Weigh in this morning at 213
Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyBrooks
Just saw this. I think it's a cool goal, I'd love to do the triple bypass myself one day. I know a guy who is going to try to do a double-triple this year. That's going both directions. I don't remember if he's going to do it in one day or 2 though.
Thanks. The double triple from the ride organizers is ride one way on Saturday and ride back on Sunday. If he can do in one day he is a true stud. Heck, if he does in two days I'm really impressed. I will be stoked if I can do it one way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyBrooks
If I remember right, you live in Dallas. You need a way to get climbing training in, this is gonna be tough for you. You need to do both short/steep/repeated climbs and longer shallower climbs. 5% grade is not much, for example, but there will probably be places on TBP where you go at 5% for a looooot longer than you'll be used to. Exercise bikes can simulate this to an extent.
Follow the time crunched cyclist plan and you'll gain a lot of the strengths you need.
Yeah, I will do my best, but training at 500 feet with no hill longer than about 2 tenths of a mile around will make it a challenge, no question. The rides I'm looking at start at 5,000 feet and go up from there. My thought is just get in the best possible shape and use a bike with low gears. I have a bike with a 30/25 available. If that seems like it won't do it I can check into putting a different cassette one it, maybe get a 30/27 available. If I have to go lower than that I probably need to find a different challenge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyBrooks
I really am a data freak and could not live without a power meter. They ain't cheap though. I got a (used) powertap off ebay for about $400 with a wheel. I bought a stages power meter last year for $700 new, that's the cheapest I know of. Hm, actually I do remember there being a new one out this year that is *similar* to Stages, except you put it on yourself with epoxy, and it costs like 300-400.
I've checked on Ebay, and every time I see a power tap I'm interested it seems to go over 6 or 7 hundred.
I am interested in the stages meter. For now I'm still using the heart rate monitor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyBrooks
Getting up steep inclines is mostly mental and technique, if you don't care what your speed is..
Oh, hey, if you haven't done the Easter Hill Country Tour, you should. It's in Kerrville on easter weekend. The "long" day has like 60 80 and 100 mile routes. I think the elevation gain on the 100 mile route is around 5000 feet.
That is definitely an area I will make a visit to and try out some of the routes around there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyBrooks
The reason I mention it is that I was gonna tell a story. There's a long stretch in the area that is not real steep but brutally long. The first year I went I actually had to stop and lay down for 10 minutes. Someone finally came along and was like DUDE THE TOP IS LIKE 100 YARDS AWAY so I got up and WIMed my way to the top.
The next year I came back and I kept looking for that section and worrying about it. I finally figured out that I'd done it the day before and just not noticed it at all.
It is nice when you can see tangible gains like that. My improvement has occurred but perhaps not quite that noticeably. I hoping to increase the level this year.
Hey, I noticed you posted a ride on Strava the other day, with a title something like Give up and take the train ride. I was curious what the back story was? Also, it cracked me up when I saw you got some Kudos on that ride, based on your previous comments about kudos.
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Originally Posted by trontron
i don't think the watt-displays on the spin bikes are useful, just ignore the numbers completely, they have (probably) nothing to do with reality.
just use a heart rate monitor and train based on that and RPE (and the time crunched cyclist program).
Thanks for the feedback. I use my heart strap and compare to the numbers on the watt meter. Even if the absolute value is wrong, it gives me something to compare to over time, ie 120 watts at 145 BPM compared to 120 watts at 140 BPM, for example.
To be honest, compared to what Strava predicts for a given effort and what I see on the spin bike, I think it is closer than you might think.