Plateued w/r to race results. My main metric. I’m a “natural” > 4-4.5W/kg rider. From 2016 till 2018 this got up to ~ 5 W/kg (weight was a major factor). I did not expect this to grow further. I would have thought things like durability and repeatability improve with my consistent volume. Nope.
Yes mostly Z1 and Z2. However, '16-'18 was a lot of spring racing. Shorter XCM and some GFs down in Italy. Quite intense. I was never able to replicate this in training. However, I’ve not really paid attention to how I rode in 16-17. Just rode a lot. This guilt of riding to fast when riding slow started later. In '19 I stopped doing these early intense races and I noticed this right ways. XCM racing, dealing with those hard starts. However, even for the 5-12h races, lacking sharpness. And of course in '20 everything got even worse.
20-21 lots of Z2 at LT1. could move LT1 to 280W at 71kg. However, this did not translate at all to faster racing in 6-12h events or a right-shift of the PD-curve. Quite the opposite, everything > LT1 really sucks now. When you race XCM competitively you have to go fast in the first hours, there is no constant noodling around LT1. Even in very long events.
Good point here, raising the VT1 as much as possible is essential for performance in long tests, but it does not imply results without a high second threshold.
The good thing is that you learned the hard way.
This year I made the winter mistake of working excessively in the low areas (up to 2mmol~) 5-6 times a week having the time, ignoring that there was a “maintenance” impact on the 2@ threshold and it was a mistake, it collapsed in order of 6-8W after the block until February.
Entering an MLSS job 1 time every 10 days would still have minimized damage.
Obviously if I had run in this time, I would have seen the blunder, or well not so much, it allowed me to maintain my physical condition for much longer with a better approach.
I’ve gotten to 365W for 7’ and 1h power of 304W @66kg. Did >17’ at 319W in TT position and another 18’ at 306W as part of a two up road bike TT within 1h15’ at the same event in August.
30" PB of this year is around 730W.
I train for middle distance triathlon though so I guess I’m doing well since I’m >83%?
I believe they are referencing fractional utilization of ftp/pVO2max. The higher % your ftp is of VO2 power the better as you reduce the slow component fatigue creep towards VO2max when above ftp.
Blockquote Yes, it seems that way, it is true that runners with the highest percentage of I vs. IIX fibers manage to increase this ratio to the physiological maximum, although perhaps you have not put enough pressure on VO2 max training, there is no one better than you to verify it.
His Wingate is quite inconspicuous, like yours truly, we won’t be making a living on the track.
Yes. There are some other considerations when your ftp is a high % vo2max. For example someone in the 70-80% range has more potential to push up FTP by doing more tempo and threshold work. On the flip side, someone like myself that is routinely at 83-86%, tempo/threshold work doesn’t do much to move the FTP needle.
I would think so(but i also disagree with the premise). And you have to assume that their vo2 has reached it’s limit (which i dont think there is a way to test for).
I think that using 4-5 minute power as a proxy for “genetic vo2 ceiling” is silly. That’s like saying that ramp test results aren’t trainable.
A decent first order approximation is 5-min power vs long sustained power, assuming you have max or near max efforts around the same time. For some it might be better to use 6-min.
I have not said that, nor anything from the laboratory to measure VO2 max, that does not interest me in this reference.
I am interested in the maximum power that you achieve with a strenuous 6-8’ test that allows you to know your maximum aerobic power (MAP) that is why I say power…
In that duration, if the effort is maximum, you almost certainly achieve VO2 max.
You already have two data entries to compare your progress with the training you carry out without the need for a laboratory or lactate measurement.
Again, not wanting to make assumptions yet assuming your statement is correct, what work would be best to improve FTP if one is in this 83-86% range?
Dare I say VO2 work? Can’t be SS as that sits between Tempo and Threshold. Anaerobic and Sprints seems too little focus on duration in those zones to improve FTP.
I am closer to 86% (303/350), do believe I exerted myself close to failure when testing VO2 (blood taste in the throat, fall off the bike, feel as if cannot get a breath in when lying in fetal position).
Nothing much to add having only done one 20 hour week ever, but this resonated with me, particularly at a time when all I keep hearing is “volume, volume, volume”
Surpassing 5w/kg and having an LT1 at around 4w/kg tells me that the volume very much seems to have worked. Obviously its impossible to know if you would have got there on 10h per week, but you’re in a very elite group with those numbers.
Everything else you describe seems to line up with your comment about not being good at ‘pain’ workouts. I can’t help but feel like you would see some real results if you were to really work on those hard efforts. You’re right in that even the 6+ hour events aren’t just a steady LT1 pace although the average power might make it look that way. There will always be sections of really hard efforts, something you have to train for.
What does your training look like now? Are you still riding / racing a lot?
I’m not sure the 10,000 hours really applies here, at least not a big correlation. My memory is that when he talks about 10k hours it’s more for skills/activities that require hand/eye coordination, ie skill sports. Getting better at hitting a baseball is nothing like getting a faster 40k TT time.
If you are a young aspiring rider who wants to go all in to be the fastest you can be… then 10-ish hours a week just is not going to cut it. If you you want to be better you need to ride more. There’s just no way around it.
BUT… for those with job and family commitments that 10 hours can get you to the point you are pretty good, can enjoy racing and hopefully not piss off your partner.
