Each week I try to review and reflect on my previous week on the bike. This allows me to see how my fitness and ability is progressing on a wider timescale than day to day. For previous weekly reviews please click here.
This week’s review is slightly different to the usual format as I’m having to write it in a hotel, and don’t have full access to all my usual screenshots, programs, and such like.
OK, so in terms of activity it’s fairly standard stuff.
Four rides, one walk.
Of the rides, all were outdoors because I’m currently a little tired of the indoor stuff. However that vibe is changing because lately I’m tiring of doing the same outdoor rides over and over. Ultimately I expect to switch back to the indoor rides more at some point soon.
One ride I do need to do indoors is my FTP test. This week ahead is not a great candidate for this, more on that in a moment.
When riding outdoors I find I work harder than I would indoors. This is not always a good thing. Right now I’m feeling very tired, and that’s not just because of a long travel day and then work on top. Even though the graph above shows fatigue is lower than it was at its recent peak, I am feeling pretty worn out at the start of rides recently.
The reason for this, I suspect, is back to that thing above about always riding at higher intensity. Outdoors I don’t do “easier” rides. And the truth is, most rides should be endurance rides, at longer durations, as best I am aware when it comes to steady improvement over time.
That said, I am very happy with the uptrend in fitness. I do feel it returning. I suspect my FTP figure will come in around 230-235w somewhere. In the recent road test I did on Saturday I was definitely well off my all time best, but way up on where I had been fairly recently, so that’s good.
As I say, this week is probably not a good one to expect masses from. I travelled today, very early start. Worked all day, ate junk, bed, then tomorrow junk breakfast (fry up in hotel), followed by work all day and long travel home / back late. I can’t expect too much on Thursday and Friday, then ride Saturday and ‘recovery’ walk Sunday. Something kinda has to give, and ideally that will be intensity, not a ride itself.
So really, no major plan this week. Normal service next week.