Training Status??? (III)
out walking the earth
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Senior Member
The problem, which is probably a common problem, is that there's an A and B ride, but there are a fair number of riders who are just fit enough to barely hang on to the A ride. We've talked about adding an A+ ride, but I think that might actually make the problem worse, because there will always be riders just fit enough to barely hang on to the fastest ride, and the fastest ride would be even faster if it were an A+ ride. In addition to the Wednesday night worlds-type ride, we also do a Saturday early morning ride which isn't private but isn't really publicized, which is effectively an A+ team ride.
Once, at the big annual century ride in middle Tennessee that I did a couple times while living there, when the front group became too swelled with dead wood one of our local hammerhead racers went to front and put the hammer down for a couple of miles. Not too much later, the group was just racers again and we got a break. Thing is, that will work at around the midpoint of a hundred mile ride when these guys are already tired, but when the whole ride is going to be less than 50 miles, they're as likely to just hang on.
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Redlands, CA
Posts: 6,313
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 842 Post(s)
Liked 469 Times
in
250 Posts
Did 2x20's, then on a descent got a bee sting on my quad. Once I could safely remove it I pulled it out, except that wasn't the stinger. Found it after about 3 minutes, and it hurt. Now it looks like I have a kneecap right above my kneecap. Probably about the 20th sting this year, and this one is by far the most painful. Wouldn't be surprised if I have super powers now.
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 8,546
Mentioned: 83 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 163 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Nonsense
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Vagabond
Posts: 13,918
Bikes: Affirmative
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 880 Post(s)
Liked 541 Times
in
237 Posts
Group rides can be weird not only because there are some dudes that are just barely hanging on, but because there are some that treat the rides as races and they get all aggro and try to justify their Campy Super Record Pinarellos by trying to rip the legs off the actual racers and get all sketchy and what have you, and meanwhile we're like "it's Wednesday".
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Franklin, TN
Posts: 3,385
Bikes: It has two wheels
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
New paradigm. The back surgery has helped restore my left leg, my self prescribed rehab has been 2-3 days of gym work and every week I'm adding weight. Peak to 2 minute wattage numbers are as good as they've been in several years. Going "all in" for track nats and laying the old stage race/tt training aside for a year.
Always been a halfway decent sprinter, we'll see if we can't move that bar up a bit. Doubtful I'll beat some of the specialists in some of the events, but I think I have gold shot in others and a decent shot at the all around. Got some excellent feedback from my team sprint partner.
And what I'm working on should help the crit monkey stuff....
Always been a halfway decent sprinter, we'll see if we can't move that bar up a bit. Doubtful I'll beat some of the specialists in some of the events, but I think I have gold shot in others and a decent shot at the all around. Got some excellent feedback from my team sprint partner.
And what I'm working on should help the crit monkey stuff....
Resident Alien
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Location, location.
Posts: 13,089
Mentioned: 158 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 349 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 10 Times
in
6 Posts
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Franklin, TN
Posts: 3,385
Bikes: It has two wheels
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I read an article about this a couple years ago. Basically it said that fat people tend to develop larger leg muscles to be able to move all that weight. At they same time, they develop a fairly strong cardiovascular system to be able to pump blood through the much larger body. Once they lose all that weight, they still have the muscle and the ability to pump a lot of blood, which leads to them being fairly strong cyclists. But in regards to whether they are better at out of the saddle efforts, it did not address that.
Senior Member
Group rides can be weird not only because there are some dudes that are just barely hanging on, but because there are some that treat the rides as races and they get all aggro and try to justify their Campy Super Record Pinarellos by trying to rip the legs off the actual racers and get all sketchy and what have you, and meanwhile we're like "it's Wednesday".
no cat contains
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Edinburgh Scotland
Posts: 884
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 57 Post(s)
Liked 142 Times
in
75 Posts
If he posted the photo last night then it had to be him. I felt bad because it was the shop ride for the shop that sponsors my team, and he races for the team sponsored by the other local shop, so it's like they were "guests" on the ride, and they were the only ones to hit the deck, apart from guy who broke his bike.
Anyway, your friend wasn't badly hurt, and his wife was unscratched, but the rotor burn looked nasty. He and his wife were in the splinter group I went with after the crash, and we got a good couple of hours in, though as he put it, the crash took the jam out of our donuts a bit.
The problem, which is probably a common problem, is that there's an A and B ride, but there are a fair number of riders who are just fit enough to barely hang on to the A ride. We've talked about adding an A+ ride, but I think that might actually make the problem worse, because there will always be riders just fit enough to barely hang on to the fastest ride, and the fastest ride would be even faster if it were an A+ ride. In addition to the Wednesday night worlds-type ride, we also do a Saturday early morning ride which isn't private but isn't really publicized, which is effectively an A+ team ride.
Anyway, your friend wasn't badly hurt, and his wife was unscratched, but the rotor burn looked nasty. He and his wife were in the splinter group I went with after the crash, and we got a good couple of hours in, though as he put it, the crash took the jam out of our donuts a bit.
The problem, which is probably a common problem, is that there's an A and B ride, but there are a fair number of riders who are just fit enough to barely hang on to the A ride. We've talked about adding an A+ ride, but I think that might actually make the problem worse, because there will always be riders just fit enough to barely hang on to the fastest ride, and the fastest ride would be even faster if it were an A+ ride. In addition to the Wednesday night worlds-type ride, we also do a Saturday early morning ride which isn't private but isn't really publicized, which is effectively an A+ team ride.
**** that
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: CALI
Posts: 15,402
Mentioned: 151 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1099 Post(s)
Liked 104 Times
in
30 Posts
Don't think he's on strava, or at least hadn't posted that ride.
Senior Member
**** that
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: CALI
Posts: 15,402
Mentioned: 151 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1099 Post(s)
Liked 104 Times
in
30 Posts
If he posted the photo last night then it had to be him. I felt bad because it was the shop ride for the shop that sponsors my team, and he races for the team sponsored by the other local shop, so it's like they were "guests" on the ride, and they were the only ones to hit the deck, apart from guy who broke his bike.
Anyway, your friend wasn't badly hurt, and his wife was unscratched, but the rotor burn looked nasty. He and his wife were in the splinter group I went with after the crash, and we got a good couple of hours in, though as he put it, the crash took the jam out of our donuts a bit.
The problem, which is probably a common problem, is that there's an A and B ride, but there are a fair number of riders who are just fit enough to barely hang on to the A ride. We've talked about adding an A+ ride, but I think that might actually make the problem worse, because there will always be riders just fit enough to barely hang on to the fastest ride, and the fastest ride would be even faster if it were an A+ ride. In addition to the Wednesday night worlds-type ride, we also do a Saturday early morning ride which isn't private but isn't really publicized, which is effectively an A+ team ride.
Anyway, your friend wasn't badly hurt, and his wife was unscratched, but the rotor burn looked nasty. He and his wife were in the splinter group I went with after the crash, and we got a good couple of hours in, though as he put it, the crash took the jam out of our donuts a bit.
The problem, which is probably a common problem, is that there's an A and B ride, but there are a fair number of riders who are just fit enough to barely hang on to the A ride. We've talked about adding an A+ ride, but I think that might actually make the problem worse, because there will always be riders just fit enough to barely hang on to the fastest ride, and the fastest ride would be even faster if it were an A+ ride. In addition to the Wednesday night worlds-type ride, we also do a Saturday early morning ride which isn't private but isn't really publicized, which is effectively an A+ team ride.
As for disc brakes, they are right up there with cycling caps & rapha for me..
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Chicago
Posts: 101
Bikes: Parlee Z5i
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
3 x 10 minute breakaway simulation this morning. HATE waking up at 530 and being on the trainer within 10 minutes before work, but post work social activities call. Legs have not rebounded from that 1x20 reps of squats from Monday after b2b crits Sat/Sun (which I didn't think in this instance were overly taxing on muscular system). So after so openers yesterday that got most of the remaining soreness out, but still really had to grind the muscles through the intervals today. Tomorrow off, and looking forward to a nice solo ride through the hills of Southern Indiana on Saturday. Rethinking this whole lifting thing at all in-season.
Last edited by KingShakes; 05-21-15 at 11:11 AM.
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times
in
1,417 Posts
I am not grokking the concept of an A+ ride. It sounds like an amp that goes to 11.
No matches
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 11,647
Bikes: two wheeled ones
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1398 Post(s)
Liked 444 Times
in
250 Posts
I read an article about this a couple years ago. Basically it said that fat people tend to develop larger leg muscles to be able to move all that weight. At they same time, they develop a fairly strong cardiovascular system to be able to pump blood through the much larger body. Once they lose all that weight, they still have the muscle and the ability to pump a lot of blood, which leads to them being fairly strong cyclists. But in regards to whether they are better at out of the saddle efforts, it did not address that.
Senior Member
recovering from patellofemoral joint replacement surgery, but getting in a light trainer session every day. hopefully soon the wife will deem me "unwobbly enough" to venture back on the roads.
Senior Member
after three days off this week, went out for ~50mi, included a visit down to my undergrad alma mater and did a loop around campus (the loop is basically up and down a hill from which there is a clear view of the Boston skyline). Good times and depressing that it's already been 13 years since I graduated
Version 7.0
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 13,127
Bikes: Too Many
Mentioned: 297 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1340 Post(s)
Liked 2,482 Times
in
1,457 Posts
And then there are the local clubs that use the F as the fastest ride designation and A is the slowest. I guess this allows the slower riders to feel better about themselves. If you are having a problem grokking an A+, how about an F+ or should it be an F-?
Nonsense
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Vagabond
Posts: 13,918
Bikes: Affirmative
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 880 Post(s)
Liked 541 Times
in
237 Posts
There are a few really well known rides around here, and on one of them in particular the norm is to blast through every red light and stop sign and expect cars to deal with it. I can understand why drivers and cops give us so much **** when that's considered normal especially given it's run in a heavily populated area; the last time I rode it I saw a guy break a collar bone because coming to a 4-way stop he had his head down and he ran into guys in front of him that decided to stop. There's another one around here I used to do where an ambulance had to be called because a couple of riders who were all keyed up coming into the "finish" made contact through a corner and didn't know how to deal with it besides freaking out and falling the **** over.
Ninny
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: The Gunks
Posts: 5,295
Mentioned: 53 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 686 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Group rides can be weird not only because there are some dudes that are just barely hanging on, but because there are some that treat the rides as races and they get all aggro and try to justify their Campy Super Record Pinarellos by trying to rip the legs off the actual racers and get all sketchy and what have you, and meanwhile we're like "it's Wednesday".
I'm not really complaining, most of the hanging-on-by-fingernails guys are nice and my friends and stuff. Just saying, this is sort of a dynamic without a solution.
He rides for TRT (my former team), USAC license starts with 118, tattoo of a skull on his calf, first name ends with D, has a PhD in materials engineering or something like that. This is where you're supposed to say "hmm, nope, don't know him"
Nonsense
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Vagabond
Posts: 13,918
Bikes: Affirmative
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 880 Post(s)
Liked 541 Times
in
237 Posts
For sure, my memory of your group ride is that it's about as safe as can be. I never felt like I was put in danger on it, which is something I can say about maybe one or two others that I've done on the regular.
Ninny
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: The Gunks
Posts: 5,295
Mentioned: 53 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 686 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Nothing on the calendar until Tulsa (except maybe some weeknight crits). Took a few days off and then rebooted training somewhat. In the past 4 days, 13 hours and 710 TSS. Feeling surprisingly not dead.