beatlebee 

Just thinking about that is giving me stress.

Ygduf

What happens if you get the wrong TSS?!

jsutkeepspining

Your whole season is ruined. Duh!

shovelhd

Don't worry it would just be noise to you.

TMonk

USA cycling will revoke your licence and forbid you from racing if you incorrectly estimate TSS.

This is a big deal people!

TMonk

Stress or focused thinking is worth 3 TSS points/min.

So if you spend 15min trying to accurately guess your TSS, and another 15min worrying about it at work, than it is worth 90TSS points! It's crazy how you can get faster by just thinking about riding

Enthalpic

I used to have to fill out monthly time reports for work. I always put down that I wasted time making up the report...

I actually do think you can get faster just by thinking about riding, but I'm a big supporter of the central governor model.

Years ago my friends parents owned a fancy wakeboarding boat and all the gear so I got to go wakeboarding a few times per year. I was never very good but could do an ok wakejump and the odd "railgrind" type thing. After a long time away from the lake I prepared with some metal imagery before my turn and did so well that my friends dad was convinced I had been practicing elsewhere.

Christobevii3

Anyone with a Wahoo Kickr? What is the best program to use on a windows pc? I've been using trainer road but saw PerfPro. I'm looking to add reriding races from last years garmin data with power to work on a couple times a month to gauge ability.

Thanks

caloso

My time sheet actually has a row for "time reporting." But I work for an auditing agency and auditors are pretty anal about stuff like that.

gsteinb

I've had the conversation before, along with the one that goes…when I answer your email at 7:00pm or on a Saturday do I get to write that down?

I'm sure we all get this, but the overarching point is that all the stressors contribute to total stress score but if you cross train hard and with any frequency and don't account for it you're not giving a fair assessment of where you really might be.

JohnKScott

Ha! I just got one. I am using PerfPro Studio. Really like it so far. But you do have to pay for it. Seems petty feature packed, including what you are looking for to add past performances from your garmin. One time purchase of $100 but you can try a fully functional version for 14 days. Check it out. PerfPRO Studio - Products

Lot's of people use Trainer Road as well. I haven't. I don't think you can upload a prior performances to reride but I'm not positive. TR has a monthly fee ($10 I think) Worth checking that out too.

rbart4506

This estimation of TSS brings up an interesting point. I've started hiking on the weekend with the GF and really hadn't that about TSS, but I'm guessing I should since it does have an overall affect on training load. I guess the trick is how to properly estimate it? I don't have any metrics to measure it against since I'm not running around with an HR strap on.

Cleave

Hi, just had a brain fart on a slow afternoon at work and wondering if some of you smart people can provide some advice.

Background: Ended my poor road season the first weekend of September. Got the flu for a week a week later. Was mostly JRA on weekends and training on the TT bike on Tuesday and at the velodrome (TT position) on Thursday for a few weeks. Three weeks ago I came down with shingles and am finally mostly over it. Have done 4 easy rides since getting ill. I will be on business travel next Monday through Thursday. I might be able to do a spin class or two while I am away. Plan to ride tonight(?), Saturday, and Sunday.

These illnesses have killed my usual off season, low key TT plans. There is a TT on the Saturday after I get back from my business travel that I would like to do.

Thought: Go to the track tonight and do an FTP test. I've never done an FTP test on the track before but I now have power for my track and TT bikes which I didn't have before.

Why am I thinking this? Because I need a workout and I think I'd like to see where I currently stand. Since I now have power for my TT bike I thought I'd try to be more scientific for the upcoming TT even if I'm going slow.

Am I being silly for trying an FTP after being ill for so long? Will the number from the track in my TT position correlate to the road? Should I just HTFU and race on RPE? Should I just bag the TT and train next Saturday?

TIA for any real advice that you can provide. (Sarcasm OK if there's some advice included.)

Hermes

@Cleave. I am doing the Santiago TT next Saturday.

I think VSC is a marginal place to do an FTP test. There will be power spikes through the turns that will impact your result plus a 20 minute all out effort on the track sounds brutal.

Below is a power file from a pursuit that I did at VSC last year. The power is pretty spikey. My advice is bag the test and get whatever training in you can and race the TT with me.

I will be riding Merck.

Doge

Its hard to beat a flat calm TT vs. some power / trainer guessing. Other TTs are good for measuring yourself against others, but hills and wind add a bunch of variables. While the hill is really not a variable, the downhill may not give accurate/consistent measures for power. The Santiago TT in particular generates some interesting results. As you seem to be a SoCal person - Fiesta Island (if you can avoid the rider traffic) is the better for measuring output.

Doge

Santiago TT - SoCal? Many of the junior team will be there doing Merck too. As Puppy Doge doesn't have his next year bike yet, he is going TT bike as we got new parts to check out (just got rid of the 1992 Mavic Mectronic).

Hermes

Yes. Santiago Canyon TT. I have done this once before Merckx. My wife will be racing her TT bike.

Gramercy

If you know the grade of the hill and the length, can you tell how much power you need to climb it at a certain rate? Is that how the Strava power estimates work? I was climbing a mile long hill yesterday at a grade of 7% and had to use my low gears to maintain a decent cadence of 85 or so and was going around 8 or 9mph. It estimated 260w or so - I wonder how accurate it is. I think it's actually accurate provided there is no draft or wind benefit.

Doge

Strava guessing can be way off especially on the flat where it guesses the aero factors. Other than a nice smooth hill where you ride in the middle of where everyone else does, I have not seen the Strava estimate close.

Puppy Doge did a nice 32mph segment last Tues for 14 min. Strava guessed 612W.
Strava Segment | 5 North w Rest Area

rkwaki

But as he uses power what was the actual number?

mattm

Wrong question.

Getting you the answer won't really get you anything.

It becomes an academic exercise with no use for training, much less bike racing.

Doge

PT battery went out. He tries again tomorrow, with new batteries. Problem is his race wheels do not have power. Based on the past, I'd guess he held 360W.

In the cycling is in your head area, his best Strava times are always when he doesn't have power.

hack

Looking to post me rides somewhere for analysis and whatnot. Can someone a bit more familiar with WKO and Cycling Analytics confirm the following program lingo relationship:
CA / WKO
LTS = CTL
STS = ATL
SB = TSB
Load = TSS

Just want to make sure I'm thinking apples to apples instead of apples to oranges.

Doge

It was a lot less than I thought Tues. Around 310 (real, not normalized) and 3 mph slower, but I'm told there was a headwind. The good news is we have a pretty slippery setup. I'm trying to figure out the best non disk setup for a 12k out and 84m climb and then return on a "Merx" style. My calculation is .5kg is .5 Watt - but that's assuming just carrying the weight up 84m in 16 min. I think there is a movement penalty but I can't figure it out. I have ultralight 50mm profiles that I have to compare to a 80 or 100 profile.

Puppy will also do the Santiago TT this Sat in Open on an adult UCI legal setup, but not USAC legal - so he will get DQ'd.
Cycling is the only sport I know of where competitors in the same event are not allowed to use the same equipment.

globecanvas

yep