So as I mentioned here: http://www.cyclingforums.com/t/495426/cities-to-live-in-for-training-racing/30 I'm taking year off of school to focus on training and racing. Anywho, here I'll document goals, progress and such of the year.
Back story: I got my first road bike when I was 12 and road like... 12 miles every couple weeks. When I was 15 I started actually riding more (as well as running cross country/track when I wasn't injuring myself doing so), 30 miles once a week, then just decided to do a century without training. (bad idea, don't recommend it). Raced my first race a couple weeks later. Started working at a bike shop on the weekends in high school. I'd do the weekly crit series in town, an occasional weekend RR when I could afford to take the time off work, and usually one 40-50 mile ride a week. Somehow got my cat 3 upgrade in their... (I think i applied for it so many times the guy got annoyed of rejecting me
)
Anyways went to college, stopped riding for 6 months got good grades. Came home for winter break and fell in love with riding again, started riding, hired a coach more and more addicted over the next year (grades sliding the whole way). Got a power meter in December after a year of focused training. I had split from my coach and since January have taken FTP from 4w/kg to 4.5w/kg. I was half assing both school and training, doing about 9 hrs a week on the bike (I was going to school in Rochester which made it a little bit harder to do) and well school grades sucked. So at the end of semester it was either: focus on school and give up the bike or take some time off school to ride the bike. I wasn't ready to give up my realistically very far-fetched dream of racing pro, so I here I am. Taking a year off school to see where it takes me.
Through the off-season I'll do a good amount of RLNTS (ride lots not too slow, because LSD is a drug and I'm not going slow), SST and some threshold work. Right now, I'm hitting up the second half of racing season in Texas. Had an unremarkable ride at the Hotter n' Hell hundred this last week results wise, and racing on the circuit of the america's F1 track this weekend.
Back story: I got my first road bike when I was 12 and road like... 12 miles every couple weeks. When I was 15 I started actually riding more (as well as running cross country/track when I wasn't injuring myself doing so), 30 miles once a week, then just decided to do a century without training. (bad idea, don't recommend it). Raced my first race a couple weeks later. Started working at a bike shop on the weekends in high school. I'd do the weekly crit series in town, an occasional weekend RR when I could afford to take the time off work, and usually one 40-50 mile ride a week. Somehow got my cat 3 upgrade in their... (I think i applied for it so many times the guy got annoyed of rejecting me
)Anyways went to college, stopped riding for 6 months got good grades. Came home for winter break and fell in love with riding again, started riding, hired a coach more and more addicted over the next year (grades sliding the whole way). Got a power meter in December after a year of focused training. I had split from my coach and since January have taken FTP from 4w/kg to 4.5w/kg. I was half assing both school and training, doing about 9 hrs a week on the bike (I was going to school in Rochester which made it a little bit harder to do) and well school grades sucked. So at the end of semester it was either: focus on school and give up the bike or take some time off school to ride the bike. I wasn't ready to give up my realistically very far-fetched dream of racing pro, so I here I am. Taking a year off school to see where it takes me.
Through the off-season I'll do a good amount of RLNTS (ride lots not too slow, because LSD is a drug and I'm not going slow), SST and some threshold work. Right now, I'm hitting up the second half of racing season in Texas. Had an unremarkable ride at the Hotter n' Hell hundred this last week results wise, and racing on the circuit of the america's F1 track this weekend.
