Weekly Review November 22nd – 28th 2021

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

Overall a decent week with three outdoor rides. Can’t say I expected that. Such a shame I got a puncture on the final outdoor ride of the week, but on the plus side at least that happened about a kilometre or so from my house. Walking home in the cold and dark could have been so much worse if I was at the peak of distance away from my house.

This week’s rides were as follows:

Starting the week I had planned to do the third Norseman workout.

Instead, I found myself outdoors and decided – perhaps incorrectly – that I’d go for a 20 minute effort. An outdoor FTP road test, if such a thing is possible. And I say this because finding a 20 minute uninterrupted stretch is hard, what with T-junctions, unexpected road work traffic lights, sharp bends, and the like.

Anyway, I smashed myself on that ride, even if it was only for 17 minutes 55 seconds. That felt like twenty minutes for sure. But the stupid thing to do was push myself on a poor cleat setup. I definitely did some damage to my right knee on that ride, and persisted it through with a follow up ride at a fairly high intensity on Wednesday.

It’s over 6 months now since my last FTP test… YIKES! And I say this meaning, oh no, I guess I’m going to have to do one before Christmas. Or at least before the New Year is here.

Friday night’s ride was decent, up until the puncture. It’s not such a bad thing in a way. I called in the mobile bike mechanic some time in Spring and he suggested I get a cassette and chain replacement prior to Summer. I never did this, but have ridden on the bike all through – barring a bit of downtime for Covid.

Well, my new inner tubes (I ordered three as last time getting hold of just one was a nightmare) are now here so I can get that booked in. All good. Perhaps a fresh chain and cassette will give me a boost in that FTP test. A man can dream.

Aside from that it was workouts and recoveries. Nothing major.

I never did get the Norseman ride in. But I’m not kicking myself over that. I’ll get that done early this week.

What I noticed this week is that I haven’t fully recovered back up to pre-illness levels. I’ve been wondering about this, and whether it has any actual impact on my ability. Not so much my fitness, which I still feel good about, but I don’t feel like I’m able to put out quite as much power as I did at my all time high, and I don’t feel like I’m recovering that any time soon.

So yeah… looks like an FTP test would have some benefit. As would doing some racing.

Both of these I put off for as long as possible because they are hard. This decade we must go to the moon and do the other thing, not because they are easy… etc. Not saying that me bumping my 20 minute power is quite a moonshot, but, well.. you know.

Anyway, week ahead:

  • Norseman workout #3. That’s a definite.
  • Fix up the bike – well, I need to get that booked.
  • SST session? Yeah, probably.

See how we get on.

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