AlexTaylor

Right -
I aim to do my first British Cycling road race on 1st March 2009.
It is 56 miles on a rolling course and all us bottom Cat riders will set off with the juniors.

I am 93kg
My 2 x 20 FTP (From a test I did on the exercise bike at the gym yesterday) is 193watts
My w/kg is 2.08

I have ridden in groups before but they are always a mix of abilities (with me being the worst).
My aim is to finish in the pack at this race.

Obviously I will be trying to lose weight as well as increase power.
I will post any improvements on here but some advice would be good!

rizz

Exercise bikes aren't known for being accurate and you've got plenty of time to shed some bulk. You'll tear them up.

AlexTaylor

Yeah I wasn't too sure on the accuracy but I figured that if I did all my tests on the same bike then it will at least be consistent. They are brand new top of the range bikes so they shouldn't be too far off.

Heh heh, cheers, I'll be glad to finish!

dmb2786

Ride lots. Hit the hills. (idk if you have them in the UK) At least train on hills that are similar to the course. I would try to do one 3 hr ride once a week probably on the weekend. If that sounds out of reach, then work up to it. do some hill repeats during the week. make sure you're recovering enough and don't over do it. I dont know what to tell you about diet. good luck man

btw, i dont know anything, but i'm pretty sure the first sentence was good advice.

AlexTaylor

Cheers mate! I'm within an hours riding of the peak district which has plenty of nasty sharp hills but also a couple of good long steady climbs (Bosley and the Cat and Fiddle).
My killer hill though is only about 45 mins away, called Mow Cop. It is exactly a mile long and is rather steep!

Diet wise I just intend to eat a healthy, balanced diet, cutting out all the crap that sneaks in, particularly at work.

ericm979

Anyone who can ride an gym exercise bike for an hour is far tougher than I am!

AlexTaylor

You didn't have the view I had

Coyote2

Your best method of finishing with the pack is to stay in the pack -- Stay right in the draft, don't pull and don't get dropped off the back. This will allow a weaker rider (you, perhaps) to finish in the pack. If you are reasonably strong, it will allow you to conserve energy through the race so that you can unleash a sprint at the end. If anyone gives you a dirty look, just ignore it.

Coyote2

By the way, don't you have some snazzy upgraded-to-within-an-inch-of-it's-life bike? All that, and you haven't raced yet?

AlexTaylor

Yes.

Your point being

What can I say, I like nice things...

Coyote2

Okay, then you really should follow my advice, above. You don't want to be "that guy" -- the guy with a mega-buck bike who gets dropped in the first 10km. That guy who exists to allow all the rest of the racers to feel smugly satisfied.

AlexTaylor

I know!!! I don't want to be but I'm scared I will be!
That's why I am trawling for advice.
I may actually do the first race on my beater with the mudguards taken off so I don't embarrass myself.

What is an effective way to increase my FTP?
I'm asuming intervals but am wary of overdoing it so I guess my question here is how many times a week should I be doing them?

cmh

I'd suggest reading the sticky thread started by botto on preparing for your first race.

Bottom line - do as many fast group rides as you can.

And have fun.

AlexTaylor

I intend on doing just that, looks like great advice, it was more the interval side of things when I have to train at home (The wife and I work opposite shifts so one of us can have the kids, time to get out is very limited )or when I'm alone.

kudude

ride lots. also, that 193 might be an underestimate, but you can see gains over time, just don't whip it out and try to slap it down on "the chart".

if you ride hard for 4 months, you should be able to hold the wattage you'll need to get over the rolling parts. the rest (downhill/flat) is a matter of being comfortable in a draft so you can conserve for the parts that you have to work. a mix of group rides and 1 mile hills sounds like the perfect combo. Also, when you get faster, and you will get faster, don't be so shocked at how much MORE faster the other guys are. --don't let yourself be intimidated

grolby

That doesn't compute. I admit that this was after a few months of training (pretty much just riding base miles) and a handful of races, but I can put out at least 190 watts for an hour and a half. I'm a hair under 57 kg, so MUCH lighter. Even allowing for a difference in fitness, it seems strange that you would only be able to generate the power that someone barely half your weight can. My advice would be to not worry about the exercise bike. Even if it measures power accurately, the position is very different from your road position, and you are probably just unable to produce as much power as you are on your actual bike. Just ride lots of miles - 8-10 hours a week should be more than enough to see serious fitness gains. I don't know how it is in low-level British cycling, but with that much training or less through January and February, I was able to do very well in low-level collegiate cycling here in the US. It's probably tougher for the bigger fellows like you, but if there are no really tough hills, steady training should get you fit enough to survive. Who knows, you could surprise yourself!

AlexTaylor

Progress Report...

Did a 1hr FTP on the same bike in the gym today- 195w (my 2 x 20 the other day was 193??)
I am 2kg lighter than when I weighed myself two weeks ago - 91kg
Power to weight is 2.14, up 0.05 in a week

(I know, I know, it;s too early to see if this is a genuine improvement due to many factors but hey, at least it makes me feel optimistic).

Downloaded Training Peaks and have got myself a proper workout plan now too which is awesome!

If you don't mind, I'll keep posting my scores on the doors regularly and any advice on the way through my journey of weight loss and painful legs will be greatfully appreciated.

Bit of background though - I only started excercising properly (i.e. took up cycling because I was 250 pounds of unfit lard) in July 2007 so it's gonna take a while.

My three goals this season -

Finish the Clayton Velo race in the pack

Finish the 102 mile Cheshire Cat cyclosportive in under 7hrs- https://www.kilotogo.com/cheshire%20cat.html

Finish a club '10' in the 25 minute range

kudude

You've got a thread going, so this is the perfect place to post how your training is going. As far as the being unfit in july 2007 goes, what this really means is that if you train consistently you'll see huge gains rather quickly. It'll be fun.

Also -- as soon as you buy a license your cat-5-o-meter = 100%. It's the cat-4-o-meter you need to start working on.

CrimsonKarter21

Alex; the best advice that I can give you is to go to the local big-name bookstore and find a book by Joe Friel called The Cyclist's Training Bible (the 3rd edition, BTW)

If this doesn't help you then you are beyond help. It's aimed toawrds the competitive cyclist, and it doesn't revolve around having a power meter.

I'm reading it now and just by following some of the tips I feel like I'm improving.

AlexTaylor

Aye 'twill be purchased...

Stand by. The 4th edition is out, I take it the new one does power?

dmb2786

totally irrelevant.

umd

You said the race is rolling... do you have a rough idea of the profile, ft gained relative to the length?

For a goal of just "finishing in the pack", don't worry so much about your FTP, it is important to be able to go hard and recover over and over again, especially in a race with lots of corners or short rollers. Intervals are good for that.

Coyote2

+1. Follow it semi-seriously and you will reap huge gains. Buy and read it NOW, as this is the perfect time to begin early base training, presuming your racing season is in May, June, July, Aug.

CrimsonKarter21

Ah, I didn't know the 4th edition was out now. Get that one.

AlexTaylor

Roger!

Ordered.