I just completed a 5km run today and OUCH!!!! my legs have never felt this bad. I'm debating whether I should go on my first A ride with the local group tonight or just spin easy for an hour or two. I know I can hang with them for a while but the latter is looking a lot more reasonable right now :(

I work in the New Orleans area, and my apartment is about two and a half minutes from the toughest climb for 50 miles - a bridge over the Intercoastal Canal, a half mile at 5-6%. You have to travel to get more than 3000 feet of climbing in a 100 mile ride.

1:15 of zone 2. After 3 hard days it was nice to not be trashing myself. I've got to watch how much I do on weights day. That can junk me for the rest of the week.

Indeed, this has to be the downfall of the region..

Ugh I hate climbs! At least in races.

i plan to ride today. watch out cyclists of ohio. i might be able to break 7 hours this week!

I did nothing today, I was talked into my homework by the parents..I havn't ridden since Saturday, I'm predicting this is the end of my little 'good riding streak' thing I had going on there, perfect timing to because I've got a race on Sunday :notamused:

Group ride with some fast dudes, didn't pull much at all but suffered.

45miles
2400' of climbing
TSS = 180
NP = 250W
IF = 0.912

That hurt.

i heard rsroka butt was on it. and also that matt was a ***** and flatted.

I quite like them, personally. I did decently well on the last race I had with an uphill finish.

I held on to Matt for about 35 miles and then they dropped me up some super steep hill where I was doing like 8mph and 450W. After that I could only see their a$$e$ for 5 miles till I decided to just coast home.
Rob was there and Matt's bike was making bomb ticking noises the whole ride lol.

8min FTP test tonight..Following the CTS protocol, first time doing these. I've done Coggan's 20min test prior. must say I prefer the 8min, works better for the roads around here and easier to fit in during the week...

Anyhow, first 8min was at 253w, second at 259w...FTP in WKO is set at 220w, think it might need a bump up...

i've found that they are pretty darn close tbh. the hour test is terrible, but it gives the most accurate result, but sucks dick. 20 minute test is nice and all, but sucks, 8 minutes hurts like a *****, sucks but at least i get it over with quickly (i've actually never used it, but i have a max 8 minute power pr and it's pretty close to my ftp times 1.1)

Pretty happy with the gains I have made since the fall...

Going to start working on peak power now, so I can handle the surges better in races...

Made up a new workout with a teammate today to train breakaway efforts. One of us attacks all-out for 30 seconds, and the other hangs on for dear life. At 30 seconds, 2nd rider pulls all-out for another 30 seconds. Then we work together for about 3 miles, giving it everything to die at the end.

Good stuff. Sensations were very close to 2-man attacks I've been a part of.

how much do you weigh? just curious.

I've only done the 20min tests and they suck. The only hour power I have are from a race or group ride, one of them the NP was pretty close to my FTP. An hour tests is probs good but that takes some serious mental gumption.

+-137lbs...

damnn niiiice power for the weight man!!

11watt bump in FTP after a Coggan 20min test today. Helps make up for sucking hard at this weekends RR.

super special extra hard shovel intervals. 40 minutes rolling pretty hard. 822 kj's and an np just over threshold. 1220 max indoors. looks like my sprinting legs are slowly coming around.

just signed up for my first race of the year…yikers.

Thanks Ovoleg...Now if I could just learn to race and get more comfortable in the pack I could maybe do something...

I was making some headway at the end of last season, with the pack riding, and then a crashed at a stupid Grand Fondo type of an event and it set me back. First race of the year is always a sketchfest around here and I basically quit. I was not proud of that for sure. The last race went better. I settled in as the race wore on and found myself in tighter quarters, which is what I need to do.

This weekend will be the real test Springbank. That race has always freaked me out. It's held in a park on a combination of roadways and multi-use paths. Things get pretty tight in areas and it just gets into my head. I've thought about skipping it, but that won;t help solve the issue...

Good luck, and welcome back.

do you live near Camp Pendleton? I think I rode with you before :D

I don't get nervous about racing in the pack when I'm actually there but I do think about it a lot before the race. I constantly think about not crashing. I've crashed a lot so I'm not as sensitive to it but still gets me when someone does something stupid.