I did an experiment this weekend that was enlightening.
3+ hr ride this weekend with a similar profile to the prior weekend’s fondo race - about 100k of meaningful riding with an early and late climb and rolling terrain in between. Key difference - much more rigorous pacing.
It was a huge success. All time power PRs at all durations over 2 1/4 hr (by about 10W after 3+ hrs). Not a hint of cramps this time.
Two big factors that I think could have mattered most:
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I strictly limited early climbs to SS / just below threshold. In the prior race, I went ~20-40W over threshold for many minutes at a time with some surges well beyond that. With more even pacing I hit IF = 0.84 and felt good; in the fondo, it was 0.81 with cramps and limping to the finish at 140W.
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For this better ride, it was at least 10-15 degrees (F) cooler - a lot of cloud cover
It’s hard to say with certainty which factor mattered more but I lean towards the pacing. With cooler weather, I intentionally drank a lot less to reduce any bias from hydration - which I am increasingly convinced is only a factor when severely neglected. And if anything, I was not quite as well rested for the better ride this past weekend (TSB ~5 vs +15).
While I was happy with the result, it doesn’t change the fact that if I ride my own pace, I’ll lose groups that could give a lot of free speed later - but at least the boundary conditions are getting clearer!
IF of 0.84 on a 3+ hr cramp free ride not feeling destroyed seems pretty decent to me. But at the same time, I’ve never demonstrated over 0.92 on a 1 hr effort, which may suggest there is more room there to improve.
Saw another good thread with similar discussion, and there too, it seems like focusing on sustained SS/near-threshold at both 1 hr and longer rides is recommended.
Finally, I also got a foam roller last week and it’s GREAT. Not sure if a few days of using it daily prior to rides had any meaningful contribution to the endurance PRs this weekend, but I feel way better each day, and it’s doing wonders for making it enjoyable to hold 20+ min SS+ intervals, aero, in the drops, picking up some KOMs along the way.
In conclusion - I’m going to stick with the feedback to keep focusing on a lot of SSB, increasingly challenging paced SS efforts / long Z2 rides, trust that this steady endurance will also improve my ability to endure a little more variability which is ultimately needed in a race with groups - and hope that some combination of foam rolling + gym work this winter will further help avoid the catastrophic cramps.