Spudmaster
Regular
Good morning,
Typical MAMIL here - aged 49 & 90kg. In my 'youth' was relatively fit - rugby, athletics and skiing in the main. Did a LOT of cycling as a kid, mainly to get around as I grew up in the middle of nowhere. Sadly that stopped when I got a driving license aged 17, and went away to Uni.
12 years ago, when we started a family, I bought a hardtail and started riding a bit with friends and my 'new' family - but nothing major. Then, about 6 years ago, a few of my pals started road-biking. I took the plunge, bought a Cube Attain, (great starter bike!), signed up to L2P and loved it. Fast forward to now, I have done L2P 3 times, treated myself to a new bike this year, (Merida Scultura Endurance 8000), and have the Cube permanently on my Zwift Smart trainer. This year, I have done c. 2000 miles so far, with c. 700 of those on Zwift.
I am still absolutely loving my cycling, but the challenge is often balancing time commitment with work and family. Most of my riding is done with a small group of friends or solo - typically 30-70 miles on mainly B & Back roads, averaging 17-ish MPH; and normally involving at least 1 pub stop, (except when solo!). I have always had 'strong' legs, and seem to be quite good at 'putting down the power' for short periods - in such a way that I actually love short punchy hills - and typically appear relatively near the top of leaderboards on Strava for such segments- especially for weight & age. However, at 90+kg - I hate long steep hills. Which brings me to my point....
I have signed up to do Mt. Ventoux in late April with a couple of my cycling pals, and a couple of their slightly more serious cycling friends. It seems like my idea of hell - but also the ultimate challenge to say I have done it. My approach is very much not to be first up there - just to make sure I get there, ideally in a manner that I can be proud of. I am really not a cold/wet weather rider by choice, so I am looking for tips on best 'programme' or approach to time on Zwift over the next 3-4 months over winter to get me in best shape for my spring adventure. I have done the 12 week 'build me up' programme twice before. First time it had a real positive impact, second time less-so; and I struggled to fit in what is a fairly regimented schedule around 'life'.
With my FTP currently at c. 230, (c. 2.6W/kg), I would ideally like to increase this to 250+; and get weight down to 85 or lower to get me knocking on 3w/kg for the big event. I am a data geek - and all being well, Santa will be bringing me a power meter for Christmas so that I can continue to monitor and use power when back out on the road.
Finally - I am happy to push myself - but not to the point of zero enjoyment!
Lots of information there - but hoping some / much of it might be relatable to others on here. As such - any tips and pointers much appreciated!
TiA
Spud
Typical MAMIL here - aged 49 & 90kg. In my 'youth' was relatively fit - rugby, athletics and skiing in the main. Did a LOT of cycling as a kid, mainly to get around as I grew up in the middle of nowhere. Sadly that stopped when I got a driving license aged 17, and went away to Uni.
12 years ago, when we started a family, I bought a hardtail and started riding a bit with friends and my 'new' family - but nothing major. Then, about 6 years ago, a few of my pals started road-biking. I took the plunge, bought a Cube Attain, (great starter bike!), signed up to L2P and loved it. Fast forward to now, I have done L2P 3 times, treated myself to a new bike this year, (Merida Scultura Endurance 8000), and have the Cube permanently on my Zwift Smart trainer. This year, I have done c. 2000 miles so far, with c. 700 of those on Zwift.
I am still absolutely loving my cycling, but the challenge is often balancing time commitment with work and family. Most of my riding is done with a small group of friends or solo - typically 30-70 miles on mainly B & Back roads, averaging 17-ish MPH; and normally involving at least 1 pub stop, (except when solo!). I have always had 'strong' legs, and seem to be quite good at 'putting down the power' for short periods - in such a way that I actually love short punchy hills - and typically appear relatively near the top of leaderboards on Strava for such segments- especially for weight & age. However, at 90+kg - I hate long steep hills. Which brings me to my point....
I have signed up to do Mt. Ventoux in late April with a couple of my cycling pals, and a couple of their slightly more serious cycling friends. It seems like my idea of hell - but also the ultimate challenge to say I have done it. My approach is very much not to be first up there - just to make sure I get there, ideally in a manner that I can be proud of. I am really not a cold/wet weather rider by choice, so I am looking for tips on best 'programme' or approach to time on Zwift over the next 3-4 months over winter to get me in best shape for my spring adventure. I have done the 12 week 'build me up' programme twice before. First time it had a real positive impact, second time less-so; and I struggled to fit in what is a fairly regimented schedule around 'life'.
With my FTP currently at c. 230, (c. 2.6W/kg), I would ideally like to increase this to 250+; and get weight down to 85 or lower to get me knocking on 3w/kg for the big event. I am a data geek - and all being well, Santa will be bringing me a power meter for Christmas so that I can continue to monitor and use power when back out on the road.
Finally - I am happy to push myself - but not to the point of zero enjoyment!
Lots of information there - but hoping some / much of it might be relatable to others on here. As such - any tips and pointers much appreciated!
TiA
Spud
