Road Cycling Essentials

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Soldato
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First century ride!

Yesterday I managed what I consider a monumental achievement - I completed my first metric century! I'm very pleased to have finished, even more pleased to have not had to stop mid-climb on any of the hills!

I had one off which was down to a pure lack of concentration on my part, but everything remained in tact.

Once my knees, back and shoulder feel normal again, I will be looking for similar challenges - with fewer hills!

Heres my Strava track from the day, it was the Cycle Derby Sportive if interested - http://www.strava.com/activities/197566073
 
Soldato
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I'm about 3.9ish at last count. The Road Machine is pretty accurate but needs the screw tightened about 3 full turns (and ensure your tyre is at consistent psi, I use 110 on the trainer). It's within the realms of possibility but 340w on your first ever FTP would be very very impressive.
 
Man of Honour
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I am careful to run my pressure at the same (I also run it at 110) but it's quite possible that I didn't pay enough attention to how tight the screw is. I'll back the screw off completely and then turn it in three times (from touching) as suggested.

I guess I'll see how badly the target power destroys me in various workouts in the next few days. If I consistently can't keep up then I'll re-do the FTP.
 
Soldato
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From a workout perspective it shouldn't make any difference as all the effort is relative to your FTP, provided you keep your setup the same. If you try the three turns and it's significantly harder you might want to retest though. :)
 
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From a workout perspective it shouldn't make any difference as all the effort is relative to your FTP, provided you keep your setup the same. If you try the three turns and it's significantly harder you might want to retest though. :)

I'm not sure if I'll be able to detect how much harder it is or isn't just off the bat.

Presumably if I'm doing a workout with targets based around my current FTP setting then if I do the three full turns thing and I can't keep up it will be a strong indicator that the first test was inaccurate?
 
Soldato
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It's within the realms of possibility but 340w on your first ever FTP would be very very impressive.

I think the w/kg figure is more important than the actual FTP number. Weight makes a big difference up hills, but also when accelerating (both from a standstill and all those little accelerations you do whilst riding along).
He's quite heavy (similar weight to me) and if I go out riding with the light guys (55-65kg), i'll average something like 70-90watts more than them and can be well over 100watts difference on a climb.. I'm not any faster, I just have a lot more weight to carry around.

I am somewhat reluctant to find out my FTP (and don't have a turbo anyway), I get the feeling I'd be rather upset.

I nearly cried when I went for my first ride with my powertap :(


edit: the important thing is that once you've decided if you're going to try another test or just stick with the figure you've got, dont change the setup. It doesnt really matter how accurate your FTP number is as long as you can keep the test consistent to track your progress.
 
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Soldato
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I'm not sure if I'll be able to detect how much harder it is or isn't just off the bat.

Presumably if I'm doing a workout with targets based around my current FTP setting then if I do the three full turns thing and I can't keep up it will be a strong indicator that the first test was inaccurate?

I guess first disclaimer is Trainer Road power is not 100% accurate but having done fag packet calculations I think mine is within about +/-5% of what it probably is.

But yeah, if you find things harder then the first test was probably inaccurate (tyre could have been slipping for example). 3 turns seems tight at first but means even sprints don't make it slip.
 
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Well I have to say that I've found the rollers to have made a difference to my technique. Whether its real or a placebo I tend to roll 3 times a week for 30-45 minutes. And yeah, on the bike I have felt different. Not sure if I can be bothered to go down the turbo route, now that I'm happy on my rollers, though I realise the power output will be higher on a turbo. Though decathlon.fr has quite a few Tacx/Elite for a very reasonable price..
 
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Soldato
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With a long weekend off work and at a bit of a loose end today I opted to do something stupid! Its been fully 3 weeks since my last outing (maybe even 4) and decided to cycle from Brechin to Tarfside and back. Its about 10 miles further than I've been before and more of an elevation (albeit by a few hundred feet) and I can safely say I've broken myself. Legs are a bit achy and my right elbow decided to turn to jelly in the last 6 miles. Stopped for 5 mins when i reached Tarfside but had to stop a couple of times just beyond Edzell to prepare myself for the last wee part (better than getting someone to pick me up i guess :p)

Quite pleased to get back out on the bike again though :) http://www.strava.com/activities/197997617
 
Soldato
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Yesterday I managed what I consider a monumental achievement - I completed my first metric century! I'm very pleased to have finished, even more pleased to have not had to stop mid-climb on any of the hills!

I had one off which was down to a pure lack of concentration on my part, but everything remained in tact.

Once my knees, back and shoulder feel normal again, I will be looking for similar challenges - with fewer hills!

Heres my Strava track from the day, it was the Cycle Derby Sportive if interested - http://www.strava.com/activities/197566073

Imperial century you mean, don't under sell yourself! :)
 
Man of Honour
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I think the w/kg figure is more important than the actual FTP number. Weight makes a big difference up hills, but also when accelerating (both from a standstill and all those little accelerations you do whilst riding along).
He's quite heavy (similar weight to me) and if I go out riding with the light guys (55-65kg), i'll average something like 70-90watts more than them and can be well over 100watts difference on a climb.. I'm not any faster, I just have a lot more weight to carry around.



I nearly cried when I went for my first ride with my powertap :(


edit: the important thing is that once you've decided if you're going to try another test or just stick with the figure you've got, dont change the setup. It doesnt really matter how accurate your FTP number is as long as you can keep the test consistent to track your progress.

Cheers, I hope you're right. I'd be surprised if the figure isn't a little high though. I'm a lot faster than I used to be but I'm not sure I'm that fast.

I'll see how it feels when I confirm the set up and probably redo the test, just for peace of mind really. I'd prefer a power figure that it closer to real life rather than one that is kind of arbitrary (even if that's fine for training purposes I want to be able to compare to people to see where I am on the scale). :)

Well I have to say that I've found the rollers to have made a difference to my technique. Whether its real or a placebo I tend to roll 3 times a week for 30-45 minutes. And yeah, on the bike I have felt different. Not sure if I can be bothered to go down the turbo route, now that I'm happy on my rollers, though I realise the power output will be higher on a turbo. Though decathlon.fr has quite a few Tacx/Elite for a very reasonable price..

I'd really like some rollers too. Maybe in a few months... :p
 
Soldato
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[DOD]Asprilla;26936897 said:
Good going on that last 1.1km segment.

Thanks, I was close to home so used the last of my energy... Getting home for a blast on Battlefield as all the house chores are done is quite an incentive! lol ;)

Superb! That's more like it. Up it to 15 miles next week if you say your legs could do more. Excellent.

I'll be trying to get some of the waterproof socks. My current waterproof socks were hand-me-downs and are a little too small.

I really enjoyed it (the weather helped!) and I'll probably do the same route as the majority of other routes around here would involve much more traffic (going the other side of the city) or much more climbing... Although I need to continue exploring locally more! Won't be many KoM's as lots of NTFO riders around here :eek::rolleyes:

I've got the dhb Neoprene overshoes to wear with my XC30's so I'm going to do some wet weather rides before I invest in more kit... Haven't been in any real rain since probably February?! I've switched bikes and to cleats since then...!
 
Associate
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Cheers, I hope you're right. I'd be surprised if the figure isn't a little high though. I'm a lot faster than I used to be but I'm not sure I'm that fast.

I'll see how it feels when I confirm the set up and probably redo the test, just for peace of mind really. I'd prefer a power figure that it closer to real life rather than one that is kind of arbitrary (even if that's fine for training purposes I want to be able to compare to people to see where I am on the scale). :)



I'd really like some rollers too. Maybe in a few months... :p

I have a KK Road machine with a lowly FTP figure of 224. Done a few 2x20s and 20 min tests on a wattbike and they also seem pretty consistent so your numbers could very well be right

But ... dont the pro's have figures around that? Obviously they must weigh less but if you just need to shed weight and keep the power constant you'd be sorted. If my FTP was what yours is, I'd be pushing 6w/kg!!!
 
Soldato
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I have a KK Road machine with a lowly FTP figure of 224. Done a few 2x20s and 20 min tests on a wattbike and they also seem pretty consistent so your numbers could very well be right

But ... dont the pro's have figures around that? Obviously they must weigh less but if you just need to shed weight and keep the power constant you'd be sorted. If my FTP was what yours is, I'd be pushing 6w/kg!!!

Cav weighs around 72kg and Kittel is about 82kg. They put out a hell of a lot more than 224w FTP.
 
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