The Indoor Riding/ Zwift/ TrainerRoad etc. Thread

Its depressing that this thread is much more active than the general road cycling thread at the moment. We should all be outside in the sunshine discussing our lovely rides in the countryside. :mad:


It's more like dodging the rain clouds outside at the moment but I'm sticking with it.
 
Sounds like you need a new bike for motivation
Some new health would be quite nice too

Honestly, I've never been this ill before. I've felt worse but usually that passes in 2-3 days. I've had this from the 29th! Was off of work all last week, which is the first time my entire working life I've ever had a week off from an illness. When I got to the office today people are saying I still look a bit rough and it looks like I've been punched in the face... which while a bit insulting at least I know I still look a bit rough and I wasn't being a total bitch :cry:
 
I see it as using the best tool for the job. Don't presume we're all roadies in here either. :cry:

Oh dear god. Have we let the MTB rabble in here now!

I've had the nursery bug from hell the last 9 days. Had it coming out of both ends, several das of 38-39c temp and headaches that I thought my head was going to implode.

Finally starting to feel normal again but suddenly i am threatened by the idea of getting back on my bike and getting back on with my training. Walking up and down the stairs too quickly last week had my heart pounding.

Bit gutted really!

From relatively recent experience, just recover or if you are gong to do anything, go super super easy. You feel like you are losing fitness but you will lose far more if you make yourself ill again or don't recover for 2-3 weeks longer than it needed to take.

If it helps i was out yesterday with the wife for a ~25mile ride and picnic?

Was lovely :p

Yesterday we had about 3-4 hours of sun and 2 or so hours of absolutely biblical rain. That was split into about 3-4 blocks of weather. It was mad. ****, I forgot you were in Spain you smug git!
 
From relatively recent experience, just recover or if you are gong to do anything, go super super easy. You feel like you are losing fitness but you will lose far more if you make yourself ill again or don't recover for 2-3 weeks longer than it needed to take.

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do. Luckily the weather is still a bit rubbish so it's not been super tempting to get outside. I may set my bike back up on the turbo and just do some really easy Z1/Z2 rides just to turn the legs over. Was really into my plan but it's just a hobby so if i lose some fitness so be it. Just a bit fed up of feeling tired/rubbish!
 
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Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do. Luckily the weather is still a bit rubbish so it's not been super tempting to get outside. I may set my bike back up on the turbo and just do some really easy Z1/Z2 rides just to turn the legs over. Was really into my plan but it's just a hobby so if i lose some fitness so be it. Just a bit fed up of feeling tired/rubbish!

Yeah, always seems to happen when you are on a good run. My partner has just gone back to work recently so everything is conspiring against me. One of the boys is seemingly always ill or gets sent home from nursery so I have to take time out of my work and catch up later. We're doing things at the weekend and the weather has been rubbish. And the boys are not sleeping as well at the moment so my sleep is getting worse and I am a **** sleeper at the best of times. Routinely wake up at 4am if the boys wake me up and I have to sort them out and find I can't fall back to sleep.
 
Won my first non TT cat C race last night. Crit crusher in Yorkshire. 5 laps. Did my usual white line fever at the top of the last hill and went too early from the lead pack and was overtaken with 300m to go but somehow, don't know how as had been out at work all day and had a one hour drive home in the dark, found a little bit extra to pass him on the line. Won by 0.09 seconds and celebrated like Mark Cavendish. No Tron bike either, Cervello S5 2020 and 858 wheels. :cool:
 
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I don't think I have asked this here before but if I have, apologies. Does anyone else struggle to sleep well after training in the evening. Did a VO2 max session from 8-9pm last night and as usual, struggled to fall asleep and didn't sleep well once I did. I often end up eating afterwards because I have a light dinner around 18:30 and I want to give my body some calories to recover and compensate for the 600-1000 I usually spend on the trainer.

I often have a shower and try to keep it relatively cool to bring my core temp down but does anyone have any other tricks. Heard some people talk about supplements that help them sleep better after night training. Any thoughts?
 
Yep, struggle big time. I don't train much in the evenings. Just the races as they are better from a time zone point of view and more populated but tbh they are so taxing I zonk out not long after and I'll always race before dinner, never after. I train on the bike early usually and then go to the gym during the day too.

I take magnesium supplements in the evening although have recently switched (as its winter) to a magnesium hot chocolate type drink. Definitely helps me sleep better. https://switchnutrition.com.au/products/adrenal-switch-powder
I've tried other sleep supps but don't like them, they are kind of weird. Hard to explain but I feel they give you a window to fall asleep in and if you miss it then the effects aren't very pleasant.
 
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Yep, struggle big time. I don't train much in the evenings. Just the races as they are better from a time zone point of view and more populated but tbh they are so taxing I zonk out not long after and I'll always race before dinner, never after. I train on the bike early usually and then go to the gym during the day too.

I take magnesium supplements in the evening although have recently switched (as its winter) to a magnesium hot chocolate type drink. Definitely helps me sleep better. https://switchnutrition.com.au/products/adrenal-switch-powder
I've tried other sleep supps but don't like them, they are kind of weird. Hard to explain but I feel they give you a window to fall asleep in and if you miss it then the effects aren't very pleasant.

Was just looking at that stuff and it seems to be impossible to get it in the UK. Very expensive by the time I would have it shipped from Aus!
 
Does anyone else struggle to sleep well after training in the evening. Did a VO2 max session from 8-9pm last night and as usual, struggled to fall asleep and didn't sleep well once I did.
I'm reasonably sure, but can't find the reference, that I'd read not to exercise within 3 or 4 hours of your usual bed time. Personally, the latest I would probably do anything is just before dinner, so getting of the bike maybe 6:30pm at the latest, so can't say if it affects me too much.

Also, I think I read (I think it was all in 'Why We Sleep') that a cold shower actually raises your core temp. A quick google says that's the case too. I think it recommended a hot shower before bed.
 
I'm reasonably sure, but can't find the reference, that I'd read not to exercise within 3 or 4 hours of your usual bed time. Personally, the latest I would probably do anything is just before dinner, so getting of the bike maybe 6:30pm at the latest, so can't say if it affects me too much.

Also, I think I read (I think it was all in 'Why We Sleep') that a cold shower actually raises your core temp. A quick google says that's the case too. I think it recommended a hot shower before bed.

Anything else I am doing wrong! :p

Issue is that I can't get on the bike until after the boys are in bed which is usually 7-7:30. I tend to jump on around 8 otherwise I have only eaten 30min to 1 hour before the ride.
 
Anything else I am doing wrong! :p
Well...

I did a reasonable bit of research on sleep and recovery. The book I mentioned is quite good. A few other tips from it -
  • Coffee has a half-life of 5-7 hours
  • Decaf is not ‘no caffeine’, it has 30% of what a regular coffee has
  • Alcohol, like sleeping pills, is a sedative. Being sedated is not the same as being asleep.
  • Ipad use delays the buildup of melatonin by about 3 hours or 50%.
  • The ideal temperature for sleeping is around 15 to 17°C.
  • The reason a hot bath helps you sleep is it opens up the blood vessels near the surface of your body to allow your body to lower its core temperature to an ideal state for sleep.
  • Whilst it is not a surprise that sleep is linked to exercise, it is not a direct link. The day the exercise was taken does not necessarily mean a night of good sleep, but sustained, regular exercise will lead to overall better sleep.
 
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Well...

I did a reasonable bit of research on sleep and recovery. The book I mentioned is quite good. A few other tips from it -
  • Coffee has a half-life of 5-7 hours
  • Decaf is not ‘no caffeine’, it has 30% of what a regular coffee has
  • Alcohol, like sleeping pills, is a sedative. Being sedated is not the same as being asleep.
  • Ipad use delays the buildup of melatonin by about 3 hours or 50%.
  • The ideal temperature for sleeping is around 15 to 17°C.
  • The reason a hot bath helps you sleep is it opens up the blood vessels near the surface of your body to allow your body to lower its core temperature to an ideal state for sleep.
  • Whilst it is not a surprise that sleep is linked to exercise, it is not a direct link. The day the exercise was taken does not necessarily mean a night of good sleep, but sustained, regular exercise will lead to overall better sleep.

  • Tend not to drink coffee after about 3pm. I drink decaf tea in the evening sometimes but I think that has far far less caffeine than normal tea and obviously much less than coffee.
  • Very rarely drink
  • I either use a kindle or read a real book in bed. Never sit on my phone at night past 9-10pm and not at all after cycling in the evening
  • Our room at this time of year is probably more like 20 degrees but even when its cooler I struggle
  • I run really hot at the best of times and tend to like my baths scolding. To the point where I get sweaty afterwards :p
Just tell me the drugs I need to take to sort this out!
 
Was just looking at that stuff and it seems to be impossible to get it in the UK. Very expensive by the time I would have it shipped from Aus!
I would have assumed you can get something similar in the UK though. There is very little you can get here that is newer, better or cheaper than in the UK. Apart from pumpkins and mangoes but they won't help you.

Try some magnesium tablets.
 
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How do I correct the date of a zwift ride folks? I noticed the system clock was wrong midway through a ride and synced it thinking nothing of it, now its got me down as having done todays ride yesterday (started with the clock on the 14th)!
 
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Did an "overs/unders" workout last night. Not sure I much enjoyed it! I can see how that might help you get stronger on the bike though. 4 sets of 4 min over, 2 min under, 4 min over and then 10 minutes recovery between sets at zone 2.
 
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