Challenging Schedule

[downsland]

I would welcome some thoughts and input on power training plans to work around a difficult work schedule.

The background is that my job often requires me to be away from home, often overseas (no bike, no turbo etc), for 4-5 nights at a time, and more often for 2 nights. I would average 1 longer trip every 6 weeks and 2-3 shorter ones.

I use a powertap and have self trained myself for the last year with it, I bought it so that I could make maximum use of what time i do have available. I came back to cycling 20 months ago after being an expert (uk) level MTB'er and Cat 2 roadie 10 years ago. Last year as part of my 'comeback' I did the Etape in 6h 45 , got to 79kg FTP 320w so was going OK.

This year I have dropped off a bit but nothing much and am picking it up now. I have some Duathlons, time trials (all less than 50m) and quite a few audax/cyclo sportives lined up.

I'm interested to know if others out there have similarly difficult schedules and if so how you train around them most effectively and what levels you have reached despite these schedules. I'm also interested in some expert opinion on what fitness losses are experienced on regular 3 -5 day training breaks

Thanks!

 

[Spunout]

I would welcome some thoughts and input on power training plans to work around a difficult work schedule.

The background is that my job often requires me to be away from home, often overseas (no bike, no turbo etc), for 4-5 nights at a time, and more often for 2 nights. I would average 1 longer trip every 6 weeks and 2-3 shorter ones.

I use a powertap and have self trained myself for the last year with it, I bought it so that I could make maximum use of what time i do have available. I came back to cycling 20 months ago after being an expert (uk) level MTB'er and Cat 2 roadie 10 years ago. Last year as part of my 'comeback' I did the Etape in 6h 45 , got to 79kg FTP 320w so was going OK.

This year I have dropped off a bit but nothing much and am picking it up now. I have some Duathlons, time trials (all less than 50m) and quite a few audax/cyclo sportives lined up.

I'm interested to know if others out there have similarly difficult schedules and if so how you train around them most effectively and what levels you have reached despite these schedules. I'm also interested in some expert opinion on what fitness losses are experienced on regular 3 -5 day training breaks

Thanks!

It can be done if you know your schedule ahead of time. Forget 7 day cycles, you'll have to build and train hard and then recover while away from the bike. Do anything, swim or walk to recover. Challenge, but doable.

 

[Krazyderek]

In January i was still having bike troubles and i was getting worried that i was entering the season way to late so i resorted to climbing stairs at work 2x 15min of climbing walking up 8 flight's of strairs and then running down. I could definitly feel the burn in my hamstrings and thigh's, and after 10 or 15 mins i was starting to get out of breath aswell so it did the job for almost a month till i could get in the saddle. It felt quite a bit like really easy climbing out of the saddle.

I still work nigth's at a call center so i do find it hard to get to any group rides so i've just been trainning solo on the rollers every day my fav 2 workouts are 2x20min and 6x5min both only take about an hour. If i'm really crunched for time i'll just do a 45min recovery ride since i don't need to spend another 20 mins warming up and cooling down. And when i actually have time i'll hit the road on my own, often into the evening and try and put in 3-4 hours in the saddle at a steady pace with a high cadence.

For being away from home. Perhaps invest in a bike suit case, and pickup a good beater bike if you don't have one so you're not breaking down your good road bike everyweek. If that's just not in the cards, try and find out ahead of time what hotels have gym rooms, many do these days and include a cycle unit, unless you're staying in motels on these trips which tend not to have all the luxuries.

Other then that, i'd recommend finding something with atleast 4 flight's of stairs or more as i've had fairly good luck with them.

Just a newbie's experience.