Goals Galore, v2.009



Felt_Rider

Well-Known Member
Oct 24, 2004
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Is it time yet to start hashing out those goals for 2009? :)

My most significant in priority are, but not limited to the following list are:

1. Stay healthy so training stays consistent
2. Start to chip away at my body fat level at a slow rate and hopefully be at 6% next season. (currently around 12%)
3. My current "Power Distribution" chart has most of my time in L3, but I have too mush time below L3 as well. I would like to start getting a little deeper into L4 as I adapt to this type of training and have a good balance of SST through the winter.

Those are my big 3 for a club rider :)

I do not race so my goals are not as intense as most of you guys :)
 
Felt_Rider said:
Is it time yet to start hashing out those goals for 2009? :)

My most significant in priority are, but not limited to the following list are:

1. Stay healthy so training stays consistent
2. Start to chip away at my body fat level at a slow rate and hopefully be at 6% next season. (currently around 12%)
3. My current "Power Distribution" chart has most of my time in L3, but I have too mush time below L3 as well. I would like to start getting a little deeper into L4 as I adapt to this type of training and have a good balance of SST through the winter.

Those are my big 3 for a club rider :)

I do not race so my goals are not as intense as most of you guys :)

That body fat % is very low for someone who isn't planning on racing. You can go that low for a while if you're peaking for a big race, but that's very low to be holding for a while and probably inconsistant with goal no1. I'd say 8-10% would be a significant drop but more likely to keep you healthy and be sustainable.

For me, my goals:
1. Retain 2nd Cat licence.
2. Go under 20mins for 10m TT (currently at 20.04)
3. Ride a few Premier Calendar events
4. Get FTP back up to 350ish.
 
rob of the og said:
That body fat % is very low for someone who isn't planning on racing. You can go that low for a while if you're peaking for a big race, but that's very low to be holding for a while and probably inconsistant with goal no1. I'd say 8-10% would be a significant drop but more likely to keep you healthy and be sustainable.
.
It is tough but as a former high level bodybuilder it is something that I am used to and have done many times. You are absolutely right about everything you said.

It will be a huge challenge and my goal, but I need to cut some more weight if possible. I am 5'6" / 173 lbs and need to drop more. I thought I would be losing lean mass, but over the last two months my lean mass increased instead. I guess that it why I did so well in bodybuilding. :) But as a cyclist trying to keep up with climbers it sucks :(

Reflecting on my past I could train very well near 6% under a good stress load, but getting down below that training was extremely difficult. At the first sign of struggling I will up the calories and bail out of that goal. (all of these numbers are rough caliper numbers anyway and are not by hydrostatic weighing, which in that case the accurate number would put me back up to 10%+/- compared to calipers)

My goals are minor anyway.
My main intention was getting this thread started for the rest of you guys.
 
I'm still thinking about mine.

I sorta have long range goals for several years out, and short term ones for next few months but in between is tricky.

So let's have a go at the shorter range goals:
1. Work up to a regular 2hr long core endurance ride*
2. Start 2009 with an FTP at 250W+ and a body mass sub-90kg
3. Sub 44-second 500m TT on 28-Nov-08. 42-sec would be nice.
4. Commence mass start track racing by end of 2008/09 Aussie summer

* This is not as easy as it sounds - my stump does still get sore and I have issues with socket fit over time as I ride. By core endurance I mean ~ 75-80% of FTP.
 
If you'd asked me a few weeks ago I would have had clear answers but after buying a PT a few weeks ago I have only one. Having been off the bike for many months this year I'm still going through the "honeymoon period" of rapidly increasing fitness, so any power predictions would be rather silly. I'm already riding 3x20s at a higher power then I did at my first baseline 20 minute test almost 4 weeks ago and I was seriously hammered at the end of that first test. That said, I'm not exactly in a state to go for a spritely jog up the stairs to the shower after those 3x20's either. :p

The only concrete goal I have is to lose weight... again. I'm very focused on goals when I'm training but when I'm not it all turns to s##t. I've put back on pretty much all the weight and no doubt it'll all come back off again. I was low to mid 140's when I raced (I'm 5ft 11) but now I'm 192lbs. I was 170lbs back in March this year. Yup, it goes back on as fast as it comes off it would seem... However, the main motivation this time isn't purely a power-to-weight thing, it's losing weight to make getting a better position on the bike possible. All the weight I put back on has basically gone to form a big "pregnant' belly with makes riding on the drops a non-starter.
 
swampy1970 said:
If you'd asked me a few weeks ago I would have had clear answers but after buying a PT a few weeks ago I have only one. Having been off the bike for many months this year I'm still going through the "honeymoon period" of rapidly increasing fitness, so any power predictions would be rather silly. I'm already riding 3x20s at a higher power then I did at my first baseline 20 minute test almost 4 weeks ago and I was seriously hammered at the end of that first test. That said, I'm not exactly in a state to go for a spritely jog up the stairs to the shower after those 3x20's either. :p

The only concrete goal I have is to lose weight... again. I'm very focused on goals when I'm training but when I'm not it all turns to s##t. I've put back on pretty much all the weight and no doubt it'll all come back off again. I was low to mid 140's when I raced (I'm 5ft 11) but now I'm 192lbs. I was 170lbs back in March this year. Yup, it goes back on as fast as it comes off it would seem... However, the main motivation this time isn't purely a power-to-weight thing, it's losing weight to make getting a better position on the bike possible. All the weight I put back on has basically gone to form a big "pregnant' belly with makes riding on the drops a non-starter

.
Same for me and why I didn't quote any power number goals.

My training is not quite as refined, but I am content to evolve slowly into a training routine around my work and life schedule.
 
Alex Simmons said:
Sure but goals should typically quantify the target and indicate a timeline.
They should and with cycling they once did. For me right now cycling is a 'nice hobby' rather than the "near religion" status it once held. I don't really have anything to train for other than to train for myself. Apart from The Deathride and some other local long mountainous events I may do the odd crit here and there and I might end up doing the evening timetrials about 20 miles from here...and dust off the time trial mule that's in my avatar but I can't see getting up at 3am and drive 200 miles to race like I once did.

I'd like to get down to 154lbs and hold 300watts for an hour. Based on the fact that I'd gone from 195lb to 170lbs in just under 4 months within the last year and that I was rolling around at 23 to 24 mph on a less that aero position on the road bike I'd say those were attainable. I'd be happy with that but they're both about 10 to 12% off when I raced but it'd be nice just for the fact that I'd be able to conquer the more difficult hills around here rather than them beating me into near submission whilst getting to the top. If Chris Horner and Jonathon Vaughters look like this 3/4 way through a 7.7 mile stage up Mix Canyon on 39x27 then it be nice to have less of a boat anchor around the gut and more gas in the tank just to make things a little more fun and not have to suffer like a pig-dog.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/?id=2003/mar03/solano03/stage2/001solano_hornervaughers

If I find myself down at 145lb and able to hold 340+watts for an hour then I might just rearrange those goals and get a little more serious.
 
First of all I need to find full time work after I finish year 12. Hopefully saving a lot of money this coming year. Once I find a job a goal might be to buy a powertap. On the bike My season is split a few different ways.

1.) Top 10 at U'23 road nationals (going to be realistic here as I am just out of juniors)
2.) Win a major open or two
3.) Race overseas with my new team and win an overseas event
4.) Caribou cup! a stage win in one of the races and a top 10 overall also in one of the events.

I am 181cm's @ 70kg's atm. Lets say my hypothetical FTP is 340? If i were to have a powertap adding 20watts and getting down to 65kg's for target races would be nice. I dont have the powertap atm sooooo...lol

the above is subject to a lot of change! I kind of surpassed all expectations of myself in 2008 and hopefully I can do the same in 09?
 
All of my major rides for 2008 are done and I am hard at work planning out 2009. There are a few things I'd like to accomplish next year and I am starting to train towards them already:
  1. Increase my current FTP of 272 to 300 watts+ giving me a power to weight ratio of 4 or better. This should help me achieve my other goals.
  2. Compete in the Iron Horse Classic in Durango, CO in May. This is a 47 mile ride/race over two 10,000 foot passes.
  3. Get back into doing some TT's (20 to 40k) if I can find any to do within a reasonable distance from Atlanta.
  4. Do 2-3 century rides including the 3 State Three Mountain and Six Gap Century and do better than in 2008.
My Kurt Kinetic will be getting a lot of use in the next 6 months as I really focus on building FTP through lots of SST. As I get into March/April I will add some L5 intervals to the mix as well as some fast group rides. Hopefully this will allow me to do well in the Three State Century in early May and especially the Iron Horse at the end of May. I will then have the Summer to do a couple of time trials along with building towards the Six Gap in September.
 
1. to find time to continue racing, even if I'll work abroad...(let's say 30 races) supposingly in Germany or the UK (do they have amateur road races down there? Is it all Elite racing? I'll have to ask somebody about that...)

2. to win at least 5 amateur races (like this year)

3. to find new bike friends in the new place where I'm going! :)
 
ruleof72 said:
All of my major rides for 2008 are done and I am hard at work planning out 2009. There are a few things I'd like to accomplish next year and I am starting to train towards them already:
  1. Increase my current FTP of 272 to 300 watts+ giving me a power to weight ratio of 4 or better. This should help me achieve my other goals.
  2. Compete in the Iron Horse Classic in Durango, CO in May. This is a 47 mile ride/race over two 10,000 foot passes.
  3. Get back into doing some TT's (20 to 40k) if I can find any to do within a reasonable distance from Atlanta.
  4. Do 2-3 century rides including the 3 State Three Mountain and Six Gap Century and do better than in 2008.
My Kurt Kinetic will be getting a lot of use in the next 6 months as I really focus on building FTP through lots of SST. As I get into March/April I will add some L5 intervals to the mix as well as some fast group rides. Hopefully this will allow me to do well in the Three State Century in early May and especially the Iron Horse at the end of May. I will then have the Summer to do a couple of time trials along with building towards the Six Gap in September.
My first goal as well.

Did you enjoy the rain this year :)
Rain for most of the ride, but the sun came out with a vengence just as I was climbing Burkhalter Gap. My Ride Info
 
1) 300 FTP
And that is really it for this year. Every year I say it is the year I am going to start racing again, but I still have two young kids and older kids active in sports so it isn't going to happen. I spend most of my time riding indoors on my trainer. I would like to try and get two outdoor rides a week in for my own sanity, but that isn't really a goal. If I can get to 300, then most of my regular kicks, beating my riding buddies, hitting a fast group ride from time to time will follow.
 
Quite a few goals for me I think, some easy, some hard.

1) Get racing licence and do some races (easy). Go from fourth to third cat (no idea how hard that'll be).

2) Ride my bike on a consistent basis rather than taking out every so often for a suffer fest.

3) Get a powertap (got the money set aside, just need to order it).

4) Get my FTP to a point where it's not completely embarrassing (pretty hard based on the numbers you guys put out).
 
1. Lower weight from 92kg to 81kg by NZ Track Nationals (March)

2. Get down to 70kg by NZ Road Nationals (October)

3. Ride sub 3.45 for 3000m at NZ Champs

4. If achieve goal 3 then aim for sub 3.40 for 3000m at Masters Track Worlds

5. Top 5 NZ Masters 1 (35-39) 25km Time Trial
 
Felt_Rider said:
My first goal as well.

Did you enjoy the rain this year :)
Rain for most of the ride, but the sun came out with a vengence just as I was climbing Burkhalter Gap. My Ride Info
The rain wasn't too bad all things considered. It wasn't cold and by mile 80 I was pretty much dry, except for my feet. It's a nice route and well supported. If my indoor training goes well this Winter I plan on "bustin one out" next year as it will be my final tune up ride for the Iron Horse. But man, it is going to take some time to get used to riding on the trainer. I've done two workouts on it this week and my mind was not into the "pedaling to nowhere" that the trainer gives you. I'll get used to it soon enough as I have no choice, at least Monday-Friday.
 
swampy1970 said:
I'd like to get down to 154lbs and hold 300watts for an hour.
Well, it's still a few months from 2009 and I've got second half of it done already. :D

Now I need to stop looking like the Michelin man and get cracking on that first part. Only ~38lbs (17Kg) to go. LOL It should be a piece of cake as long as I stop eating the cake first...
 
Here are my goals for 2009:

Learn more about my powermeter and how to train and race with it.

Stay healthy. (I missed three months of training this spring due to a respiratory tract infection).

Eat enough calories so I don't get sick.

Win some races.

Contend for some stage wins or even the overall at the Tour de Korea.
 
Training goals:
Race weight: 54 kg (119 lbs)
5 sec: 1050 W (probably late season)
1 min: 550 W
5 min: 360 W
FTP: 275 W

Racing goals:
1 Masters 35+ win (excluding hillclimbs)
Top 5 overall M35+ High Uintas Classic
Sub-50 min @ Snowbird Hillclimb
Top 5 UCA M35+ ranking
 
Piotr said:
Training goals:
Race weight: 54 kg (119 lbs)
5 sec: 1050 W (probably late season)
1 min: 550 W
5 min: 360 W
FTP: 275 W

Racing goals:
1 Masters 35+ win (excluding hillclimbs)
Top 5 overall M35+ High Uintas Classic
Sub-50 min @ Snowbird Hillclimb
Top 5 UCA M35+ ranking
For me summer 2009
Race weight: 65 kg
5min 400 watts (6.2w/kg)
20min 350 watts (5.4w/kg)
FTP 330 watts (5.1w/kg)

But before summer 2009 I want to reach my winter goals:
Keep weight below < 70kg.
Run and don't get injured.
Run a 10km < 39 min.

And maybe before the real race season start I want to do a wintertriathlon in March.
 

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