I pretty much only train to race. I have no issues putting my self in the hurt box if there is a goal. With races falling off the calendar and a big 8 week block in front of me, what are you guys/gals using to motivate yourself to keep the pedal down?
I would say laying the wood on group rides, but those do not really exist right now.
All I see in front of me right now is an 8 week general build, which is going to require focus and consistency and suffering. I am going to be disappointed if I finish the block up and there are no races, right now it just seems like waste of energy and time.
Think about the races that eventually WILL happen. Iām telling myself there will be something in there for me, and all the people who needed more immediate gratification and reward wont be able to match the discipline that Iāve put into my training. Also, its fun to keep cultivating a higher FTP. Iāve only been on TR for a little over a year so Iām still seeing 3% bumps on Ramp Tests. Further, there are long-term goals I have outside this season which require a 4+ wt/kg FTP, so its kinda like training for that.
So maybe look late this season/ next season and decide whats something you could pull off if committed yourself to training.
Base erā¦.base and erā¦more base. OK I love tt and I love to race but Iām not going into work at present so Iām upping the volume riding outside to build a really big base for when racing startsā¦and the weathers great in the UK - sunshine - makes me forget the world going to hell in a hand cart!
I really enjoy the physical and mental aspects of training related to self improvement. Training is a process to turn me into the kind of person and cyclist I want to me. If youāve seen the movie āProā one of the guys they interview talks about how he appreciates the constructive process of training.
Last year I got into the best shape of my life and in the fall I decided I wanted to see what my limits were. I want to see how āstrongā I can get and see how far I can go with my genetics. So each training block has that long-term goal in mind. I donāt really care to measure myself against others, I want to see what my limits are.
The feeling of getting on the bike for a ride and just feeling super, super strong and fit. I just really enjoy the feeling of being super fit (for me) and just smashing a ride, whether solo or in a group.
My questions for you are:
Is there something you can substitute for outdoor racing to motivate you? zwift races, KOM hunting, rando stupid ideas like vEveresting or Everesting? From my perspective this is more about understanding yourself and then coming up with something worthwhile enough to encourage following training process you want to follow.
Can you embrace the delayed gratification of smashing everyone next year instead of in 8 weeks and use that as long term motivation for base/build training phase cycles?
I have a bud who sounds similar to your situation. His motivation went away with races being canceled as he was motivated by the racing and fast group rides and social aspects. I went the other direction and felt relief to remove training plan compromises due to racing and have been racking up huge volume that will hopefully pay off down the road.
I usually play basketball in leagues to take away the competitive fire, but that is all shut down right now. I was not a fan of zwift ( I chose TR over zwift) or KOM hunting, they both seem like really unstructured training and with my goal of racing I didnāt want to take away a solid training day for a sporadic attempt at a KOM when the wind isnt in my favor.
I am ok with delayed gratification, I still hope races happen in July and all the way through October. Mentally it will really suck to dig deep and be super focused and the end result was nothing. If that happens I will always think 2021 would be better if I had just done Base the whole summer.
I like the training aspect, I like stacking big days on top of big days and building the sword. Just want to be able to use the sword when I am done.
With that being said, this sword is going to be yuge when im done with it.
If youāre not loving doing the training now is a perfect time to back off some. In reality this is just a hobby for all of us and you donāt need a 300+ watt ftp to be happy and healthy.
Iām cool with not having racing this year because I just enjoy riding. Sometimes hard sometimes easy. I enjoy the process of seeing small increases of fitness and once you figure out Zwift races you get a killer effort out of it. In fact the other week I averaged 340 for a 48 min crit. Probably wouldnāt have been able to do that if I wasnāt in a race setting. (Learning how to ride in Zwift takes practice, and turns some off when itās not totally real life).
You need to do what makes you happy. If youāve always done one style of plan change it. Add intensity, take away intensity. Just find what you enjoy doing.
With group rides starting back this week (here at least) Iāll treat those as my races. So, a shit ton of yelling; shutting the door/curbing stupid people; making people cry who wear floppy jerseyās; letting gaps open only to trail the weak off; head butting; taking a shit ton of PEDās; no pulls so I can sprint for the sign and win all the gloryā¦you know the usual.
Iām kidding. Iām in base and SST mode. Now that group rides are going, Iām sprinkling in some 5 minute, 1 minute and 30 second sprints just to keep me honest. It looks like my career/job is going to make it which is awesome. But, it looks like I will be very busy starting August and beyond. So, just when real racing might happen Iāll be watching my fitness fade into oblivion. Never knowing what could have been.
Where in Austria, my wife is from Kufstein, we live in U.S., my understanding
foreigners coming in would have to be quarantine. Would love to bicycle in Tirol, what a great World Championships Austria put on.
I often have quite a difficult time (pre-COVID) turning teammates / friends down for group rides (>3 people) because the part of cycling I love is hitting my targets and feeling like Iām progressing and becoming stronger. I find it much easier to get this sense of achievement from a solo ride or ride with one other person than I do in a bunch ride.
Admittedly though I do subsequently struggle with the mindset in races as Iām so used to being intrinsically motivated and donāt find it as easy to get motivated for competition against others.
Iāve been trying to stay motivated in three ways.
First, my team put together a segment of the week contest to see gets the best time that week over a specific Strava segment. Each weekās winner gets to pick the segment for the following week and since you canāt win if you picked the segment, itās rotated around the club. Even people that donāt really have a good chance of winning have enjoyed testing themselves and seeing where they end up in the rankings for the week.
Second, Iāve been doing a lot more really long rides 80-100 miles on the weekends. Since Iām not with a group, I can explore new routes and go at a long steady tempo. Getting that level of mileage in, definitely helps with fitness.
Finally, I tend to internalize stress and with all of the craziness going on in the world, I see cycling as an outlet to help me escape and process that stress. So Iāve ramped up my training considerably and focused on how much better and less stressed I feel after riding. Iām not always motivated to start riding, but by remembering how much better I feel after, Iāve been able to be fairly consistent.
My motivation has been hot and cold this year, some of it from the same reasons you state, no racing. I almost never have trouble maintaining motivation for riding so I lean on that feeling when Iām OK with fitness maintenance mode. I took a month off of structured training and just rode as much as I felt like, Iād throw in the random TR workout just so when I go back it wonāt be as shocking to the system. Iām trying to go into a specialty phase and do better at compliance. Iāve had a lot of challenging personal issues this year so Iām being kind to myself and not worrying about nailing every thing 100% - still found a personal best FTP so the combination of TR plan and riding a bunch has had some positive effect. I have a Strava segment on my radar that I really want to KOM. I have a goal FTP that I really want to hit. Iām also interested in comparing a full season of TR plan builder to a more polarized approach. I figure Iām going to peak no matter what in July, then re-assess and try doing some z2 and anaerobic workouts almost exclusively. In other words Iām excited to try new things now and see what sticks. Trouble I have in this time of year even without a pandemic is staying motivated to train hard versus just riding a lot. Getting on the trainer when the weather is amazing takes a great deal of determination for me.
Interesting, I guess Ironman are one of the few things that you can get almost all the skills you need by training that would would racing. Unlike crit racing or something more skill and pack based.
Iām doing better than I thought Iād be. Completely sticking to the training plan, and have been doing a new circuit of body weight and core exercises in the garage. I think the process of ticking boxes is keeping me sane.
I miss the aspect of reading the race and things like that. Crit racing seems to be throw down as much as possible as small mistakes can wreck the day. I also mentally do better with more racing and less focus on results.
Im going to reach out to a professional to work on losing some weight, since there really is no āeventā so its perfect time to make some changes.
Iām in my mid 40s. Iāve been racing for the most part of my life. So far Iāve always been competitive in the overall rankings. We do not really have age groups here. Not really at a competitive level.
This winter was the most focused build up to a season in many years. I see that I get too old now, this season should have been the last or penultimate one with decent results. Quite frankly, I do not really expect racing to come back properly in 2021 either. Even if there were some races late this year I would have a hard time for another build up. And who knows how stripped down they would be. I would have to pause until 2021. But somehow I have lost every motivation. My ācareerā is over.
I still exercise 15-20h per week. Simply because this is what I am. But I donāt really see myself racing anymore. I will be more consistent with switching to running. Running long. Very, very long. I have a 100k mountrain trail run in town, this would be nice target for 2021 or 2022.
Otherwise just training.
Just find what you enjoy doing.
