How much are you suffering?

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/59415552

Went on a run with my new Edge 500 to test it out. I'll take it on a ride tomorrow I guess.

No. I agree that how in shape you are makes a lot of difference, but the really fast guys know how to suffer. Everyone has their breaking point when they are trying hard and feel like they have to give up, the fastest guys just push past that.

lol

Hard to say. When I am pulling or climbing I am certainly working hard and suffering at least a little.

I don't have a power meter, but based on my computrainer session, I would say that 200W is a teeny bit of suffering, 250W is mild suffering, 300W is moderate suffering and 350 is unsustainable beyond a minute or two.

I still don't think anyone just pushes past their physical abilities. If you take two riders at FTPs of 260 and 270....if both are riding at 280 watts, they might both look like they are suffering the same, but clearly the second rider is suffering just a bit less. You just can't push past what your body is capable of, though I can see someone at a pace they think is going to make them blow up and not realizing they could really be going 5% faster. But thats kind of a small difference compared to the physical difference, and largely one of training and figuring out what that limit is.

I don't know how much you've raced but there are some points where you push yourself way beyond what you think you can do.

I agree. How else would they have all of those stupid challenges on Survivor where you stand on a post or something.

Those are much more stupid than road cycling.

Well, when you phrase it that way, that is exactly what I mean. Pushing yourself past what you think you can do. I think that's different from "suffering" more than the guy next to you though. It's not only a factor of having the physical ability, but also knowing the full extent of that physical ability.

I convinced my friend to do the CX race tomorrow! He did my first CX race with me - we both DNF'd (december 09, snow). I'm excited.

I don't suffer enough from exertion, at least during the winter. I think I'm doing good just to be out in the cold.

I'm suffering quite a bit. This is the worst flu I've ever had.

I think the ability to reach the limit is very much dependent on mood, motivation and a bunch of other crap that lives in my head.


Buying more schwag is an excellent placebo / motivator.

It's the damn congestion. Sudafed, steam, nasal flush...none of it has helped in the slightest.

Riding in temps around 40F really cleans me out. You should give that a try.

Snot rocketry remains a skill I have not mastered.

Is that your secret to being "fast"?

I'll take good care of Oscar.

I really cannot even get up. I've been on the couch for about 28 hours at this point, with the occasional bathroom break and drink refills in there somewhere. It takes all my energy though.

So, according to his logic, if you htfu up enough, you will be blasting up Tourmalet like Pantani?

I don't think so.

No, you may have missed my point. I was comparing myself to the guys in my club who are a bit faster than me.

I hope you've got on a Hazmat suit.

It's been an interesting day. I never was able to get on the bike....

We had to perform emergency repairs on our barn as our T1-11 siding on one side of the barn quickly and dramatically warped away from the support beams, allowing windows to pop out and rain to get in.

Then we came back to the garage to find that our old garage door motor had slowly burned up with the weight of the new door (a nice windproof Wayne-Dalton). This has not been our day.

Mrs. RJ laying next to me on our daybed; conked out with the beginning of a cold. I'm already doomed.

Bummer.