Originally Posted by
cyclinfool
I used his book as my guide last season. I lost 20 lbs and my speed went way up. It did take some dedication, I found my only way to get the time in was at 6AM - and even on the weekends this was the case. Some mornings if my schedule was light I would get a 2 hour ride in and be at work by 9:00AM. I used a HRM religously from May through July and used it to set my pace. I got a whole lot stronger but I am not sure I want to do it again.
This season I have used the HRM twice, I am getting up at 6AM again(this morning it was 38 degrees
). You don't need Friels book to ride well but IMHO he does offer a good plan for those who want to follow it. I will probably resurect the training plan I constructed last year - but right now I just don't feel like it...
As I recall and I may have you confused with another 50+ guy, you had sore knees last season.
With respect to Friel, some of his concepts and ideas are great. His Tweets on Twitter and blog are very good. The problem I had with his book is the point of departure. When you decide you want more power and endurance, how hard and fast do you increase intensity without injury for your level of fitness and flexibility today. I made a program and started doing some intervals. Guess what...sore knees. Shocking.
I hired a coach and the first thing he did was to test me and then work on my spin and monitor my ability to recover. Interval work...but at a level that I could handle and recover from. When I could spin fast and smooth at the easier targets, we increased the challenge. My knees and back felt great and I was improving.
Fast forward to today, 1 1/2 years later, I can do very intense intervals, steep hills and high cadence without injury and recover for the next day. My riding position is lower, more powerful and aerodynamic. I suspect if Friel met me, did a history and tested me, he would have taken me in the same direction. Books are great sources of information if interpreted correctly. What was important to me was not in the book. I needed objective 3rd party advice. YMMV
