Training Update - FTP Work

Had two heavy days of FTP work thrown in between getting work (that pays the bills) done.  I've been finding some time to train and making the best of it, although I'm still at a sub 90 CTL.  I don't think that is going to go up this season, every time I produce more kJ for the week my FTP estimate has gone up and my CTL is lower.

The whole reason why I'm working on my FTP is to actually not be DFL in time trials this season.  My previous season I was able to get some wins by sneaking away while no one was looking.  That might work in crits but it sure as hell is not going to work in road races and time trials.  My lack of power was evident whenever it was me against the clock, usually finishing in the bottom 20% of all racers in my category.  Cat 4s.  Yes, my time trialing is that pathetic.

Well, time to bust out my e-wang.  Right now my FTP is about 280 if I use my best 20 minute power and take 95%.  Today I think I proved it to myself by doing my first set of 3x20s ever, and really nailing the third 20 minute effort at 290 watts and using a pretty solid negative split of 284/296.  I know I could have gone better and it was the third set of 60 minutes of FTP work today, so 280 is pretty realistic as an FTP with which to set training zones by.  That means my 6x5x1s need to get up to about 302-305 watts, which is doable considering yesterday I did them at 300 watts average over the 6 intervals, +- 3 watts variation between reps.

Anyways, that puts me at 4.21 W/Kg.  Not that great, but better than ever for me and also within reach of 4.5 W/Kg for Washington County.  I'm dropping weight pretty well at about 1.5 lbs per week since laying off the sauce, something I'm sticking to for the next few months.  Another 12-15 watts FTP and 3 lbs and I'm at 4.5.  the 3 lbs is going to be easy, the 12-15 watts not so much.  I basically only have one more build cycle before TofWC and another 5% increase is really pushing it.  One day if I get to 4.75 I'll stop posting my numbers or just grossly exaggerating them :)

Anyways, here are the two workouts... Pretty pictures.

298W/298W/301W/303W/300W/302W = 300W Average

The 3x20s showed an interesting trend.  Here are the splits for each set and also the cadence for each split.

Interval 1: 281W/288W = 285W
            97 rpm/95 rpm
Interval 2: 278W/284W = 281W
            93 rpm/91 rpm

Interval 3: 284W/296W = 290W

            90 rpm/89 rpm

My cadence seems to be dropping as I get tired.  I'm happy to see I'm still above 90 rpm when I thought I was grinding away at 75 rpm.

285W/281W/290W - Negative Splits!

Jefferson Cup Race Report and Analysis

Jeff Cup was a lot of fun this year... more fun racing it than last year, although my result sucked I was overall pleased with how the race went.  I guess it's a good thing I didn't have every high expectations and was looking at this as a "training" race.  I went into it with pretty sore legs, having missed my Tuesday workout and essential riding very hard Wed/Thu/Fri before the race with about 350 TSS for those 3 days.  Nothing major, but I'm only doing about 500-700 TSS per week so it was a decent block.

The race started out very fast and part of that was my fault.  I was pushing the pace, knowing what I was doing was stupid.  However, there was a number of us working at the front trying to catch folks off guard.  Honestly, for a 60 mile 3/4 race it was too much too early.  I did 250+ watts for the first 10-12 minutes, which is not much but definitely wakes up the legs quickly.

For 3 laps I tried to pedal 0s as much as possible and was pretty successful doing 0-5 watts for over 30% of the time for those laps. Furthermore, I was able to move from the back of the pack to the front in about 10 seconds due to the rolling enclosure and the fact that there was only 50 or so riders at this point.

At one point, I go OTF after counterattacking a break attempt that had just been caught.  I dangle about 15 seconds in front of the pack and decide since no one is coming to join me, I'll sit up and wait.  Decent sized match was burned attempting this.  After that I decide to sit in and wait for the field sprint, nothing was getting more than 200 hundred yards up the road if that before the group chases it down.  The racing was pretty negative the whole day.  The reason why 3/4 races end up as bunch sprints 90% of the time is because no one lets a break form and when they do, some dumbass drags the whole pack up to the break thinking they are "attacking" or "bridging".  One guy pulled a break back (only guy on his team in the race, by the way), looks at me, and goes "We got em, you can thank me for that!"  I just rolled my eyes at the guy...

Well, after I had all buy given up, Avery Wilson (a fast junior) goes OTF with one lap to go.  Immediately an All American Bicycling Club guy goes with him.  I knew this move had a chance.  So, I actually attack when the break is 50 meters up the road to make sure it doesn't drag the pack up to them.  I put out my peak wattage for this attack, and it worked.  I made it to the break and recovered for a minute before working.  Within 5 minutes we were out of sight of the pack and had probably 30 seconds or more!  It was the winning move, I could feel it.  We were working really well together and I was pulling us up the final climb, feeling great, when the moto ref told us to pull over so the 1/2/3 field could pass us.  Argh!!!!  Ok, not a big deal... he says we have 30 seconds on the group.  "Ok... " we say, "but how do you know?", they haven't even made the turn onto the climb and we are more than half way up, almost over the top.  He says they checked it and it was 30 seconds and they will keep that gap.  Still, 30 seconds is pretty good since we are out of sight.

We wait 5 minutes, the 1/2/3 field goes by, and then the 3/4 field starts coming up the climb.  The ref had told us they would bring them up to us and then stop them and recreate the 30 second gap. Well, when the field is 1/3rd of the way up the climb and about 15 seconds from us, the other moto ref yells at us to go!  We complain but he just yells "Go Go Go!!"  Great... now we are in sight and the pack has momentum coming up the climb.

Well, long story short, we got caught, I recovered, was 5th wheel going around the final turn, and then blew up on the "sprint to the sprint" with 1k to go.  Really what happened is my motivation went out the window.  In retrospect I might have finished in the points if I didn't sit up.

Anyways, here is the ride file for the race with some comments.