My first Autumn/Winter Turbo session of the year!

Toks
Toks Posts: 1,143
edited September 2010 in Training, fitness and health
MP3 player with Dance/Rap tunes. Check!
Large Powerful fan turned to max- Check!
Protective Towel on bike- Check!
Cool bottle of Water - Check!
Tour of Flanders 2009 on Lap top - Check!
Kitchen back door and windows open - Check
One nailed on 2 x 20 @ 100% threshold Check!
Finishing absolutely knackered and almost on the verge of fainting - Check!
Roll on the winter :twisted:

Comments

  • shockedsoshocked
    shockedsoshocked Posts: 4,021
    Someone's keen!!!
    "A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"

    PTP Runner Up 2015
  • sheffsimon
    sheffsimon Posts: 1,282
    Should be flying for Christmas :wink:
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    2 x 20s? Luxury!

    Been banging out the 3 x 15s for the past couple of weeks :D
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    I've been consigned to the turbo most of the year!
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    SheffSimon wrote:
    Should be flying for Christmas :wink:

    and shagged out by February.. ;)
  • Toks
    Toks Posts: 1,143
    softlad wrote:
    SheffSimon wrote:
    Should be flying for Christmas :wink:

    and shagged out by February.. ;)
    I'm not really a mile muncher and will probably average 5/6 hours per week over the winter; two sets of 2 x 20's per week will help maintain most of my hard earned fitness. What with enforced breaks due to holidays, work schedules, family time, colds etc there's no chance of burn out whatsoever
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    Toks - just a bit of banter. In all seriousness, I've been following your race reports and you sound like you know what you're doing.. ;)
  • Toks
    Toks Posts: 1,143
    softlad wrote:
    Toks - just a bit of banter. In all seriousness, I've been following your race reports and you sound like you know what you're doing.. ;)
    My bad, :roll: forgot my smileys :D:D:wink:
  • nmcgann
    nmcgann Posts: 1,780
    Toks wrote:
    I'm not really a mile muncher and will probably average 5/6 hours per week over the winter; two sets of 2 x 20's per week will help maintain most of my hard earned fitness. What with enforced breaks due to holidays, work schedules, family time, colds etc there's no chance of burn out whatsoever

    My thoughts are running that way too. I didn't do any 2x20 between the end of the season and 1st Jan last year and it then took me a few weeks to be able to maintain sustained threshold work without cracking (even at a lower threshold).

    It would have been better to keep the threshold work going rather than have a harsh re-start in Jan :?
    --
    "Because the cycling is pain. The cycling is soul crushing pain."
  • sheffsimon
    sheffsimon Posts: 1,282
    Toks wrote:
    softlad wrote:
    SheffSimon wrote:
    Should be flying for Christmas :wink:

    and shagged out by February.. ;)
    I'm not really a mile muncher and will probably average 5/6 hours per week over the winter; two sets of 2 x 20's per week will help maintain most of my hard earned fitness. What with enforced breaks due to holidays, work schedules, family time, colds etc there's no chance of burn out whatsoever

    Like softlad says, just a minor p1ss take.

    Agree with you on keeping up some threshold work during the winter though, rather than old school doing f*** all until 1st Jan. Do the same myself, not on the turbo though, just on commuting/Sundays.
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    I intend to go the old school way - intervals starting mid December - I've found that works better for me than keeping it going all the way through Autumn/WInter. Not packing up yet though - I tend to take it easy from late October, I've finished racing for the year but I'll still be doing hard chaingangs and rides up until then.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • Thick Tester
    Thick Tester Posts: 380
    42 x 20 fixed all the way through till Christmas
  • Toks
    Toks Posts: 1,143
    nmcgann wrote:
    Toks wrote:
    I'm not really a mile muncher and will probably average 5/6 hours per week over the winter; two sets of 2 x 20's per week will help maintain most of my hard earned fitness. What with enforced breaks due to holidays, work schedules, family time, colds etc there's no chance of burn out whatsoever

    My thoughts are running that way too. I didn't do any 2x20 between the end of the season and 1st Jan last year and it then took me a few weeks to be able to maintain sustained threshold work without cracking (even at a lower threshold).

    It would have been better to keep the threshold work going rather than have a harsh re-start in Jan :?
    I only rode about 10 times between October and January last year. It took nearly three months of consistent tempo riding before I felt fit(not race fit) again. As a VET racer it was a big mistake to take all that time off. As Joe Friel says VETS shouldn't take much time off the bike at all. It takes too fcuking long to get that fitness back
  • tlw1
    tlw1 Posts: 22,183
    still got to fix the tube on mine :(
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    Toks wrote:
    nmcgann wrote:
    Toks wrote:
    I'm not really a mile muncher and will probably average 5/6 hours per week over the winter; two sets of 2 x 20's per week will help maintain most of my hard earned fitness. What with enforced breaks due to holidays, work schedules, family time, colds etc there's no chance of burn out whatsoever

    My thoughts are running that way too. I didn't do any 2x20 between the end of the season and 1st Jan last year and it then took me a few weeks to be able to maintain sustained threshold work without cracking (even at a lower threshold).

    It would have been better to keep the threshold work going rather than have a harsh re-start in Jan :?
    I only rode about 10 times between October and January last year. It took nearly three months of consistent tempo riding before I felt fit(not race fit) again. As a VET racer it was a big mistake to take all that time off. As Joe Friel says VETS shouldn't take much time off the bike at all. It takes too fcuking long to get that fitness back

    I don't know - I'm a vet and I found a spell taking it very easy in late Autumn and early Winter worked. I do start back in mid December and I've found that's plenty of time to get back to race fitness by March. I've found in the past that I can ride the bike hard all Winter, keep doing hard chaingangs and end up peaking in late February.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • nmcgann
    nmcgann Posts: 1,780
    Toks wrote:
    I only rode about 10 times between October and January last year. It took nearly three months of consistent tempo riding before I felt fit(not race fit) again. As a VET racer it was a big mistake to take all that time off. As Joe Friel says VETS shouldn't take much time off the bike at all. It takes too fcuking long to get that fitness back

    Yes, I'm agreement. I'm getting dangerously close to 50 now and any significant loss of fitness means a fight to get it back.

    I actually did lots of endurance/tempo riding last winter (some of the tempo pretty tough), so I was still decently fit, but the lack of specific threshold maintenance work throughout was a mistake.
    --
    "Because the cycling is pain. The cycling is soul crushing pain."
  • 3legs
    3legs Posts: 30
    Count me in for the 'looking forward to turbo in winter' club :)

    It's still a month or two away yet, but I'm looking forward to hibernating indoors on the turbo throughout the winter. Past experience tells me that 5-6 qualty hours a week will see me re-emerge next spring feeling fitter and stronger than I was previously. I'll still enjoy the odd steady ride in on the road when the weather is nice, and I'll take to the hills on the MTB now and again, but my staple diet will be turbo sessions.

    3 months of indoor riding (mostly 2x20's type efforts) last winter did much more to improve my fitness than any 3 months worth of outdoor riding that I've ever done - I put this down to being able to set and follow a structured routine consistently (something I struggle to do outdoors). I enjoyed my summer riding much more as a result, and have a couple of people asking me how I'd improved so much.. I'd expect the gains to be smaller this winter, but I still expect gains none the less..Bring it on :D
  • Toks
    Toks Posts: 1,143
    3legs wrote:
    3 months of indoor riding (mostly 2x20's type efforts) last winter did much more to improve my fitness than any 3 months worth of outdoor riding that I've ever done - I put this down to being able to set and follow a structured routine consistently (something I struggle to do outdoors). I enjoyed my summer riding much more as a result, and have a couple of people asking me how I'd improved so much.. I'd expect the gains to be smaller this winter, but I still expect gains none the less..Bring it on :D
    Nice one - good for you. I'm also glad that you've given a nod to the 'law of diminishing returns'.I remember back in spring 2005 when replaced my commuting 'plods' with twice weekly 2 x20's. In my first few races I felt so strong got Gold at the Etape and made 2nd Road Racer. The 2 x 20's don't quite have such a dramatic affect five years later but they keep me pretty fit considering my low training hours.
    nmcgann wrote:
    Yes, I'm agreement. I'm getting dangerously close to 50 now and any significant loss of fitness means a fight to get it back.

    I actually did lots of endurance/tempo riding last winter (some of the tempo pretty tough), so I was still decently fit, but the lack of specific threshold maintenance work throughout was a mistake.
    Hmmm I hear you there. I need to keep up the tempo stuff (2-4hrs)too then I should be pretty strong for one of my target races in late March. Have a great winter training everyone! :twisted: 8) :D

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