What can I do in 6 months?

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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superleggera
Posts: 126
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2010 7:31 pm

by superleggera

I'm a average or below average Cat 2. I typically ride very little from September until January 1. I ride 6 days a week from January - August. Is taking such a long break impacting my fitness in the summer? Considering that i've ridden very little since September, if I start training hard now, can I be competitive in May? My CTL in TrainingPeaks is 10 right now, it was about 85 in August.
Last edited by superleggera on Fri Mar 20, 2020 10:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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LeDuke
Posts: 2021
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 2:39 am
Location: Front Range, CO

by LeDuke

The short answer is yes, yes it is impacting your fitness and results.

Are you replacing time on the bike with some other aerobic activity during the off-bike period

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ultyguy
Posts: 2330
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:35 pm
Location: Geneva

by ultyguy

I'm very similar to you. The break is important to not burn out too, don't forget. I hit higher CTL esp in August w a few stage races so am really blown come the autumn.

I tend to ski quite a bit in the winter too so need to hit the gym some to get ready for that as cycling muscles are so specific.

I've mixed it up this year by adding more MTB in autumn but really just for fun and messing around with technique. I've also added more ski rando for training and not just powder hunting. Finally I've added some speed hiking uphill which is a lot more fun than actual running.

Starting out bike training I feel like I have a better general level of fitness than other years, we'll see if it makes a difference.

You should try and really bury yourself at the end of the season either with a stage race or a 4-5 day really hard bike tour. I find the biggest difference happen over years and not with in a year.


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nathanong87
Resident master of GIF
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by nathanong87

here's a case study.

last season i took off 1.5 months from the bike, started training again at 45CTL. Did my first 20min fitness test 6 weeks into riding and hit 306w ~65 CTL

This season i'm not racing, i took 3 months off the bike, started riding at 17CTL, did my first 20min fitness test 2.5 weeks into riding and hit 308w ~30CTL

ultyguy
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Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:35 pm
Location: Geneva

by ultyguy

Everyone's engine is different. Some people stay at a similar max level but improve repeatability, some grow a lot throughout the year.

Disclaimer- bad advice ahead but it's worked for me

I also think if you really want to improve, you need to break the engine at some point. To know where that is and what it feels like. To me it's as much a mental thing as physical.


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GambadiLegno
Posts: 67
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 10:26 am
Location: Spain

by GambadiLegno

superleggera wrote:I'm a average or below average Cat 1. I typically ride very little from September until January 1. I ride 6 days a week from January - August. Is taking such a long break impacting my fitness in the summer? Considering that i've ridden very little since September, if I start training hard now, can I be competitive in May? My CTL in TrainingPeaks is 10 right now, it was about 85 in August.

You have enough time to raise your CTL from 10 to 85 again, but you need to be very constant, and train every week growing your fitness. As an example, here's my current Performance Chart, I've started new season officially on 1st October with 5 CTL and my 1st season objective is on 23rd April, where I expect a 130 CTL, but now I'm in 77 CTL and with a holiday week without training on last week of December. What I want to say, is that you have enough time, but you need to start seriously now.

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nathanong87
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by nathanong87

133 CTL , how much weekly volume are u doing or weekly TSS?

anecdotally i've never been above 100 CTL ever from cat5 to cat1 ~550 annual hours

GambadiLegno
Posts: 67
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 10:26 am
Location: Spain

by GambadiLegno

For example, these 4 weeks of January I did:

Week 1: 14h07' and 699 TSS
Week 2: 12h57' and 563.4 TSS
Week 3: 10h39' and 514.5 TSS
Week 4: 18h43' and 933.9 TSS (this last Sunday was my first race)

I try to do between 15 and 18 hours per week, depending on weather. And now I'm training zone 5 at least one day and one long and climbing session too. Rest of the week normally 2.5 or 3 hours a day, with some endurance and some FTP or SS training. This is an average of 600-800 or 900 TSS/week.

nathanong87
Resident master of GIF
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by nathanong87

yea that's alot, i never did more than 10-12 hours (on average). Kudos.

Svetty
Posts: 539
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:06 pm
Location: Yorkshire - God's Own Country

by Svetty

GambadiLegno wrote:For example, these 4 weeks of January I did:

Week 1: 14h07' and 699 TSS
Week 2: 12h57' and 563.4 TSS
Week 3: 10h39' and 514.5 TSS
Week 4: 18h43' and 933.9 TSS (this last Sunday was my first race)

I try to do between 15 and 18 hours per week, depending on weather. And now I'm training zone 5 at least one day and one long and climbing session too. Rest of the week normally 2.5 or 3 hours a day, with some endurance and some FTP or SS training. This is an average of 600-800 or 900 TSS/week.


So you did your first race at the end of your hardest week's training??

GambadiLegno
Posts: 67
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 10:26 am
Location: Spain

by GambadiLegno

Svetty wrote:
GambadiLegno wrote:For example, these 4 weeks of January I did:

Week 1: 14h07' and 699 TSS
Week 2: 12h57' and 563.4 TSS
Week 3: 10h39' and 514.5 TSS
Week 4: 18h43' and 933.9 TSS (this last Sunday was my first race)

I try to do between 15 and 18 hours per week, depending on weather. And now I'm training zone 5 at least one day and one long and climbing session too. Rest of the week normally 2.5 or 3 hours a day, with some endurance and some FTP or SS training. This is an average of 600-800 or 900 TSS/week.


So you did your first race at the end of your hardest week's training??

Yes mate, I normally start first races as another "training session", so I don't rest and use them to increase my TSS too. I don't pay attention to results in these races before my 1st objective arrives. However, sometimes I feel good. In this one I finished with the pack but I was at the front on climbs with good feelings. Unfortunately, a breakaway with 15-16 riders was gone and I decided not to go with them as we were in km.20 yet...wrong decission :( But legs were not bad, of course if I would taper they'd be much better. But tappering is only for A races.

bogus
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2016 10:54 pm

by bogus

shut up~~!! just training!~!!

ultyguy
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Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:35 pm
Location: Geneva

by ultyguy

Interesting read and something that I was trying, very in-eloquently, to describe
http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/t ... thing_9067

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Dr.Dos
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Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2004 11:00 pm

by Dr.Dos

ultyguy wrote:Interesting read and something that I was trying, very in-eloquently, to describe
http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/t ... thing_9067

Wow just wow, great article.

jo.k
Posts: 196
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:39 pm
Location: Norway

by jo.k

Related article:

http://scienceofsport.blogspot.no/2008/01/fatigue-examined.html

Edit: Top level domain may need to be changed according to physical location?

by Weenie


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Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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