andy: 2015年7月アーカイブ
JCRC Gunma CSC on Sunday. 72 km, 12 laps of the hilly Gunma Cycle Sports Centre circuit.
The build up
After 3 weeks of intensive interval training, I had a rest week. 3 days off, 3 days easy, one hard effort with a midweek FTP test.
This is not a major race target for me but working with my coach we've fine tuned the annual training plan. Shorter and harder intervals have been focused on this race. Last week we tapered off nicely.
The bike
The GS Astuto aerobike has brought me a track TT win, a road TTT 2nd place and a very pleasing performance in a flat and windy road race at Uchinada.
This is the first time to test it on a technical hilly circuit. I'm hoping to play it to its strengths on the fast descents and rolling sections.
"Not the prettiest girl at the dance, but she can swing!" is how chief spoke Tim Smith describes her...
The team
3 of us from the last race at Uchinada, Hayakawa san, Adachi san and me.
The plan
- I plan to go on the last lap.
- Adachi san is looking to break with some strong riders. I'll take this opportunity if I can too.
- An unlikely scenario is that 3 of us will make the break.
- Those not in a break will work to control the group.
The warm up
2 climbs of the big hill up to Gunma CSC. Super hot.
3 hard x 30 second efforts to finish.
Ready to race.
Start line
Line up with Adachi san. "What was the plan again?"
Not nervous. A good sign.
The finish line has been moved to the top of the hill. That will change the dynamic a bit. Neutral start behind a lead motorbike.
Lap 1
3, 2, 1 Go!
Easy into it. We take up positions 1,2,3 behind the lead motorbike. The downhill. Fast for a neutral start. The group splits. But the motorbike slows it down. Brings it back together.
The drop of the flag. 2 hoots of the horn. Race on!
Attack! One guy goes straight from the gun. Solo. He's qualified for the "zen Nihon" national championships apparently.
We're on the front. He's dangling off the front. Looking back. Looking back. Obviously doesn't want to go alone.
Later I'll read he was "going at 80% waiting for a strong rider to bridge". With the 3 of us on the front, I felt we had the upper hand.
He holds his gap for the first lap.
Lap 2
Hayakawa san leads the group into the second lap.
We keep working on the front. Close the gap slowly. I'm on the front as we enter lap 3. The solo breakaway is 15 s in front.
Lap 3
The breakaway is swallowed up. We're still on the front.
My favorite part of the course is between the 2 climbs on the bottom of the course.
I do a long hard pull. Into the main climb. Adachi san comes round. Then Hayakawa san. Look back. We have a gap.
"Just the 3 of us!"
Up the climb. Adachi san leads. If you want to know how people are riding, look at their mouths.
Adachi san is breathing through his nose. Hayakawa san and I are catching flies!
This is a dream situation. Surely the group won't let it slip.
Sure enough, we are joined buy a few fast guys.
This is a nice group. Potentially a race winner?
But the gap is small. We are swallowed up just after entering the 4th lap.
Lap 4
Counter attacks? A few half hearted ones. All the big guns have burnt some matches in the last move.
This a chance?! I must be mad!
The downhill. 2 guys up the road. 2 deep breaths. Go!
The 53 × 11. Full gas. Wide of the 2 escapees. They are my smoke screen. A big kick to pass them. The back wheel bounces. All or nothing! 60 kmph. Still pedaling. A good gear choice!
Here come the 2 bends. How much to risk it? Got to be faster than the group here. Just about make it through the sweeping left hander at full tilt.
Don't look back. Don't look back.
Keep drilling it along the bottom. Into the last crucial climb. Can't resist any longer. Look back. Nobody!
If you can solo up the big climb, you have a chance.
Over the top! Over the finish line. The sign says... 8 laps to go!
Bonkers!
Round the home straight. Solo into lap 5. A single chaser. Then 2 more chasers. The group is 30 seconds back.
Lap 5
I know how to race this course. Tempo on the climbs. As hard as possible on the descents.
I say tempo on the climbs. But it's not. I'm on the limit. Power data. Heart rate data. It's of little use. It's all on feel. As hard as I can. Without blowing up.
The descents are different. Impossible to blow up here. Give it everything.
Enter lap 6 solo. The group is 20 seconds back.
Lap 6
How long is this gonna last? At Uchinada RR I did 2 × 15 mins off the front.
But that was pancake flat. Here they close in on the climbs. But I can stretch it out on the descents.
Enter lap 7 solo. 30 seconds on the group now. Finding my rhythm! Check the video at 1:30!
Lap 7
Still out there. Holding off the group.
Hayakawa san and Adachi san are controlling things. Much as we did for Adachi san when he and Adam were off the front here last year.
I don't think I'll make the finish. This is a team game. When the small fish is eaten up, Adachi san will finish it off. At least that's the theory!
I'm surprised how long it's taking though.
Put me out of my misery will you! Can't you see I've had enough!
Lap 8
At last some action. The steep climb. Two guys are coming up. They pass me right on the hairpin.
3rd on the road now. Throw in the towel? It takes a big effort to catch them.
3 escapees now.
The guy in orange has the telltale signs of a strong guy. Ripped muscles. A JBCF number holder!
The Nalsima guy is last year's winner of Fuji Challenge. My next target race. Wonder what he's got...
Lap 9
The orange guy is fast on the climbs. The Nalsima guy more a diesel like me. I'm sure we are going to be caught so I do big long pulls. Holding off the catch as long as possible.
Hammering it on the descents and rolling sections. Boy can this bike shift!
Lap 10
2 laps to go. Maybe, just maybe...
Another guy bridges. In arm warmers. Arm warmers!? It's 35 degrees! Shoulders like Greipel. He'll kill me if this comes down to a sprint!
The group can't be too far back...
Little did I know it but Adachi san was bridging too. Talk about timing!
Lap 11
5 of us now. I'd like to pull Adachi san to the finish. But he's got the legs.
He accelerates. A small gap. The orange guy sees it. Bridges.
The other 2 are left in my slipstream.
Adachi will win. I have no doubt.
We, the remaining 3, have a lap and a half to try to hold on for the podium.
Lap 12
The last lap is always the fastest. Chin on the stem time in the group.
Caught by the group on the bottom rolling section. The fireworks start. Most are thinking they're at the head of the race.
"Adachi is up front" I tell Hayakawa san. No respsonse. He's totally in the zone. A stirling job by him.
The last climb. We're both dead. Roll over in 17th and 18th.
Did Adachi san finish it off?
Into the pits. There he is. The 1 finger salute. Get in! Hugs all round.
Only one in the photo for the sprint finish:
There's satisfaction in individual victory. But it's extra special to put it all on the line for someone else.
We rode a similar race at Uchinada but didn't quite pull it off. This time everything lined up perfectly.
A great day on the bike. Bring on the next race in August!
photos: Wada san, ありがとうじょんのび！
Last week was build 2, week 3.
This is the biggy. All weeks in the build phase are hard training. Importantly they should be progressively harder.
You can look at hours or kilometres. But this only tells you about volume.
I want to increase the intensity. This is measured in the weekly TSS or Training Stress Score.
Build 2 week 1 15.5 h / 700 TSS
Build 2 week 2 16.5 h / 885 TSS
Build 2 week 3 22.5 h / 1075 TSS
The increased intensity comes from intervals:
Tuesday: VO2 max 3:45 × 8
Thursday: VO2 max 3:45 × 8
Saturday: intervals 1 min hard / 1:30 〜 2:00 easy x 8
All other riding is easy. In the small chain ring. Recovery and volume.
Sado trip
We are on Sado Island from Friday to Monday. One of the most beautiful places to ride a bike. A single guy could ride all day long.
My time is limited to 4am to 630am. Structured training on Saturday plus the lower slopes of the big skyline.
A chance to enjoy the beautiful coastline on Sunday morning.
On Monday I wake up before 4 as usual. But this is the start of the rest week. 2 extra hours in bed are more beneficial at this stage.
Time to rest up. FTP test midweek. Race on Sunday...
Another skype meeting with my coach last week. Looking back and looking forward. I've never been so organised. My whole year of training mapped out for me.
Here are the notes I made:
Uchinada analysis
I felt strong on the day. The recent training was very beneficial for this event.
Unfortunately the power data is not clear for the TTT. The HR increased progressively and steadily. The speed of the 4 riders was also nice and steady.
In the RR I made 2 attacks of 13 to 14 minutes. These were largely solo efforts. The HR rose to about 180 HR. The power was around 300 W for both attacks. I was targeting this power for much of the duration.
The RR was an after thought really. My performance this year has given me confidence to try one big effort in the race next year. Tony Martin style!
4iiii data
The data seems to be measuring high. We will keep an eye on this. It may be necessary to run the 4iiii in tandem with the powertap for the next FTP test.
10 minute intervals
We talked about how to perform these mid-length intervals. These are best performed on the flat.
Intensity should be at around FTP. 4 × 10 min intervals with a 5 min RI. RIs don't need to be too long as the lactate build up should not be significant (compared to VO2 max intervals)
If there is a big drop in power on the 3rd interval, it is okay to extend the RI.
To make the intervals more interesting I can add a 10~15 s surge (out of the saddle) in the middle and at the end of the third and fourth interval.
Upper HR zones
When analysing recent VO2 max intervals, it was noted that the HR was not entering zone 5 (despite a significant amount of time in power zone 5).
We looked back over the data we have collected in training peaks. For example, HR max at 190 HR. 5 mins max at 185 HR.
We lowered the HR zones and will monitor this. The HR zones are particularly relevant when calculating TSS from HR alone.
Confirmation of the training leading into Gunma CSC RR
This week is Build 2 week 2. Next week is Build 2 week 3. I'll make this a very hard week. If I feel good enough, I'll try to add an extra interval session.
In Build 2 week 4 I'll do an FTP test mid week, followed by the race on Sunday.
In the build phase I think the best training is two days of intervals in the week (Tuesday and Thursday), a rest day on Saturday and a a hard group ride on Sunday. The days in between (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) are recovery days of easy riding.
Intervals
I did some VO2 max intervals on Tuesday and Thursday. On the Shindou climb. 3 mins hard / 4 mins easy. The intervals stop after a 5% drop in power:
These hard efforts produce a TSS of around 150.
At this time of year the hard training has to be done at dawn, the coolest time of the 24 h cycle.
Rest day
Saturday is the rest day. Breakfast down the beach. 3 days down the beach over the weekend. Great for recovery!
Race simulation
Some race simulation on Sunday. A 6am start in Niigata. 17 riders split into 3 groups. 7 laps of the hilly Kakuda circuit. We keep together on the first 5 laps. The last 2 are "free". Time for some tactical riding. Follow some moves. Ignore others. This is prep for JCRC Gunma in 2 weeks. I want to simulate my planned effort. With a long solo attack on the last lap. I get away from the group only to be passed on a climb by the flying Fuchita san. His power is amazing. Pure muscle. I get back to him. But I know he'll kill me in the sprint. More cat and mouse. I try to jump him with a few hundred to go. But once he has my wheel it's game over. Time to lead out Niigata's very own Griepel!
240 TSS for the ride.
Rest days
Days inbetween hard efforts are spent enjoying cycling. Mostly in the small ring. Getting ready for the following days' hard efforts.
Total 16.5 h / 885 TSS
Last week was about recovery after Uchinada (x 2 days). When I was ready I did some intervals (x 3 days). Between interval days I did recovery rides.
Monday (1 h):
Uchinada was a big effort on Sunday. A TTT and a RR. 2 years ago I did the TT as well. Killer!
I needed rest after the race. A short recovery ride on Monday.
Tuesday (2 h):
Fall asleep with the kids on Monday night. More recovery is necessary. Roll out at 5 am on Tuesday morning for 90 mins in the small chain ring. Chance to enjoy cycling.
Wednesday (1 h 30):
By Wednesday I'm ready. Some VO2 intervals in the rain:
My facebook post:
On a steady grade I did some 3 minute efforts. The first effort is at 125% FTP target (390 W). After that it's a case of hill climb interval repeats. Of course the power drops each time. When the power drops by a value of 5 % you are finished! This time the cut off line was 370 W. I managed 8 repeats （398, 390, 386, 387, 383, 377, 376, 369 W). By the last interval my legs were like wood. This was a great workout, producing a TSS (training stress score) of 150 in just 45 km riding. I'll be doing some more of these next week. Bring it on!
この間はじめてＶＯ２ＭＡＸインタバルをしました。坂道で３分のインタバルをやりました。一本目はＦＴＰ１２５％（３９０Ｗ）をターゲットでした。その後はヒルクライムインタバルリピートをしました。もちろん毎回パワーが落ちることです。ＶＯ２ＭＡＸインタバルでは５％のパワーが落ちるんだったらアウトです！今回は３７０Ｗのラインはアウトになることでした。8本（398, 390, 386, 387, 383, 377, 376, 369 W)ができました。足がパンパンになって、とてもハードトレーニングでした(４５キロで１５０ＴＳＳ）！
来週もＶＯ２MAXインタバルがんばりま～す！
My coach commented that this was a very good work out:
"Yes, it looks like a "real" workout.... I would sat the power targets were just about perfect too.... For today's intervals, it is easy to see that you go neuromuscular at the start of the intervals, then settle right into the VO2 zone...."
Thursday (4 h):
Time to recover from yesterday's intervals. A big volume of training spread over a few short rides. All at low intensity.
Friday (2 h 30):
Ready to go again. 2 × 20 min FTP intervals. The power meter is reading high. I know the perceived effort though.
Saturday (rest day):
On the bike at 4am. 10 mins in. A downpour. U turn. Shower. Back to bed. I'll do today's training tomorrow...
Sunday (4 h):
2 rides. First some more VO2 intervals (3rd interval session of the week). Second a recovery ride.
Take the kids to the beach, enjoy onsen and ice cream, not a bad life....
Total 15.5 h (700 TSS)
