Team BKool CycleChat
- Thread starter Peteaud
- Start date
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This track had me using all 20 gears and i did have som front derailleur problems, but I would say I lost no more than 20 seconds on that account.
AFAIK, the only thing to do is to just upload, wait and hope for the best. I guess they thought this would be to much to handle instantly (and they may be right).
Saw something along those lines last year. The sciences seemed sound and I gave the HIIT training a go a few times. Had my heart racing for half an hour afterwards. Really intense stuff!
I'm barely losing any weight as I'm so hungry after riding the bike! Bit counterproductive!
Really need to wise up and eat more sensibly. Geoff, you'd mentioned a course many pages ago that was good for interval training - do you still have a link for it?
Thats a good question! I had recently read somewhere that what you lose on uphills you'll not make back on downhills, but wouldnt have a clue if that applies to head/tail winds.
bobinski
Legendary Member
- Location
- Tulse Hill
Re the interval training, one of the only things I miss using Bkool are the Sufferfest videos and the built in interval efforts in those. Integration with Bkool, the resistance kicking in, would be great.
On another topic, after my bike fit yesterday I ache! I am a little more stretched out on the bike now, saddle raised and also a little forward. It will be interesting to see if it makes any difference to power and stamina.
On another topic, after my bike fit yesterday I ache! I am a little more stretched out on the bike now, saddle raised and also a little forward. It will be interesting to see if it makes any difference to power and stamina.
Do you know what I feel is missing from Bkool. Organised group rides/competitions from Bkool themselves. They dont give any structure to it at all compared to Zwift which I've already seen that they organised a big group ride one day recently there.
gbrown
Geoff on Bkool
- Location
- South Somerset
Thats a good question! I had recently read somewhere that what you lose on uphills you'll not make back on downhills, but wouldnt have a clue if that applies to head/tail winds.
I would say that a tail wind or head wind affects the air resistance (but not the rolling resistance, however that is much smaller) directly by affecting the effective air speed.
So a 10mph head wind taken at 15 mph means you are effectively going 25 mph, whereas with a 10mph tail wind you are effectively going 5mph (from an air resistance point of view only). This means that going from 15mph to 20mph with a head wind costs much more power and efforts than with a tail wind, because air drag is exponentially affected by the effective air speed. So better to take it easy going into the head wind then push hard as you turn back with a tail wind, all else being equal.
Geoff
gbrown
Geoff on Bkool
- Location
- South Somerset
As an illustration of the different effectiveness of Watts depending on speed I worked through the following scenario on a power/speed calculator, with weight (75Kg), wind, drag, frontal area, etc., all remaining fixed at sensible values.
Imagine a course with 6 miles flat at 0% and then 1.85 miles rising at 10%, and imagine you can average 250 Watts for around half an hour, a realistic power around FTP for a 75kg Active Fitness Level cyclist,
Taken at a steady 250W, this would take 33.7 minutes, obviously at an average power of 250W
Now imagine if you spend a few more watts on the flat bits, say 20% more to go at 300W for 15 minutes,
Since this is above your FTP, this means you will have less energy when you reach the climb and your power drops to around 214W, giving the same 250W average
The whole course actually takes nearly 2 minutes longer even though the average watts is the same.
Since we know you can maintain 300 Watts for 15 minutes lets imagine instead you save your effort for the climb, and climb the 1.85 miles at 300W, which takes the same 15 minutes
To maintain the same average power you need to conserve a little energy on the flat so you ride at 206.5 Watts to give the same 250W average.
Although you have averaged the same 250 Watts, and managed 300 Watts for the same 15 minutes, you take 3 1/2 minutes less in total, a 10% saving and quite a handsome lead in a race.
In fact, although you averaged the same 250 Watts, you had to maintain this power for 10% less time, and therefore should be less tired, even though you were considerably faster, and would probably have more left for a last minute sprint!
I would say that if you ride to average around your FTP, but use any AWC (Additional Work Capacity) on the steeper gradients, and recharge on the flats and especially downhill, you will average a faster pace and ride for a shorter time than if you put your efforts in on the flatter bits!
Geoff
Imagine a course with 6 miles flat at 0% and then 1.85 miles rising at 10%, and imagine you can average 250 Watts for around half an hour, a realistic power around FTP for a 75kg Active Fitness Level cyclist,
Taken at a steady 250W, this would take 33.7 minutes, obviously at an average power of 250W
Now imagine if you spend a few more watts on the flat bits, say 20% more to go at 300W for 15 minutes,
Since this is above your FTP, this means you will have less energy when you reach the climb and your power drops to around 214W, giving the same 250W average
The whole course actually takes nearly 2 minutes longer even though the average watts is the same.
Since we know you can maintain 300 Watts for 15 minutes lets imagine instead you save your effort for the climb, and climb the 1.85 miles at 300W, which takes the same 15 minutes
To maintain the same average power you need to conserve a little energy on the flat so you ride at 206.5 Watts to give the same 250W average.
Although you have averaged the same 250 Watts, and managed 300 Watts for the same 15 minutes, you take 3 1/2 minutes less in total, a 10% saving and quite a handsome lead in a race.
In fact, although you averaged the same 250 Watts, you had to maintain this power for 10% less time, and therefore should be less tired, even though you were considerably faster, and would probably have more left for a last minute sprint!
I would say that if you ride to average around your FTP, but use any AWC (Additional Work Capacity) on the steeper gradients, and recharge on the flats and especially downhill, you will average a faster pace and ride for a shorter time than if you put your efforts in on the flatter bits!
Geoff
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gbrown
Geoff on Bkool
- Location
- South Somerset
Of course, if the trainer struggles to produce enough resistance to simulate the higher gradients, you are even better to push harder there, as it costs almost nothing in extra power!
I'm not sure why I am discussing ways you lot can go even faster, I got properly thumped as it is ...
I'm not sure why I am discussing ways you lot can go even faster, I got properly thumped as it is ...
Fantastic stuff Geoff. Really useful info.... Do you ever get any work done???
gbrown
Geoff on Bkool
- Location
- South Somerset
Randyberlin
Guru
- Location
- Sitka, Alaska
I laugh at this as I check the chat for the 32nd time today at work.Rarely!
