Winter training?

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What sort of approach will people be taking? Forgetting what bike you'll do it on for a minute, but interested to hear whether people follow the old school approach or whether now new knowledge that is more available out there is taking over and people are changing their routines?

Many new thoughts are out there about what you should be doing, or what you could be doing, I've not really decided what to focus on next year, but be interested to hear how others are planning. And whether anyone is thinking of being competitive next year etc...

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TSCfree said:

I'm taking a different approach to winter training this year and reverting to an old school approach of a proper base. 15 hours a week ideally, zone 2, 160W, no more than 17 MPH...have I covered all the measurements, oh yes RPE very little . I started too early on the turbo and doing outdoor intervals, consequently I spent 3 1/2 weeks off the bike with a chest infection and I've definitely peaked too early in my first race season. I'm still not sure how I'm going to achieve this all yet. I could commute 50 miles a day and have weekends off or two 80 mile rides Sat/Sun and the rest dispersed through the week, Who knows, either way I've armed myself with quality winter wear and a st load MTFU and get out the door whatever.

Part of the reason for taking this approach was lack of overall strength and stamina. On the two training camps I've been on this year I've realized I suck at endurance/tempo pace. somehow I seem to pretty good at short busts into the red (puncheur) short circuit crits, not really a surprise given my training regime at the moment. So that's where my weakness lies and hopefully this plan might go some way to address it. It's not set in stone and always open to advice as I'm still relatively new to racing.

Edited by TSCfree on Friday 19th September 17:15

I think if you can commit enough hours to this approach then there is probably gains to be had. I think a lot of peoples issues was following the pro way of doing it, but with only a few hours a week to do it. I have read the team sky do 5 hour rides where they'll only rack up 100TSS, so clearly there is still positive thought towards that. But then they obviously do build in blocks of specificity nearer the target races etc (classics teams/climbing team in Tenerife etc).

How will you monitor improvement, i.e. whether this worked better than what you did last time?

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Thought 160w sounded about right for 17mph myself?

Agree that downhill etc make it hard. Though I've managed to do undulating rides were my average and normalised were almost identical by pushing hard down the hills.

I think if you're competing then goals can be easily spread over the season, I'm undecided whether to focus more attention on road racing or time trials at the minute. The training for the two is quite different annoying (positional adaption and the like).

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Good advice for new riders there yep.

Be interesting to see what sort of weather we actually get this winter. Last year it was only
icy once and it was on the morning of a TT which was cancelled.

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Last year I had some intensity every week of some kind, I would imagine it I'll be there again this year. One thing for sure that winter is good for is overload though. Not easy to do that in the summer and still be fresh for races.

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Even the GB pursuit lot do longer rides still.

Anyway personally some of my road races are near 4 hours long so it needs to be done.

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Specifity is everything ponk. Running won't make you a better cyclist

There also are people that are not cut out for some crit circuits. They are all different after all. I find elite races at hillingdon easy but crystal palace really takes it out of me.

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Probably more the latter. But can be a bit of fun.

But you can be quite specific on a spin bike on your own.

Edited by okgo on Saturday 11th October 16:17

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I wouldn't bother with z1 at all. It just isn't enough for people doing modest hours.

Z2 and Z3 yes, Z1 for me would drive me to insanity.

Fwiw my coach has got me doing all sorts, 30 mins at 95% on Saturday, 2 x 2 mins at max effort Sunday, 2 hours zone 2/3 today and 3x30 sec max tomorrow in two hours of z2. Interesting to those who stick to base miles only.

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Nope 2 mins max effort under 5 mins rest.

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How do you know that though? anaerobic is very short duration stuff so it's hugely unlikely you've neglected aerobic stuff. And indeed if you can do those rides then I would imagine you have no real worry about that.

Russell may be a good about. But good rider doesn't always mean good coach. But worth a conversation if that's the way you're going to go.

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BMWBen said:

Ah the two minute max interval - the most painful of the intervals. Only those who have done them will be able to comprehend the mental and physical pain!

I didn't do them as hard as I could really, the hill was a little steep for my gears!

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Ponk said:

I raced some crits this year and got shelled out the back in each. Despite that I really enjoyed the experience. I'd like to make a proper go of it next year, do some more crits and also try some road races. My goal really is to get round and finish with the bunch. I'm under no illusions of glory but I'd like to see progress through the season and then go from there.

I'm 29 and can spare 4 hours (perhaps 5 at a push) of a weekend and maybe 3 1-2 hour sessions in the week. I might be able to do a little more in the week if I fit in cycling all the home from work (25-40 miles depending on route) once or twice.

Doing winter chaingangs at 25 mph, 60 miles at over 20mph and shelled from a 4th cat crit? Something doesn't sound right there chap.

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HIllingdon far easier than cyclopark, and cyclopark probably a fair bit easier than HH. I think crashes are fewer at HH and Cyclopark and the racing is much more attritional because of the hard corners and of course the hill at hog hill. Hillingdon is very easy and many people are still pretty fresh come the sprint and it all goes mad with people sprinting for all sorts of positions and going for gaps that are not there etc!

I started at Hillingdon, but I think the other two would have been safer.

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Good work Ponk. Tough circuit that.

First race is in two weeks for me, a time trial though, even still 30 minutes at full tilt will be very unpleasant.

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yonex said:

Where's that?

Two laps of this one mate http://www.strava.com/segments/887665

Kingston Wheelers Sporting 14

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The old classic is a good one - don't go out too hard!

Even a ten mile TT should probably feel OK, even controlled for the first third I think. Beyond that it's a massive can of worms

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johnxjsc1985 said:

Spent many happy years TT'ing having the warm up timed to arrive on the line ready to go is worth spending time on.

Yeh, tough to do if you warm up on a turbo though as throwing all the crap back in the car takes about 3 minutes

Also I get nervous when I'm still on the turbo and its less than ten mins to my start time...!