Hi,
I am after a bit of advice regarding my winter training schedule. My aims for next year are to ride my first season of Time trials with the local club as well as complete some long and hilly sportive rides. I think that getting down to weight (around 12 ½ stone) is going to be important (from 13st 5) and I also need to work on strength, I constantly get dropped by a friend who muscles up all the short <5min hills in the local area but he struggles to keep with me on the flat.

I commute 5 days a week for 1hour (10 miles each way) at between 80-90% MHR. I try to get 2 extended rides in as well bringing my weekly commuting training up to 7 hours at a fairly high intensity. I don’t vary my rides in anyway; I just ride as fast as I can. At the weekend I rest on Sat (maybe a three hour walk or a 30 min run) and then do a 3-4 hour ride with a local group on Sunday which is at about 65-70% MHR with an hour at 80-90%. I am also doing 1 ½ hours running during the week.

I purchased Joe Freil’s book but it seems really complicated for my needs. The only thing that it has picked up on is that I do not do any weight training although I do a bit of yoga.

The last two years I have just done my commute and the odd long ride and managed to be at the front of most of the sportives I enter but I struggle to average over 21mph on the flat for a 25mile tt on my road bike.

Any advice greatly appreciated, I am a bit confused!

raise your FTP, tempo/threshold 10-30min efforts. Shorter 3-8min efforts are good too. The odd 2 x 20min is the TTist bread and butter

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So no need to hit the weights? By FTP you mean functional threshold power? So basically go flat out for 30mins on my way home two or three times a week? Also should I keep doing 2 x 20 min intervals through the winter? How do I know how hard to go?

Thanks for the help.

weight training?... not to be a faster cyclist for sure, your time is better spent training at high/specific intensities on the bike. If you are riding loads of kms a year, are racing a full schedule and the only sport you are doing is cycling, then yes maybe a bit of weight during off season can help you mowe your lawn without feeling sore

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Good, this is what I wanted to hear re the weights

Do you think I could benifit from a cyclops style power meter or is it not really worth it at my level?

I dont know what kind of powermeter you are talking about... Powertap?

IMO a powermeter is always worth it for someone who really wants to get better and faster at riding. Its the best investment you can make on a bike IMO.

I have used SRM and Quarq, no experience with powertap. Used wired SRM can be found for sub 1000$.

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Toying with the idea of one of the hub based models as I would like to spend minimal money and there seems to be a few secondhand units about. I was still in need of some help with sorting out my winter training; how about every day commuting 60mins at 75-80% MHR and then two 2x20 a week at threshold pace. I can then get some base miles in at the weekend.

you could easily go 2x20 twice a week or if you want to do it only once then do at least one commute as fast as you can. A very general guideline would be

day 1: hard commute
day 2: easy commute
day 3: 2 x 20
day 4: moderate int. commute
day 5: easy commute or OFF
day 6: long ride
day 7: OFF

of course it all depends on your experience, current base fitness, training volume, etc.

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My base fittness and endurance I think are pretty good.


So i'm thinking:

Day1 - 2X20
Day2 - Easy commute
Day3 - Fast commute
Day 4 - Moderate commute
Day5 - 2x20
Day 6- Rest
Day 7 - Long ride with some threshold sections.

Jogging/ runnning 2-3 times a week for 30mins.

This gives between 9 and 10 hours per week training.

Carry this through to March and start Time trialing trying to drop weight to 75kgs from the 85 i am at.

Thanks for the help.

if you start TTing in march I would drop the running early january.

regarding your schedule I think you'd be better off that way

Day1 - 2X20
Day2 - fast commute
Day3 - rest/VERY easy commute
Day 4 - 2x20
Day5 - moderate commute
Day 6- Rest
Day 7 - Long ride with some threshold sections.

the 2x20 sessions are not that taxing, BUT you're better off doing them as fresh as possible.

What do you qualify as a good base/fitness? How long have you been riding for? Riding seriously? How much hours a year? How much races a season? How many hours a week?

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if your getting dropped on hills, work on hills try staying seated as long as possible. try acclerations during climbs. pick a hill and keep working it till you find what style works best.

Devinci -

I have been riding for about 4 years broken down like this:

Yr 1 - commuting, loosing weight and not riding outside of that; estimate ~3500miles a year (100 miles a week in term time).

Yr 2 - faster commuting, the odd weekend ride, one sportive, riding in the holidays; estimated 4-4500miles.

Year 3 - Fast commuting, training in the summer and long rides; estimated 5000miles.

Year 4/now - Sportives (fast groups, mainly club riders), commuting, some LTH training, long weekend rides and centuary rides; estimate 8-10hrs week, 5500-6000 miles a year.

To give you an idea of my pace, flat 10 mile tt course about 23MPH on a road bike, 25 mile tt effort 21-22mph, 50 mile sportive ride 23 mph, 100 mile sportive ride 22 mph averages.

When I spoke to the club they said 25mph was a good benchmark to aim for on the 10 mile tt, hence the need for a training plan

Im off to do 2x20 now ( god I hate them).

Also good advice on the hills, I find in group rides that I am slow at the start of a hill but overhaul at the top of the hill.

Cheers

Hammer yourself for the last 50/70mtrs and 50mtrs over the hills on your hard days. Most riders will back off, once they reach the top.

Foo

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So long as you have tried your best, then you should have no regrets!

careful with the 2x20, these shouldnt not feel that hard in the first 5 min if done correctly. You shouldnt start them hard.

EDIT: I'd like to give you a very general guideline for 2x20 based on my personnal PE and feeling when training with power. When doing the 2x20 at 100% FTP:

1- the first 5min feels moderate/hard
2- 5 to 10min feels harder but manageable
3- 10 to 15min starts to feel hard and its a challenge but very doable
4- last 5 min are quite hard, you need to stay focused, they are a good challenge, especially in the second 20min effort, and specially on the trainer.

hope that helps

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Thanks, I have been riding them at full flat out effort about 95% HR that explains why I hated them so much.