Hello all. Since most of you race, I was wondering how training is going for you? I started my base building a bit early this year and have now started getting into the real workouts. I was happy to be doing some tempo the other day at 320 watts for 1:15 (I try to stick with shorter workouts) which is about 50 watts better than the same time last year. Anyone else showing marked improvement over last years numbers? Give me some inspiration!! I climbed the virtual equivalent of the Peysourde today for 3000 feet of uphill fun. What are you all doing?

I'm one month into base training. Picking up the riding gradually, holding myself to 12.5 hours this week. I'm still doing bi-weekly group rides to maintain some upper-end speed and spending almost all my solo rides on LSD.

And damn, that is some impressive tempo wattage.

I'm going old school: built up a fixie that I'm going to ride all winter long. By springtime I'll be a spinning fool.

Things were progressing nicely, until I developed the saddle sore from hell. I was right on track for the start of next years race season. I've been ave 15 hours a week (approx 175mi) which includes two days in the gym. I've been working hard to develop some more leg strength and improve my peak power. On last Sundays team ride I blitzed the long climb near my best time and power out puts. With this saddle sore I've been off the bike for three days and it's not getting better.

If you want to hear about some brutal training wait till Vinokurtov chimes in!

Adding base miles with an emphasis on higher rpm spinning. Lifting weights 2-3 days a week.

14 hours a week so far, riding every day. Yesterday I hit a pretty damn high avg for my 20min effort, with the last two minutes jacking it up for another 40w. Only doing that once or twice a week, the rest is LSD and tempo. Hope to be able to roll a 25min TT at 320-325 this spring.

My 20min average is below DrWJODonnell's tempo, though. That makes me sad.

Running. running and running some more.

Keep telling everyone I'll be back on the bike soon, but this running thing is pretty cool and after 16 years of bike racing, it is nice to have something else to do than just ride.

I do look forward to riding again though. How about next week guys, I promise...

Was doing well taking it easy ...and then I got a TT bike for my birthday. Last week I did a TT on thanksgiving day, road the park with my wife on Friday, rode to Mt Wilson and Saturday, and did the Love Ride with Team Hollywood Sunday. Monday I was so sore I could barely walk and havent ridden or trained since Sunday. Never had that kind of soreness before. So now I need to just stop, recover and start again in late December. Oops.

September: Had first thought about looking for rollers.
October: Found my rollers in my mind. Made note to look in basement.
November: Found rollers. Moved them upstairs into spare room.
December: Oh look! Skis!

Seriously, I'm on track. Basically ditto what Cypress said.

Well, given that next season will be my first season racing.....this is the first time I've done a structured "base" program. It took me a few rides to get into the mindset to ride slow and easy, but it's been going pretty well. The next few weeks/weekends will be a bit tough; going to NYC for the weekend, and will only be able to ride 1 day the following weekend, and then going to Myrtle Beach on vacation from Christmas to the first week in January......

So....things could be better. I probably won't be where I want to be come springtime, but that's fairly expected.

I'm still lifting and won't start base for about 3 weeks. To those in the middle of base periods, when do you anticipate to peak? Early spring? I'm shooting for late spring myself, but heaviest mileage won't be until January (if memory serves).

I'm midway through my second base. I wish I had power numbers to go off of. Nothing but aerobic miles at the moment. Slowly I'm adding in tempo work. My base speed is about 20mph, which is a marked improvement for me, considering I started racing last season.

Currently under the weather (as in ill), so training is taking an unfortunate halt. But I hope to hit the ground running next week.

Right now I'm in Chicago, and we're about to see a snow storm tonight. Luckily I'll be in California for Winter break in a week an a half , so I should miss the worst of it through December. I can't wait to climb some mountains again...the overpasses just don't do it for me.

It's all about W/kg dude. That said I'll bet DrWJ's is still higher than mine.

In answer to the original question... I will be working on the long rides for the next couple of months with some TT position work in there as well. Still working on FTP to some degree. In February I'll start working the sprint intervals and such but my key events in 07 are 100 miles in length so I'm trying to serve two masters.

--Steve

Peaking in mid-July. I'm not on a peaking program, I just know that's when I peak every season.

Just sitting and spinning for long sessions, low HR [sub150] & high cadence [try to stay +100].
Lactate intervals once a week. (4 min on, 12 min off) X 3
No weights, no diet, no counting miles.

When spring time rolls in - my legs and lungs will be ready for outdoor sprints..

I am going to try To do three peaks this season. I was on schedule to do it last season when an accident ended my third peak. I did very well last season and if all goes well (crash free) I hope to post some good results this year. By the way, thanks for all of the responses. It always helps to have motivation of fellow racers. I have to have it to avoid being mashed by the monsterous thighs of the Penguin! Oh, and Vino, where are you?

I start base 2 next week. I'm feeling good, what I'm cruising around at @ 150bpm is what I could barely hold at the beginning of this year. This bodes well for the upcoming season!

I had to stop base for a week because I wasn't getting enough to eat and was becoming malnutritioned, but now that I have that under control I feel awesome.

I think you've got that reversed!

Well, its w/kg on the climbs...fortunately for me, not a lot of climbing races around here! If I can manage threshold at around 380 this year (I am hoping the Gods of wattage will pity me and bestow some much needed power) I will be golden. Still, at 76kg, it is nothing spectacular. With my poor math that comes out to what? 4.5 or 4.6 w/kg? I am sure that R600 will be chiming in with his 5.5 w/kg over five minutes or something and so I will just give him his KOM jersey right now.

was going well until i came down with a mysterious illness. been quite sick for 3 1/2 weeks now, with a grand total of 4 trips out on the bike. if i still feel like s*** tomorrow, off to the hospital i go, as i have all the symptoms of pneumonia

Damn that's some serious wattage. I'm a cat 3/4 and can barely hold those numbers during peak season sustained racing. Are you cat 1/2 ?

Haha that makes me feel better about things. Hope for 5.0 for the 1 TT I plan on doing this spring. Only ~25 minutes long though. 65kg at race weight. My FT is probably around yours.

If you can hold 380watts at 76kg for one hour, you're in solid Cat1 territory which is spectacular in my book.

I would piss myself in excitement if I could reach 350 watts at 70kg for one hour sometime in the future. Probably not going to happen this year but I think 325 watts at 70kg is within reach (since I'm at 310 watts and 73 kg right now).

--Steve

currently in base, looking for 3 peaks this year. 2 longer and 1 shorter.

Its been hard after having 3 or so months off the bike due to mad MTB crash, then getting sick 2 weeks after starting base! but ill get there.... i hope!

It sounds like he's using a Tacx. One guy did the Alpe d'Huez course on a Tacx and took 4 mins off of Lance's 2004 time