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 consisted of 5 days riding, with one indoor ride, and the other rides were all outdoors. Got to get that outdoor action in before the nights draw in and the option isn’t there on a weeknight.
This week’s rides were as follows:
- Wednesday – Manners Cost Nothing (Outdoors)
- Thursday – Road Werks (Outdoors)
- Friday – Goodnight Sit Bones (Indoors / Zwift)
- Saturday – Etchasketch (Outdoors)
- Sunday – Beaten By The Steep ‘Un (Outdoors)
None of the rides of the weekly truly stand out. The biggest disappointment would go to Sunday, where I tried – and failed – to climb Jeffrey Hill via (one of) the steep routes. But the rest were largely forgettable affairs, good for fitness but not much else.
Giving myself a rest day on both Monday and Tuesday was a bad idea. I’m hoping not to repeat that this week. The weather is too good. And as I sit here writing this, with the temperatures still sitting pretty at 24c at 5.30pm, it pains me that I’m not going out on the bike this evening.
But going out would be a bit of a bad idea. I’ve just done 5 days riding in a row, and according to the forecast (as much as you can trust it), the rest of the week is looking grand. So I’m reluctantly resting right now. Tomorrow I’m getting out, if all things stay the same. I guess that’s the downside of doing 5 in a row.
What I’m finding as of the last few weeks is that mentally I’m not in quite the same state as I was a month or two ago. I’m mentally tired. And that is showing in some of my performances. I put this down to my day job, more than anything. Whilst it is good to have work on, this piece of work in particular is high stress. Fortunately it’s done in 2 weeks and 4 days. Not that I’m counting, or anything. Sadly once it is done, two things happen:
- The stress of finding a new role kicks in;
- The weather isn’t expected to be great in October here in the UK… so how much riding time will I even get?
Whilst not particularly obvious to me during the week, one interesting piece of information I gleaned whilst reviewing this weeks stats was that I had my best ever 5 second peak power, a new entry (#6) in my 1 minute peak power, and a joint top 5 minute peak power:
- 918w, 5 second peak, during Wednesday’s ride
- 374w, 1 minute peak, during Sunday’s ride
- 282w, 5 minute peak, also during Sunday’s ride
It’s interesting that I hit two peak power top 10’s during Sunday… from what I can see both were during the climb. Bad ride management as I guessed. Blew up likely because I was going too hard, too early.
And no wonder I couldn’t finish the climb, as I’d already emptied the tank on the steep, and then expected myself to be able to recover still on the climb significantly above threshold.
Still, interesting to see it on a graph.
What I need to do next, and whether it will be in the week ahead I just don’t know at the moment, is to do the Ramp Test.
I need to know, accurately (or as accurately as not doing the true 20 minute test can tell me) what my FTP is right now. My legs are telling me it’s not 238w anymore. I’m guessing it’s dropped below 230w.
In order to do the ramp test I need at least 2 days recovery, and more to the point, a decent mental state before I get on the bike. Right now, with the sun beating down on me, in this hot box of an office, the thought of sweating my nuts off just doesn’t appeal.
Aside from that, who knows what the week will have in store.
Maybe I just need to chill out for a while instead of constantly chasing goals.