It's killing me but..........

[PaulMD]

BEST EVER WORKOUT !!!

I felt a quantum leap in power was imminent, and today it happened. However, not in the way I expected.

Back on the 22nd of September I said, and I quote:



A long way back, RapDaddyo said he did 5 minutes @ 405 Watts.

So after 2 days rest and a 10 minute warmup I went for it. In all honesty I expected to do about 3 minutes or at the very most 4 minutes.
The first minute was painful (as usual) the 2nd minute was excruciating.
The 3rd minute began to feel OK and once the quads numbed out, it didn't feel bad at all. A quick peek at the HR monitor told me I was cruising, so covered up the display again, including the clock and just drove on.

The next time I looked at the clock, I'd done 26 minutes!!

Anyway, decided to keep going for 1 more music track then call it a day as I am supposed to be tapering. When I finally looked at the time, I had done 32 minutes. Could I have gone on for the hour? Probably not. But definitely 40 minutes.

I'm sure now that an FTP of 400Watts is on the cards, and before too long. This workout also told me, I'm doing my VO2Max intervals at too low a level. A very happy chappy is now going to feed his face with some goodies to celebrate. Tyson

32 minutes at 405 watts

And your weight is 74kg? That's 5.5w/kg for more than 30 minutes

A lot of Cat1 riders can't do that! That's awesome Tyson!!

With all respect: is it possible for you to verify the accurance of your indoortrainer?

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

32 minutes at 405 watts

And your weight is 74kg? That's 5.5w/kg for more than 30 minutes

A lot of Cat1 riders can't do that! That's awesome Tyson!!

With all respect: is it possible for you to verify the accurance of your indoortrainer?

I'm hoping to get a Quarq power meter before too long. I'm waiting for them to be on sale in Japan. Then I can do a comparison.

The following might help you understand. When I was about 15 years old, I was cruising along on my old hand-made Claude Butler and came upon the back wheel of another rider at speed. He turned to me with a shocked look on his face and said, "Where the hell did you come from?" He couldn't believe I had never done any training - just potter about from A to B. He told me he was a county level rider and invited me to join his club. However, I thought running was my forte and perhaps made the biggest mistake of my life not taking up cycling at that time. Who knows what would have been, as there was obviously some natural cycling ability in my makeup.
Still, I have no real regrets, as I'm thoroughly enjoying the whole cycling thing now and the challenges ahead.

BTW, if I compare the first minute or 2 of a 300W interval with the first 2 minutes of today's 405 watt effort, there is absolutely no comparison. The 405W effort was sheer purgatory until something clicked over. The quads relaxed, the breathing changed from a gasping for air to a steady just above normal level until the end. However, when I did the 1x1 @ 540W the other day, that was me finished , kaput! I couldn't have continued if my life had depended on it.

 

[jsirabella]

Based upon your description below there is something else happening which to me is much more important than your performance. You are gaining confidence. There is no replacement for that. I have seen it make a bigger difference than people would ever imagine.

Keep it up and glad you are putting the PM to good use...

-js

Excited about this past weekend to say the least

I now have a solid month of training with a power meter behind me. My hours on the trainer are a bit short of training time as I had planned with life events curbing the training time, but the result this past weekend was very pleasing to me. I am not going to quote power numbers this time around since I used my non-PM equipped bike on the group ride this past weekend, but I tried to mentally focus on being consistent and smooth while riding in the pack. Meaning that I tried to always keep some torque on the pedals while riding with my group and not get into a position (drafting) where I am not working (avoid coasting). This is a group that is above my level so I am grateful they adopted me in and I normally fall off 10+/- miles from the end of the ride because they ride with such intensity compared to my level.

One might say I just had a rare day, but I am hoping that consistency on the trainer during the week using a power meter to govern the effort is now starting to pay off. Because I was trying to keep consistent effort I found myself pulling the group quite a bit. At one point two of the fastest guys of the group broke away and I chased them down. Two guys that I normally wouldn't even try to chase. Toward the end of that break away one of the guys said while breathing hard, "you are killing it today."

Music to my ears, but I hope it wasn't just a rare day of feeling good. I hope that I can start seeing this type of effort at least 80% of the time from this point forward.

Taking time off this winter or easing up a bit will not be on my plan. Maybe I am now moving to page 10 of this thread and I enjoy SOT going back and putting those RDaddyo quotes so that I don't have to sift through a lot of other stuff. I remember RD giving me email advice when I was trying to step up to the next group level and he took time to tell me how he would deal with newbies trying to make a step up to riding with his group.

.........and this time I didn't fall off 10 miles out. This time I raced several people in on the last 2 miles. We were holding speeds between 25 to 30 mph on a flat sections going back to the parking lot just for fun. That was an awesome feeling to put in a last bit of good effort from the typical falling off the group.

 

[Pendejo]

32 minutes at 405 watts

And your weight is 74kg? That's 5.5w/kg for more than 30 minutes

A lot of Cat1 riders can't do that! That's awesome Tyson!!

With all respect: is it possible for you to verify the accurance of your indoortrainer?

Silly, you're admirable, inspiring, and phenomenal. But those watts measurements are just not credible. I'd wager they are at least 75 watts too high. (But we've been down this road before.)

 

[strader]

I usually do a coast down test on the CT before and after I do a test, just to make sure the numbers are good. If it drifts from say 2.10 lb to 1.90 lb during the interval it will get easier during the effort. Just throwin that out there.

If the numbers are anywhere near accurate (say +/- 20%), I'd start setting your sights a bit higher than lake Biwa... like buying a TT bike and setting a 65+ TT WR.

 

[jD_Empath]

This year's US National Time Trial Championships

http://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?year=2008&id=1887&info_id=13660

by my bikecalculator.com calculations, 405 average watts would have been enough to win every age division, even with a less-than-perfect position.

 

[Steve_B]

405 average watts would have been enough to win every age division, even with a less-than-perfect position.

http://a2trainingblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/nationals-tt-details.html

 

[jsirabella]

At this point are we starting to get into TDf numbers? I really think it is time to get some more proof than a post on a board.

Can you give us more than just a post and a description?

Anything? I believe you can still download the data off of the CT into a software, even without the PM. I mean if I had a session like that I would make it into a poster and put it all over my office.

Forget the 30 minutes, how about 5 minutes of video where you just point it you and the CT readout...post it on youtube. Anything?

At this point I am sorry but I do not believe you. If I get torched for this post so be it. To be honest I find the Rapdaddyo thread a bit spooky in and of itself as it seems we are already remembering the dead while we do not know where the guy is.

Get some proof and you can flip me the bird right from in the video if you like when you are done. I will be more than happy to take it and be wrong.

-js

Silly, you're admirable, inspiring, and phenomenal. But those watts measurements are just not credible. I'd wager they are at least 75 watts too high. (But we've been down this road before.)

 

[Felt_Rider]

Based upon your description below there is something else happening which to me is much more important than your performance. You are gaining confidence. There is no replacement for that. I have seen it make a bigger difference than people would ever imagine.

Keep it up and glad you are putting the PM to good use...

-js

Thanks!!
Certainly perception had its place when I had nothing else, but now that I am training with the PT there was no doubt that I was not training hard enough using perception. Also switching from a spin bike for indoor training to the KK trainer has made a big impact as well. Much more discomforting and difficult than the spin bike.

I'm still too embarassed to state my FT on the power thread. I think I will keep that private for a few years and see if that improves a bit.

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

I greatly respect all the doubters, but I can only post what the CT powermeter tells me. And to JS the figures I posted were the honest to God truthful figures (as far as the accuracy of the CT power meter goes) If I compare the actual physical effort involved in turning the pedals at 405W with say 300W, there is a mile between them. The cadence also dropped notably, it was as if I was climbing a 15% gradient.
Getting back to the CT, I set the "press-on" force at 3.27lbs. They say up to 300W it should be 3lbs and from 400 -500W 3.5lbs (both plus or minus 0.2lbs) so I think my setting was OK.

Lets wait and see how this all pans out on Sunday, around Lake Biwa.

P.S Someone doesn't have to be dead to be honoured.

PPS. JS, you come to Japan sometimes, so please take the bullet train next time, 1hr 40 mins to Nagoya, come and stay the night and see if you can turn the pedals at 405W and for how long. Should be interesting. I really and sincerely hope you can make it down here, then all my figures would be substantiated. Tyson

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

Someone who has posted in this thread (not RapDaddyo) invited me and my family to stay with him in the US (via a pm) and do some racing. If he's offer is still open, I will seriously consider taking him up on it next spring (minus the family)

 

[Alex Simmons]

I'm still too embarassed to state my FT on the power thread. I think I will keep that private for a few years and see if that improves a bit.

Never be embarrased by something like that. It is what it is. Whether you choose to keep it private or not is another matter but don't be embarrased about it.

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

Never be embarrased by something like that. It is what it is. Whether you choose to keep it private or not is another matter but don't be embarrased about it.

+1 I never felt embarrassed about posting my 130W FTP, frustrated and impatient - yes, but not embarrassed. I used it as a sort of lever, because I knew there were probably some guys (not guys on this forum who were always ready to offer advice) who were thinking 130W was pathetic and that I should take up candle making.

 

[Pendejo]

I greatly respect all the doubters, but I can only post what the CT powermeter tells me... Tyson

But what's the point in posting them in a public forum if they can't possibly be anywhere near accurate? Here's an analogy. I'm 62 years old and have never run track. But I'm in great shape, I run fifty miles a week, and I do speed intervals. I go to the track with my 15-year-old stopwatch and I run the mile as fast as I can. My stopwatch tells me I did it in 3:58. I wouldn't go on a runner's forum and report this because I know it's absurd. Similarly, you can't possibly believe that you have an FTP anywhere near 400 watts. If you truly do believe this, then you should be taking the necessary actions to become a world-wide celebrity and millionaire, which you could accomplish in a few short weeks.

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

But what's the point in posting them in a public forum if they can't possibly be anywhere near accurate? Here's an analogy. I'm 62 years old and have never run track. But I'm in great shape, I run fifty miles a week, and I do speed intervals. I go to the track with my 15-year-old stopwatch and I run the mile as fast as I can. My stopwatch tells me I did it in 3:58. I wouldn't go on a runner's forum and report this because I know it's absurd. Similarly, you can't possibly believe that you have an FTP anywhere near 400 watts. If you truly do believe this, then you should be taking the necessary actions to become a world-wide celebrity and millionaire, which you could accomplish in a few short weeks.

Richard at Racemate (CompuTrainer) assures me the trainer is fairly accurate give or take 2 or 3 %. OK, maybe it's a little more inaccurate, but to state as you did in an earlier post that it's reading at least 75 watts too high is absurd and your statement reeks of sour grapes. And how pathetic to give as a parallel a hypothetical clapped out stop watch with a modern fairly new trainer.
Look Pendejo, nobody is forcing you to read the posts in this thread, but I notice you still keep coming back for more. If you don't like what you read then all I can say, is ******** somewhere else. I really don't care what you believe or don't believe. This thread's purpose is to help people have faith in themselves and their ability to improve to heights they only dreamt of before. Tyson

 

[Alex Simmons]

OK, this is getting silly.

I cracked 1100 watts tonight at the track in a 150m sprint fly with a 5-sec MMP of 1074W.

 

[Felt_Rider]

Never be embarrased by something like that. It is what it is. Whether you choose to keep it private or not is another matter but don't be embarrased about it.

Hopefully this coming Saturday I will get to see a comparison to a ride I did last year. Last year I did the 1st Annual Saul Rasin Hope ride and it was my first time to do any substantial climbing. It was only a 51 mile ride (that was a lot to me back then), but I was so new to cycling at the time I really struggled with cramps at the end. This year my hope is to blow those numbers out of the water. I figured I will go ahead and state my goal now for accountability sake and put a bit more pressure on myself now by making a public goal.

The route is longer this year, but I still hope to beat every facet of data on the link below. Except maybe the downhill speed. I am still mentally struggling with downhill racing after my crash last September and there are plenty of hard switchbacks on this route. I plan on using my lighter bike this year, which is setup with a compact crank and this bike does not have the PM attached so I will not be tracking power. Maybe next year I will be fully setup up with PM's.


Last year's data
(My Garmin 305 shutoff for several of the first miles, but then started working again a bit later. So there is some missing data for last year.)

 

[jsirabella]

Tyson,

Good luck with Lake Biwa...

I will respond after the event as you requested....

-js

I greatly respect all the doubters, but I can only post what the CT powermeter tells me. And to JS the figures I posted were the honest to God truthful figures (as far as the accuracy of the CT power meter goes) If I compare the actual physical effort involved in turning the pedals at 405W with say 300W, there is a mile between them. The cadence also dropped notably, it was as if I was climbing a 15% gradient.
Getting back to the CT, I set the "press-on" force at 3.27lbs. They say up to 300W it should be 3lbs and from 400 -500W 3.5lbs (both plus or minus 0.2lbs) so I think my setting was OK.

Lets wait and see how this all pans out on Sunday, around Lake Biwa.

P.S Someone doesn't have to be dead to be honoured.

PPS. JS, you come to Japan sometimes, so please take the bullet train next time, 1hr 40 mins to Nagoya, come and stay the night and see if you can turn the pedals at 405W and for how long. Should be interesting. I really and sincerely hope you can make it down here, then all my figures would be substantiated. Tyson

 

[Pendejo]

Richard at Racemate (CompuTrainer) assures me the trainer is fairly accurate give or take 2 or 3 %. OK, maybe it's a little more inaccurate, but to state as you did in an earlier post that it's reading at least 75 watts too high is absurd and your statement reeks of sour grapes. And how pathetic to give as a parallel a hypothetical clapped out stop watch with a modern fairly new trainer.
Look Pendejo, nobody is forcing you to read the posts in this thread, but I notice you still keep coming back for more. If you don't like what you read then all I can say, is ******** somewhere else. I really don't care what you believe or don't believe. This thread's purpose is to help people have faith in themselves and their ability to improve to heights they only dreamt of before. Tyson

I completely agree with your last sentence. But I'm sorry, at some point someone has to call you on what have become ridiculous claims. And I guess that someone turned out to be me. Let's turn it around - if you can't deal with such justified challenges for accuracy, why don't you go somewhere else? This is a forum dedicated to improving one's bicycling. I don't think most of us readers really care at this point what sort of celestial numbers you've reached on your little indoor trainer this week. As someone else here implied, if those numbers are anywhere near accurate, you should be the fastest time-trialer in the world in your age-group and perhaps all age-groups, including many pros. But you don't seem to do time trials - why not?

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

Amen!