Setting goals...

Winter Series Race 1:
Duration: 1:10:45
Work: 980 kJ
TSS: 111.8 (intensity factor 0.974)
Norm Power: 257
VI: 1.11
Pw:HR: 11.5%
Pa:HR: -14.43%
Distance: 43.086 km
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 1037 231 watts
Heart Rate: 151 191 173 bpm
Cadence: 29 141 86 rpm
Speed: 5 53.9 36.5 kph
Pace 1:07 12:00 1:39 min/km
Hub Torque: 0 47 7.9 N-m
Crank Torque: 0 133.6 26.0 N-m

Just racing is too vague although at present I have so much coaching, study, selecting, race management stuff going on that my only metric of concern is did I ride the bike or not. But a little bit of pre race planning goes a long way...

-The course
-The weather
-The riders
-The history (what usually happens)
-What you plan to do
-What equipment you will use
-What you will wear
-What you will eat and drink

etc all make for a far more enjoyable day.

Starting to map these things out now will give you a better idea of what you need to train for over the winter. My guys already have detailed plans for world cup events for next year and we have outlines in place for London Olympics which help us focus on what needs to be done now to be ready for then!

I think what I've heard in my area is that if you're not going to get dropped, you should be able to sustain 20 mi/hr. If you're already there, you can always put your goal a bit higher than that 😄
Looking at Fergie's data, the pace of that race was about 22.4 mph, but I'm guessing that was for the winning racer.
This should give you some idea of where you should be if you're going to enter a race and hang with the other riders.

That was a C grade event in our winter series and only 40km. Prob Cat 4 - 5 in US terms. We obviously have some pretty good riders in NZ but not the depth of racing in the grades. Also a flat course. I had taken advantage of some unusually hot winter days and had trained hard the Fri and Sat before this race and was a little cooked by Sunday.

But the more you understand what you are preparing for, where you are at, the better you can plan your preparation.

Thank you Fergie and Enriss.

Looking at the AP of 231W, mine is currently 205W (on the trainer), so it seems doable for me (I hope). I've never tested my max power, and I know I'm probably way off in that area. But your data is a good starting point for me.

I did some 25-30 mile group rides this year averaging 18 mph but I wasn't racing so I'm sure I could try and push harder.

Thanks again,
-Greg

gman0482 said:

Looking at the AP of 231W, mine is currently 205W (on the trainer), so it seems doable for me (I hope). I've never tested my max power, and I know I'm probably way off in that area. But your data is a good starting point for me.

I did some 25-30 mile group rides this year averaging 18 mph but I wasn't racing so I'm sure I could try and push harder.

I wouldn't worry about Max Power. I have ridden track for years so probably have waaayyy more power than I need for road racing. Training indoors I would look to improve your 20-30min power from ~200 in preparation for better weather, racing and some more specific efforts.

fergie said:

Training indoors I would look to improve your 20-30min power from ~200 in preparation for better weather, racing and some more specific efforts.

That's good to know because 2x20's is what I do 95% of the time. The other 5% I spend on 1 hr sessions and some drills like single leg intervals. Soon I will get into some 2x30's as well.

Thanks,
-Greg

gman0482 said:

My ultimate goal is to get into a race

Hi there,

Why don't you just rock up and race? Regardless off the outcome.

You don't need to be flying to race. If you get dropped, go again next week and see if you can hang in there a little longer.

Racing is the best way to get better at racing. What do you think? 🙂

ps, ( soooo many people I know who want to get into racing, never do because they think they're never fit enough. They're always "a few weeks away" from racing. Procrastination with a capital P.)

CyclingMaven said:

Hi there,

Why don't you just rock up and race? Regardless off the outcome.

You don't need to be flying to race. If you get dropped, go again next week and see if you can hang in there a little longer.

Racing is the best way to get better at racing. What do you think? 🙂

ps, ( soooo many people I know who want to get into racing, never do because they think they're never fit enough. They're always "a few weeks away" from racing. Procrastination with a capital P.)

You are absolutely right. That's what I am planning on doing as soon as next year's races begin. I'm guessing around April/May I hope. Also hoping to get into some local TT's, which is a whole other side of cycling I haven't begun to explore but certainly will.

I'm not worried about the outcome, but just want to have some idea as to how I need to train now, to be in best
form when the days come.

Thanks,
-Greg

gman0482 said:

You are absolutely right. That's what I am planning on doing as soon as next year's races begin. I'm guessing around April/May I hope. Also hoping to get into some local TT's, which is a whole other side of cycling I haven't begun to explore but certainly will.

I'm not worried about the outcome, but just want to have some idea as to how I need to train now, to be in best
form when the days come.

Thanks,
-Greg

Fair call.

TT's will make you strong and help you develop a good engine. Don't push too big a gear though. It's very hard to recover mid TT if you push too big a gear too hard.

Let your cardio system do the work rather than your legs. Spin rather than stomp.

Also, your training is specific to the the type of event you intend on doing.

You wouldn't go ride 10 weeks of mountains in order to win a criterium title...

If you're racing crits, lots of speed work, spinning, fast group rides is ideal. Spinning on rollers, ergo's etc.

If it's long road races and tours, you need strength and endurance. Long hard miles, big gear efforts, hill efforts etc.

You obviously need to get more specific than that, but it's important to see the big picture and what the end goal is.

Thanks for your input. I haven't started to periodize my training to a detail where I've pin pointed my events, and I think I will just go day by day this coming year and get into a couple different events. My biggest goal (besides racing) is just to be on the bike as much as I can.

CyclingMaven said:

You obviously need to get more specific than that, but it's important to see the big picture and what the end goal is.

Don't mention the "S" word, the locals will go Ballistic. Best we keep it a secret for the Southern Hemisphere cyclists😄

I would love to be at the level that I could get specific and detailed, but do you think I should keep my 1st year somewhat open minded and just keep on training more in general to develop overall ? Since I haven't done any races or serious events yet, I don't know what my real strengths and weaknesses/limiters are.

Or should I get into specificity right from the start ?

gman0482 said:

I would love to be at the level that I could get specific and detailed, but do you think I should keep my 1st year somewhat open minded and just keep on training more in general to develop overall ? Since I haven't done any races or serious events yet, I don't know what my real strengths and weaknesses/limiters are.

Or should I get into specificity right from the start ?

Your first year is about experimenting. Have fun and don't think too much about it.

There's a bunch of different styles of racing. Try them all no matter what your fitness level. Yeah you'll get dropped or 'shelled' but hey - we all do!

Then work out where your talent is.

You may do well in bunch sprints, or time trials.

You may be able to sit on a high pace for long periods of time which would tell me you're a good time trialist with a solid engine.

Then start to focus on your strengths. This is contrary to popular belief but I feel very strongly about it. eg. Mark Cavendish is a sprinter - if he focused on time trialing, (his weakness) would this years tour been so entertaining on the flat stages?

Have fun and just ride your bike. Find some good group rides and practice sprinting, driving it on the front of the bunch.

Find yourself.

Exactly what I needed to hear Mark, thank you. I am reading a ton of literature, which is great, but made me wonder if I should be getting heavy into details with periodization, annual plans and all the numbers. So far I think I'm doing ok, just focusing on some averages in the L3-FTP range, and just simply getting lots of hours/miles under my belt. Also reached out to a local club with a race team and will be joining them next year.

gman0482 said:

Exactly what I needed to hear Mark, thank you. I am reading a ton of literature, which is great, but made me wonder if I should be getting heavy into details with periodization, annual plans and all the numbers. So far I think I'm doing ok, just focusing on some averages in the L3-FTP range, and just simply getting lots of hours/miles under my belt. Also reached out to a local club with a race team and will be joining them next year.

My pleasure - Reading is great but remember...

The gap between ignorance and knowledge is significantly less than the gap between knowledge and action.

Just get on your bike - daily if possible - and have fun.

Reading can be a form of procrastination and the content can over complicate things.