revchuck 

Last day of this build. I went out with the young fast guys again, and this time they kicked it up sooner and faster than last weekend. I went through the rotation, took a middling pull, drifted to the back, and hung on for about another five minutes. Then that was all she wrote for that ride. I slowed to endurance pace and finished with about four hours total. I didn't hurt, I just didn't have the legs today. 280 TSS, 2400+ kj.

When I got home, I showered and took a nap, and didn't want to wake up. I forced myself up after an hour; I was afraid if I slept longer, it'd mess up my sleep tonight.

My recovery week starts tomorrow, thank goodness - I'm a tired puppy.

Esteban58

2 sets of 3x2 min. steady effort power intervals, 3 min RBI, 8 min RBS... 3rd day of intervals in the last 4... I'm wiped. 'steady effort' was more like 'peak and fade badly'... lighter week next week for me as well.

sarals 

Today is a Day Off. However, I've been exercising my fingers by finding races I can do and entering some of them. I'm taking the advice I've been getting seriously - "enter and do as many races as you can".

Hermes

Attended our first Hellyer Men's Team Pursuit session today at the Velodrome. We had 31 participants - 1 junior, 27 men and 3 women (including my wife). The goal is to send two men's pursuit teams to the Elite Track Nationals this year. We had representation from Mike's Bikes (pro team), Morgan Stanley, Team Specialized and Team Sky to name a few.

After the warmup, we did flying 500 meters in groups of 6 to 10 racers to practice skills. It was a great day at the track with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 50s.

sarals 

I got off the bike 20 minutes ago after an hour at pace tempo on the road (I needed OFF that trainer!). I left the house at 0510. It was 38 degrees! My feet froze! The PT hub conked out again, damn thing. I'm hoping that the batteries I put in it last week weren't fresh, and it's not something else. I'm becoming less than impressed with that PowerTap, it's been one thing after the other with that thing.

Good ride, didn't ramp it up, had to use PE because of the PT failure, but still good.

sarals 

I replaced the batteries in the hub - again. It seems to work. I'll replace them again on Friday, JUST TO BE SURE. I need the data from this coming Sunday.

I've been studying the videos over on the 33. They are excellent, great learning points. Aki always shoots a great video and his way of explaining things is clear, concise, and entertaining. There are good comments following the videos, too - Shovel, that means you! I'm imprinting some of the points on my little brain. All I have to do is be in positions where I can actually use them. The big things - look up the road, conserve, manage wind, and manage reserves. Oh - and stay with the pack!

AzTallRider

Sara, I don't know if the PT is similar to the Quarq in this regard, but I've had to adjust the contacts for the battery (at Quarq's suggestion), or the unit will think the battery is low, when in fact it's the contacts. SRM avoids this issue by soldering the battery contacts.

sarals 

Hmmm. I'll open it back up and have a look. Thank you for that, AzT!

shovelhd

Make sure you're using #357 silver oxide batteries and not LR44 or other equivalent zinc oxide batteries. The PT hub is high drain and zinc oxide batteries will not last long. You need the silver oxide.

Racer Ex 

With the Napa trip, the Shiv build, and other obligations knocking out my training time, I've averaged an hour a day or so since Wednesday, all on the TT bike. On the other hand my IF has been .89-.90 on four of those days.

Average vs. NP has been 50w different.

Time to get back to some duration.

Hermes

MEA training with the men at the track. I am 4th wheel. We are winding up at the rail for the flying 500 meters.

chasm54

Almost exactly three hours today, 48 miles with about 2000' of climbing, brutal winds. Winter here doesn't seem to involve getting cold or wet, but one does get blown around.

Cleave

Commuted to work by bike yesterday. Nothing remotely fun or enjoyable about that ride but I need to do it at least one per week. It'd be a reasonable recovery ride if it wasn't so stressful.

Roger's Session at VSC tonight on the Pista Concept. The crack hasn't grown since I found it and I haven't had time to move the parts to the Super Pista.

Also got the PowerTap wheel back so I will have some power data soon.

sarals 

I will, Shovel, thanks. I had put a pair of batteries, #357's, that came with the hub as "replacements", in it. They were either used or just too old. The new #357's I had on hand yesterday and installed were alkalines. I'll pick up some silver oxide batteries today.

Hermes

I have two power taps and the one I have for the track is very quirky. Sometimes it reads power okay and other times it is wrong. It seems like taking the hub cap off and putting in new batteries fixes the problem. I was on the phone with Cycleops yesterday and they are shipping me a new battery cradle. The one that is in the PT with problems is not as snug as the other one. Battery cradles are available for purchase on the website if the units are out of warranty.

IMO, all power meters have quirky issues and a lot depends on the owners expectations and tolerance for dealing with the issues, preventive maintenance and down time.

Having said all that, I think they are invaluable.

Racer Ex 

In my experience wireless SRM's are pretty hiccup free. Every 18-24 months I send mine in for a new battery, that's been about it over 8+ years of owning various models, and knowing a lot of folks who own them (and PT's and Quarks). The only time I've sent one in for an "issue" it was user application error; I do know of one wired unit where the strain gauge broke, and the pickups for the wired versions could be dodgy.

sarals 

Hermes, I checked the fit of the battery cradle because I could see that it had potential for trouble the way it's designed. It's snug. The hub's cap also holds it in place, or it seems to. I used some TF solvent (Shovel knows about that stuff) on the battery contacts in the cradle itself, as well as on the cradle connector just to be sure it was truly clean (spay it on a cue tip, NOT directly on the connector itself). It looks fine. I really think I put two bum batteries in the hub when I replaced them last week. The hub itself had always been fine up until the original batteries died. It is the peripherals that have been giving me fits. The computer display died (Saris replaced it for no charge, that was terrific), then the new LYC wouldn't see the heart rate strap I had, so I bought a new one. Then I found out the HR strap I had for my Garmin WORKED with the LYC and I didn't need to spend that money (wonderful...)! Then, and always, the cadence counter is erratic - and it's WIRED. The silly thing is really persnickety about position, it has to be just so on the chain stay or it won't read. The Look has a weird shaped chain stay, so trying to get that sensor to stay put has been a challenge.

In spite of the glitches, yes - POWER IS INDISPENSABLE FOR TRAINING - I totally agree!

Some day, if I'm 1) still racing and 2) still alive, I may go to crank based power. Along with a truly high end race bike to put it on. After I rob a bank or win the lottery.

Back to our regularly scheduled program....

Esteban58

I'd say your odds are better with the robbery, but don't tell anyone I told you to do it!

sarals 

You lie, I'll swear to it!

revchuck 

Today was the first ride of this recovery week, the last recovery week before Rouge-Roubaix. Yesterday was a day off the bike. I did a 71 minute endurance pace ride. The weather was almost perfect - just under 70 degrees, no wind to speak of, mostly sunny. It was the second ride on the mutt bike, a CAAD9 with parts of numerous origins and vintages. The bike rode like a dream. I felt really good, rode about a mph faster than I usually do on this kind of ride. It was just so bleepin' nice to be out on a bike today!

I'm about a month away from Rouge-Roubaix. This race is the main reason I got serious about training, including getting a coach and power meter. I've been working toward this goal since last May. I'm getting predictably anxious - did I train enough, work enough, suffer enough? Intellectually, I know that the fitness I have now is just about what I'll bring to the line on race day...and this is the most fit I've been since I started riding five years ago. But I'm anxious anyway.

Allegheny Jet

You certainly seem to have your ducks all lined up revchuck. Best of luck in the race. I
bet you get hungry for more after the race and keep the irons in the fire.

Allegheny Jet

Twenty five minute cadence build from 100 to 130 with the road bike on the rollers followed by 6 x 40" sprints @ 140+ in a 92.5" gear on the track bike. I used every second of the 6 - 8' recoveries.

AzTallRider

I bet you did, A'Jet.

I did 40 minutes of just riding around at various paces on the TT bike (aka the unbroken bike), trying to retain as much form as I can, stay limbered up, and determine what areas are likely to be my limiting factors. Now that it has been awhile, areas of lesser damage are popping up, like the half a cantaloup on my left hip. My left side, from the waist down, is a work of pop art. :-)

I'm definitely not hitting on all cylinders, but I'm functioning. Follow up with the trauma doc is Thursday, and I'm looking forward to hearing what she says.

Allegheny Jet

Good luck at the Dr's AZTR. Be sure to listen to your body. There is hurting and broken. Last summer I had two mtb crashes that hurt ribs on both sides and my left shoulder. Lucky for me the timing of the injuries was between road season and cross season. I rode through the recoveries but did not do any core/resistance work until Dec.

Cleave

Aargh! Another Tuesday, another malady. Started feeling a bit of a sore throat this morning and something swollen on the left side of my neck -- gland? Now throat is OK but I'm tired, slightly upset stomach, and I've got a ringing in my ears like I did after my mild cold a couple of weeks ago. End result, no track tonight.

Assuming this passes quickly, I guess I'm lucky that I haven't been really laid out by the flu.