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.
Another decent week on the bike for me I’d say. I achieved two things that are worth reviewing, so more on them below. And overall it’s been on a par with the last few weeks in terms of intensity, distance, and time.
Here are this week’s rides:
- Tuesday – Sun On The Legs (Outdoors)
- Wednesday – Wet Break (Indoors / Zwift)
- Thursday – Better Than Last Time (Indoors / Zwift)
- Saturday – Holy Cow Birdie Brow (Outdoors)
- Sunday – Sunday Spin (Outdoors)
There were two rides this week that were the ‘big ones’ for me.
First there was the completion of the Sweet Spot Training session. I know, hardly Earth shattering. But I’ve been putting this one off for ages due to a bit of anxiety after a previous DNF.
I watched an interesting video this week that pretty much summarises my feelings and experiences with FTP testing using online platforms:
Why that’s relevant is that the last time I did an SST session it was at the wrong FTP. Only 10w higher, but that was more than enough to absolutely kill me.
Struggling through a session like that and then not being able to finish is a really confidence destroyer. Even though I knew my FTP was out after that, I still didn’t want to go back and repeat the session at a lower intensity. What if I failed again? What would that even mean?
Well, I got through it. And it did take me to what I feel was about the borderline of threshold for a prolonged effort. Ultimately I feel it vindicated the FTP figure I am subsequently using.
But.
And this is a big butt. Wait, a big but.
I mean, could I hold 245w for an hour?
No.
According to my Garmin figures, my all time 1 hour power is 231w.
I’d have guessed at or around 220w… so yeah, I was in the ball park. Do I think I could go higher than 231w for an hour? Honestly… if I could I think it would be by one or two watts, max. That will come in to play below.
Second ride of the week, and the one I will remember far more, was my climb of Birdie Brow.
When I think of Birdie Brow I think of words like savage, brutal, and killer.
Wow, is that thing steep. I saw it labelled on Strava as “the baby alpe d’huez”. Yeah… 1/10th of the distance though. Makes me seriously question whether I could actually make it up alpe d’huez in real life.
I guess it’s another learned skill.
Being able to find that rhythm in the real world is so much harder than on Zwift. Fortunately, because it’s so much shorter, over cooking yourself isn’t as detrimental.
That’s only the second time I’ve attempted Birdie Brow, but at least this time I made it up without stopping half way. Well, this time I also wasn’t fighting a broken wrist… so maybe last time was even more impressive, all things considered.
But yeah, that climb is equal parts intense and rewarding.
Weight wise, worth covering is that I’m still hovering around 67kg. I tend to weigh myself post ride, just to make myself feel better. I’ve seen it hit 66kg, but on a regular day I’d be around 67-68kg, so generally I feel my average is about accurate at the moment.
Overall though, everything’s ticking in the right direction still. Happy enough not to be making any significant changes to my routine anyway.
Looking to the week ahead, we have the start of the Tour of Watopia over on Zwift.
There’s another trip up alpe du Zwift in there, but not this week. This week we have the starting route, 38km or so. I suspect that will be an hour’s effort at the speeds we hit in game. That’s three climbs for ~500m during the ride. I can’t do that one till mid day Thursday.
With that in mind I’m aiming to repeat my SST session tomorrow if the weather isn’t sufficient to head outdoors, and then do a recovery session on Wednesday. That should set me up nicely for Thursday.
If the weather holds – and it keeps saying it’s not going to / snow is coming – then again I will be out over the weekend for more hills. Otherwise it will be indoors… maybe stage 2 will have begun by then. I’m really not very clued up.