Originally Posted by kvangundy

I tried "peaking" for some summer racing (road/track)...but, as the taper period finished, I didn't "bounce" back into my peak wattages or better than pre-training cycling peaks. My season is attemptedly dual peaked, I have collegiate racing from feb-may (peak 1) then summer track/road june-sept(peak 2).

I lost a bit of weight (185-->175) over the training process (12 weeks) but also lost some W off the top (-~200W) my w/kg also dropped. I retested to see if I had over trained and peaked later but...no dice, still -200 off collegiate season peak wattages. I trained harder, lifted heavier, and am very disappointed in my body crapping out on me.

I missed out on base this year, didn't seem to hurt me during collegiate racing...but after a long enough season, can a lack of base ruin end season peak wattages?
It's "base building" time for collegiate riders, should I build base? or take a break because my body has obviously had too long of a season and needs extended recovery?

Originally Posted by caloso

Cross training question: The gym here has a Concept 2 rowing machine which can display wattage. I'm going to assume that it's fairly accurate -- if only because a rower would be similarly power obsessed as a cyclist.

I'm thinking I ought to shoot for a number that's a bit higher than what I'd do on my bike since I'm using my whole body rather than just my lower half. How much higher? 25%? 50%?

Or maybe just go by perceived effort until I get a feel for what's hard/easy/sustainable/interval....?

Thoughts?