Zwift Chat

[Del C]

Garmin Connect has a Vo2 reading in performance stats. Not going to be scientifically accurate but it can provide a pattern or trend.
Mine is currently showing 56, which coincidentally is my age .
It peaked a few weeks ago at 58 after a decent spell of H.I .T intervals, 2,4 and 8 mins .
Been back at work about a month and that's when the trend started falling,
Not sure I want to keep up with the intervals intensity plus working now
High end feels fairly well tuned but legs feel endurance is lacking and fatigue has been feeling high.
It's all a bit of a balancing game isn't it ?
I think I'll try and get some longer steadier rides and cut intensity for a bit . View attachment 531866 View attachment 531867

Unfortunately Garmin Connect doesn't include virtual rides in its VO2 max calculation.

As I've not been out much lately I haven't got enough data.

 

[Del C]

Yeah someone said we were bossing the front like Ineos. If that makes me Rohan Dennis I’ll take it lol but I said perhaps the chasers are chasing like Movistar!

I can’t help myself on the flat sections - I get a bit bored and start making cheeky comments. Sometimes others join in but it was a bit one way last night. Probably irritated a few, so apologies if anyone here found it irritating.

Your comments make me laugh when I'm riding.

I can remember you typing 'Hup hup hup' trying to catch me on the KoM on a Cyclechat race, but that's nothing compared to the crap you've been typing while up the pointy end of the IRL races.

And they're long messages too. I'm sitting there thinking 'how the **** is he doing that?'

Anyhow, well done in getting to A cat. Your improvement has been massive in such a short space of time. You were mid - lower C before Christmas, so reaching A cat in June is a superb achievement!

 

[CXRAndy]

This is how I see myself in the mirror

Actually I can flex pecs

 

[Del C]

I'm the same. Still think I'm 18 and I should be beating everyone. Think I should be renamed Canute

Yep that's how I feel!

Unrealistic, but it's still there somewhere in the back of my mind.

The frustration with last night is that I know if I can stay with front group at the start I can hang in for a while. I'll get dropped when there's a sudden kick, but if it stays steady I'm generally ok.

Oddly, I seem to have got used to climbs like the Legsnapper, where I've learned to spin fast and hard and I can make it to the top. I felt ok on yesterday's climbs in Richmond on the reverse circuit. I was one of the stronger guys in the small group that formed. It really was down to just being below the power needed to stay in the group at the start,

I'm more likely to get caught on courses like New York on rolling terrain where the gradient change is quick and steep, or sustained climbs like the KoM on Wednesday's course, but that's as much down to the work I've done before.

 

[mjd1988]

Unfortunately Garmin Connect doesn't include virtual rides in its VO2 max calculation.

As I've not been out much lately I haven't got enough data.

Aaah I was wondering why my vo2 max wasn't improving on the garmin. I'm never outside!

 

[Norry1]

I don't take much notice of VO2 on my Garmin - it says I am at 63 which seems unlikely

 

[berty bassett]

Just squatted my body weight 16 times

Curry does that to me too 😁

 

[Whorty]

If it’s any consolation no one else will either unless you pay them 👍

👴

 

[Del C]

Hi All. Mr Grumpy here again!

It's my birthday today, so I'm even fecking older!

But..............

Just did an 8 lap Crit Race. 41 starters. I came 16th. I didn't get dropped from the start and was in the lead group for 6 laps!

Got slightly gapped going into lap 7 with one other guy and that was it. We rode together to the finish. He tried to jump. I thought he'd gone too early so let him go, put on more power, rounded the corner and beat him on the sprint to the line!

What was it @Norry1 was saying? He think he's King Canute? Let's hold back that sea!!!

 

[bobinski]

FWIW I did a lot of Vo2 work on a SF training plan. It was horrible. Simple as that. Lots of high intensity efforts and very little recovery before the next set. Then I got a 3 week chest infection/covid or whatever and probably lost any gains made. I really don’t want to have to repeat the training and so have settled into steady TTT mode. Power is up , consistently so, but those race starts are going to be a struggle until I put the effort in.

 

[Del C]

FWIW I did a lot of Vo2 work on a SF training plan. It was horrible. Simple as that. Lots of high intensity efforts and very little recovery before the next set. Then I got a 3 week chest infection/covid or whatever and probably lost any gains made. I really don’t want to have to repeat the training and so have settled into steady TTT mode. Power is up , consistently so, but those race starts are going to be a struggle until I put the effort in.

Take away the chest infection and that sounds like me!

 

[CXRAndy]

FWIW I did a lot of Vo2 work on a SF training plan. It was horrible. Simple as that. Lots of high intensity efforts and very little recovery before the next set. Then I got a 3 week chest infection/covid or whatever and probably lost any gains made. I really don’t want to have to repeat the training and so have settled into steady TTT mode. Power is up , consistently so, but those race starts are going to be a struggle until I put the effort in.

That is it in a nutshell, its awful, fatigue inducing. Quickly gained and lost

 

[bobinski]

That is it in a nutshell, its awful, fatigue inducing. Quickly gained and lost

Andy, absolutely agree. I don’t think you can race much while on a v02 max plan but post plan twice weekly racing should hopefully be enough to hang onto it.

 

[mjd1988]

Hi All. My Grumpy here again!

It's my birthday today, so I'm even fecking older!

But..............

Just did an 8 lap Crit Race. 41 starters. I came 16th. I didn't get dropped from the start and was in the lead group for 6 laps!

Got slightly gapped going into lap 7 with one other guy and that was it. We rode together to the finish. He tried to jump. I thought he'd gone too early so let him go, put on more power, rounded the corner and beat him on the sprint to the line!

What was it @Norry1 was saying? He think he's King Canute? Let's hold back that sea!!!

Hope you have a nice victory beer for your birthday

 

[peterob]

Andy, absolutely agree. I don’t think you can race much while on a v02 max plan but post plan twice weekly racing should hopefully be enough to hang onto it.

Sounds like your experience on a VO2 max plan with Sufferfest was much the same as mine @bobinski. I did a (10 week?) plan earlier in the year which did improve my top end power (5 min, 1 min etc). However I seemed to lose it all when I was off the bike for a month. Now I’m concentrating more on endurance, with (hopefully) the Majorca 312 this year and LEJOG in mind next year. I’ll keep doing the odd Zwift race to keep a bit of sharpness (plus it’s fun) but I’m not too worried if I’m not hitting the power numbers I was previously.