This is nitpicking, but I was surprised by the IF and hence TSS calculated by WKO for 3 rides of my standard circle. It is a 1h30 look with a 300 climb (through the vinyards) and flat return along the Lac Leman. Here are 3 consecutive rides:
1) 1h34, IF 1.04 TSS 170 awg 192W norm 229W
2) 1h25, IF 1.09 TSS 169 awg 212W norm 240W
3) 1h32, IF 0.99 TSS 149 awg 178W norm 219W
In ride 3), I rode hard, ran out of sugar, bonked and rode much slower last 20 minutes. Still, I was faster than in ride 1). And certainly, it felt like a harder workout than in ride 1).
This would suggest that for fixed exercise duration and distance, a ride at constant power is given higher TSS than riding hard for 2/3 and then relaxing the last 1/3. Granted, these are short training rides, but it is opposite to the old-school training regime I was taught a decade ago was to ride hard out and creep back. Any thoughts?
More practically: if boundary conditions for my training are such 1h30 rides, should I aim for constant power (which would optimise TSS), or should I ride intervals, ending with creeping home?
1) 1h34, IF 1.04 TSS 170 awg 192W norm 229W
2) 1h25, IF 1.09 TSS 169 awg 212W norm 240W
3) 1h32, IF 0.99 TSS 149 awg 178W norm 219W
In ride 3), I rode hard, ran out of sugar, bonked and rode much slower last 20 minutes. Still, I was faster than in ride 1). And certainly, it felt like a harder workout than in ride 1).
This would suggest that for fixed exercise duration and distance, a ride at constant power is given higher TSS than riding hard for 2/3 and then relaxing the last 1/3. Granted, these are short training rides, but it is opposite to the old-school training regime I was taught a decade ago was to ride hard out and creep back. Any thoughts?
More practically: if boundary conditions for my training are such 1h30 rides, should I aim for constant power (which would optimise TSS), or should I ride intervals, ending with creeping home?