roadiejorge 

Try as I may I always find myself going fast, maybe not as fast as some of you here but fast enough to keep me happy.

ericm979

I'm in the "do whatever I want" part of the season (actually that starts tomorrow; the last 1.5 weeks have been time off, but I really felt like going for a ride today). For the next month I'll ride when I feel like it and ride with no plan or goals other than enjoyment. Today I did the usual group ride but went easy on the climbs and contested most of the sprints.

November I go back to "training".

patentcad

After 40,000 road miles over 40 months, very consistently (800-1400 miles/month for 3.5 years straight) do I need more base miles?

Discuss.

Cassave

I came out for exercise, gentle exercise, and to notice the scenery and to botanise. And no sooner do I get on that accursed machine than off I go hammer and tongs; I never look to right or left, never notice a flower, never see a view - get hot, juicy, red - like a grilled chop. Get me on that machine and I have to go. I go scorching along the road, and cursing aloud at myself for doing it.

~H.G. Wells, The Wheels of Chance

Voodoo76

One of the things I used to enjoy about this time of year when I was racing a lot was the freedom. Ride slow if you want to or hammer, or dont. Not constrained by a ridgid training and racing schedule, just ride for fun.

Back in MI we used to get out the cross bikes and hammer the dirt roads. Some great terrain, steep grades, crazy turns. I miss that change down here.

cyclingvirtual

i dont think so you may need a rest though

cyclingvirtual

training is like a pyramid, the bigger the base the higher the peak.

Chucklehead

A few minutes after you called I was riding down the coast and some fool in a Toyota United kit sprinted past me. TWICE. I would have none of that garbage, so dialed it up to 200 watts and took him down once and for all on that little rise in front of the power plant in Carlsbad.

RoadToNowhere

I don't race. I don't know that I WILL race. I just keep riding. And riding and riding and riding.

So I suppose that I'm always "base-building" in some way.

Will I know it when I reach "the peak"?

Beth

Gawd, it's raining aGAIN. With lightning and thunder

wfrogge

Why not? Why lose what you gained all year?

Your "base" is where you are currently at.... not where you were last year at this time.

Brandy

So your base building is going according to plan?

Vireo

I can't wait until after 508. Then I will be right there with you.

Vireo

Brandy is a new rider and is still building a "base" for Ultra cycling. We are continuing to build her base and I have to put reins on her or she will chase after ****ers just to prove that she CAN pass them.

waterrockets 

Have fun with it. I learned this year that always riding hard leaves your "peak" significantly lower than if you periodize your training. I had two peaks this year that led to two "no-chain" races where I was able to turn the screws on everyone. Great feeling. You have to let a little go to get to your fastest.

I'm done racing for the year because I needed a 6-8 week window to lose some weight. I've generally shut it down to high zone 2 (250W / 3.1W/kg) and just try not to do anything that will make me hungry. I still chase dump trucks, and drop freds as needed, but I've managed to take the edge off my appetite, and I'm running a 750-900 Calorie deficit each day. I'm down 4.5 lbs in 1.5 weeks. I'm aiming for 10 lbs.

So far, I don't think I've lost much power at all. I'm letting it down really easy. I'm confident that I won't lose any power in the long run, but the kg drop will push my W/kg numbers into the "silly" range for a Cat 3

Note that I'm not looking at this as building a "base" for anything. I'm just staying healthy on the bike in a manner that allows me to lose weight.

SamDaBikinMan

The base ride idea has been considered obsolete by many. If you train slow then you will never ride fast. Just train smart, don't overdo, but to grind along at slow pace for miles and miles and consider it training is not currently accepted. LSD training might be an option for those just wanting to burn some calories and not enhance performance.

Train slow= ride slow
Train for performance = ride well

blue_nose

This a common misconception about “periodization”. The base periods allows you to recover from the a hard season on the bike season and also work on improving your strength.

When accompanied with a strength program (in my case weights / higher gear lower cadence rides), a base period will help improve your strength and power for the upcoming year. Then when you build and peak you will be stronger than when you are now.

asgelle

Since maximum speed can only be maintained for around 10 seconds or less, I take it all your training consists of short 10 second or less sprints?

patentcad

How about freebase miles?

SamDaBikinMan

Not targeting sprinting capacity. I am talking about doing 50 plus miles at 22plus mph average speed.

I do not consider riders who suck wheel until the last 100 meters as the top performers.

Dubbayoo

I'm going to give the "1,000 miles on a fixed gear" thing a try this winter.

Brandy

I'm going to commute (20 miles each way including Newport Coast) on the FG twice a week. I'll spend the rest of the time riding multispeed. I'm also headed back to the gym after this week. Just trying to get through George's final race, Furnace Creek 508, and all of the prep involved.

blue_nose

Base period does not mean slow. “LSD” does not mean Long SLOW Miles – it’s Long STEADY Miles”

A base period is about recovery and building strength. There are some people that subscribe to some higher intensity maintenance rides in a base period, but I don’t know of any serious athlete that does not periodize their training schedule.

asgelle

You miss the point. By choosing to ride at 22 mph when you could have ridded an shorter distance faster, you chose to ride below your maximum speed. In other words, train slow. Since you seem to see the benefit of training at less than maximum effort, the question then becomes what is the best balance between time and effort.

asgelle

That does not fit any definition of base period that I've seen. Most definitions of base consider it a time to improve endurance and/or aerobic fitness. What you describe is more usually called transition, off-season, or recovery. As to strength training, well ...

Fat Boy

What about 100 or so on New Year's Day?