[Closed] So I want to try road racing + build a bike specifically for this

That is a good point Yeti. 95% of 20min power isn't even accurate for everyone.
For anyone strongly into Zwift of course, it's the in game method of choice and the one used to define the categories.

It is worth working on your 5s power if that's what's limiting you however. And it's also quicker to realise top end improvements than to drag up your Endurance.

Actually, predicted FTP using 95% of 20min power v Strava 60m power for the year would be a good discussion point 🙂

Mine are 297w calculated and 295w actual.

Glad that got mentioned about FTP. It is massively hard to actually do 1hour at 0.95x 20minute power. So 0.95x20 minute power is no longer really seen as representative of FTP. It's still a reasonable guide for training zones though. It's going to sound like a certain other forum if we go down this road ...

Glad that got mentioned about FTP. It is massively hard to actually do 1hour at 0.95x 20minute power. So 0.95x20 minute power is no longer really seen as representative of FTP.

... and for others it'll be bang on, and for others it won't be hard enough.

I don't have the same hunger for cat 2 as I did cat 3... at this moment in time.

My FTP and 1 hour time look to be bang on.

I'd like to work on getting my HR down a little...

I'd like to work on getting my HR down a little...

Curious, why?

Everyone around me seems to be 10bpm lower 😆

I'm thinking it'll leave more in the tank for a sprint?

What you actually want to do is raise your lactate threshold and probably improve your Pw:Hr.

I'd like to work on getting my HR down a little

I rode with a guy in the Alps, and his LTHR was ~140bpm, I struggle to keep under 140 getting to the end of the drive.

Surely lowering your HR relative to your zones at a given speed is every road racers goal??
(And why drafting is critical)

The number itself is unimportant but the lower the better in a bunch race so you can make the cut when the selection comes ??

[url= https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/aerobic-endurance-and-decoupling/ ]This may be of interest - Aerobic Decoupling[/url]

Surely lowering your HR relative to your zones at a given speed is every road racers goal??

But isn't that just another way of saying "increasing the amount of work you can do for a given amount of effort", i.e. getting fitter. If you go from being able to sustain 300W for an hour to being able to sustain 400W for an hour, then it doesn't make any difference whatsoever if your new ability comes at a higher or lower heart rate than your old one.

(edited to add the quote for clarity)

It sounds a bit like really you're saying "it would be useful to be better at conserving energy through better racecraft", which is clearly a good idea. I would have thought that measuring one's success at working efficiently (i.e. racecraft, drafting) would best be achieved through looking at "how much power did it take to sit in the bunch before the sprint / breakaway?". Measuring one's improvements in fitness comes from some variation on "how much power can I deliver / sustain for n minutes?". Neither of those need any consideration of heart rate really.

Personally (and I really believe that all aspects of HR are very personal) I find that my HR is very variable in how it reacts to all sorts of things, and I totally buy into the notion that it's really a very substitute for power measurement in pretty much every scenario.

Gray- yes, better racecraft could give the same effect- even in a Zwift race.

And yes, by producing more watts at a lower HR, it would probably (but I don't think necessarily, depending on the profile of your power curve and training to date) push up your FTP- but not necessarily very much if proper Base/Z2 had been lacking from your training thus far.

But your HR is important (if not to the nearest Bpm) as it can tell you things your PM can't- like how well you've recovered after the previous lap's hill climb. In fact even RPE is important- as I realised at Thruxton the other day!

My HR is a highly variable and noisy measure of effort and recovery state. Way too many confounding factors for me to pay any attention to it in preference to power (for effort) and my own feelings (for recovery / ability to push on). Others may be more consistent, of course.

The way I see it, in terms of monitoring overall progress, there's essentially fitness and technique.

Each are multidimensional things. Fitness combines a full power curve and the ability to recover from repeated efforts and other stuff too. Technique could be subdivided into finer details like aerodynamic efficiency, biomechanics and racecraft, but my guess is that at this sort of level, with bunch riding, racecraft is the real biggy.

Primarily though, fitness is about how much work you can put out. HR data are interesting and related to fitness, and can inform certain aspects (coupling, fatigue etc) of performance and progress but I really thing that HR is secondary to other measures. If one year I can deliver 300W for an hour at 170bpm before collapsing in a heap, and the next year the best I can do is still 300W for an hour, but now at 160bpm, then who cares about the HR change? On the other hand, if this year I can deliver 330W for an hour, then I am faster. Doesn't matter what my HR is, as long as I'm not having a heart atack. 🙂

For aero efficiency and racecraft, it's all about how much power you're having to deliver in order to e.g. maintain your position. HR has very little do with that except to give you an imperfect reflection of how 'hard' it is for you to deliver that power.

I totally get what you're saying about recovery from short efforts though, and I agree to a point, but for me there is absolutely no way that I would look down at my Garmin then decide whether I had the legs to do something based on my HR rather than how I felt. YMMV of course, and I should stress that whilst I have ridden with HR an awful lot over the years, I have no road racing experience whatsoever!

Gray- the reason the HR change in your example is important, is that the bunch speed between the attacks isn't likely to change very much. So if that Zwift race with the same guys was re run tomorrow, chances are the effort required between the attacks is likely to remain the same. You aren't going to get fit enough to out-run them solo- this was as quick as Amateur racing on Zwift gets I would say. So what you NEED to do, is maintain your position within that bunch much more efficiently. And that means at a lower HR.

Same at Thruxton in fact. I'm not going to develop enough Watts and an aero enough position to ride off the front anytime soon so I need to find ways to ride at 25mph at the lowest possible HR.

TT, MTB and CX are different. You are generally talking about a race length effort and how well you apply it.

Crits and Zwift (never tried proper RR yet) are different- if the competition is evenly matched, it's all about making the cut when the all-out selections come. Whether that be a Hill, a last lap surge or a 300m sprint.

My FTP is always derived from a race. I don't do those hateful indoor 20 minute things! Will be doing another 25 on Sunday. Targeting 290-300 watts for a short 58 (lumpy great missenden course). Average HR for me will be about 167 bpm. I've had circuit races an average higher than this, but very seldom.

I also like to backcalculate power from established models for validation. My powerpod is now calibrated against bikecalculator. Sadly it provides the target. The effort part is something else 😉

CH knows what I'm trying to get at. Before I start I'll point out that I race on feel and follow what others are doing.

Last nights Zwift race was single handedly the most effort I have ever put into a race ever! It was essentially a 45 min FTP test - which actually lined up with my 20 min FTP results. The only effort that I can compare it to was the last 60s of my Abingdon debut at 555w for 8th! 😆

My FTP was set at 180-185bpm, I max out at 205.

Last night for the last 25% I was desperately trying to get my HR below 180 while maintaining contact with the group. I knew that if I could roll into the last KM with it below 180 I could mount a semi average sprint to the line.

The dream is being able to maintain my FTP but at 170bpm leaving those 35bpm in reserve for the final KM. Without sounding arrogant I'm sure I could sit in most bunches - but I'd potentially have nothing at the end.

Power for me at the moment is still a analysis tool for back on the computer/post race. My HR is something I understand more during a race to back up how I'm feeling, but I don't let it influence my decision making particularly chasing.

So the question is to I aim to become more efficient (lower HR) at 315w or aim to boost my ftp up to 330w - or is it the same thing?! Right now I feel like I've got the power curve of a TTer so it's interval time?!

That is the same thing Nath yes 🙂

If it was taking you FTHR to hang with the bunch then increasing your FTP is the only way to make that feel easier.

However, if there were times when it was way below that power (like 250ish watts) to hang with the bunch, then there is merit in trying to improve your power at the lower zones too.

The longer you spend in each zone- the better adapted you get at it. If all your training to date has been race intensity stuff +/- Threshold then adding some polarisation will almost definitely help if you keep your training hours similar.

So every hour you spend in Z2 not 3/4 will not only help your body run more efficiently but also give you more energy later in the week or whenever for a crisp interval session.

Maybe some under/over intervals would help recovery during a race?

It was time for an FTP test today! My weapon of choice for the past two tests was the Sufferfest Rubber Glove video on my Kickr Snap with the Stages reading the power.

I get so anxious about pacing now! With a plethora of Power data staring you in the face, you are under no illusion about what you've done so far and what you still need to do to hit your goal.

But what to aim for? Well, I watched something the other day that basically said, you cannot improve much more than 10% every 20 weeks.

With just 6 weeks since my last test where I managed 313w for the 20 mins and a good thorough block of training since then, I knew I'd be around 323w.

So off I went! I hunted around frantically for something to take my mind off of the effort! Look back at the screen and only 20 seconds have gone by! Surely it's time to press lap (I wanted to press every five minutes to check my pacing)? Nope- 2m20 😆 Power was bang on at 320w though.

In the end I did 8 lap presses and after 4 consistent ones they started trending downwards.
Minutes 15-17 were only 303w average. Shiiiit!

All to play for, I started ramping up the HR. I knew I could spend a minute out of the saddle, so I just stayed in a gear and cadence that I knew was ballpark 330w for the penultimate minute and then UPUPUPUPUP!
The final two minutes were 349w average but by now, I had no idea what my overall effort was. Hitting stop, I fumbled through the menu as I cooled down.

20min average? 324w 😮 Spooky!!!

So 308w FTP or 3.6w/kg.

Mid Shropshire Wheelers Sunday Series at Shrewsbury today. Only 25 starters, so I thought there would be a better chance of some aggresive riding than usual.

The 1st 10 minutes were relatively easy, which made a nice change, and gave me a chance to get properly warmed up. Attacks started going off at about the 10 minute mark, but nothing stuck. Had a bit of a dig on lap 12, but couldn't get a gap, so shut it down straight away. Lost a bit of concentration after that and drifted to the back. Gave myself a mental arse-kicking, and started to move back up, even if it meant a few sprints.

After about 30 minutes a few attacks caused a split of about 10 riders. I spotted it and sprinted across only to look back and see a line of riders on my wheel. 🙄

With about 3 to go, one of this year's previous winners attacked and got a decent gap. The bunch was slowly reeling him in, and going into the bottom hairpin on the penultimate lap a beautiful gap opened up in front of me; a quick kick had me 3rd or 4th wheel going round the bend, only to hear shouts as we exited - the leader had binned it on the exit. Hauled on the breaks to avoid his bike, and the group got blown to bits. Hit the bell lap in 13th but with a big gap to 12th. Put in a big sprint out of the last bend but couldn't quite get past, finishing 13th.

Anyway, pretty happy with the race, and feeling pretty good about the Shrewsbury GP next Sunday.

If you're wondering why I can be so certain about positions etc throughout the race, the timing system used gives some pretty cool data about lap speed, position etc.

[url= https://results.sporthive.com/events/PC1397043/races/4393278/bib/68 ]Sporthive result page[/url]

[url= https://www.strava.com/activities/999053765/analysis/0/3360 ]strava[/url]

Well done mate! Sounds exciting!!

That data is Epic and makes people pouring over a grainy video clip for three days seem ridiculously antiquated!
Was the entry fee higher to compensate?

Thnaks CH, was a fun race. Not having 45 riders clogging the circuit made for a much more interesting race.

Entry fee is £15 online, £20 on the line

Wow! So no dearer then either. It should be ubiquitous really...

I know Weeksy likes to rib me about my lack of tangible achievement but you do just 'know' when you've had a good race- regardless of the result. Especially if it gives you that mental boost for the next race! Good luck at the GP 🙂

Wow! So no dearer then either. It should be ubiquitous really

Really looking forward to next week, just got the rider pack through, and found out that it's going to be live-streamed 😀

tomvet - how did you find BanburyStar?

It was time for an FTP test today! My weapon of choice for the past two tests was the Sufferfest Rubber Glove video on my Kickr Snap with the Stages reading the power.

I'm not convinced that Rubber Glove is a good FTP test for 20m * 0.95 = FTP. There are no hard efforts before the 20 minute block, only warm-ups. If you're not doing a set of anaerobic sprints, or a 3min+ VO2 block before the tests you should probably be looking at 92/93%.

That's an interesting thought Matts.

My only evidence to back it up is that my best actual hour power this year was 295w which is upwards of 94% of my best 20minutes at the time.

The time I used the Zwift one, which had a few more severe efforts in the warm up, I was deeply disappointed with my results as it was lower than any estimate from my Zwift races around the same time.

I've always used the Zwift 45 min one for consistency.

I think consistency is the only real key thing here.

From my understanding (which could be wrong of course), FTP isn't really 'hour power'. CP60 is hour power. Doing a single 20 minute test gives you CP20, obviously. Estimating FTP or CP60 (which are similar, but not exactly the same) from CP20 requires assumptions about power curve which will be accurate for everyone. If you really specifically worked on 8 minute or 20 minute power then in theory you could improve your FTP test results (from an 8 or 20 minute test) without actually improving your FTP or CP60. That would be pretty unlikely in practice though.

If you really specifically worked on 8 minute or 20 minute power then in theory you could improve your FTP test results (from an 8 or 20 minute test) without actually improving your FTP or CP60. That would be pretty unlikely in practice though

Agreed... in the real world though the CP20 improvements could certainly be by a great margin of increase than the CP60 if specifically working on the CP60, but of course just by increasing fitness you'd expect an overall increase to an extent.

I think by 20 min power is considerably better than my 60 as i get about 50 in and have a wall.

Based on [url= https://www.strava.com/activities/998284219/analysis/0/655 ]yesterday[/url], my FTP is 303 Watts (4.4 W/kg). Might be a little higher (309) if you like Normalised Power, but not much. There was a road bike section and I'd commend riders to have a go at a 25.

Comparison on Cycling Power Lab gives me a predicted time of 58:04. That's not bad (3484/3487) = 99.91% precision with my Powerpod. Just need to aim for 330 Watts now.

*snip* - double post

Estimating FTP or CP60 (which are similar, but not exactly the same) from CP20 requires assumptions about power curve which will be accurate for everyone.

BTW. My suggestion about 92/93% was based on some data analysis I'd seen from coaching data. This was for non-elite, but trained athletes doing these tests with and without pre-test efforts.

Weeksy + Gray:
Don't forget the reason behind all this. It's not really to do with CP20 or CP60. It's to work out your Lactate Threshold to set your zones.

In theory- a 60minute TT as TiRed suggests is the best way to achieve this, but only if you are truly wrung out at the end.
In practice, the roads, weather, discipline etc mean access to a suitable course for consistent testing of CP60 isn't remotely practical.

So, a 60min all out TT on the Turbo then?? In practice, this too is a step too far for most people's mental endurance. Hence the rationale behind the 95% of 20minutes test which was originally designated as the 'last 20 mins of a 30min TT'.

The reason it's an important number isn't even to do with CP20 or CP60 either- it's to do with efficiency across your whole power curve. The more power you can produce before your body stops being able to shift the Lactate fast enough- the better the cyclist you will be regardless of your discipline. It is THE factor above all.

The analogy I used the other day is that your aerobic fitness is a sink and your FTP is the size of your plug hole. The tap is your effort and when the sink over flows is your max HR. Clearly- the bigger your plughole, the more you can turn on the taps without being a sodden mess on the bathroom floor 😆

However-
Friel posted a blog post about 'what should my FTP be?' in the context of an elite level amateur athlete and whilst there were a few caveats do to with body fat (if you have too much- that should be at least an equal priority compared with upgrading power) and a formula for age- the rule of thumb for an under 35 was 4.4w/kg.

So if your FTP is above that level, then it could be that the other parts of your power curve are more in need of attention..

Indeed. If you are just aiming to set some training zones, then it's probably OK. If you want to pick a power number to ride to in a 25/50, then you may be in for a bad time.

Friel posted a blog post about 'what should my FTP be?' in the context of an elite level amateur athlete and whilst there were a few caveats do to with body fat (if you have too much- that should be at least an equal priority compared with upgrading power) and a formula for age- the rule of thumb for an under 35 was 4.4w/kg.

Do you have a link to that?

Matts- interestingly, around a year ago, I was ahem, 'discussing' Zwift cats on FB and made the same point about predicted FTP not being the same for everyone. At the time, my personal best actual CP60 was only 92% of what Zwift had calculated from a race effort CP20.

Which is why I'm happy with Sufferfest as I feel it does truly represent 95% of CP60. But also, I may have had better opportunity to really push my true CP 60 than back then...

Yeti-

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2010/08/estimating-your-ftp.html

Hmm according to his example I should be at 308w, makes me feel good about 316!

I've decided to get a little more serious (and understand what you guys are on about!!!):

[img] [/img]

Also did a 52 mile on Sunday and just finished a 30 miler with 98% in Zone 2.

Really struggling to break much above the 1kw mark - think I've lost quite a bit of top end power 🙁

If and when you decide to use it to create a plan Nath, I'd be interested in seeing what you come up with as you work through the various steps.

I *think* the workout menu will use HR zones rather than CP zones but I can give you the equivalent power zones from my MTB training bible.

I think he's doing a brand new version this Autumn!

Ta.

Call that a serious training book, this is a 'serious' training book...

[img] [/img]

Sorry TSY, can't see the pic.

It's worth following Friel on Twitter actually, he uses it to link some great articles, puts out some great Tweets and will respond to your questions.
Today's tweet was quite relevant to what I was saying about Power, HR and RPE all being important for pacing:

How’s your perceived exertion? Occasionally put a piece of tape on your device to see if you can hit the numbers without seeing them.

Although it might be easier to just flick to a different screen 😆

Edit- got pic now.

Already got it on Kindle but didn't really think it added anything in particular.

Consequently, LT is the single most important physiological determinant of performance in events ranging from something as short as a 3 km pursuit to a stage race lasting as long as three weeks. This is especially true when LT is expressed in terms of power output, which also takes cycling efficiency into account.

Do like this quote though TSYeti 🙂

It's effing heavy going!

I think it would be great if you use training software- much of the stuff will be familiar to you already.

It's a bit like Spaniel Training. I used to read every book I could get my hands on. There were graphs, diagrams and tables galore with many thousands of pages of waffle.
Then (and I should have started with it as it's a classic book) I stumbled across Kieth Erelandson. In one paragraph, he told me everything I needed to know and what other writers had failed to convey in an entire book.

And that's how I view the Bibles. He gives you everything you need in a short paragraph with none of the waffle.

Short paragraph?

I've got a 300+ page book here 😆

In theory- a 60minute TT as TiRed suggests is the best way to achieve this, but only if you are truly wrung out at the end.

It's a race, you've paid to enter and the adrenaline will do the rest! My turbo does little for adrenaline production in the garage. 😆 . I don't go and ride them off my own bat. Also the start time and course helps with the traffic. Perhaps not if you are a mornings person though.

Predicted FTP is 10% down on my true value. That or my Biological age is the same as naths. I think I like that one more 😀

And with online calculators, you don't even need a power meter. A bit like speed on the turbo, but much more fun.

Banbury star cat 3/4 road race was an eye opener. We set off at one hell of a pace I think average speed after 9 miles was about 26mph, I got stuck near the verge in a slight cross head wind plus bunny hopping drain covers every 100yards. Turned sharp left into strong head wind, big concertina effect and full on out the saddle sprint to stay on the back. Turned up edge hill hit the 15% ramp and got shelled out the back, after that rode solo for half a lap then worked with 2 others for lap 2 and on lap 3 I could not hold the wheel in front and TT'd my way home as the Marshalls were cleaning up.

Average heart rate for 2 hrs 10 mins was 172, average speed was 19.8mph over 45 miles, i spent an an hour and five mins at threshold and the rest of the time just below. I came in second last but there were a few who abandoned. I got fairly demoralised after being dropped and nearly pulled in after one lap but then decided I needed to finish.

I couldn't believe how fast the race was the winner averaged 24.8mph and finished 26 minutes before I got back.

@tomvet, thats about how all the races are up here, don't think there are even any 4th cat only races that score points - its madness.

@nath - enjoy the bible, bit outdated now perhaps but a great foundation in the basics of training and planning.

Wow! Sounds brutal Tomvet! Well done for hanging in there and plugging away. All these road races sound like a step up in terms of danger from a Crit! Is that fair?

TiRed- only really applicable to TT season though. A good reliable and repeatable test protocol that you can do regardless of day of the week or season of the year certainly has its benefits- and you could normalise it against your TT too.

Also- a 25min TT would actually not provide me any clue to my CP60 because it would take me about 1h20 😆

Wouldn't have said it was any more dangerous, less if anything every crit I have been in there has been a crash. But then I was only with the bunch for 20% of the race so who knows, the downhill was fun, hit 49mph in a bunch. Not sure if I will try again I was just so far off the pace it seems unachievable.

Don't forget the reason behind all this. It's not really to do with CP20 or CP60. It's to work out your Lactate Threshold to set your zones.

In theory- a 60minute TT as TiRed suggests is the best way to achieve this, but only if you are truly wrung out at the end.

Well, kind of. Doing lactate threshold tests in a lab is more accurate but not very practical. For almost everyone a 20 minute test is going to give an adequate estimate of lactate threshold for both zone setting and monitoring improvement. A 60 minute test would be more accurate if executed well by someone with good endurance, but as you say, that's logistically tricky. Also, for people who are not already well trained in endurance efforts of that sort of duration, their CP60 might be well below their FTP.

(I realise that you know all this, am just really waffling for general clarification.)

Personally I started out using the 8 minute protocol on TrainerRoad mainly because I was more confident that I'd be able to pace it well first time than for the 20 minute test. I then continued using the 8 minute one for consistency. I suspect that my personal power curve lends itself better to 8ish minute efforts than longer ones, but haven't yet found that the TrainerRoad sessions based on the results of 8 minute tests were too hard, so am going to stick with that and assume that any changes in 8 minute results are representative of more general changes.

Enjoying the book so far, certainly has highlighted a few characteristics of my current training regime.
I was also looking at my power curve last night:

[img] [/img]

Unfortunately some of 2017 is a little skewed because of using the vortex turbo trainer (overreporting) instead of a power meter. The 1,200w was with a power meter though.

How many times have you hit the 1200? Or close to it?

I got fairly demoralised after being dropped and nearly pulled in after one lap but then decided I needed to finish.

I found the only way to improve endurance for these road races was to do more of them and try and stay on. Circuit racing did very little for this. Longer rides helped. But I still struggle in 2/3 races.

Can you ride LVRC races? Getting into them is a competition in itself. No BC points, but plenty of tactics.

A few, I'm not sure how to search effectively for it but some recent examples:
[url= https://www.strava.com/activities/839245106 ]1194[/url]
[url= https://www.strava.com/activities/915161750 ]1133[/url]
[url= https://www.strava.com/activities/874765223 ]1129[/url]
[url= https://www.strava.com/activities/878859833 ]1127[/url]
[url= https://www.strava.com/activities/839245246 ]1106[/url]
[url= https://www.strava.com/activities/938058299 ]1098[/url]
[url= https://www.strava.com/activities/854851399/ ]1066[/url]

Only really got a power meter from the start of January.

Clearly I do need to work on my sprinting... it's a limiter I have already identified 😆

Always finish.

I happily bin races if I know I've done my bit for the team and know there's no points in it for me.

There's greater training benefit to be gained by being fresher the following weeks training sessions.

As for improving endurance... ride more.

Good work nathb, good sign it's not a one off blip in the reading.

Always finish. You've paid to enter, it's all training. And you never know what might happen. I've finished in the bunch, in front of the grupetto, behind them and last. But I always finish. Actually, there is normally someone to pick up and ride with, and you've already beaten the DNF's mentally just riding past the lap line.

That was my logic in the one race i did, Abingdon, i was dropped i think on lap 3-4 and i just TT'd it the whole way until the lap we'd be pulled out by the Comms, despite being lapped i thought "Sod it, i'm doing my best" and even tried to hang with riders who came past me later on etc. I was happy to finish.

It depends really. I guess on a long RR lap, you need to get back to your car anyway 😉
I think I'm past wanting to finish for the sake of it.
I scheduled a lot of racing into my plan this time to try and boost my race craft as it was clearly a limiter.
However, for my next block I will definitely race less in favour of more well-rested intervals.

As for improving endurance... ride more.

Drum roll ready for CH's race results & write up from this evening.....

One of my pet hates with race reports is excuses! Sniffles, sore throats, injuries, family crisis, car problems, punctures and mechanicals abound.
Of course, when I read mine back, that’s all they ever are too- human nature being what it is, it’s actually pretty hard to frame a write up any other way!
Tonight was due to be different. With a month to go on my training plan, it was the first of my B priority races.

I had even managed to properly execute a rest week. With just enough hours and very little intensity, I steered clear of the club run (although MrB being in sunnier climbs meant the pace was a little lower anyhow!) and did my Z1 like a good boy.
I had scheduled my FTP test for Saturday too and the result was bang on what I expected and a nice improvement from when I started this process.

Even Strava had good news. The F+F page was showing my fitness had dropped as it should on a proper rest week and my fatigue was at a pre-race low not seen for months. Form was right up at +20 compared to recent races being done at around -20.
Perhaps the scales could provide me with bad news to blame? Had the easy week encouraged my body to fill every niche with supplies, relieved not to be running a strict daily deficit?
Uh, no. Weight was barely changed at a smidgen over 85kg.

The weather was good, the sun was out, the car was on song, the dogs were avoiding the vets, work was no more strenuous than usual and I was nicely hydrated and well fed.

Arriving in plenty of time, I managed to get in a good warm up. I ran out of time for any leg openers yesterday so I did nearly ten miles, mostly easy with a couple of sprints and things felt good.
Pit stops well timed and gel popped on the line, nothing could stop the positivity flowing!

A commissaire tried his best! “I will try of course but I may not see your number there!!” he said in his best British Cycling voice. Seeing as it was in the same pin holes as the previous three rounds and little different than everyone else’s around me and where the lady on the desk had told me to put it on round 1, I struggled to agree with him! My upbeat mood continued though and I substituted the smart arse reply in my head with a smile and an “Of course! No problem, thank you!”.

I even had a team mate. A guy from TFC was there in his first Crit and what a ride! He rode smoothly, safely and powerfully when needed- used no more effort than he had to and followed my wheel to finish just a place or two behind- an awesome debut!

Time to talk tactics! I had had the pep-talk via text from Nath. Be lazy. Sit in. Don’t do anything, don’t try anything don’t push the pedals more than you have to.
But the confidence, the form, the good vibes were telling me something could happen tonight!
I made a deal with myself to spend a couple of laps covering the front, a couple of laps recovering and then the finale getting myself into position for the sprint.
And that’s actually how it panned out.

The pace off the line was hot. I would say 90% or more of the field were familiar faces and of course, everyone is improving. Actually, that’s the challenge with riding a series- you don’t just have to improve if you aren’t up to scratch- you have to improve faster than everyone else! (Is that an excuse? I can’t decide- I’ll let you draw your own conclusion!)

I would imagine, everyone was aware of last weeks solo victory and the poor guy was quite heavily marked. I congratulated him during warm up and he was very modest and said he just got lucky! Don’t you just love those lucky 25.5mph solo efforts!!

As we came through the fast section and into the downhill towards the headwind, I was pumped! I was way further forward than usual but carrying momentum too. One guy had already set off on a solo mission and as everyone else sat up, I found myself off the front of the bunch. I felt a knock on my helmet as the 'Nath of common sense' whispered “WTF are you doing!” into my ear.
I put my head down, tried to squish my shoulders in, got a perfect 90 degrees in my elbows and carried on at the same effort. RPE was playing tricks on me again and this easy spin was actually way over threshold. I kept soft pedalling as it felt and yet nobody came past. We began the ascent and still nobody came past!
Perhaps I should have tried to bridge to the solo artist!!! As these and other stupid ideas began to fill my mind and witty Strava names for my epic victory won from a first lap attack came and went- at long last the noise of aero wheels and tyres over taking me brought me crashing back to reality.

I don’t think there was even a gap- I’ll check the Flyby out and have a laugh later.
Anyway, I held a nice position of around tenth and felt crazily strong. So did everyone else (no that one’s not an excuse- it’s a compliment!) mind you and breaks of all shapes and sizes came and went off of the front.

I think everyone has been watching GCN “What is an Echelon?” videos this week as the pack was crazy in the windy sections. Swooping from side to side, two or three trains strung out, it would have been comical if it wasn’t also slightly hairy and completely un-necessary!
The pace remained high and I was still trying to maintain top 10 and stay as close as possible to Ben. I was working quite hard though and every mile that passed left me thinking that surely this was unsustainable.

Eventually I was proved right and we ground to a halt on the downhill section into the wind. Like literally did 17mph! I joked that it was time for a café stop and a few folks laughed. But sadly, nobody really looked any more tired than I felt- just resigned to our fate of a bunch sprint.

Last week’s winner was still here, trying to look innocent and feigning (probably) a few hard breaths. It was tenterhooks waiting for the attack! Just before the chicane and he went with one other guy and slowly but surely they developed a lead.
It wasn’t a brutal attack but it was well timed. Soon however, we were getting lapped by the others and it was all back together. Once more the pace ramped up as guys tried to follow the other race's backmarkers (not drafting but just proving we could match their effort if we wanted to sort of thing- which we blatantly couldn’t!).

How was I doing? Well ok… I had worked a little hard early on perhaps but that seemed inevitable with how smoothly everything was going and how over-excited I was! My HR was back in control and I was yo-yoing between 10th and the back but never feeling too much pressure.

With two to go, I realised last week’s winner and his team mate were right at the back too! They looked like they were planning something and I debated holding off and trying to go with them but in the end- even they didn’t try anything!
I took some wind and moved up, thinking ahead to the sprint. But it was futile. It slowed down again on the hill and literally the whole race was spread across the track. So now I had it all to do again. I caught some good wheels and moved up nicely down the start/finish towards the top chicane and rode a good line through there.

But here’s the thing- everyone was so evenly matched! I knew I was going too hard but literally the whole bunch was doing the same. This definitely isn’t an excuse either I don’t think- it’s just a fact. There is so much room, so many lines and we were so closely matched that as the surge happened, we all just surged together.

Then, 9 people got away! Literally nine people! That meant we would be sprinting for the one remaining point. I looked around and there were strong guys all around me. Even Ben was still here.
So I chased hard…. and ended my race right there.

What I should have done of course was trusted the FACT that Thruxton is always a boring bunch sprint. But I didn’t. I believed my eyes who thought they were seeing nine people being a bit creative. The watts went up and of course, every extra one was spoiling my sprint. I started to make headway on the gap but of course, the surplus of strong guys and the sheer width of track available meant everyone did the same. And as I yet again used 400+ watts down the hill (like I did two weeks ago) it all came back together again. Bollocks.

Anyway, the guys with the power and the ones who had kept the faith took their rightful places into the chicane and I rolled through in a fair spread of riders. Pushing hard, I made up a good few places right up the finishing sprint despite no real kick to speak of and UNLESS there was another break I didn’t see (quite possible around the time we got lapped) I reckon I was 18th or 19th.

So no excuses (perhaps?), I came prepared, had some fun, made some moves, stretched my legs, got over excited, tried to be clever and made a very slight improvement (maybe!)
And still didn’t score a point! 😆

Now you're racing.

How did none get away? You n a 4th Cat race. Bunch not wanting to work in the wind. Well done Andrew. Points aren't far away, but better than that, you're enjoying the racing. Now attack!!!

Thanks TiRed! It felt really windy tonight. Forecast was 4mph but it was way over 10 with some gusts I'd say.

Just checked the Flyby and there wasn't a gap- well not that GPS could detect anyway 😆

You are right- a proper attack to could help me out now. Just to see......

I can't quite bring myself to admit it's 'boring' at Thruxton but there really aren't many options now everybody is on song.

What's the worst that can happen 😆

I've got until December 31st to score my first point......

Well done, I'm impressed! Sounds like it's only a matter of time.

Nice one CH 8)

Like I keep saying though be boring on your next one, get yourself to the sprint finish with as much energy as possible. Your next part of race training is that sprint finish for point(s)!

Then I'd go back to attacking etc 😆

Well, my hunch was correct. A guy got away for the win during the confusion of being lapped!

https://www.strava.com/activities/1002405173

Argh that sucks CH!!

Okay first ever structured training session done, I think I was fairly consistent!

[img] [/img]

https://www.strava.com/activities/1003505409

I'm only 60 pages into the bible so no formal plan yet..

Epic write-up CH. I hope the actual race was that involving.

With just enough hours and very little intensity

For tapering, you should be keeping the intensity and reducing the volume. Otherwise you lose all your snap.

Matts- yeah it was the last R+R week not a proper taper. However, what with trying that TT and enjoying the club runs, this was the first R+R week I'd done properly. Hence being (using the correct bible terminology of course) 'over-aroused' 😆

First Peak week this week but I'm thinking of being a first class hypocrite and swapping Saturdays 'interval medley' with a C race....... It's Big Events at Hillingdon and it's gonna be 24 degrees and sunny...

I'm thinking of being a first class hypocrite and swapping Saturdays 'interval medley' with a C race

It's a C race, so you can go ahead and make pointless attacks for your intervals 😀

Exactly 😆 Which should focus my attention for Tuesday 🙂

But it does rather undermine what I said about crisp intervals being better than race fatigued ones so I need to be REALLY lazy inbetween too 😀

Will you listen my words of wisdom for this one?

Flowers worked a treat so should see you Saturday!! 😆

Niiice! Did you email Alice?

No, I'm coming to watch you get some points!!

Entered the 3/4 race at Milton Keynes bowl last night, couldn't make the 4 cat only race due to an early start. Wasn't feeling great to start, hadn't ridden since going deep on Sundays road race and had a hectic few days at work since. My legs never felt good but I got stuck in the first few laps were frantic, our bunch caught the e123 race and then had to back off a bit so the two races didn't come together. Was starting to suffer and sat near the back of the bunch and then the course was extended mid race through a gate and a few different bends which I wasn't expecting,at the back of the bunch I was caught in the back of the whiplash effect and soon shelled out the back. Rode a few laps on my own and pulled out as felt like I was getting in the way of the e123 race.

Apparently after I had pulled out there was some chopping and a crash followed by a punch up on track so maybe for the best!

That's it for my racing this year I think, my wife's due to give birth in 2 weeks with our first child so priorities change big time for now.

That's it for my racing this year I think, my wife's due to give birth in 2 weeks with our first child so priorities change big time for now.

Congratulations. 2 weeks off to ride!!

Hopefully you'll get back in to it later on. I took a "break" from road racing 2 weeks before our second was born - that was nearly 5 years ago now.
[img] [/img]