on corners, again suggesting I was pushing most of the way. The benefit of the power readings was I was able to make sure I did not push too hard at the start (I was sorely tempted), left enough for the end and delivered a reasonably consistent power throughout. I guess in an ideal world the power curve would actually be horizontal, but where you have to negotiate corners and hills there are bound to be peaks and troughs - my actual curve is, I think, reasonably flat.

    What can I do to improve my time?

    · The overall times were not particularly fast, which may have been down to the hill at the end, but is probably also heavily influenced by the headwind in the second half. Hence maybe I can go a bit faster in more benign conditions
    · Up the power will help, but not by that much, as shown above
    · Get more aero:
    - I need to experiment a bit more – perhaps raising the saddle, and lowering the bars a bit to see if I can stay reasonably comfortable
    - More aero gear – a TT bike and specialist wheels will clearly help, but these are expensive options, perhaps worth considering if/when I do a few more TTs. In the meantime, the pointy hat is on order – that alone may save me over a minute on the 25m TT in a couple of weeks time!


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    I've been playing around with the bike calculator to get a feel for what impact the descent, climbing and wind had on my performance in the 10m TT on Wednesday

    Clearly all the following is illustrative - I'm not saying it would have made this much difference, but it's probably in the right ballpark

    I ran illustrations at 2 power levels - 200w and 300w, and looked at the impact of climbing slopes of up to 5%, and descents of up to -5%. I separately looked at the impact of the wind at 5 kph intervals, from -25 kph to +25 kph

    Impact of slope - there was actually a net loss of around 30-35m over the full 10m (16.1 km) on Wednesday. In the first 4.7km there was an average downward slope of 2%, and towards the end there was a climb over 1.9km at 0.9% and then the final climb over 1km at an average of 4%. I have assumed, to keep things simple, the rest of the course was flat

    Instinct would suggest that as there was a net fall in elevation, this would work in the riders favour. However this is not necessarily the case as you typically lose more time climbing than you can make up descending. This was the case when I ran these figures - at a constant 300w just under 1 minute is lost, and at 200w its slightly less at 54s. Of course power is not constant, but similarly the rest of the course was not flat! My average power was 287w, and on this basis I think it is reasonable to assume the hilly nature of the course cost me (and the other riders, although their figures would vary with weight) getting on for a minute.

    Impact of wind - there was a northerly wind of around 20-25 kph recorded on Wednesday evening. This was pretty much a tailwind for the first 4.5km, and headwind for about 5.5km in total. There was probably more shelter when it was a tailwind unfortunately. Again to keep it simple, and hopefully not exaggerate the impact, I have assumed a tailwind of 15 kph for 4km, and a headwind of 15 kph for 4km, with the remaining 8.1 km being at nil.

    The impact using these assumptions is to increase the ride time by 23s at 300w and 38s at 200w. The way it works out is if the wind speed doubles the time lost quadruples. Hence a wind of only 5 kph would lose only 2s and 4s respectively. At 25 kph the loss is 66s and 100s respectively. Again this should affect most riders in a similar way.

    The combination of these 2 factors would appear to be perhaps an additional 80s or more in my own case, which suggests I should be able to clock a time of less than 26 minutes on a flat course in benign conditions. If I can up the power a bit, and get the pointy hat I should be able to get to less than 25 mins (hopefully nearer 24 mins).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,141 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    Beasty wrote: »
    If I can up the power a bit, and get the pointy hat I should be able to get to less than 25 mins (hopefully nearer 24 mins).

    Unfortunately everyone else will be faster too. ;)


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Total distance this week 252km at 28.1 kph and 205w - Normalised Power 225w

    YTD now 4,379km at 29.1 kph, now 269 km ahead of schedule

    This week should see the Swords League on Wednesday and a couple of commutes

    Now time for another chart:
    performancemanagementchart.jpg?t=1275248311

    This is the Training Peaks Performance Manager Chart (Golden Cheetah does something similar) covering the period since I got back onto the road bike at the end of March

    The mauve line shows Acute Training Load (ATL). This is a measure of recent training (past 2 weeks). The blue line shows Chronic Training Load (CTL) which takes a longer perspective (just under 3 months) of volume and intensity of training. The chart basically shows fairly consistent short term efforts building up my performance/strength over the longer term

    Clearly this is not fully populated yet, as it only reflects the 2 months since the end of March. However I do like the upward trend on this - you can see both lines reflect the fact I eased off a little the week before last

    The yellow line shows Training Stress Balance (TSB), and reflects the difference between CTL and ATL.

    The encouraging thing is the upward trend in these measures, which suggests progress is being made. You can also see both ATL and CTL took a dip the week before last, reflecting the fact I eased off a little that week. These charts can be used as an indicator of when you do need to take a break, or are peaking

    However there is a caveat with this - it does not reflect the work I have done without the Powertap, which was basically on the turbo when I was injured, and a couple of track sessions in early April - this would have pushed the left side of the chart up and levelled the trend off a bit. However I still think, based on similar information I have from prior to my accident, that the general trend is upwards


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  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Race report here

    The hardest race I have done so far. I think here are a couple of reasons - the course is very hilly, with 2 decent climbs and a drag to the finish line each lap. The roads were also poor in places. Although we did 3 and a half laps the hills were in the second half, so we did each of them 4 times. In addition, as I mentioned in the race thread, our group probably pushed too hard in the early stages. However overall I am pleased with my effort, as I felt I pushed hard, and was still pushing at the end.

    I'm not sure if it was due to the intensity of the ride, but I did feel discomfort in my wrist for the first time for a few weeks, and my back was playing up a bit

    CP Curve:
    clonalvey.jpg?t=1275680561

    I was close to peak power in the up to 5s range, and set new PBs between about 29s and 54s, and also for the full race time of 1hr 14m

    I hit the 1m to 10m peak power in the first lap, and as mentioned in the race thread normalised power was abolut 350w for the first half lap (10 minutes) or so

    Power average 250w, pedalling 288w, max 828w
    Normalised power 295w, splits Lap 1 317w, Lap 2 279w, Lap 3 291w and last half lap 281w
    Total work 1,133kj (over 1hr 15m)
    Cadence average 75, pedalling 85, max 121
    depending on which computer/software I use total climbing was between 500m and 700m


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 11,668 Mod ✭✭✭✭RobFowl


    Maybe have a chat with Paddy Callaly our club 10 mile champ. Just a few years younger but tons of experience. Power is possible less important than "feel" in a TT other than analysis afterwards !


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Total distance this week 203.6km at average speed of 30.4kph
    Average power 231w (normalised 254w), 5,200kJ
    2,000m of climbing

    YTD - 4,582 km at 29.1 kph (281km ahead of schedule). Total climbing 30km+

    Next week should see my first 25m TT on Wednesday - I've dropped the bars 10mm, upped the saddle 5mm but have yet to try the new pointy hat. Hopefully my back will survive the ordeal!


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Race report here

    The stats:
    Time - 69m 19s
    Average speed - 34.6kph
    Power - average 261w, pedalling 262w, normalised 269w, maximum 657w
    HR – average 162, max 175
    Cadence – average 86, max 114
    Work 1,087kj

    A couple of comments on the stats:

    Heart rate was very constant until I picked up pace in the final couple of km. Until then I only briefly touched 171 bpm on a couple of occasions. In fact I only felt I was breathing heavily during the last couple of km. It was my legs and not my lungs that were limiting my performance last night

    Cadence was relatively high by my standards – I tend to push in the higher gears normally. I still did this to some extent, and need to try and get more efficient in my gearing. The only times I eased off the pedals was at the 3 roundabout crossings, and briefly on a couple of downhill stretches in the final quarter – total time at less than 60 rpm was only about 20s.

    I was also on the aero bars for the duration of the ride, except for my near crash and the roundabout crossings. I did not warm up properly (spent too much time driving the course!) and should have done some stretching – this could have made my legs less painful (or alternatively allowed me to push harder with the same amount of pain, better utilising some of my lung capacity!). However the main point here is I need to practice more on the aero bars to optimise my set-up, and minimise any discomfort

    CP Curve:
    25mTT.jpg?t=1276207501

    The pleasing thing about this is I hit a PB between about 1hr 7m and the race duration of just over 1hr 9min. Given I was in aero position throughout and my leg pains I was pretty pleased with my overall power output.

    Overall, given the conditions, I was pleased with my time. It was my first 25m TT, and I know there is room for improvement. The IVCA standard for someone of my age is 1hr 5m 55s, and I guess this should be my first target. Better conditions should get me part of the way there. In addition I should be able to improve my pacing, and look to pick up the speed earlier – maybe with 5km to go rather than 2km, and if this works increase that by another couple of km next time. I definitely need to get more aero, but need to do it in a way that does not make the ride itself more painful – a bike fit may be the way forward here. Lastly I do need to warm-up properly. Hopefully I’ll get another chance at some TTs later in teh summer with the vets

    If that does not work, I suppose I could just wait until next year when the age standard increases by 25s;) If it does work, then I can start thinking about skinsuits and the like to improve my time further


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,823 ✭✭✭ballyharpat


    Beasty, how does your FTP or LT power at LT hr compare between your TT bike and your road bike?


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  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Beasty, how does your FTP or LT power at LT hr compare between your TT bike and your road bike?
    The bike is the same, just with clip-ons for the TT, hence it is not directly comparable with a TT bike

    I have never done any proper FTP testing, and hence everything I say below is based on (very limited) race data (I have only taken up racing this year, and Wednesday was my first time full out for the hour+ on the aero bars)

    In races this season I have been hitting around 300w normalised power for the hour. I suspect I may be able to push this up a bit in better conditions. Hence I think my FTP is around 300-310w or so when in the normal riding position

    Normalised power on Wednesday was 269w for 69 minutes. With hindsight I think I could have pushed on earlier, and I also think my lack of proper warm-up and stretching of the hamstrings impaired my performace a little. I would therefore guess I could push out a bit more than this (perhaps 275-280w) in the aero position for the hour. I'll clearly have a better idea when I do a few more TTs (a mentioned above, hopefully later in the summer with the vets)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,823 ✭✭✭ballyharpat


    Wow, that would be great if you can beat the 40k per hour on a road bike. I know there are differing opinions out there, but I personally do not stretch before a race or training ride, I have read that is stretches muscles that are actually better when left tight.
    I do, however, stretch after every ride-back, legs, abs etc. I did yoga for a while and it not only helped with my flexibility, but it also strengthened my core and it helped me have better control over my breathing when pushing to the limit, thus allowing me to conserve energy and remain calm when at full exertion.
    I did a sub 1hour 40k last year, but I was on a fully kitted out tt bike with an aero helmet, drom what I have read, the aero helmet is the best investment for time gained. A lot of guys over here actually put duct tape over the vents of their road helmet, if they do not have an aero helmet.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Wow, that would be great if you can beat the 40k per hour on a road bike. I know there are differing opinions out there, but I personally do not stretch before a race or training ride, I have read that is stretches muscles that are actually better when left tight.
    I do, however, stretch after every ride-back, legs, abs etc. I did yoga for a while and it not only helped with my flexibility, but it also strengthened my core and it helped me have better control over my breathing when pushing to the limit, thus allowing me to conserve energy and remain calm when at full exertion.
    I did a sub 1hour 40k last year, but I was on a fully kitted out tt bike with an aero helmet, drom what I have read, the aero helmet is the best investment for time gained. A lot of guys over here actually put duct tape over the vents of their road helmet, if they do not have an aero helmet.

    I'm not expecting to get anywhere near an hour on the road bike - about 65-66 minutes is my immediate target, then I may start investing in things to improve my time further. I already have an aero helmet (tried it out for the first time on Wednesday) - the next most effective investment is apparently a skinsuit.

    My opening post in this thread refers to getting 40k in the hour on a track bike at Manchester velodrome, and last time I was on the track I was pretty close - around 39k+ with minimal drafting (unfortunatley unless you have the track to yourself you cannot avoid getting some drafting benefit) - I haven't even thought of getting aero on the track bike yet, so if I could get a proper track TT bike I think would get the 40k without too much problem


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    171km at 30.1kph and average power of 223w this week

    YTD now 4,753km at an average speed of 29.1kph, 287km ahead of target

    My original weight target was 92kg by the time of the WW200

    This was subsequently reduced by a further couple of kg and I am pleased to report I have now hit 90kg, just in time

    Unfortunately however I will not see the benefit of this on the WW200, as I will be up at 4 o'clock in the morning to catch a flight to Miami, where I will spend most of the week on a beach at a conference. Hence it will be back to the hotel gym bikes for most of this week, with hopefully some real bike work at the weekend


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Well while the rest of you were sweating it out on the WW200, or racing over the weekend, I was setting up training camp - here's the view:
    miami.jpg?t=1276532194

    90 minutes in the gym so far, so another 40km or so towards target


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    18 hours travelling, an average 4 hours sleep over the last 3 nights, an aching back and sore hamstrings from a game of beach volleyball on Tuesday (with a 1m diameter ball!) - not ideal preparation for my vets debut today.

    10m TT at Moy Valley starting at 9.15 this morning. I go there early and had 20 mins warm up and then stretched the hamstrings before setting off. My only other 10m was with Swords a few weeks ago, when I clocked 27:08 on a hillier course. Today's course was quite flat (less than 50m climbing/decent) although there was a blustery northerly crosswind that was a bit troublesome on the open stretches of road.

    I probably pushed a little too hard for the first couple of km, then settled down into a reasonably steady rhythm. I passed my minute man during the first 5km or so - can't claim too much glory for this, as he is about 30 years older than me! Only one rider passed me with about 3km to go. I could also see my 2 minute man ahead but did not manage to close the gap too much.

    Time was 25m 39s, which is just 11s outside my age standard. My target was 26m so I am pleased with this time. I think with calmer conditions I should be able to crack 25m.

    Average speed - 37.6kph
    Power - 286w average and pedalling, 290w normalised, 649w max - pretty similar to my only other 10m TT
    HR - 168 avearge, 177 max
    Cadence - 91 average

    Pleased to see I am not the only old fogey around here. Nice to meet you Planet X


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 4,000 Mod ✭✭✭✭Planet X


    Racing tomorrow then? Curragh circuit, same as Newbridge GP earlier in the year which a few of the lads here cycled. Hilly though!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,724 ✭✭✭kennyb3


    Great stuff beasty, your improving at a rate of knots, the swords races seem to be doing you the world of good.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Planet X wrote: »
    Racing tomorrow then? Curragh circuit, same as Newbridge GP earlier in the year which a few of the lads here cycled. Hilly though!
    No - family commitments etc - only race will be up the local hill with the kids, as there's a family fun-cycle.

    Racing's going to be difficult for a few weeks - I missed last Wednesday's Swords League (Miami), and will miss next week (London). The week after it will be Disneyland Paris and then the week after that Cornwall! I may be able to get to one of the Dublin Wheelers TTs on a Thursday night, and possibly down to Sundrive the day we get back from Paris

    From the middle of July, however, I'm home alone (until late August), so aim to do a few more Swords races and try some of the Vets TTs and races


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Only time was on the gym bike until yesterday's vets 10m TT

    Total "distance" for the week 126km at about 26kph, bringing the YTD total to 4,879km at 29.1kph

    CP chart for the 10mTT:

    Vets10mTT.jpg?t=1277066633

    This reflects further PBs from about 17m 30s to 27m (the length of the TT plus another minute or so). This means that for all 4 TTs I have now done (1 x hill climb, 2 x 10m and 1 x 25m) I have pushed the curve up at the full distance/position mark. I guess I must be doing something right, as I am pushing beyond my previous bests. The other interesting thing is my power output in the aero position is not far below the equivalent normalised power in the races I have done, suggesting either I am not losing much power in the aero position, or I may have more to give on the drops

    Next week it will be a bit more of the same, as I will be away in London for 3 days, so the gym bikes beckon. I hope to get in a couple of commutes also.


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  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Hit the 5,000km mark in the gym this morning - now only another 4,986km to go!


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Plenty of time on the gym bikes again this week - 2hrs 40min in London, and another 40mins tonight in Disneyland Paris. Add to that a couple of commutes and total distance this week was 229km

    My back has been playing up quite a lot following the London trip. It seems to be a bit better this evening, and hopefully will now settle down. I am slightly concerned the changes I made in lowering the bars for the recent TTs have contributed to this. However the amount of travelling I have been doing certainly hasn't helped. I'm going to leave the bike as it is for a bit longer - if the back doesn't get better I guess I'll have to raise the bars back again

    Total distance YTD now stands at 5,109km at an average speed of 29kph

    Next week I'll be in Paris until Wednesday, but then hope to do a couple of commutes at the end of the week. I'm unlikely to get any time on the bike the following week, as I'll be holidaying in Cornwall for the whole week. I'm now 232km ahead of schedule but expect to lose most of this over the next couple of weeks.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,831 ✭✭✭ROK ON


    Disneyland Paris. Possibly the worst food experience in all of France. Other than that the place aint exactly that bad.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    ROK ON wrote: »
    Disneyland Paris. Possibly the worst food experience in all of France. Other than that the place aint exactly that bad.
    Just back from the Wild West Show, where you get the worst food of all - normally the vegetarian option is an improvement on what everyone else gets, but not here

    In the park the kids fancy a freshly made pancake - we go up to the counter and the "seller" pulls out a pre-packed one (the type you can get over with a 2-month sell-by date at Tesco) and proceeds to "cook" it on the hob, then dollop some Nutella on it - et voila - une crepe au chocolat

    The good news is that although I'm not getting much time in the gym, I'm not putting too much weight on either! All the walking, queueing, carrying the kids around and rides are not doing my back much good though


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Race report here

    I think I can safely say my preparation for last night's event was less than ideal. I was racing within about 3 hours of getting off a plane, and having been up before 5am to give us time to wander around the theme park prior to checking out. Food had included the usual airline cr*p, and I felt very dehydrated towards the end of the race (I can normally get away with drinking 100ml or so during this length of race, but finished off a 750mm bottle last night. In addition I've not been on the bike since Friday, and had done very little road work during the previous 2 weeks. Hence I am not surprised I was dropped quite early in the race, and struggled much more than usual on the hills - enough excuses yet - oh no I forgot the bad back:D.

    However I was pleasantly surprised when I reviewed the power stats. I was not far behind my previous performance on this course on virtually all of the metrics, and have managed to push up the power curve between about 1hr 16m to the full race time of 1hr 23m or so. Tactically I clearly got it wrong, and should have tried to stay nearer the front, but at the pace they went off I don't think I would have been contesting anything at the end. Overall it was a good work-out that should help me tick-over for a while (I'm away again all next week (on holiday), and will not get any time to exercise)

    Other stats:
    Total work - 1,244kj
    HR - 162 average, 176 max
    Cadence - 81 average, 87 pedalling

    CP Curve:
    Clubchamps.jpg?t=1278014350


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    A couple of twists which led to reassessments of my goals for this year, although I think I remain on track for some of the original targets. The first “complication” was the crash in February, but the Tacx then came into its own, and I managed to maintain much of the fitness I had gained over the winter. The second “twist” was joining Swords and starting my racing career. It was originally with TTs in mind, but I have actually mainly done races, with a hill climb and a couple of Swords and one vets TT.

    Having done those TTs I still think this is where my strengths probably lie, and I will try and do a few more with the vets over the summer. I hope with the right conditions I can get to around 24 mins for the 10m, and 66 mins for the 25m. The main issue is my back, and I do need to get my bike set up properly, certainly before I attempt another 25m. I have found the Powermeter particularly helpful in pacing myself for the TTs, and now I have done some I think I have a much better understanding of my capabilities.

    Distance wise, I am slightly ahead of target, and hope to stay ahead for the rest of the year. I have been cutting down the commuting due to the racing, and this should pick up again from September. In addition I have not done any sportives so far this year, but plan to do a couple over the forthcoming months. I am also expecting to get on a few more weekend spins/races once the family head south for the summer.

    Total distance to 30 June was 5,184km at an average speed of 29 kph, leaving 4,816km to do. This was split:

    Road – 3,667km at 28.3kph (average power 217w, work = 94,000kj, about 700kj per hour)
    Track – 170km at 32.6kph
    Turbo – 1,062km at 31.9kph
    Gym bikes – 285km at 31kph

    The track has been a bit neglected because of my accident and the Swords League (which takes place on the same evening as the Sundrive Track League). Hopefully I’ll be able to redress the balance a bit when the Champions League (and corresponding trips to Manchester) kicks off again. It will be interesting to see whether I can improve on previous track performances given I now have some (admittedly limited) racing and TT experience (I might treat myself to a new track bike once the family head off – hopefully it won’t be noticed by the time they get back;))

    Weight-wise I have dropped around 5kg to 90kg, which is in line with plan. I would like to drop another 3kg by the end of the year and will hopefully be down to around 85kg this time next year (which would give me a cumulative weight loss of getting on for 40kg over a 3-4 year period:)).


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    I managed a couple of commutes plus Wednesday’s race resulting in a total of 185km this week at an average power of 215w.

    Distance to go = 4,706km

    I remain just over 250km ahead of schedule, although this will diminish this week, as I will not be on a bike again until next Sunday at th.e earliest


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,032 ✭✭✭FrankGrimes


    Them's some big numbers Beasty! Fair play - sounds like you're well committed, hope it tastes sweet when you hit the magic numbers.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    No cycling to report - been on my hols and off the bike since last Friday.

    I have mentioned a few times that my back has been playing up recently. The good news is it is improving, with the back spasms having settled down. I can now touch my knees when I get up in the morning, and by evening time I can touch them both at the same time.

    Unfortunately the related sciatica is playing up, with pain down one calf and very little feeling on one side of my foot. I've suffered from this for a number of years, and it had shown noticeable improvement as I lost weight and improved my all-round fitness. Hopefully it will settle down a bit, although it will be interesting to see what (if any) impact it has on my power output when I get back on the bike (hopefully next week).


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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 11,668 Mod ✭✭✭✭RobFowl


    Beasty wrote: »
    Unfortunately the related sciatica is playing up, with pain down one calf and very little feeling on one side of my foot. I've suffered from this for a number of years, and it had shown noticeable improvement as I lost weight and improved my all-round fitness. Hopefully it will settle down a bit, although it will be interesting to see what (if any) impact it has on my power output when I get back on the bike (hopefully next week).

    It'll reduce power in the affected leg.
    I presume you've tried pilates or yoga to work on you core.
    If not it's really well worth a try and pilates especially is good for breathing as well.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    RobFowl wrote: »
    It'll reduce power in the affected leg.
    I presume you've tried pilates or yoga to work on you core.
    If not it's really well worth a try and pilates especially is good for breathing as well.
    I've suffered to varying degrees for the last 20 years or so, and have picked up a whole range of exercises from my various physios over the years, including some pilates-based.

    My last major back problem episode was the day after the 2008 CL Final when I could hardly walk after the return flight from Moscow - it was worth it though:p

    The sciatica has improved considerably since 2008, although I did not have a power meter then to show how much impact it had, so it will be interesting to see how much power I can still push out


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Nothing much to report - just back from holiday today, and it was 9 days since I had been on the bike - the longest time I have spent off the bike for over 18 months.

    Managed to get out this afternoon to try and blow away the cobwebs, doing just over 36km, making the YTD total 5,330km at 29kph. I am now 97km ahead of target.

    The exercises I have been doing appear to have led to some improvement with the back - the sciatica is still there, but not as bad as it has been in recent days.

    Assuming no adverse reaction I hope to do at least 3 commutes next week, and am also targeting a vets 20km TT on Tuesday - I'm not expecting anything spectacular given my lack of time on the bike in recent weeks, and the state of my back. I am marshalling on Wednesday, so won't be doing the Swords race this week.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    20km vets TT on the Mullagh circuit at Batterstown thie evening. The course was reasonably flat, although there was a strong easterly wind which became a head-wind for the 3rd quarter

    I would guess there were over 30 riders tonight, and I was 11th off. I knew that my lack of any particularly intense cycling for a couple of weeks, and the effects of my bad back/sciatica would probably mean I would be a bit slower than on my previous TTs.

    I think there are definitely tactics to be employed in trying to get the right slot - I really must target some of those septuagenarians, and try and get in the middle of them, making it a bit easier form me to reel one or two of them in, and ideally giving me a bit of a buffer to attacks from behind. Anyway, it didn't work out tonight - I caught no-one, but was overtaken by 2 riders myself.

    The first half was generally uphill and with the wind behind or from the side. I managed to keep up a decent pace and power for the first 5 or 6 km. However I did lose time at each corner/junction, and really must work on my cornering. I also need to work on gear selection - there were a number of shortish drags where I opted to keep in a higher gear when I really should have dropped a gear or two - perhaps I need to start thinking about a proper TT bike with shifters on the aero bars.

    I managed to pick both pace and power in the last quarter, although with hindsight I think I could have pushed a bit harder from further out.

    Time was 34m 40s, at an average speed of just over 35kph. This is around 2kph slower than my previous 10m TT. Average power was 271w, compared to 286w in the 10m. Interestingly cadence was down from 91 to 86, which probably supports the point that I was in too high a gear on occasions. I did push the CP curve up a bit at the full race time:

    20kmTT.jpg?t=1279054130


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    After a couple of quiet weeks due to holidays, this week was an opportunity to get further ahead of my 10,000 km target for the year. I managed 369km (which is a PB), including the 20km vets TT, 3 commutes, a Swords spin yesterday, a couple of sessions on local roads, and an hour at Sundrive this morning trying out the new track bike.

    YTD total is now 5,699km at an average speed of 29.1kph, putting me 275km ahead of target.

    I also managed to set a PB for my power output in the Swords spin - my maximum now stands at 948w, and I managed to push the CP curve up for the first 12s or so:

    CP170710.jpg?t=1279477611

    Lumen has highlighted previously that I may benefit from doing some interval work to push up the curve up, particularly in the 1-3 minute area. Interestingly virtually all of the curve between 5 and 90 minutes has been set in races/TTs, and I suspect this will be where I manage to push up the shorter periods also - it seems easier to me to set these PBs in a race situation.

    The results from the TT are up on the IVCA website - they've given me a handicap now based on my previous 10mTT, and this placed me 11th out of 25 starters (14th on a scratch basis). They've also put me (provisionally) into Group C for racing, and I was first in this Group in the TT (there were only 3 others from this Group taking part - however a win is a win!):D

    I'm marshalling again in the Swords League on Wednesday, which means I should be able to to my first "proper" vets race on Tuesday - a 40km DMS at Batterstown - if all goes well, there's an 80km vets CP at Warrenstown on Sunday that I may also give a go. With another 2 or 3 commutes thrown in, I should be able to get further ahead of my mileage target for the year.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,141 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    Beasty wrote: »
    I may benefit from doing some interval work to push up the curve up, particularly in the 1-3 minute area. Interestingly virtually all of the curve between 5 and 90 minutes has been set in races/TTs, and I suspect this will be where I manage to push up the shorter periods also - it seems easier to me to set these PBs in a race situation.

    Probably not with the shorter duration stuff. For maximal power testing you should start each interval completely fresh but almost need to climb off the bike at the end. This is very unlikely to happen in a race.

    If you're hitting your biggest numbers in races (TTs aside) you're not training hard enough. :pac:


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  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Lumen wrote: »

    If you're hitting your biggest numbers in races (TTs aside) you're not training hard enough. :pac:

    The shorter end has (until Saturday) typically been in races - I am hopeful one day I will be in contention for a race and will push all the harder to get there, but as you suggest it must be much better trying to push up the short end when fresh. For some reason, however, I do seem to do better when in groups (I hit the peak climbing out of the Naul on Saturday, and still felt I was not at my limit)

    I am encouraged with pushing the longer end up through the TTs though - it suggests my strategy is probably not too far adrift, and so far I have not blown up in one. However I do think I need to start extending my "final push" as I feel as if I am putting in a really hard effort for the last 2km or so, but could probably start pushing it (not quite as much) from a bit further out.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    After a couple of TTs, tonight was my first "proper" race with the vets - a 40 km DMS at Batterstown. This was very different from my races with Swords, which, other than the club championships, have been CPs, requiring a fairly constant effort on hilly courses. The Batterstown course was quite flat, on good roads, with hardly a pothole in sight.

    I was placed in Group C - there are 6 groups in all, with Group A the slowest, and Group F scratch. Groups C and D raced together in the second of 3 races.

    We got off to a reasonably brisk start, although only a few of us were volunteering for much work at the front, one who did put a lot of effort in was MC2000.

    Tactically it was a very different race to those I am used to, with lots more variation of pace, and reluctance to take up the lead. I did a few longish stints at the front, but did not feel it was taking too much out of me. There were a few breaks, most of which we were able to close own without too much effort.

    About half-way round the second (and last) lap someone made a break, but I did not even see it happen. He stayed away for the rest of the race and won it comfortably. I was handily positioned on the final straight, but should probably have either pushed hard earlier, from a km or so out, or left it later for my final sprint. As it was about 5 riders came from behind me in the final 100m or so, and I think I was about 7th in the end.

    Overall I was pleased with my performance, although I do need to think a bit more about tactics now I have done one of these races

    In terms of the stats:
    Distance 40km
    Average speed 35kph
    Power - average 228w, normalised 268w, pedalling 260w, max 803w
    HR - average 158, max 180
    Cadence - average 84, pedalling 91

    As I was heading back to the car I passed the final race of Groups A and B, and heard the roar of the Lion of Fingal as he was just about the cross the line in first place, having broken away from the Group earlier in the lap - I am sure some of the other Swords guys on here would like to join me in congratulating the Lion on his stunning victory


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,317 ✭✭✭✭Raam


    lion.jpg


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Was thinking more this one myself:

    Clarence,%20o%20Cross-Eyed%20Lion.jpg

    Not sure of the "King of the Beasts" bit though!


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 11,668 Mod ✭✭✭✭RobFowl


    The Lion in action

    Fortes Fortuna Iuvat


    37900_1505321482421_1515796089_1277981_5613749_n.jpg


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  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Race report here

    This was my 3rd race on the Bog of the Ring course, and hence I now have some decent historic data to compare last night's performance with. The interesting thing is that many of the stats are very similar to the last time I did this course, which in turn was a significant improvement on my first race there.

    The first time I was dropped, and in the second race we were caught by Group 3 on the penultimate lap, and Group 4 and scratch on the final lap. Last night we managed to keep away from the faster groups, even though we never managed to catch the limit group.

    Time - 1hr 5min 50s
    Average Speed - 37kph
    Heart rate - average 164, max 178
    Cadence - average 78, pedalling 96
    Power - average 247w, pedalling 280w, normalised 283w, max 770w
    Work 979kj

    Lap times were virtually identical to the previous race, just a few seconds difference on a couple of the laps

    Most of the power stats are only down by about 1-2%, which was a pleasant surprise given I had done a vets race the night before. Normalised power was only 2w down on the previous race


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    The good news - the new jersey had its first race this morning, the vets 80km (it actually turned out to be less than 70km) CP at Warrenstown. The bad news - it did not get too much opportunity to be admired, as it spent a large amount of time at the back of the field!

    It was 3 laps of a 23km course - a little hillier than anticipated, and that caught me a bit by surprise.

    I was in Group C again, and the first couple of groups set off ahead of us (there were 6 groups in all). Included in Group C were Planet X and mc2000. There were about 20 or so in total in our group.

    We set-off at a brisk pace, with most of us taking our turns. I do think this was a bit less organised than we are in the Swords League - I suspect this may be down to a wider range of ability, with some riders probably knowing their best chance to stick around for the full 2 hours or so is by sticking towards the back.

    We then hit a short sharp hill, which took more out of me than I expected. It probably went on for just under 1km in total, mainly at a gradient of less than 5%, but then spiked just before the top at just under 10%.

    The rest of this lap and start of the next were pretty uneventful, although I was not taking so many turns as I was feeling it in my legs, and normalised power was approaching 300w - a level I knew I could not sustain for 2 hours.

    We caught the slower groups as we hit the hill second time round. I was at the back of our group at the time, and managed to get myself detached by about 70-80m by the time we got over it. I spent the next couple of km getting back on, and managed to reattach myself to the enlarged group. I spent the most of the rest of that lap recovering, but was able to take a couple of turns as we entered the final lap. I managed to keep attached up the hill this time round, but was at the back most of the time - it's more difficult there as you tend to work harder closing down the gaps that arise, particularly after cornering. We probably dropped a few along the way. A couple from our group managed to get away.

    With perhaps 5 or 6km to go we were caught by the faster groups. I stayed on until around 2km or so to go, when the combination of my legs, a very large group and the prospect of a bunch sprint "encouraged" me to drop off the back (as a number already had). I caught up with Planet X on the final straight, and we had a little sprint towards the line (which he won!). It turns out that the two riders who got away ended up getting first and second places - the first one also won our race on Tuesday, and the 2nd was one of the Swords guys

    Stats:
    Distance - 68.5km
    Speed - 35.1kph
    Total climbing 600m
    Power - 225w (average), 253w (pedalling), 264w (normalised), 862w (max)
    HR - 159 (average), 177 (max)
    Cadence - 84 (average), 91 (pedalling)

    Splits:

    Lap 1 - 35.6kph, 283w (normalised)
    Lap 2 - 35.4kph, 257w
    Lap 3 - 34.4kph, 251w

    CP Curve

    WarrenstownCP.jpg?t=1280067709

    I managed to push up the curve between 1.5 and 2 hours, which I guess is not surprising given this was my first race of this length.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    3 races this week – probably a bit too much, as I was feeling it in today’s vets race (a couple of hard commutes on Thursday and Friday probably didn’t help much either!)

    Total distance for the week 290km at 31.6kph and 232w average
    YTD is now 5,989 at 29.2kph – 345km ahead of schedule with only 4,011km to go!

    Next week I’ll be marshalling on Wednesday, so I will probably do the vets 25m TT on Tuesday. It’s the same course as my only other 25m in the Swords League, so it will be interesting to compare performances (although I suspect the effort I have put in over the last couple of weeks may count against me). I also need to set a couple of times with the vets before they will give me a handicap. I’ll probably then commute on Wednesday, before doing the Tour de Kilkenny on Saturday. I’ll try and get down to Sundrive on Sunday to try a few different set-ups on the new track bike.

    Nearly 16,000kj work on the bike over the past couple of weeks, so hopefully I will manage to drop those 3kg by the end of the year


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,141 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    Beasty wrote: »
    Nearly 16,000kj work on the bike over the past couple of weeks, so hopefully I will manage to drop those 3kg

    Just do that again without eating. :D


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    So having cloesly followed Lumen's winter TT plan, tonight was an opportunity to put all the technology into use. There was a vets 25m TT on the Batterstown course. My only other 25m TT had been on the same course a couple of months back in the Swords League, when I clocked 1h 9m 19s. I was fully kitted out with pointy hat, skinsuit, black (Assos:rolleyes:) overshoes, clip-on aerobars Garmin and Saris Joule to monitor the power output.

    About 30 turned out on a very nice evening. There was a bit of a westerly wind - this would be a headwind on the way out, which is generally downhill, and more of a tailwind on the way back, which would help, particularly in the 3rd 10k, which has more incline

    Tonight I was 11th off. Plan was to try and keep power at around 260-270w and try and push harder towards the end. I got off to a steady start, and was surprised to get my first catch after only 5km or so, and then I caught another. After just over 10km, someone overtook me. He stayed about 30-40m ahead of me, but did not pull any further away. We were on the flat and I was feeling strong, so I took him back, just after we had both passed another rider. I stayed ahead of him for the next 5km or so. I suspect he had overdone it when catching me, and had to then ease off a little. I kept him in my sights for a few more km, before he eventually rode off into the distance (by which time we had overtaken a couple more riders).

    I was regularly checking the power output, which was pretty much in the range I had planned. The legs were feeling it, particularly on the (admitedly short) climbs, but I was feeling good. I did manage to push it towards the end, and was hitting 53km as I crossed the line in a time of 1h 4m 52s, 4 and a half minutes faster than my previous attempt. I was delighted with the time (even if it was slower than Lumen's effort last week;)). It's over a minute faster than my age standard time, which I thought I would struggle to get to. The problem, however, is that the vets only give you a handicap after 2 races, and it's the faster of the 2 that becomes your handicap - I suspect I will struggle to match that time, in which case I will not be beating handicap!

    Stats:
    Power - average 266w, pedalling 266w, normalised 277w, max 638w
    Normalised Power splits:
    0-10km - 287w
    10-20km - 275w
    20-30km - 271w
    30-40km - 281w
    Speed - average 37.1kph, max 53kph
    Cadence - average 87, max 108
    HR - average 163, max 174

    I pushed up the CP curve again most of the way from 31m to 1h 4m:

    batterstown25mTT2707.jpg?t=1280270213

    There were at least a couple of sub 1hr times. Nice to meet victorcarrera, who clocked 1h 2m or so

    So what made the difference of over 4 minutes from last time - conditions were certainly better. I also had the skinsuit this time. Power was slightly up, and I think I made more sensible use of the gears, changing more regularly rather than grinding up and spinning down the slopes.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,141 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    What skinsuit and overshoes are you using?

    I need all that stuff if I'm going to continue beating you. :pac:


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Lumen wrote: »
    What skinsuit and overshoes are you using?

    I need all that stuff if I'm going to continue beating you. :pac:

    Assos and Assos - what else could I possibly wear?

    One bleedin' second - that's all it was - one bleedin' second, and I didn't even take up the offer of a push start - must have lost at least 2 seconds clipping in!

    I also think those old guys are a bit slow pressing the button on the stopwatch at the end:rolleyes:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,141 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    Beasty wrote: »
    One bleedin' second - that's all it was - one bleedin' second, and I didn't even take up the offer of a push start - must have lost at least 2 seconds clipping in!

    I had no push start either, and my official time was 1:04:49. So that's three seconds. :)


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Vets 25m TT on Tuesday, a commute on Wednesday, the Tour de Kilkenny yesterday and an hour or so on Sundrive with Harrybelafonte this afternoon added up to 242km at an average of 28.9kph this week.

    I tried some aerobars and the pointy hat at Sundrive, but struggled to find any extra speed - the track was damp, which possibly slowed me a bit in the corners, and my legs were certainly still suffering from yesterday's efforts in Kilkenny

    YTD total is now 6,231km over 213.5 hours, an average of 29.2kph and 395km ahead of target - only 3,769km to go!

    Next week I will hopefully get another 3 races in:

    - the final vets midweek race on Tuesday - a 10mTT - given my performance on the same course last week in the 25m TT I would hope to improve my PB if the conditions are OK
    - Swords League on Wednesday - the Corduff course, and it will be interesting to see how I manage up the Nags head after the TT on Tuesday
    - Vets 80km DMS on Sunday - not sure of the course, but I'm hoping this will be a flat one

    Sould get at least one, and hopefully two, commutes in as well, which should increase my headroom on the 10,000km target


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,614 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Back to Batterstown tonight for a 10m TT on the same course as the 25m TT last week, just starting further back towards Blackbull, and turning at the first roundabout

    The last time I did a 10m I averaged 286w, and the plan tonight was to try and get it between 290 and 300w. There was a slight incline and headwind going out, but the conditions were excellent overall.

    14th off and within 5 mins I caught my minute man. There would be no more overtaking, and for the first time in a TT, I managed to avoid being overtook myself

    Last week I averaged 281w for the first 8 km, and this week it was 295w. HR was 164 v 161 last week. I could feel I was breathing much harder than for the first 8km last week - I suspect a combination of pushing harder, and the after effects of the Tour de Kilkenny on Saturday - my legs were still feeling it a bit today. Cadence was slightly up this week, but I still think I could have made better use of the gears - I had switched to an 11-21, and there was probably one bit where I may have benefited from dropping to the small ring.

    Coming back the speed picked up and I averaged 279w compared to 276w for the last 8km last week. Again cadence was slightly up. Although I felt I pushed hard at the very end (where there was a slight incline), I did not really push it until about 1km to go. I think this was partly because I had pushed harder overall, but with hindsight I think I could have picked it up a bit earlier.

    Time was 25m 6s, a 33s improvement on my previious best, and 22s ahead of my age standard time, and so I am pleased with the overall time. It's consistent with my time in the 25m TT last week, by reference to the age standards. I think I could probably go slightly quicker in benign conditions on the Enfield course, which is a bit flatter than this one, and hopefully I'll get below 25 minutes next year.

    Other stats:
    Power - average 287w, normalised 291w (both an increase of 1 on previous 10mTT), max 521w (649w)
    HR - average 167 (168w), max 175 (177w)
    Cadence 92 (91)


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