Cycling Workouts: Discussion/Encouragement/Sharing/Banter

[Ming the Merciless]

A VO2 max session today, 5 x 4 mins (this week) which I do on a local hill. Raining but no floods to contend with.

 

[HLaB]

A bit of a long day for me, as I went a bit harder than I would have liked on the commute before tonight’s VO2 Max session, Gendarme -2. I started well enough with cadences of 100-135rpm. I never lowered the resistance in the recoveries though and just pedalled slower and after the long slow recovery between sets, I just couldn’t get going again. PS I don’t think my HR monitor was working right, nearly 10mins of anaerobic power and no zone 5 HR

After 45mins of pain I reckoned I deserved this

 

[Norry1]

A bit of a long day for me, as I went a bit harder than I would have liked on the commute before tonight’s VO2 Max session, Gendarme -2. I started well enough with cadences of 100-135rpm. I never lowered the resistance in the recoveries though and just pedalled slower and after the long slow recovery between sets, I just couldn’t get going again. PS I don’t think my HR monitor was working right, nearly 10mins of anaerobic power and no zone 5 HR

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After 45mins of pain I reckoned I deserved this View attachment 714217

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Nice

 

[HLaB]

The under/ over Bear Creek -4 workout was up in my time adjusted TR Masters Plan (I’ve set everything to 45mins just now). I got set up early though so maybe I could have done a longer session

I do like 45min sessions though and going a wee bit harder in them. I didn’t quite go hard enough in tonight’s session perhaps because the batteries for my fan remote failed. I noticed at the end of the 1st block so I carried onto the recovery. In the recovery I jumped off and turned the fan up manually. After that it was relatively comfortable enough.




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My favourite metric.

Unfortunately I’ve only food in the fridge

 

[HLaB]

I forgot to post yesterday. Yesterday was the first day of my recovery week and it was a spin round the block. Today was a rest day.

Trainer Road makes the elevation look dramatic it wasn't really. What was annoying on the only section of busy road where they are still to finish the shared path/ housing, they've temporary lights to do so for 1.4% of the time I was over Z1 HR. The small ring sprint wasn't long enough to elevate the HR beyond Z2. The other annoying thing when I wanted to go easy up the one actual hill. A driver sat quite patiently behind me on the twisty climb. I didn't feel comfortable not making an effort in front of them. You can probably see those sections on the map below, they correspond with the dark red bits.

After the last few Baltic rides I decided against taking my gloves off for a pic until I got home 😂

 

[Norry1]

Due to the forecast very cold conditions, this week my coach swapped out more outdoor Z2 for a week of Threshold work on the turbo.

I found the intervals (5 x 4 mins at 112% FTP) tough yesterday but managed to complete them. Not looking forward to the over/unders today which are 3 x 20 min blocks with each block being 4 x (2mins over/3mins under)

The amber yesterday is because I did more time than prescribed (long warmup).

 

[HLaB]

The second recovery ride of my recovery week and this time I thought I’d miss the temporary traffic lights on London Road and head, into Yaxley up to Farcet, into the Fens and into Stanground and Fletton before heading down the built London Road cycle path. Lol, I forgot the into Stanground and Fletton bit and ended up going back to Farcet and Yaxley which was nearly a mile longer and at a recovery pace that was 5mins I could have done to finish my coffee before a Teams meeting.



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And the realistic Elevation map

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Got a 100km audax on Sat. I’ll be fitting my winter tyres as lanes are not gritted. A taper week this week with a strength endurance session and two 4.5 min hill repeats for my VO2 max work.

 

[Norry1]

Due to the forecast very cold conditions, this week my coach swapped out more outdoor Z2 for a week of Threshold work on the turbo.

I found the intervals (5 x 4 mins at 112% FTP) tough yesterday but managed to complete them. Not looking forward to the over/unders today which are 3 x 20 min blocks with each block being 4 x (2mins over/3mins under)

The amber yesterday is because I did more time than prescribed (long warmup).

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Failed Thursday's Over/Unders towards the end of Block 2.

 

[HLaB]

I remembered the ‘into Stanground and Fletton’ bits today for my last recovery ride of the week. I cant remember though what TR had originally planned as I swapped it in their Alternates function for Jumba King as I could recreate it quickly in TP to follow on %Max HR. Not that I strictly rose to the target HR, I just wanted something beeping at me to pass the time rather than one long flat interval.

I took the shared foot/cycle way along side London Road south to Yaxley, then up through the village at which point lol, I remembered to switch the Varia on. Being 15mins or so into the ride at that point, I had to pull into a bus stop layby to switch the sensor detection back on manually in the main menu of the head unit. I then continued to Farcet, then headed to the Fens, before coming back to Stanground. This time I remembered to turn into it and cut across to Fletton, which was better speed/volume of trafficwise but there’s too many traffic lights to make it a regular route when I am actually trying to meet HIIT targets. From there I took another section of the London Road foot/cycleway to near the house.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Winter tyres and tested in some icy back lanes this afternoon. Good to go for tomorrow’s audax

 

[Norry1]

Winter tyres and tested in some icy back lanes this afternoon. Good to go for tomorrow’s audax

Good luck - will be a chilly one

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Good luck - will be a chilly one

Average -2C and min -3C and it snowed for a brief period, freezing fog entire ride. Safely round and now home.

 

[HLaB]

Average -2C and min -3C and it snowed for a brief period, freezing fog entire ride. Safely round and now home.

👏

 

[Norry1]

Average -2C and min -3C and it snowed for a brief period, freezing fog entire ride. Safely round and now home.

Respect - and glad you had no mishaps