Real world proof TR works for average older riders

Some real world (anecdotal?) evidence of the benefit of sticking with TR from my n of 1 experience.

Been using TR for a few years and generally found it helpful / beneficial, but after a bike accident in May 2020 (hit and run) and some nasty follow-on symptoms that manifested in October 2020 (6+ months of hand paralysis plus post concussion issues) I decided to commit myself to some proper training.

January 2021 FTP was down to about 225 and I tentatively restarted easy indoor training.

Now aged 51 and FTP has come up to about 305 ish - was a bit higher in 2022 when I did some crit racing (got my cat-3 upgrade :grin:) and last year was a mixed bag due to Covid - however generally steady improvements using the AI FTP / masters / polarised training approach has seen a big improvement in the last 12 months.

Whilst my FTP hasn’t really skyrocketed I’m super pleased with the growth in my TTE at higher percentages of threshold - to a level I’d never have thought achievable previously.

Recent examples:
Averaged 291 for 48 minutes up Rocacorba in March
Averaged 273 for 57 minutes up Col de la Madone 3 weeks ago despite mild food poisoning 24 hours before

Last weekend, did a 10-mile road bike TT on our local club road course - and obliterated my previous PR by over 2 and a half minutes.

Same bike, same kit, different me. Nearly 4 years older and significantly fitter - thanks to TR.

My next ‘target’ is to hit 4W/kg in the. next 12 months - which for the first time ever, now feels like it’s in reach :sunglasses:.

Thanks TR :grin: :grin:

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Well done, what absolute watts FTP do you need to reach 4W / kg?

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My FTP ,via AI detection, is 3 watts higher than when I started TR ( 14 months ago) at 228 watts for a 53 years male. So my results ,although not negative, are far from stellar , even for a very average person.

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Me: M/62 207lbs/94kg
Gear: Tacx Neo

Same. I’m a new user, but I’m already seeing a curious thing though, as I occasionally ride outdoors with other TR customers.

When I look at their TR workouts, their numbers can be much more impressive than mine. However, when we group/outside ride, I tend to be a much stronger/faster rider. I also note that my Stages power meter measures my power 10-15 watts higher than my Tacx Neo when used simultaneously with my trainer. That may be the (part of the) reason(?).

I do detect that I am improving and the TR Progression Levels seem to bear this out. For the time being, the “low hanging fruit” seems to be in Sweet Spot, O/U, Threshold.

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Thanks :pray:

To reach 4 w/kg at my current body weight of 91kg I’d need to hit 364w which although not impossible is frankly, very unlikely. Current FTP via last AI detection is showing 303 and I reckon it’s a tad more at the moment.

I reckon over the next year or so I can drop down to 83kg / 84kg with some discipline (I have some easy wins to make with food choice and simple moderation / quantity control :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: ) which would mean a target FTP of 332 / 336 which feel a more realistic stretch target as I’ve been close to that in the past.

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yes, when I started cycling in 2016 my bike club called it 2 hard group rides a week plus 3 endurance rides. Wednesday a hard threshold ride. Saturday a long hard group ride in the hills to work vo2max. Sunday recovery ride. Back when the forum started that was frowned upon because “structure!” and then over time TR made the plans easier and they are kinda looking like what I’ve known worked all along. Feels like gaslighting. Data? Fundamentals.

Nice work staying consistent and slowly improving!

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Thanks @WindWarrior - a massive ‘lesson’ for me has been the application of consistency - seems to be a fundamental underpinning component to my improvements. :+1:

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Awesome work – so cool to hear about stories like yours!!

Congrats on the great progress – 4W/kg sounds like it’s in reach for sure! :muscle:

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Thanks @ZackeryWeimer :smile:

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