The Indoor Riding/ Zwift/ TrainerRoad etc. Thread
- Thread starter randomshenans
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Well it turns out intervals are tricky on the road. Especially with small screen like the roam. Thought I picked a good bit of the track but still had to concentrate way more than indoors. But it’s nice having the cold air and sense of speed
Still, I know it’s just a graph but I have so much more enjoyment with TR. I can’t put my finger on it. The AI FTP certainly helps lol
Still, I know it’s just a graph but I have so much more enjoyment with TR. I can’t put my finger on it. The AI FTP certainly helps lol
I need to do more high power low cadence work I think. Having finally got outside again semi regularly since the winter I have realised that my ability to grind up climbs isn't great. As soon as I am out of the saddle I am on the clock. Last Autumn I was happy spinning and grinding up climbs but so far they are kicking my ass.
Wait until you see the turbo training people like Graeme Obree used to do. On what would now be a £50 exercise bike sitting outside for the cold and just starting at a wall 6 foot in front of you for hours.
It's not even the boredom part. It's the watts. I know riding outside is easier than indoors but the gulf between the two is pretty stark
As an example. Yesterday my sweet spot ride wanted me to target 190w. Indoors that would be 'easy' thanks to ERG keeping you honest but at my level it would also feel like a decent effort. Outside I just couldn't do it. So I ended up doing 230-250w. Whereas doing 230-250w indoors would be challenging.
Maybe I need to look at the cooling in my shed as I only have a headwind fan and maybe that's the cause. Just seems wild that holding significantly higher watts outside is significantly easier.
Either way, I'm going to be in for a rude awakening when I get my Kickr back
It's not even the boredom part. It's the watts. I know riding outside is easier than indoors but the gulf between the two is pretty stark
As an example. Yesterday my sweet spot ride wanted me to target 190w. Indoors that would be 'easy' thanks to ERG keeping you honest but at my level it would also feel like a decent effort. Outside I just couldn't do it. So I ended up doing 230-250w. Whereas doing 230-250w indoors would be challenging.
Maybe I need to look at the cooling in my shed as I only have a headwind fan and maybe that's the cause. Just seems wild that holding significantly higher watts outside is significantly easier.
Either way, I'm going to be in for a rude awakening when I get my Kickr back
Its a weird one isn't it. I've just gone down the rabbit hole of "what effect does the gear you are in have on ERG on smart trainers" rabbit hole as well.
Personally I haven't got a PM on my bike so all my workouts are on zwift/kickr but I have found that a winter of Zwifting has left me with no ability to grind out hills. I can hold power quite happily on ERG but its those candles that get burned too easily outside at the moment. Did 90 minutes of Z2 at 180w last night and it was fine. Did some steady state at 250w the day before and it was fine but I am just bad at pacing myself outside. Especially since I live at the bottom of a hill and probably hit 220w+ right out the gate when I go outside.
At some point I will get a PM for the bike but I have other things to buy first and I was kind of hoping Assioma would update their Duo shi in line with their latest SPD PM pedals before I bite.
Yup, I struggle with that and really can't do low power standing!
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Magnesium tablets? take one each morning. I tried it a few years ago and cramps vanished
Could your bike fit be contributing to it, e.g. cleats too far forward?
I have run out so will get ordering.
I feel quite comfortable on the bike, ive always had quite tight calfs and its just after longer stints. Maybe its saddle height i only got the issue after raising it 10mm but due to odd proportions if i didnt do this i had to sit so far back on my saddle for the stroke to be comfortable. Cleats are actually as far back as they can go already.
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Just completed getting the Tron bike and set a PB up Mount de Zwift of 65mins.
I'm finding from all the zone 2 training that my heart rate is 10 to 20 beats lower for similar high end Watts, I averaged around 150 BPM going up, where normally I'd be 170. My legs however can't sustain the watts to be closer to my top end heart rate, I used to be fairly comfortable at 170bpm.
Think this means I need to do weights, hill and low cadence training to build up leg strength.
I had this issue in Majorca where I'd die on a sustained hill but then recover really quickly whenever I could drop the pressure.
I guess fueling might be something to look into too, I've got fairly lean. I am very regular with eating and drinking at least every 20mins but haven't checked my actual carb intake.
I'm finding from all the zone 2 training that my heart rate is 10 to 20 beats lower for similar high end Watts, I averaged around 150 BPM going up, where normally I'd be 170. My legs however can't sustain the watts to be closer to my top end heart rate, I used to be fairly comfortable at 170bpm.
Think this means I need to do weights, hill and low cadence training to build up leg strength.
I had this issue in Majorca where I'd die on a sustained hill but then recover really quickly whenever I could drop the pressure.
I guess fueling might be something to look into too, I've got fairly lean. I am very regular with eating and drinking at least every 20mins but haven't checked my actual carb intake.
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Solid effort!
I've paused my Zwift subscription for a few months. Probably return to it after the summer but I'm keen to give ADZ a go especially after I finish my TR plan.
I'm midway through Base Building 3 then I start my 'sustained power build' weeks. For the speciality phase I originally picked 'rolling road race' but I've changed that to 'climbing road race'. As someone who'll probably, at best, be about 75-79kg (which still puts me at an overweight BMI lol) I'm never going to prosper as a climber but I just enjoy climbing so I'd like to get stronger there as I'm pretty weak at it.
Will be interesting to see what my ADZ time will be once I've done my first proper structured training plan. Think my current best time is 75 minutes and I set that quite a while back so if I can get to the high 60's I'll be really happy.
I've gone from 1.68 w/kg to 2.59 w/kg. Still pretty low and I expect it's mostly come back as just spending more time on the bike. It's 3.2 to do the alpe in an hour so that's been my goal for a while
I've paused my Zwift subscription for a few months. Probably return to it after the summer but I'm keen to give ADZ a go especially after I finish my TR plan.
I'm midway through Base Building 3 then I start my 'sustained power build' weeks. For the speciality phase I originally picked 'rolling road race' but I've changed that to 'climbing road race'. As someone who'll probably, at best, be about 75-79kg (which still puts me at an overweight BMI lol) I'm never going to prosper as a climber but I just enjoy climbing so I'd like to get stronger there as I'm pretty weak at it.
Will be interesting to see what my ADZ time will be once I've done my first proper structured training plan. Think my current best time is 75 minutes and I set that quite a while back so if I can get to the high 60's I'll be really happy.
I've gone from 1.68 w/kg to 2.59 w/kg. Still pretty low and I expect it's mostly come back as just spending more time on the bike. It's 3.2 to do the alpe in an hour so that's been my goal for a while
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Jumped on the Big Spin last night hoping to get the short route done in time to get a cheeky reentry low distance cheese run done after! FML New York with the climb is horrible I was not ready for that at all....at least i got to eat a bit more after that.
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i mix a high-5 tablet or two into my water - https://www.amazon.co.uk/HIGH5-ZERO-Pink-Grapefruit-8x20/dp/B007PF8HHG?th=1
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You sound pretty similiar to me tbh, even same weight. I'm down to 75kg but I'm 6 foot 3. How do you feel about your top end power from doing all the base building? I was concerned but after getting back from Majorca from 2 rounds of base, I was smashing out some big watts with a relatively low HR for me.
I've semi given up on TR now and I'm roughly doing long ride, then high intensity rides on rotating days.
Hoping to start doing extra long rides outside again soon too, as 3+ hours on a trainer is getting harder to motivate myself to do.
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Well I'm 180cm and 81.6KG according to the scales yesterday. I genuinely don't know if I'd get down to 75. I'll give it a good go but my ribs are already sort of showing up top. I got a bit of belly fat to get rid of but I think most of my weight is in my legs as I've always had relatively thick thighs for my size. Stop laughing in the back, they're not thunder thighs. My partner is getting sick of me going on about my weight and she genuinely thinks I have a case of body dysmorphia going on but she is supposed to say I look good
As for if the base building is working? I want to say yes but I can't say that for certain. Prior to having a baby I was teetering on 3w/kg so I feel at the moment though I'm having decent gains a lot of it is just recovering lost performance. Though I did set a PB on a segment of the cycle track last week without really trying and I also set a PB on a hill (I've only done it twice so not a huge sample set) that I last tried in 2022. When I did it then I remember giving it a good go whereas when I did it on the weekend because I remember it hurting last time I set out to just take it easy as it was early into the ride. I was really shocked to find out I was 50 seconds quicker whilst not trying to do a faster time up it
So I suppose it is working but I'm looking forward to the build phase to see if some decent gains come then.