@motard , your “off the couch” gains aren’t done. You’ll see several more big jumps with both the base increase and the muscular improvement. I’m stoked someone even taller than me (even if only nominally so) is on a bike, riding hard.
I’d love to have a big hole in the air to follow, rather than following a bunch of 5’10" x 155lbs guys around.
My wife and kids ignore my performance improvements, too, so you’ll always find an ally in me. My kids, 8/6/4, have a hard time comprehending how I can work so hard to ride only to have my best placing in a masters race at 3rd… But two of the kids don’t actually remember the last time I even pinned on a number, so there’s that.
3rd place - I can only dream of that … top third of the field for me. Masters (Veteran) races where I live in the UK are seriously competitive, but it doesn’t stop me trying to get better…
Sorry, I should have stated more clearly, it was CX, Cat 4/5 Over 35… and it was mostly because my rear derailleur lasted the whole race and several did not. Not masters open.
It was indeed Lemond, but the quote is more correctly: “It doesn’t get any less painful, you just get faster”. The essence of the quote is really about the suffering which never ends ^_^.
31 y/o male. I started Trainer Road during the first lockdown here in the UK.
Had a couple of years of unstructured, social cycling under my belt but nothing remotely resembling ‘training’. Was always relatively active though and did some olympic lifting and running.
Mar 23 start of SSBLV1 - FTP 165 @77kg
May 5 start of SSBLV2 - FTP 190
Jun 22 start of GBLV - FTP 223
Jul 22 midway GBLV - FTP 226
Aug 27 Start of Olympic Tri Base LV - 287 @72kg
Oct 14 Start of Sprint Tri Build LV - 301 @74kg
There was a week’s cycling in the alps after low volume general build and I reintroduced twice weekly strength training on my return.
My adherence to the plans has been pretty good, but I struggle to get on the trainer more than twice a week due to other commitments/lack of motivation.
Currently have a half marathon in the diary for May 2021 and a sprint Tri in September. Would love to go sub 1:30 in both whilst continuing to increase by FTP.
I need to decide on how to structure my next chunk of training… so any and all thoughts on where to start/what to do next would be welcome.
140W increase in FTP in 7 months, off low volume training - wow, I’m more than a little jealous! Keep doing what you’re doing I’d say… if you feel that SSB worked for you, then cycle through base and build again?
I’m on a fairly basic trainer (Tacx Vortex) but have been on the same one since I started and follow the same protocol… spin down etc before each test.
I was convinced I’d over preformed/something had gone wrong on the test but I went on to get through the next block of training more comfortably than the one before.
I’m think a big part of the reason for the jump is down to simply getting better at the test itself. I did also take a week or so off the bike so felt well rested.
This is probably the reason. You probably under-tested in the first few ramp tests. How was the perceived exertion and Heart Rate in your workouts after the jump in power compared with the previous block?
Anyway, great progress, congratulations. I started in June with a FTP of 166 and I’m hoping I can follow the same path. Currently at 231.
in my previous (cycling) life, riding on the W&OD trail outside of DC every time I’d be doing a chill Z1/2 ride I’d find people sitting on. I feel you on the smaller riding partners for sure…“do you even draft, bro?!?”
my wife is happy I’m happy, but just has no context for starting to feel stronger on the bike, etc.
only advantage to being really out of shape is my fitness only has one direction to go for a long time!
“Anytime you wanna take a pull, that would be cool.”
Actually, the guys I rode with had no problems sitting on the front, but the draft-benefit was predictably and noticeably different based on the size of the “vertically challenged” individual in front of me.
Also, the chart above is not meant to suggest that my power profile is a straight line. 5 and 20 min pretty top notch. 1 min is not so great, sprint is really nothing to even mention
No worries about deceptions Mr. Aero. When I look at my power profile, I happened to (dream/fantasize) believe that I’m some sort of echelon-enhanced Dutchman, but maybe that’s just what happens when I look at my power profile that becomes highly respectable between 3 and 20 minutes, heavily weighted for watts vs w/kg.
3rd place - I can only dream of that … top third of the field for me. Masters (Veteran) races where I live in the UK are seriously competitive, but it doesn’t stop me trying to get better…
