It’s the “Off Season” what do I … not do?
article one in our 3 part series.
I get this question often this time of yr. “how do you NOT train?” Especially for the competitive cyclist or triathlete who has been racing all summer, sometimes every weekend, not training hard and racing all the time can feel very strange.
The Off Season:
First off I want to stress the word “OFF” in off season. Off means Off! The first and most important aspect of your next season is being totally fresh and completely motivated for next season. Now is the time to start that process.
Less is better here. Catch up on work, family, and drop off the bike at the shop for a tune up. Have them check it over for cracks in the frame along with full safety check. Racing is very hard on your equipment. The key with this phase is to make sure you are 110% ready to start training come the start of your program. The under trained, over motivated athlete will beat the perfectly training under motivated athlete every time! Come the beginning of “base training” you should be itching to train. It should be all you think about, so when its 20 degrees and freezing rain, your pumped up and ready to put in a solid training effort! This is also the best time to sit down with your coach and/or teammates to discus what your goals will be for next year. How did you perform this year? What was good? What was bad? What will have to be different with your preparation for 20, etc
Here are three easy steps for an effective off season.
1. Off time: Take an extended time of ZERO training. This will be deferent for every one. 2 weeks for some, 2 months for others. How ever much time you need to be totally rested and motivated to train again.
2. Recovery: Any lagging injury’s? Bike not working quite right for the last 2 months, been wanting to get that nagging cough looked at. Do it!! Get a message go to the doctor, dentist, what ever you need to do to feel 110 percent physically and mentally for the next season. This is active recovery, taking aggressive action towards healing. These are the most important aspects of off season training.
3. Maintenance training: After this you may be ready to train but your program doesn’t start for another month. What to do? Many pro’s and age groupers alike will take part in “unstructured training”. Its best to make is something different than your primary sport, try something new. It will most likely improve some skills needed in your primary sports. Just stay active, (cross training) will maintain your base fitness and, depending on your activity, can address your weakness leaving you fit, motivated and with stronger limiters than you had last year. A perfect way to start your next season!!
4. Cross Train! Go Mt. biking , running, play basket ball, tennis what ever you like and have put off due to you strict cycling training. Cyclist are notorious for having weak abs and core muscles. Working on this will help keep you injury free next year.
5. Most important have fun! Do those old training rides you did when you first started riding. Plan a trip. I have done a few long rides with friends in the fall that have proved to be lots of fun and great endurance training.
Eric is a full time triathlon and cycling coach. He is the owner of EK Endurance Coaching and works with athletes of all levels. To learn more about Eric and what he can do for you, go to http://ekendurancecoaching.com
Showing posts with label training with poower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training with poower. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Off season training article #3
Putting it all to work.
By the time we rest get re-focused and on track again it’s winter. Don’t despair! Before we get to specifics lets go over a few points so we don’t get side tracked this winter.
We all have different ideas on winter training. For some it is a vital time of year, laying the foundation for a big race mid summer or tuning speed for the early season du-athlons/ Crits. For some, winter will be a success if we gain less than 10 pounds. What ever your motivations for this winter; balancing a structured plan with a good dose of spontaneity will get you in the best form ever, physically and mentally.
Out look:
If you live in the northern states or anywhere that snows in the winter, and you’re not a pro, you simply can’t train as much in the winter. With darkness coming around 4:30pm, fridged morning temps and icy roads it just not possible. We won’t even get into jobs, girl friends, kids, wives, the patriots game schedule, etc…
So now that we are at peace with the fact that we simply can’t put in as much time as we may want, We can focus on what to do with the time we have.
Getting started:
Find a routine. With cold temps, warm beds and stale indoor air it is easy to get “off track”. Try to find some kind of routine. This could be one workout or rendezvous with a friend per week. ie. “every Wednesday morning John and I run together, no matter what.” “Thursday night I do the spinning class at my gym.” This one appointment can be the back bone of your winter success. Find something that works with your schedule so it will be easy to keep this date and not get side tracked.
This can work for you in a great way if this one workout focuses on your weakness. I have known athletes to turn there swim that puts them 5 minutes down to 1 minute up, over the course of one winter!
The bike:
These time constraints really hit hard when trying to work on your bike, especially if you are training for an early season race that’s long. First thing to do is invest in the proper warm clothes. Water/wind proof booties and gloves. Warm tights, thermal cycling jacket, hat or helmet cover. Investing in proper cycling winter gear will make your cold rides more enjoyable, more effective, and maybe a bit longer. One trick for cold feet is to use shoes 1 size to big and put in two insoles. And don’t jam your feet in there with to many socks. You’ll restrict circulation and have lumps for wood for feet in less than an hour.
The trainer can be your worst enemy and your best ally all at once. If you are going to improve your riding regular visits to the trainer will be a must but they don’t have to be torture.
1. Don’t do the same thing day in day out. Mix it up with different workouts and the amount of time you spend on it. Try something new once every 2 weeks or so. Like watching football with your buddies 3- 4 hr’s with big gear climbs every commercial, sprints every field goal, and hard tempo every time your team is on offence would make even Mark Allan slump over the handle bars by the final 2 minute drill.
2. Keep your mind busy. When you’re not with your friends watch TV, listen to the radio, etc.
3. Stay focused. I have just given you ways to distract your self from your work but the best way I find to make time fly is to have specific workout and stick to it. To the second. Warm up, cool down, some 10 minute strength intervals, rest intervals. You’ll find that riding for less than an hour becomes pretty difficult.
Take care:
It is important that you take care of both your body and your equipment with the same care as you would in the summer months. Proper nutrition and stretching is vital to staying healthy and on the upward path. Care for your bike and trainer is also a must. Just because your not out in the rain and dirt doesn’t mean you can just get off your bike and be done with it. Salt will build up on your bike and trainer and will destroy both if you don’t clean them. They will surely fail you when you need them most.
Getting to you, training your limiters:
Now that you know what your weak areas are (from fall training article #2) we can get right to it! Trying to improve any weakness is not going to come easily or quickly so now is the time to start correcting them.
The key to training your limiters is two fold.
- Break down the task at hand.
a. There is more to having great endurance than just pounding out the miles on the trainer or the swimming pool. Are you training at the optimal intensity? Make the workout Quality before Quantity.
b. Endurance (for example) has 2 parts being able to resist fatigue (pounding out the quality miles) and efficiency. How much of each pedal stroke is pushing the bike forward and how much is just moving your leg? If you are .001% more efficient per pedal stroke, x 90 RPM’s x 60 minutes in 1 hr. for a 5 hour bike leg or race. That’s 27 % more efficiency!
OK, there is some fussy math in there but you get the point. If endurance is some thing you’re working on you don’t necessarily have to ride the trainer until 11pm and swim until your whole body prunes. Incorporate drills into your training. Lots of drills.
To address this issue FP drills are key.
Workout #1: 3x5’ F.P. Pedal as fast as you can while still being in control. 110-120 is a great range .take 3’ rest. Build up to doing these at the end of your ride.
Notes: This will work your Neurological durability as well as your general “endurance” as most people think of it. Also when on the trainer realize you have no 0 time. In a bike race you may only avg. 70ish rpms per minute. And have 1/3 of your time at 0 watts or in a recovery zone! That allot! On the trainer doing the workout above you could avg. 100+ rpms and have 100% of your time in zone 2 and 3.
Recently I compared a team training ride with a ride a friend did the day before. “I only had 90’ to ride” he said in disappointment. After comparing his data with mine I noted that if you tock out the nearly 2 hours of 0 and recovery wattage time in my ride he had done the virtually same training as me! 90’ in zone 2 and 3. You could say mine was better because of the fatigue from the longer duration, or… one could say his was more effective because his effort was a continuous effort while mine had several “rest periods”… a topic for another time. This is a great example of maximizing your time.
Workout #2. Zone training. Do 45’ or more in zone 3 after a good warm up/at end of your ride. Build up to 90 minutes of zone 3 time.
Notes: Bump up the intensity! Do your “endurance” work in zone 3. Riding sub threshold has the same physiological adaptations as riding in zones 1-2 but they happen faster. The cost is greater fatigue and decreased reputability. But if you can’t do 3+ hours every day then do it up! The key to this is doing your Z3 work as one steady interval and staying in your zone(no coasting)! Having detailed and accurate training zones is vital for this. A power meter is king here. This will rack up your kilojoules (total work) must faster than riding in a group or doing zone 1-2 and will give you maximum return on your training time. By riding in your zone you could twice as much “work” in the time given than on along group ride. Two tips for ,making this work.
1. Don’t go out to hard
2. don’t spike your power on hills, when you stand, etc…
2. Stay true to the grand plan.
Lower intensity “endurance” training will most likely take up much of your training time in winter. So when training your limiter keep the intensity down! If you are working on your hill climbing go easy. Find a hill with a low grade so you can work on your climbing pedal stroke.
If you are working your sprinting power or anaerobic endurance, work the cadence aspect of it. Short, high cadence, spin ups are great for this. Make recoveries short but not to short. Let your HR drop to Z3 or Z2 and keep the gear easy. With will allow you to work the neurological and technical aspect of these skills with out the cost of excess muscle damage and lactate build up.
Eric has coached over 200 athletes of all levels in triathlon, cycling, mountain, biking, Cyclocross.
Find out more at, http://ekendurancecoaching.com
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The Big Taper
Tapering (peaking)
Ahhhh… the big Taper. You finally get to relax. Skip the hill workout and the mega mileage brick on Saturday… Some people hate this time of training. I am one of them. It’s a scary time. The time when you can do very little to gain anything and do every thing to screw up months or even years of training. However it is necessary to achieve maximum potential. First off I prefer to use the term “Peaking”. Tapering promotes the idea of doing less and less, and this is not the complete story. Tapering makes me think of something getting smaller and smaller, and that’s not what we are trying to do. Peaking is the process in which we achieve maximum physical and mental performance potential. This can be a lot more complex than just cutting back your mileage.We will discuss this in general terms for a race or your big event. Peaking workouts and how much you do and don’t do, can and will vary a lot depending on your event, duration, and skill level.
First off the peaking phase duration will vary depending on the duration of your event. The longer the event the longer your peaking phase. For Iron distance events, stage races, etc. the longer the lead up of peaking. You might see over a month of decreased volume in some cases. In the weeks leading up to you’re A race the amount of aerobic fitness one can gain is minimal if any at all. So don’t kill your self! Skip the long ride and always, ALWAYS error on the side of doing less. As a general rule I like to decrease total volume by 40-60%. Endurance training can be cut back by the greater amounts. For those doing shorter distances where you may have quite a bit of intensity training here are a few key things to note.
Make sure you are fully rested before a hard workout. We are looking for maximum speed and performance now, not beating our selves up. This will also build confidence. You’ll be amazed at how fast/far you go on your threshold intervals after only a 30’ warm up and taking the day before off instead of the 3 hour ride or tough run.
Work your strengths. You will be racing your strengths so focus on them. Use them, race them. This will build further confidence and hone your skills for race day.
Make your workouts simulate race conditions. Use the aero bars more/ race bike (if you haven’t been) wear the clothes shoes, etc... Do a group swim in open water. Do a race sim day. Practice fueling and mental preparation. Make sure every thing works!
Race. Use a B race as prep. If your training for a long distance race a shorter race in the weeks leading up to it can really get the kinks out. It will allow you to use some racing strategy you are planning in a consequence free environment. Does the elastic band holding the shoes on the bike trick really work? Or is it not worth it?
In general: As we peak, decrease your overall volume. If you have been doing 3 hr rides and 4x 400 meters running on the track do 90 minutes in the saddle, and 2 or 3x300m intervals. You want to stay fresh and sharp but not worn down. Workouts should be short and sweet. They might burn but you should recover fast. By maintaining or even increasing your intensity your body thinks that training is still on full blast and your body will continue to adapt full blast. But… you have decreased the volume and by the time it realizes that you have actually done less your body has over compensated and your flying. Further hone this adaptation with race specific workouts in a race specific environment and you will be more ready on race day than you ever imagined.
While this decreased training time will be nice you should still treat your self well. Treat your self like your still training hard. Get that recovery drink even if you feel you don’t need it. Get plenty of sleep and keep up on stretching, etc…
The other item you will need to keep busy is your brain. Don’t think too much. Go over the race plan, make sure the tires on the bike are in good shape and just go. You have done this in training so you can do it in the race. Remember there is not much you can do to get faster in the week or three before the big race but you can do everything to blow it. So stay the course. Take care. Eat the extra pasta. Skip the morning swim if your feeling tired. And don’t be afraid to light it up a few times. Show your stuff, whether in a race or a short hard work out with the training partners. You have been looking at your heart Rate and power meter all season staying in “your zone”. Time to see how far you can push your self and start looking back the all the people your beating!
Stay safe and have fun!
http://ekendurancecoaching.com/
Ahhhh… the big Taper. You finally get to relax. Skip the hill workout and the mega mileage brick on Saturday… Some people hate this time of training. I am one of them. It’s a scary time. The time when you can do very little to gain anything and do every thing to screw up months or even years of training. However it is necessary to achieve maximum potential. First off I prefer to use the term “Peaking”. Tapering promotes the idea of doing less and less, and this is not the complete story. Tapering makes me think of something getting smaller and smaller, and that’s not what we are trying to do. Peaking is the process in which we achieve maximum physical and mental performance potential. This can be a lot more complex than just cutting back your mileage.We will discuss this in general terms for a race or your big event. Peaking workouts and how much you do and don’t do, can and will vary a lot depending on your event, duration, and skill level.
First off the peaking phase duration will vary depending on the duration of your event. The longer the event the longer your peaking phase. For Iron distance events, stage races, etc. the longer the lead up of peaking. You might see over a month of decreased volume in some cases. In the weeks leading up to you’re A race the amount of aerobic fitness one can gain is minimal if any at all. So don’t kill your self! Skip the long ride and always, ALWAYS error on the side of doing less. As a general rule I like to decrease total volume by 40-60%. Endurance training can be cut back by the greater amounts. For those doing shorter distances where you may have quite a bit of intensity training here are a few key things to note.
Make sure you are fully rested before a hard workout. We are looking for maximum speed and performance now, not beating our selves up. This will also build confidence. You’ll be amazed at how fast/far you go on your threshold intervals after only a 30’ warm up and taking the day before off instead of the 3 hour ride or tough run.
Work your strengths. You will be racing your strengths so focus on them. Use them, race them. This will build further confidence and hone your skills for race day.
Make your workouts simulate race conditions. Use the aero bars more/ race bike (if you haven’t been) wear the clothes shoes, etc... Do a group swim in open water. Do a race sim day. Practice fueling and mental preparation. Make sure every thing works!
Race. Use a B race as prep. If your training for a long distance race a shorter race in the weeks leading up to it can really get the kinks out. It will allow you to use some racing strategy you are planning in a consequence free environment. Does the elastic band holding the shoes on the bike trick really work? Or is it not worth it?
In general: As we peak, decrease your overall volume. If you have been doing 3 hr rides and 4x 400 meters running on the track do 90 minutes in the saddle, and 2 or 3x300m intervals. You want to stay fresh and sharp but not worn down. Workouts should be short and sweet. They might burn but you should recover fast. By maintaining or even increasing your intensity your body thinks that training is still on full blast and your body will continue to adapt full blast. But… you have decreased the volume and by the time it realizes that you have actually done less your body has over compensated and your flying. Further hone this adaptation with race specific workouts in a race specific environment and you will be more ready on race day than you ever imagined.
While this decreased training time will be nice you should still treat your self well. Treat your self like your still training hard. Get that recovery drink even if you feel you don’t need it. Get plenty of sleep and keep up on stretching, etc…
The other item you will need to keep busy is your brain. Don’t think too much. Go over the race plan, make sure the tires on the bike are in good shape and just go. You have done this in training so you can do it in the race. Remember there is not much you can do to get faster in the week or three before the big race but you can do everything to blow it. So stay the course. Take care. Eat the extra pasta. Skip the morning swim if your feeling tired. And don’t be afraid to light it up a few times. Show your stuff, whether in a race or a short hard work out with the training partners. You have been looking at your heart Rate and power meter all season staying in “your zone”. Time to see how far you can push your self and start looking back the all the people your beating!
Stay safe and have fun!
http://ekendurancecoaching.com/
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
cyclocross training
Cyclocross as cross training?
Cyclocross is huge. Once participated in as training in the fall and winter months for fun it is now a huge international spectacle. Athletes are now focusing their whole year on cyclocross. Even for us Tri geeks and hard core all road all the time people cyclocorss is luring.
The question is coming up more and more; will racing cyclocross be a good option for training in the fall and early winter training?
First lets take a look at your year ahead and behind to answer a few questions.
Have you had enough time TOTALLY off after your last race/ training block? (I prescribe 2-6 weeks)
Will you have enough time to rest after your cross season and the start of Base training? (2 weeks)
How taxing was your summer season of racing and training?
How much other stressors will you encounter? ($$ for bike, race entry, travel, specific training, etc)
If you answer no and/or “pretty taxing to very taxing” I would seriously consider joining the yelling, full drinks in hand spectators on the side lines. Also, the last question, realize there are a lot of other factors that come into play with your race sch. There are only so many times you can “dig into the suitcase of courage” in your season. And while a cross race may be short in relation to road races and triathlons you normally train for they are hard. Really hard! One of the most important things to having a good training program that leads to a successful season is being rested, both physically and mentally. Be sure you can achieve enough total down time between your training phases.
If you feel after answering these questions you are in the clear move onto the next set of questions to ask yourself.
Does cyclocross address any of my weaknesses specific to my A race(s)?
Does cyclocross address any of my weaknesses not specific to my A race(s)?
Is you’re A race 5 months away or more after your last cyclocross race?
If cross addresses any of your weak areas it is worth considering. For some, like my self cross is every thing I am bad at on the road wrapped up into 1 hr with a punch in the jaw at the start! For athletes like me cross is a great and extremely fun way to train that weakness. (see my last article) However, and very importantly, the first set of questions are the most important. If you are to be at your best for your BIG event of the year being properly rested, having a good build up of systematic training trumps all. So consider your options carefully.
So now how do you use this “cross thing” to your advantage? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
The big picture: your a race is months and months away! Don’t get too caught up in your “cross training” this should be for fun! Leave the ego at home.
Focus your training on basic skills: You’re racing cyclocross because it is going to address some weak areas but don’t forget to spend time training the basics that got you to where you are now. For example, aerobic base, technique. and efficiency of movement in your primary sports, core strength and flexibility.
Check your mental state: Its early in the game for you. If you find yourself not pumped up for a muddy race or training ride in the cold rain stay home!! Like I said before being mentally rested and ready to go come time for the big day is the most important preparation you can do.
I think this can be best done with a training plan. This “transition training plan” has 2 options one with cross and one without. It also realizes that cyclocross is not our primary focus but the first step in our preparation. See sample below.
But what if you want to hit cyclocross full on! This is your priority.! Go back to the first set of questions and get a quick reality check. Then stay tuned there will be more Cyclocross preparation and training plans coming!!
Week 1
Mon: Off: stretching
Tue: 1hr. Level 1-2. pedaling drills and efficiency work.
Wed: 90' weakness day. (intervals or drills that address your weak areas. Nothing to intense. No anaerobic work!)
Thur: 1. Core strength and flexibility work
Fri: 90'-2hr. Level 1-2. pedaling drills, aerobic base and efficiency work.
Sat: 90' weakness day. (intervals or drills that address your weak areas. Nothing to intense. No anaerobic work!)
Sun: Long easy ride. 50-75% of the duration (time) of your longest A race
Week 2
Mon: Off. stretching
Tue: 1hr. Level 1-2. pedaling drills and efficiency work.
Wed: 90' weakness day. (intervals or drills that address your weak areas. Nothing to intense. No anaerobic work!)
Thur: 1. Core strength and flexibility work. 2.) 1hr recovery ride
Fri: 30' warm up ride. Go over your race day warm up. Getting ready for tomorrow.
Sat: Cross Race!
Sun: Long easy ride. 50-75% of the duration (time) of your longest A race.
Eric is a full time Cycling and Triathlon coach and founder of EK Endurance Coaching. For more details on this plan and other transition period plans contact Eric at: eric@Ekendurancecoaching.com
http://ekendurancecoaching.com/
Cyclocross is huge. Once participated in as training in the fall and winter months for fun it is now a huge international spectacle. Athletes are now focusing their whole year on cyclocross. Even for us Tri geeks and hard core all road all the time people cyclocorss is luring.
The question is coming up more and more; will racing cyclocross be a good option for training in the fall and early winter training?
First lets take a look at your year ahead and behind to answer a few questions.
Have you had enough time TOTALLY off after your last race/ training block? (I prescribe 2-6 weeks)
Will you have enough time to rest after your cross season and the start of Base training? (2 weeks)
How taxing was your summer season of racing and training?
How much other stressors will you encounter? ($$ for bike, race entry, travel, specific training, etc)
If you answer no and/or “pretty taxing to very taxing” I would seriously consider joining the yelling, full drinks in hand spectators on the side lines. Also, the last question, realize there are a lot of other factors that come into play with your race sch. There are only so many times you can “dig into the suitcase of courage” in your season. And while a cross race may be short in relation to road races and triathlons you normally train for they are hard. Really hard! One of the most important things to having a good training program that leads to a successful season is being rested, both physically and mentally. Be sure you can achieve enough total down time between your training phases.
If you feel after answering these questions you are in the clear move onto the next set of questions to ask yourself.
Does cyclocross address any of my weaknesses specific to my A race(s)?
Does cyclocross address any of my weaknesses not specific to my A race(s)?
Is you’re A race 5 months away or more after your last cyclocross race?
If cross addresses any of your weak areas it is worth considering. For some, like my self cross is every thing I am bad at on the road wrapped up into 1 hr with a punch in the jaw at the start! For athletes like me cross is a great and extremely fun way to train that weakness. (see my last article) However, and very importantly, the first set of questions are the most important. If you are to be at your best for your BIG event of the year being properly rested, having a good build up of systematic training trumps all. So consider your options carefully.
So now how do you use this “cross thing” to your advantage? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
The big picture: your a race is months and months away! Don’t get too caught up in your “cross training” this should be for fun! Leave the ego at home.
Focus your training on basic skills: You’re racing cyclocross because it is going to address some weak areas but don’t forget to spend time training the basics that got you to where you are now. For example, aerobic base, technique. and efficiency of movement in your primary sports, core strength and flexibility.
Check your mental state: Its early in the game for you. If you find yourself not pumped up for a muddy race or training ride in the cold rain stay home!! Like I said before being mentally rested and ready to go come time for the big day is the most important preparation you can do.
I think this can be best done with a training plan. This “transition training plan” has 2 options one with cross and one without. It also realizes that cyclocross is not our primary focus but the first step in our preparation. See sample below.
But what if you want to hit cyclocross full on! This is your priority.! Go back to the first set of questions and get a quick reality check. Then stay tuned there will be more Cyclocross preparation and training plans coming!!
Week 1
Mon: Off: stretching
Tue: 1hr. Level 1-2. pedaling drills and efficiency work.
Wed: 90' weakness day. (intervals or drills that address your weak areas. Nothing to intense. No anaerobic work!)
Thur: 1. Core strength and flexibility work
Fri: 90'-2hr. Level 1-2. pedaling drills, aerobic base and efficiency work.
Sat: 90' weakness day. (intervals or drills that address your weak areas. Nothing to intense. No anaerobic work!)
Sun: Long easy ride. 50-75% of the duration (time) of your longest A race
Week 2
Mon: Off. stretching
Tue: 1hr. Level 1-2. pedaling drills and efficiency work.
Wed: 90' weakness day. (intervals or drills that address your weak areas. Nothing to intense. No anaerobic work!)
Thur: 1. Core strength and flexibility work. 2.) 1hr recovery ride
Fri: 30' warm up ride. Go over your race day warm up. Getting ready for tomorrow.
Sat: Cross Race!
Sun: Long easy ride. 50-75% of the duration (time) of your longest A race.
Eric is a full time Cycling and Triathlon coach and founder of EK Endurance Coaching. For more details on this plan and other transition period plans contact Eric at: eric@Ekendurancecoaching.com
http://ekendurancecoaching.com/
Monday, July 21, 2008
Mt Evans Hill climb wattage dats and analysis.
Mt Evans stands over 14,000 feet in altitude and has the highest paved road in the country. So it only makes sense that we as athletes who ride bikes should race up it!!
On sat July 19 2008 I did the Mt Evans Hill climb. High altitude riding is not my specialty but it is the CO climbing championships, it’s a fantastic ride and I know that I am capable of doing well. Top 15 top 10 in the pro-1-2 field. as always it will depends on who shows up.
My preparation:
Nothing really crazy here. No knarly FTP workouts, no altitude tent that I slept in. I did get up to 10,000 feet once a week to do 1 or 2 x25’ intervals at what I perceived to be Threshold. I would normally lose about 15%. These were also not fresh as I had to ride up there!
See attached article at bottom on some past data form high altitude riding.
The Climb:
Ride: 27.3 miles
6,920 feet of climbing
Avg. grade: 4.5%
From 7500 feet elevation – 14,135 feet.
**Mass start race, not an ITT.
My Stats:
FTP 340ish...
Time 2:10 (very slow for me even with the wind we had)
Avg. watts: 275.
2253 kj’s
6’ above threshold
29’ Z4
85’ Z3
10’ Z1 and 2.
I was pretty happy with my numbers but with a dismal placing of 30th I new something was wrong. Something didn’t add up. every thing was perfect. The steady but firm pace as the bottom was a good warm up. I never had to accelerate, my bike supper light, etc… I was alone for much of the ride after it split up so no drafting there…
I did 303 watts for the first half , 250 for the second half and the last 20’ at 235. Between my loss for power from altitude and loss from fatigue I was thinking anything over 245 for the second half would have been good so I was pretty happy to see 250. I never cracked. I felt good the whole way. The few sections where we picked up the wind at our backs I was able to really get the bike moving.
Notes on training:
If you can’t sleep/ live at attitude the training AT altitude seemed to work well. At the very least the brain body connection will be lined up. You get some weird sensation riding all out above 12,000 feet! I can not speak on the cellular level on what adaptation occurs with this type of training but from what we do know about loss of power at increased elevation, this preparation seemed to put me one steep ahead of that curve.
Training at higher altitude tips:
1. Go by P.E. If you try and nail your normal watts you will quickly dig a whole for your self. Doing hard work at a significantly higher elevation takes allot out of you.
2. Take more recovery time than normal.
3. Keep the Iron intake up. Consult your doc. As your body tries to make more red blood cells it will need Iron. some people with handle the low O2 levels better than others but keep a healthy and divers diet coming, as always!!
So was everyone else just that much stronger? Is my FTP not 340? Was my power meter way off? What gives?
Here’s the deal I am normally about 70 kilograms, 155lbs. if I really get into it for a big stage race, etc. I can be 152 maybe lighter and feel strong, healthy, with energy to spare.
This year things have been very busy I have opted for more higher intensity training instead of the mega long tempo climbing workouts. This combined with a high frequency of dinner beers, I have been a bit heaver. Not so much to make me worry but a few lb’s. On Friday night I weighed myself 160 lbs!! I thought I was just retaining water maybe, a full belly? But, Sat. after the race when I got home I weighed in again, 160. so lets re-crunch the numbers.
Doing 275 watts at 70 kilo’s is 3.92 watts per kilogram, pretty good. talking with some friends after, ones that beat me, I figured they were in this area.
But 275 at 72.7 kilos is 3.78 big difference.
There are a few wattage calc. out there and even on a hill that is not that steep like Mt Evans, that extra weight comes out to 5-8 minutes!! Add in the fact that accelerating will have an exponential negative effect on a heaver person. And by “hanging onto” a group longer one can get more of a draft for more of the climb. That all adds up to a much, much faster ride and a better place.
Note on my % of loss. I lost 19% for the hole climb from my FTP. Realize that this is 2 hours not a not a threshold effort. In the 2nd half of the race I lost 26%. Which I figured is pretty normal. 20% from the extreme altitude change, 6% from fatigue from the first hour.
Some final thoughts on this. Yes, Threshold watts per kilo of body is important. And for a hill climb or hilly RR or stage race it’s very, very important! However, there were people that beat me that are significantly heaver. What’s there FTP? I don’t know. probably better than 4.6 watts/kilo. But, I know this. To reach your maximum potential nothing beats being healthy, happy and strong. In bike racing or any endurance sport simply being able to crush the power out put will pay off huge!!
~Here is some other data from training at altitude:
Here are some numbers and percentages of loss that I have so far. As you will see my data has not only the altitude but a varying amount of “work” before the high altitude intervals.
My FTP is about 340ish, 155lb’s
I live at 5500 feet
Normally, at my living altitude, I train that “late power” quite a bit. I lose about 8% after 2500-3000 kj’s of Z3-4 riding.
~Intervals at 10,000 feet: I push 290 watts (also after 1500kj’s) A loss of 14%
~My ride up trail ridge road. To 12,000 feet. (after 2500 kj’s, with 6’ above threshold) I did 235 for the last 30’ or so. A loss of 30%!!! Keep in mind there is also general fatigue acting here as well from early part of the ride. But even if we take out my usual 8% of loss thats still 22%!
Again these are all a bit tough to use because of the “work” that is done before the efforts None are “fresh TT efforts at altitude.
On sat July 19 2008 I did the Mt Evans Hill climb. High altitude riding is not my specialty but it is the CO climbing championships, it’s a fantastic ride and I know that I am capable of doing well. Top 15 top 10 in the pro-1-2 field. as always it will depends on who shows up.
My preparation:
Nothing really crazy here. No knarly FTP workouts, no altitude tent that I slept in. I did get up to 10,000 feet once a week to do 1 or 2 x25’ intervals at what I perceived to be Threshold. I would normally lose about 15%. These were also not fresh as I had to ride up there!
See attached article at bottom on some past data form high altitude riding.
The Climb:
Ride: 27.3 miles
6,920 feet of climbing
Avg. grade: 4.5%
From 7500 feet elevation – 14,135 feet.
**Mass start race, not an ITT.
My Stats:
FTP 340ish...
Time 2:10 (very slow for me even with the wind we had)
Avg. watts: 275.
2253 kj’s
6’ above threshold
29’ Z4
85’ Z3
10’ Z1 and 2.
I was pretty happy with my numbers but with a dismal placing of 30th I new something was wrong. Something didn’t add up. every thing was perfect. The steady but firm pace as the bottom was a good warm up. I never had to accelerate, my bike supper light, etc… I was alone for much of the ride after it split up so no drafting there…
I did 303 watts for the first half , 250 for the second half and the last 20’ at 235. Between my loss for power from altitude and loss from fatigue I was thinking anything over 245 for the second half would have been good so I was pretty happy to see 250. I never cracked. I felt good the whole way. The few sections where we picked up the wind at our backs I was able to really get the bike moving.
Notes on training:
If you can’t sleep/ live at attitude the training AT altitude seemed to work well. At the very least the brain body connection will be lined up. You get some weird sensation riding all out above 12,000 feet! I can not speak on the cellular level on what adaptation occurs with this type of training but from what we do know about loss of power at increased elevation, this preparation seemed to put me one steep ahead of that curve.
Training at higher altitude tips:
1. Go by P.E. If you try and nail your normal watts you will quickly dig a whole for your self. Doing hard work at a significantly higher elevation takes allot out of you.
2. Take more recovery time than normal.
3. Keep the Iron intake up. Consult your doc. As your body tries to make more red blood cells it will need Iron. some people with handle the low O2 levels better than others but keep a healthy and divers diet coming, as always!!
So was everyone else just that much stronger? Is my FTP not 340? Was my power meter way off? What gives?
Here’s the deal I am normally about 70 kilograms, 155lbs. if I really get into it for a big stage race, etc. I can be 152 maybe lighter and feel strong, healthy, with energy to spare.
This year things have been very busy I have opted for more higher intensity training instead of the mega long tempo climbing workouts. This combined with a high frequency of dinner beers, I have been a bit heaver. Not so much to make me worry but a few lb’s. On Friday night I weighed myself 160 lbs!! I thought I was just retaining water maybe, a full belly? But, Sat. after the race when I got home I weighed in again, 160. so lets re-crunch the numbers.
Doing 275 watts at 70 kilo’s is 3.92 watts per kilogram, pretty good. talking with some friends after, ones that beat me, I figured they were in this area.
But 275 at 72.7 kilos is 3.78 big difference.
There are a few wattage calc. out there and even on a hill that is not that steep like Mt Evans, that extra weight comes out to 5-8 minutes!! Add in the fact that accelerating will have an exponential negative effect on a heaver person. And by “hanging onto” a group longer one can get more of a draft for more of the climb. That all adds up to a much, much faster ride and a better place.
Note on my % of loss. I lost 19% for the hole climb from my FTP. Realize that this is 2 hours not a not a threshold effort. In the 2nd half of the race I lost 26%. Which I figured is pretty normal. 20% from the extreme altitude change, 6% from fatigue from the first hour.
Some final thoughts on this. Yes, Threshold watts per kilo of body is important. And for a hill climb or hilly RR or stage race it’s very, very important! However, there were people that beat me that are significantly heaver. What’s there FTP? I don’t know. probably better than 4.6 watts/kilo. But, I know this. To reach your maximum potential nothing beats being healthy, happy and strong. In bike racing or any endurance sport simply being able to crush the power out put will pay off huge!!
~Here is some other data from training at altitude:
Here are some numbers and percentages of loss that I have so far. As you will see my data has not only the altitude but a varying amount of “work” before the high altitude intervals.
My FTP is about 340ish, 155lb’s
I live at 5500 feet
Normally, at my living altitude, I train that “late power” quite a bit. I lose about 8% after 2500-3000 kj’s of Z3-4 riding.
~Intervals at 10,000 feet: I push 290 watts (also after 1500kj’s) A loss of 14%
~My ride up trail ridge road. To 12,000 feet. (after 2500 kj’s, with 6’ above threshold) I did 235 for the last 30’ or so. A loss of 30%!!! Keep in mind there is also general fatigue acting here as well from early part of the ride. But even if we take out my usual 8% of loss thats still 22%!
Again these are all a bit tough to use because of the “work” that is done before the efforts None are “fresh TT efforts at altitude.
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