keeping motivation high through the winter
01-01-14, 08:43 PM
#26
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Just saw this...good timing.
01-01-14, 09:04 PM
#27
Elite Fred
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01-01-14, 09:13 PM
#28
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I don't know. Respectfully, I disagree. For sure you can find me on some cold wet day ripping my legs off in the basement with the very thought that most guys I'll be in races with did an hour tops. It's not much of a daydream, but a knowledge that what helps keep me near the top of the heap is having a better work ethic.
01-02-14, 01:30 AM
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I agree. I dont think Overies or whatever his name is was saying that is his only reason to ride in the winter, but its a good mentality sometimes not just in cycling. 'champions are made in the off season'. When I am killing myself at the track I like to think that my competition is watching Mrs. Doubtfire on their trainer in Zone 0.1. If you can use that idea to push yourself why is it bad?
01-02-14, 09:22 AM
#30
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this is big. a lot of people seem to forget that we do this for fun. if you're not having fun riding, don't do it. there's a lot of talk and emphasis (especially on forums in comparison to real life) on "base" training and putting in huge hours in the winter. but if this doesn't appeal to you, there's nothing wrong with being active in other ways throughout the winter. I guess this is why cat 3 is known as the "ultimate" category because it gives you this type of flexibility and allows you to still have fun throughout the season.
i've been putting in big hours this fall because i have the time (college student) and really love riding my bike. i doubt this will be the same when i'm working a 9-6 (minimum) office job.
i've been putting in big hours this fall because i have the time (college student) and really love riding my bike. i doubt this will be the same when i'm working a 9-6 (minimum) office job.
Good points. I'm shooting for Cat 3 this year, and I might just end up there for that very reason. I want my racing to be fast enough to be competitive, but not live my entire life as a slave to training.
I don't necessarily enjoy my time on the trainer in the winter, but my motivation is still based on fun. I know that if I put the hours in over the winter, my spring races will be way more fun because I'll be in shape. Also, I work an 8-5 job, and I only manage around 10 hours per week of training/racing.
01-02-14, 09:37 AM
#31
Senior Member
keeping motivation high through the winter
Racing as a Cat 2 i would take a good 2 months off the bike in Winter. No trainer, no rollers. Let your body and mind recoup. There's more to life than cycling.
Oh wait this is the 41. Go buy a new bike with lots of carbon on it. Then upgrade it. Buy lots of wheels and tires. Obsess over your fit. Spend a lot of money, because every one knows money buys speed.
Oh wait this is the 41. Go buy a new bike with lots of carbon on it. Then upgrade it. Buy lots of wheels and tires. Obsess over your fit. Spend a lot of money, because every one knows money buys speed.
01-02-14, 07:45 PM
#33
Senior Member
Yet another thought.
My most productive training once I got some semblance of fitness was to learn how to execute race technique. This means stuff like bumping, front tire touching, learning to handle the bike when the front wheel isn't really planted (I'm still working on that), both front and rear wheel chatter, smooth pedal stroke over bumpy surfaces, efficiency, drafting without looking down too much, cornering in tight formation.
I got most of this done riding the mountain bike with teammates and fellow shop colleagues (who didn't necessarily race). I also did a semester long cycling clinic, two sessions a week, about 10 weeks (after that it was all ice on the field), maybe 1-2 hours per session. We did drills. Technically I led the sessions but I was learning them as well since I'd never touched a wheel and stayed upright prior to that. We did stuff I already knew how to do - bumped side-to-side, touching the ground (or picking up bottles) while riding, bunny hopped, and trackstands. We also did slow motion full contact "crits" (in about a 50 foot circle made by tossing bottles down in a circle - we slalomed in and out of the bottles as a group with the goal of having at least 1-2 people in full contact with you).
To beat a dead horse just a bit more I got my upgrade to Cat 2 in 2010 with a 210-220w FTP, I hit maybe 1250w peak in a sprint that year, but I won and placed in a bunch of races. I weighed about 160 lbs during the season. The race I won I averaged 187w. I averaged similar or lower numbers for other races where I got 2nd, 4th, maybe a 3rd, a 6th, and realistically a 2nd (no power that I recall on that one). When I hit over 200w avg I was so cooked I couldn't sprint. I don't look at my SRM during races except to verify that it's working and sometimes to do a sanity check on heart rate. I never hit the buttons to check things like avg power or HR, and instantaneous power display numbers often don't reflect what's happening (since I don't make efforts while looking at the SRM). I'm saying this to point out that I don't race by the numbers, I simply view them afterward to see what happened. Therefore I don't limit myself based on what I see on the SRM. The SRM simply observes what I do; I don't race based on my SRM.
Remember that fitness only goes so far. I am pretty sure that I'm about the lowest pure FTP as well as one of the lower w/kg riders amongst my peers (2.7 to 2.9 w/kg, typically). Even the Cat 5s kick my butt when I do new rider clinics. However that doesn't mean I can't race somewhat competitively as, say, a 3. And with a bit of fitness I can be very competitive in the 3s. At the same time I think my lack of FTP limits my potential overall, so being a regularly competitive 2 would have been quite a stretch.
Winter fitness is fine. It helps a person race well. But without the other tools in the toolbox you can't become an effective racer. Work on the fitness but keep in mind the technical and tactical aspects of racing.
My most productive training once I got some semblance of fitness was to learn how to execute race technique. This means stuff like bumping, front tire touching, learning to handle the bike when the front wheel isn't really planted (I'm still working on that), both front and rear wheel chatter, smooth pedal stroke over bumpy surfaces, efficiency, drafting without looking down too much, cornering in tight formation.
I got most of this done riding the mountain bike with teammates and fellow shop colleagues (who didn't necessarily race). I also did a semester long cycling clinic, two sessions a week, about 10 weeks (after that it was all ice on the field), maybe 1-2 hours per session. We did drills. Technically I led the sessions but I was learning them as well since I'd never touched a wheel and stayed upright prior to that. We did stuff I already knew how to do - bumped side-to-side, touching the ground (or picking up bottles) while riding, bunny hopped, and trackstands. We also did slow motion full contact "crits" (in about a 50 foot circle made by tossing bottles down in a circle - we slalomed in and out of the bottles as a group with the goal of having at least 1-2 people in full contact with you).
To beat a dead horse just a bit more I got my upgrade to Cat 2 in 2010 with a 210-220w FTP, I hit maybe 1250w peak in a sprint that year, but I won and placed in a bunch of races. I weighed about 160 lbs during the season. The race I won I averaged 187w. I averaged similar or lower numbers for other races where I got 2nd, 4th, maybe a 3rd, a 6th, and realistically a 2nd (no power that I recall on that one). When I hit over 200w avg I was so cooked I couldn't sprint. I don't look at my SRM during races except to verify that it's working and sometimes to do a sanity check on heart rate. I never hit the buttons to check things like avg power or HR, and instantaneous power display numbers often don't reflect what's happening (since I don't make efforts while looking at the SRM). I'm saying this to point out that I don't race by the numbers, I simply view them afterward to see what happened. Therefore I don't limit myself based on what I see on the SRM. The SRM simply observes what I do; I don't race based on my SRM.
Remember that fitness only goes so far. I am pretty sure that I'm about the lowest pure FTP as well as one of the lower w/kg riders amongst my peers (2.7 to 2.9 w/kg, typically). Even the Cat 5s kick my butt when I do new rider clinics. However that doesn't mean I can't race somewhat competitively as, say, a 3. And with a bit of fitness I can be very competitive in the 3s. At the same time I think my lack of FTP limits my potential overall, so being a regularly competitive 2 would have been quite a stretch.
Winter fitness is fine. It helps a person race well. But without the other tools in the toolbox you can't become an effective racer. Work on the fitness but keep in mind the technical and tactical aspects of racing.
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"...during the Lance years, being fit became the No. 1 thing. Totally the only thing. It’s a big part of what we do, but fitness is not the only thing. There’s skills, there’s tactics … there’s all kinds of stuff..." Tim Johnson
"...during the Lance years, being fit became the No. 1 thing. Totally the only thing. It’s a big part of what we do, but fitness is not the only thing. There’s skills, there’s tactics … there’s all kinds of stuff..." Tim Johnson
01-02-14, 08:36 PM
#34
Elite Fred
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01-02-14, 08:51 PM
#35
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I think there's more motivation to train in ****ty weather conditions(winter) than in good conditions. Here me out:
When living in ****ty conditions, most of your competition is going through a period where they're in a lull, not training, enjoying lots of food and hanging out on the couch. PERFECT time to get an advantage over them by busting your a$$ and getting on that trainer or going out and braving the cold.
In good weather conditions, everyone is typically still training, there's not much gained over your competition by training and busting your a$$, you're keeping up more or less(unless you're training better).
At least that's how I see it!
When living in ****ty conditions, most of your competition is going through a period where they're in a lull, not training, enjoying lots of food and hanging out on the couch. PERFECT time to get an advantage over them by busting your a$$ and getting on that trainer or going out and braving the cold.
In good weather conditions, everyone is typically still training, there's not much gained over your competition by training and busting your a$$, you're keeping up more or less(unless you're training better).
At least that's how I see it!
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