Im currently on a rolling road race plan in the specialty phase. This plan is being used to get ready for RAGBRAI as i thought the rolling aspect would help prepare me for the rolling hills i will encounter.
During this plan ive went from 165-200 ftp and notice im definately stronger however the threshold number has not kept up due to the quick advancement of ftp.
Is it acceptable to swap out a VO2 max workout for threshold or am i over thinking and just commit to the specialty phase. I could also add a Z2 ride for distance in addition.
Currently LV @ 3days with 2 gym days of full body workouts.
I had to google RAGBRAI to see what it was. Are you racing it or just looking to finish (I think Google said it was a 450 road miles ride across Iowa).
Are you worried about your Theshold PL number @Lfg that will have been adjusted downwards each time you got an FTP increase so whilst your threshold ability has improved the number has went down relative to your new FTP. However, if I have googled the right thing you’ll not be doing 450 miles at threshold (even if you are racing) and you are overthinking the threshold thing. Extra Z2 stuff, if you have time, is a good thing with marathon events IMO. Good luck!
What im essentially worried about is that this will be my first touring event and as my ftp rose i havent done much to build on the threshold.
In my thinking my realistic capabilities for threshold may only be 185 or similiar due to the lack of time working that system. Which will cause my pace to be lower than what it should be.
Im not worried about each days effort more about stringing together 7 days of 50-100 miles at an appropriate pace. VO2 work will help my repeatability but if my threshold/sweet spot capabilities are stagnant how will that affect the overall ride.
You have built your threshold just the PL’s system doesn’t show it well with it constantly resetting relative to your FTP increases. I wouldn’t worry about swapping VO2 max for Threshold but for back to back riding add some Endurance stuff on top. Enjoy!
I would add “Need advice training for RAGBRAI” to your title so you get more feedback from people who’ve done similar events. Congratulations on the FTP increases (huge improvement!) and good luck!
You may find that early each day your pace is limited my crowd navigation rather than fitness. There is nothing like the sea of bikes you find at RAGBRAI.
I think my biggest regret was that I was too focused on performance and did not stop to smell the proverbial roses. There are oodles of side attractions along the RAGBRAI each day, and if you finish in 4 hours you’ll miss stuff.