Goals galore

BullGod said:

well fellas - I made my goal for this season already a few weeks ago - breaking into the top 15 in a Cat 1 crit.

Yesterday I went a step firther and achieved my goal for next season by finishing a 90km Elite/1 crit.....I finished last, but i hung in there at the back of the peloton and was still there at the end.

two years ago when I started racing I was getting dropped every time after 10 minutes.....right now I am a protagonist in Cat 1, and can just about hang on in the elites.....

so my revised goals are to podium at Cat 1, and to get a top 20 in the elites....

Excellent!

How is everyone else going?

Mine are a little vague at the moment as I'm still not sure when I'll be able to ride again - but therein lies the first goal - turn those cranks again as soon as I can!

Alex Simmons said:

Mine are a little vague at the moment as I'm still not sure when I'll be able to ride again - but therein lies the first goal - turn those cranks again as soon as I can!

We are pulling for you Alex 🙂

Islandboy said:

2. be in touring shape by July holidays 😎

I think I made this goal. To celebrate Canada Day I completed my 1st Century yesterday, 1 July, 163 km @ 24 kph - 6:45 riding time, 7:32 Overall Time

Alex Simmons said:

How is everyone else going?

Since you asked!

For the year, placings have been 8th, 6th, 7th, 5th, 1st, 1st, 2nd (4th overall, 2nd in cat).

I'm out of the "mid-season" transition slump that really sucked the life out of me in June. My weight is in the 75 kg range and now working 50 times harder to maintain it - but loving having to do that.

Everything from here until September is training again

NomadVW said:

Personal fitness:
2. Increase FTP to 350 (up from current 317)

This one is still lingering on the outside, but I'm down quite a bit in weight so the w/kg improvement is equivalent. Would still be nice to call 350 FTP for round number's sake!

Quoted post said:

Race Goals:
2. August/Sept - Sub 1 hr 40km TT

Most recent 2x20 workouts on the TT course put me at 1 hr 2 min. Very challenging course with lots of turns. If they change the course back to two year's ago course which is one big 10km loop, then sub 1 hour is already a given.

Quoted post said:

Ideally, I'd like to move back to the states in Feb 2008 with the documentation necessary to upgrade from Cat 5 to Cat 4 almost immediately.

Waiting on word from the district rep on this one that I'm working with on the issue of upgrading from overseas. Should hear this week whether or not they'll upgrade me to a "Cat 4" before the move.

After learning that the more you ride does not mean simply better results, my current goal is to learn to train smart 🙂
That means quality, not quantity.

Romis said:

After learning that the more you ride does not mean simply better results, my current goal is to learn to train smart 🙂
That means quality, not quantity.

I have gone from 20 hrs per week of longer rides to 10hr a week, never more than 3 days training straight, and 2 x rest days per week and I have improved my results more than I anticipated....Shorter, harder and structured training rides have really worked on my speed and stamina, and doing lots of sprints has improved my criterium form. I never train more than 2 hrs now, and enjoy my riding a lot more.

I really think that loads of L2/3 miles don't do me any good now. If I train I am in L4,5 and 6.....because that's where I'll be if I race.

NomadVW said:

Waiting on word from the district rep on this one that I'm working with on the issue of upgrading from overseas. Should hear this week whether or not they'll upgrade me to a "Cat 4" before the move.

It's official, I'm a cat 4. What a bizarre racing scene I'm in! A US Cycling Cat 4, but this last weekend the guys that took 1 - 2 in the circuit race I placed 4th in are Japan's equivalent to Continental Pro/Cat 1.

Ahhh well. Back to training.
.

rmur17 said:

Nice idea Alex. Mine are (not necessarily in order):

1. Get my FTP to 380 or 4.5 W/kg (360W currently) by April. That would be +10W to my all-time best so it'll be tough. That should also give me 400+ for 20MP and ~390W for 30MP.

Done. reached this by early March. Plateaued for 3-4 weeks then started progressing again. Hit the magic 400W level last week.

2. Gradually mix in L5 training over the winter and get my 5MP to back 470-480 W (currently 440W).

Not done. Only did 2-3 break-in L5 intervals per week and whatever I picked up on the group rides. 5MP still only 450W but I'll admit I have not done a test while rested.

3. Set PB for our 'spring' 50k training TT course. Equipment: mountain bikes, knobbies, fenders, 2 water bottles, cold weather kit. Current best: 1:26:30 or ~35kph. Target 1:23:xx

No spring this year!

4. PB on our local 21k TT course and training 40k.

PB'd on my only official TT of the year of 45k. Course record as well.

5. Make the light guys suffer on our Thursday evening and Saturday high tempo/hilly group rides. At least in the 2nd half of the rides 🙂

DONE.

6. Maintain FTP and 5MP over the season while building CTL and endurance over the early season.

DONE and actually have increased FTP 20W since March/April. A first for me.

7. Top five TT at my age-group Nationals in July. Survive the road race.

Got sick three weeks beforehand and decided to pass on the travel.

8. Sub 2:10 HIM team relay split in late July.

TBD.

9. Encourage participation in weekly training TT's. Help local riders/triathletes to get out of the 'long/slow' rut that many seem stuck in.

I've given up on this one!

islandboy said:

2. be in touring shape by July holidays 😎

Achieved, [font=Arial]we have just returned from an eight day, ~ 660 km round trip, to Campbell river and back the sunshine coast, averaging ~ 82 km daily. Woohoo! I will post more details later on my website - www.aye1.com 😄 [/font]

Routes are posted mapmyride.comuser profileOpen ↗

1 goal left - Trek! 1,2 & 4 have been met. I have added two more - cycle 5,000 km post-op before Trek (303 left with 9 days to the event) and I rode a double metric (125 miles) yesterday. It has been a good summer! 😄

islandboy said:

surgery on Mar 29th - 8 week recovery :eek:
1. get back on the bike - May 24th - 😄 spinning sooner if permitted by Dr.
2. be in touring shape by July holidays 😎
3. complete BC Lung Trek in September 07 :p
4 keep wgt @ or below 185 lbs 🙄

Alex Simmons said:

....How is everyone else going?

A year ago I decided it was time to give our only annual road race a shot, the 206 mile LOTOJA. I knew it would take a full year of training after a decade away from the road racing scene. I renewed my license, bought a power meter and set goals and plans and started training in earnest at the beginning of November.

45 weeks of steady training later and I've just finished my first full season of training and racing with power. Here's the goals I set out and how I fared:

• Drop weight from ~195 to regain best race weight -- Lost a slow and steady 1 - 1.5 pounds per week from Nov. - April and hit the early season races at 154 (70 kg). Have held that +/- a couple of pounds all season no problem.
  
• Train steadily all winter -- Rode 3 -4 days a week indoors on the trainer through a sub zero Wyoming winter and hit the early races in the best shape ever. This will be a tough goal to repeat mentally....
  
• Raise FTP from ~220 to my preseason goal of 300 watts -- Tough to say, my best AP for an hour TT is still around 290 watts but Monod tests, regular long intervals and power histogram step downs all tell me I should be able to do 305 on a good day. TT files show that I still need to work on early pacing and mid race focus but either way I'm awfully close to that goal.
  
• Enter at least 10 races this season and place top ten in at least 3 -- Raced nearly 20 events including 5 weekend stage races. Best RR placing - 3rd, best crit placing - 6th, best TT placing - 1st, best GC placing 4th. Finished top 10 in 3 stage races and several road races. Definitely hit this goal.
  
• Top ten place in our local hill climb event, the Teton Pass hill climb with a time under 40 minutes. Placed 3rd in the masters race in 38:15 for this ~ 5 mile climb with 2600 feet of elevation gain.
  
• Race a sub one hour 40 km TT -- Rode a 58:31 40 km TT in August on a stormy day and won my category and was less than 3 minutes off the fastest time of the day.
  
• Ride a sub 10 hour LOTOJA -- Rode to an 11th place finish in 9:42 for ~21.1 mph average speed. Really tough to race that distance but managed to hold focus and avoid dropping into touring mode for the entire race.
  

Basically I hit or came very close to all my preseason goals and am absolutely sure I couldn't have done it without a PM and without the knowledge gained from Andy and Hunter's book, these forums, the wattage list, etc. Probably the biggest unstated goal is that I finally learned how to train and have a plan for going forward. Sure wish I had these tools and this understanding a couple of decades ago when I struggled so hard for lousy race results on twice the mileage I rode this year.

Thanks to everybody here for the great advice and sharing of really important information. Specifically thanks Alex, Ric, Andy, Timan, RDO, Frenchyge and those I'm sure I'm forgetting for sharing so much good information on an open forum.

-Dave
P.S.

Quoted post said:

..Mine are a little vague at the moment as I'm still not sure when I'll be able to ride again - but therein lies the first goal - turn those cranks again as soon as I can!

Alex, I really look forward to the day you tell us about getting back on the bike and back on the velodrome. I can't imagine what you're going through. Hang in there!

daveryanwyoming said:

Basically I hit or came very close to all my preseason goals

An inspiration for those to follow, but more importantly, a confirmation that proper goal setting works! Hope to be shouting the same things in after November 25th. 3 more priority events for me for the year that never ends. Then it's time to reset for next year's training.

Lost 18 kg down to 70 kg eh? Cripes... friggin lightweights. I bet the friends/family thought you'd gone on eating disorders! I only lost 10kg since last year at this time and I hear about it ALL the time.

Can you hold the mental focus for next year? I'm certain you can with just as good goal setting as you had this year and then tell everyone you meet about the goals you set. Keeps you moving when you're both accountable to yourself and to others.

On that note, off to put on the gear to hit the Monday morning 2x20's. 360 watts, here I come!

VW

Nice work Dave

daveryanwyoming said:

Alex, I really look forward to the day you tell us about getting back on the bike and back on the velodrome. I can't imagine what you're going through. Hang in there!

Thanks buddy, I'm hanging! I'm gradually progressing to the next stage which will be a prosthetic leg. I think I'll be measured up some stage this month and get a leg next month. Cycling at some stage after that🙂

Watching the guys ride at the World Masters Track Championships will be hard though.

islandboy said:

1 goal left - Trek! 1,2 & 4 have been met. I have added two more - cycle 5,000 km post-op before Trek (303 left with 9 days to the event) and I rode a double metric (125 miles) yesterday. It has been a good summer! 😄

How did you go?

daveryanwyoming said:

A year ago I decided it was time to give our only annual road race a shot, the 206 mile LOTOJA. I knew it would take a full year of training after a decade away from the road racing scene. I renewed my license, bought a power meter and set goals and plans and started training in earnest at the beginning of November.

45 weeks of steady training later and I've just finished my first full season of training and racing with power. Here's the goals I set out and how I fared:

• Drop weight from ~195 to regain best race weight -- Lost a slow and steady 1 - 1.5 pounds per week from Nov. - April and hit the early season races at 154 (70 kg). Have held that +/- a couple of pounds all season no problem.
  
• Train steadily all winter -- Rode 3 -4 days a week indoors on the trainer through a sub zero Wyoming winter and hit the early races in the best shape ever. This will be a tough goal to repeat mentally....
  
• Raise FTP from ~220 to my preseason goal of 300 watts -- Tough to say, my best AP for an hour TT is still around 290 watts but Monod tests, regular long intervals and power histogram step downs all tell me I should be able to do 305 on a good day. TT files show that I still need to work on early pacing and mid race focus but either way I'm awfully close to that goal.
  
• Enter at least 10 races this season and place top ten in at least 3 -- Raced nearly 20 events including 5 weekend stage races. Best RR placing - 3rd, best crit placing - 6th, best TT placing - 1st, best GC placing 4th. Finished top 10 in 3 stage races and several road races. Definitely hit this goal.
  
• Top ten place in our local hill climb event, the Teton Pass hill climb with a time under 40 minutes. Placed 3rd in the masters race in 38:15 for this ~ 5 mile climb with 2600 feet of elevation gain.
  
• Race a sub one hour 40 km TT -- Rode a 58:31 40 km TT in August on a stormy day and won my category and was less than 3 minutes off the fastest time of the day.
  
• Ride a sub 10 hour LOTOJA -- Rode to an 11th place finish in 9:42 for ~21.1 mph average speed. Really tough to race that distance but managed to hold focus and avoid dropping into touring mode for the entire race.
  

Basically I hit or came very close to all my preseason goals and am absolutely sure I couldn't have done it without a PM and without the knowledge gained from Andy and Hunter's book, these forums, the wattage list, etc. Probably the biggest unstated goal is that I finally learned how to train and have a plan for going forward. Sure wish I had these tools and this understanding a couple of decades ago when I struggled so hard for lousy race results on twice the mileage I rode this year.

Thanks to everybody here for the great advice and sharing of really important information. Specifically thanks Alex, Ric, Andy, Timan, RDO, Frenchyge and those I'm sure I'm forgetting for sharing so much good information on an open forum.

-Dave
P.S.
Alex, I really look forward to the day you tell us about getting back on the bike and back on the velodrome. I can't imagine what you're going through. Hang in there!

well done Dave. Sounds great - geez if you can lose 40 lbs then I can lose 10-15 for next season!

rmur17 said:

well done Dave. Sounds great - geez if you can lose 40 lbs then I can lose 10-15 for next season!

Thanks guys, it's been a good year. Funny how folks keyed on the weight loss, that was the easy part. I never starved myself and didn't really change much in terms of what I ate. I just ate a lot more consciously and a bit less but more frequently throughout the day. It helps to be married to a Registered Dietician, but I didn't cut out anything not even desserts, 'just didn't eat them everyday 🙂 BTW, I was thinking seriously of getting down to 68 kg but that same RD wife put the brakes on at 70 kg, she didn't like the ribs showing...

Sure wish raising FTP was as easy as dropping a couple of kilos......

-Dave

What's wrong with ribs showing?

mikesbytes said:

What's wrong with ribs showing?

It might spawn another Eve. 😄

Alex Simmons said:

OK peoples, it's that time of year.

What are everyone's cycling goals for 2007?

Well, I just completed my first ever 40 km TT. My goal was to do sub 1 hr on a standard road bike with no clip-ons and no aero kit, whatsoever.

I wasn't sure how to pace it other than to go harder on the way out, due to the head/crosswind.

My power output breakdown (emphasis on the word "breakdown"😉 went like this:

5 min @ 400 w (40 km/h)
10 min @ 354 w (38.8 km/h)
10 min @ 339 w (36.4 km/h)
10 min @ 329 w (36.6 km/h)
10 min @ 323 w (39.7 km/h)
10 min @ 316 w (38.8 km/h)
7.5 min @ 308 w (39.9 km/h)

I didn't feel like I was going out too hard, even though I had estimated my FTP to be just ~ 340 w. Coincidentally, the NP for my peak 60 min in this race was 341 w.

So, I managed 1:02:24 on a winding, somewhat undulating out and back
course. I took heart in knowing that the times were about 3 minutes slower on average than at last years race.

Slipping a little on 4, but I am working on it.

#3 Trek is completed. 5005 km before leaving for Trek.

islandboy said:

1 goal left - Trek! 1,2 & 4 have been met. I have added two more - cycle 5,000 km post-op before Trek (303 left with 9 days to the event) and I rode a double metric (125 miles) yesterday. It has been a good summer! 😄

We cycled over to Hazelmere Friday (90 km) with only one problem. The spokes on my rear wheel had worked loose. :eek: We discovered this on the ride to the 11 AM ferry, and made a side trip to Straight Up Cycles. Gerry stopped what he was doing tightened the spokes trued the wheel and we were off. Arriving with 10 minutes to spare we were the last to load on the 11 AM ferry! 🙂 Once on the mainland we were quickly reminded how busy the traffic is.

On the first day of Trek we rode to Cultus Lake (100 km). A reasonably quiet ride along Zero Ave. until the route zig-zagged through the Chilliwack cornfields. There we were to encounter strong, steady headwinds until we were in the protection of the trees around Cultus lake. For the first time in 6 Treks I had no pain as we rode along Cultus lake. Upon reaching "the hill" to Stillwood Camp it was a comfortable "spin" to the top (a nice change from past gruelling attempts). This being the unofficial, official, day of competition we arrived at Stillwood in 4 hours and 1 minute (overall time - riding time of 3:41). Well behind Kenny, Adam, and Lenny but still 4th and 5th for our best finish yet.

On Sunday we returned to Hazelmere (100 km) with a tailwind in under 4 hours (riding time of 3:27). After a shower, a meal and relaxing with friends we loaded our panniers and cycled home (187 km for the day). The afternoon was headwinds and heat. With only one back track (Hwy #10 was under construction) to Colebrook Ave. we made the 5 PM sailing - no waits for bicycles - Woohoo.

A great weekend, a great cause! Thank you to everyone who supported me, you raised over $2,370.00 for the BC Lung Association 200 km Bicycle Trek for Life and Breath.

Now onto a new goal. Ride the 2007 Tour of Courage for the BC Cancer Agency.🙂 Giving something back to those who are helping me with my "little adventure" aye1.comaye1.comOpen ↗