Was this supposed to go in the unpopular cycling opinions thread?
Joe
Ps I (re)learned crashing really hurts this year.
Despite all the sugar-coating, carbon spokes are really harsh. They are like riding a time machine sending you back to skinny tires and 120 psi.
What I learned:
-I must have some sort of goal/race/event in order to train hard. Without them, I found myself just “floundering” on the bike and not willing to work hard.
-Incorporating strength training while reducing riding volume has improved my cycling performance. While I gained a bit of weight, I was much stronger and I liked the way that I looked.
-I must eat on the bike. It took me awhile to come to terms with this. Carbs are our friends.
-A post ride beer in the Summer is the best.
-Tubeless set up for gravel is a necessity, for me.
-33mm CX tires (clincher) at a gravel event is terrifying (see above).
-A bar bag, even on a road bike, is very nice to have.
-After years of cycling and no vests/gilets owned, I have now learned that it is almost an essential piece of cycling wardrobe.
2023 Lessons Learned:
- I can handle more volume/TSS than I thought, even at age 47. 1000 TSS weeks are no longer impossible, but rather just part of the process. Apparently I don’t burn out from volume, but rather intensity. Still haven’t found my limit after pushing multiple weeks of 24+ hours.
- Don’t ignore CTL. While not the only metric, it’s worth paying attention to and building, even though TR doesn’t think so.
- I feel better with recovery days versus days off.
- I perform/race better with some fatigue in the legs versus being fresh. Better when my Form is at or below -5 than at or above +15
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Like others I found volume is a key ingredient.
Small, consistent gains rock.
Falling off hurts a lot and a 56year body takes ages to heal.
Upgrading my old SL5 tarmac pro isn’t worth the cash outlay for a like for like replacement.
Hardly any alcohol is beneficial to the point further consumption feels pointless.
Using last seasons failures as drivers this year
By the end of 2023, I learned that I completely forgot strength training. Thank you people 
I started riding again consistently in mid-2022, so 2023 was my first full year back on structured training and consistently riding again. I tallied 464 hours so far this year and will probably add just a couple more over the weekend. This is what I learned:
There is value to be had riding and training on my different bikes, on different terrain, and on the trainer inside. The less I rely on having on machine to perform on, the more versatile and ready I am to go and do whatever workout or ride is on the agenda.
My fitness gains have come from both concentrated high intensity training blocks ala TR’s SS Base, Build and Specialty phases as well as from TR’s Polarized models.
I love doing a big, long ride every week at endurance pace and aside from the fitness benefits, it’s just great for my mental health.
Consistent work in training, diet, sleep compound over time and I respond really well when everything is humming along even with minor interruptions. This for me coincides with the reality that there is no Holy Grail of training except consistency.
I prefer not to fret over the fine details of training - I just want to ride, follow a periodized system and get the work done. I’m at the point where my gains will come with time, as I’m getting older, I don’t think there will be any major breakthroughs in power given my upper limit of about 14-15 hours per week of training which I think is plenty.
Having a coach is fun - I stopped following TR’s plans for now - and I’m liberated in just following the plan and communicating with him via TP and a monthly call.
I can go months without drinking and enjoy it. While enjoying beverages during this holiday season has been mostly enjoyable - looking forward to Dry January and carrying that into the rest of my first part of the season.
You reminded me of something that I absolutely left out. TR has been saying this for years and I just got it this year…
CONSISTENCY IS KING
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- I learned that carbs on the bike (at estimated carb replacement) makes it so I’m not hungry when I finish my ride.
- I learned that iron included in post-workout recovery is the difference between feeling I got run over by a truck and feeling like, “Maybe I didn’t do enough”.
- That being tired and sad after being inside without riding for a year is not indicative of what it means to be over 50, rather what it means to be human.
The formal description is that I’m a consultant to business families (families who have a business together, or several, or just manage their money together). My job is to have (or help them quickly find) answers for how to address any challenge, problem, opportunity, or new dynamic they encounter. To keep the family happy, the business humming, and the wealth growing. I’m a combination between their pediatrician and their priest… I’m the first call they make, but I’ll often loop in other professionals to get the best result.
It’s easier than it seems, and immensely rewarding. Families only fight when they run out of better options. So the moment they have faith that I’ll help them find solutions, the fighting just… stops. And then they focus on what they have in common, and how to do more fun things together. And if I do my job well, they keep me around. 
I believe “follow your passions” is terrible advice. What I teach all our clients (trust me, you are NOT alone in all this) is to answer these questions in detail, and in order:
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What are you especially good at? Where are your natural strengths compared to the general population? What comes easily to you that most people struggle to achieve? Anything you do will always be a ton of work, so matching “a ton of work” with “your natural strengths” should be the starting point.
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Within the set of things you are excellent at doing, which are the ones you like best? Don’t pick just one, keep it to a relatively short list.
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And within that list, which ones pay at the level you want?
Note that I’m talking about skills and strengths, like learner, teacher, problem-solver, communicator, leader. I’m a terrible “operator” (can’t run a business, or organize my sock drawer) but I’m a great “teacher”, so consulting fits me well. My son lists his strengths as persistence, analysis, integration of different disciplines, debate, argument: therefore, he’s looking at possibilities as a lawyer, consultant, or engineer, wherever he can BOTH leverage his greatest strengths and also have a great time.
Also note that some part of your income might ideally come from a “gig” or entrepreneurial venture, not just a “job”. You might find that some freelance work would fit your needs beautifully. Or there are positions that fit well next to a job: as an Independent Director on some other company’s Board, for example. Those roles pay well if you add value, they don’t take much time, and since they add to your learning and reputation your “job” may be OK with you moonlighting openly.
Lots more to discuss, but really take some time to work through all of this and find a place where you are happier. The French have a saying I love: “la vie est trop courte pour du mauvais vin” (life is too short to drink bad wine).
The world has been changing the last few decades. You are likely to work until you are older. You are likely to need to change what you do over time. So, try to do it all how, and when, it is to your advantage and adds to your sense of joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction that you have truly added value. There is always a way.
Edit: a really useful book to help you think differently and start this process is Now, Discover Your Strengths.
OH! One other one. I finally crossed the threshold into “I have too many bikes” and need to trim down. Even I just think it’s ridiculous.
I have learnt that
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At 57 I have a VO2 max of 57.
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I can still handle over 12 hours training a week / 52 hours a month on average without getting injured
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Now that i have a power meter (bought Black Friday deal 2022) I prefer doing all my workouts outside if at all possible.
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I prefer and recover well from longer VO2 max intervals in the 3.5 - 4.5 min range.
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That body weight training is the way for me. I find gyms so dull. I am interested in strength / resistance as a way to age well. If I get any benefits to my cycling performance that is secondary.
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That I prefer wet and windy to heatwaves
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That I enjoy the process of training and i have the required patience and consistency to see the returns which dont come in a linear fasion.
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You don’t have too many bikes, you just don’t have enough smart trainers to put them on.
You don’t need to be at the front to enjoy racing / bikes.
My top 3 are;
- Sleep
- Sleep
- Sleep
If I sleep well. I recover well. I perform well both physically and mentally. If I can sleep well, life is in a balanced state and everything falls into place. Figuring out the magic combo for consistently sleeping well still escapes me.
Scheduled sleep time 365 days out of the year. For me who suffers from insomnia, I go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Even those times that I stay up late, which is rare, I wake up at the same time.
For me being a newbie is how important hydration/fueling really is during training.
This is my first time ever doing a cycling training plan. Trying to learn and to listen to my body.
Interesting the split between “strength training is essential” and “more volume is king.” YMMV I suppose.
I learned that paying close attention to carb intake on the bike on long rides/races makes a HUGE difference. I also learned that I think I’ve long underestimated my electrolyte needs.
Related to this learning, huge endorsement of Skratch Labs homemade rice cakes for long training efforts. Such a great option to keep the gut happy and avoid that can’t-take-another-gel feeling.
1 and 1a I guess. If I had to pick one as most critical, it would be volume, but both are important.
My big 2023 take-away is needing to get a more aerodynamic position on the bike. My power is pretty decent for my age group and I don’t think there is too much more to chase there, but my body position is costing me a bunch of watts. I can hide it in mass start events, but I know it’s low hanging fruit and it’s cost me in some events where I ended up in the wind by myself. I’ve been working on it in the off season and also doing most of my training in the aero bars, so I hope to have some extra speed on similar watts this year.
What do you mean by this? You lose “gainz” in 3-4 weeks? What kind of strength training are you doing? I used to do arms, chest, back a couple times a week but not real seriously.
I’d like to do more but the world of weighlifting is filled with even more doubslespeak and conflicting “science” than cycling, which is actually astonishing.