Originally Posted by
Radish_legs
Some of my friends have talked about the impact of smart trainers, structured training, adoption of power meters, zwift as factors that have raised the bar for fitness in amateur racing. Saying people are getting faster, bar is being raised. People coming out of the winter with peak fitness.
You have to be pretty danged fast to challenge for a Cat 4/5 podium, at least around here. You have to be pretty serious in your training.
Have you guys noticed this? Or is this fanciful thinking of the new guard?
I doubt it.
People that would have been fast "back then" would be fast now - besides genetics, what makes someone good at this sport isn't the amount of data they have in front of them, it's more about motivation & consistency.
Smart trainers, better training, power meters, zwift are all neat but not really game changers. Well maybe power meters, but the same can be said.
If anything, these days it's easier to get side-tracked with gear choices, training plans, and forget to actually ride your damn bike a lot.