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What is your benchmark?

Frank the tankFrank the tank Posts: 6,553
edited April 2017 in Training, fitness and health
I'm not a racer just a middle aged bloke trying to keep the weight off.

My benchmark is 6,000 miles a year.

This year though i want to do at least twelve 100mile rides within those 6,000 miles.
Tail end Charlie

The above post may contain traces of sarcasm or/and bullsh*t.
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Posts

  • sloppyschleckondssloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    5 W/per KG
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • imposter2.0imposter2.0 Posts: 12,015
    Frank the tank wrote:
    I'm not a racer just a middle aged bloke trying to keep the weight off.

    My benchmark is 6,000 miles a year.

    This year though i want to do at least twelve 100mile rides within those 6,000 miles.

    Surely if your benchmark is weight management, then your benchmark should be weight related?
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,479
    Why not read what was written? His benchmark is 6,000 miles a year.
  • imposter2.0imposter2.0 Posts: 12,015
    Gethinceri wrote:
    Why not read what was written? His benchmark is 6,000 miles a year.

    Thankyou Sherlock. He also said he was trying to keep the weight off, so his objective appears to be weight related. Maybe you should read what was written...
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,479
    Take it easy Twinkle. I'm off my napper on morphine following a smidsy, what's your excuse?
  • imposter2.0imposter2.0 Posts: 12,015
    Gethinceri wrote:
    Take it easy Twinkle. I'm off my napper on morphine following a smidsy, what's your excuse?

    Oh me, I'm really angry cos I knocked some tw@t off his bike this morning. Didn't see him. Anyway, move along...
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,479
    Ha ha, suggest you have a little lie down.
  • FatTedFatTed Posts: 1,205
    Do you mean "Goal" I think of Benchmark as something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged. My Goal is to have fun riding my bike and it would be good if my FTP was 4W/Kg and I could maintain 250 W for a couple of hours. I weigh 75 Kg
  • jgsijgsi Posts: 5,062
    FatTed wrote:
    Do you mean "Goal" I think of Benchmark as something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged. My Goal is to have fun riding my bike and it would be good if my FTP was 4W/Kg and I could maintain 250 W for a couple of hours. I weigh 75 Kg

    Do you know how hard that sort of riding is?
    If your metric comes from a Zwift membership then it all seems so easy.
    Having that sort of fitness would have you ok in a fair few road races but riding at the level you 'Goal' is not exactly fun riding that's all I'd mention.
    After 3 hard Spring classic LVRC races where I results wise got a 22nd/4th/8th I am truly looking forward to 2 weeks off race tapering and a few 60 mile coffee rides at 14mph. I didn't set a goal knowingly but I put in some very hard training over winter, kept any illness down to only a few days and as a club Sunday cyclist with no race pedigree to speak of, I 'm happy.
  • FatTedFatTed Posts: 1,205
    JGSI wrote:
    FatTed wrote:
    Do you mean "Goal" I think of Benchmark as something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged. My Goal is to have fun riding my bike and it would be good if my FTP was 4W/Kg and I could maintain 250 W for a couple of hours. I weigh 75 Kg

    Do you know how hard that sort of riding is?
    If your metric comes from a Zwift membership then it all seems so easy.
    Having that sort of fitness would have you ok in a fair few road races but riding at the level you 'Goal' is not exactly fun riding that's all I'd mention.
    After 3 hard Spring classic LVRC races where I results wise got a 22nd/4th/8th I am truly looking forward to 2 weeks off race tapering and a few 60 mile coffee rides at 14mph. I didn't set a goal knowingly but I put in some very hard training over winter, kept any illness down to only a few days and as a club Sunday cyclist with no race pedigree to speak of, I 'm happy.

    My Goal is to have fun riding my bike, not so hard is that?
    the rest was hope
  • GrahamsjzGrahamsjz Posts: 50
    Also Middle aged and not into racing, two 'goals' this year.

    A) make sure I keep up my average of 50 miles per week which should not be too difficult as
    B) enjoy the Maratona - which means I am doing a lot of cycling in the first half of the year.
  • dannbodgedannbodge Posts: 1,152
    3000 miles for the year
    Get down to 70kg and maintain it
    Get to 4W/KG
    Achievable goal of sub 7 minute lap of Brands Hatch GP and stretch goal of sub 6 min lap (Revolve 24)
  • aberdeenalaberdeenal Posts: 200
    3500 miles (+500 from last year) this year - drop to 79kg (from 83kg) - increase my FTP from 250 to 275
  • DeVlaeminckDeVlaeminck Posts: 8,687
    My goal is to get back into LVRC road racing when I'm 50 next year and be fit enough to be active in the races. That will require me to actually start riding my bike again though.

    My benchmark has pretty much always been to do 150-200 miles a week (if it's indoors I just call an hour 20 miles) - that doesn't mean I just go out and do that mileage and call it training but if I'm doing a reasonably structured programme of the kind of riding I can commit to and sustain over a longer run I find that is the kind of volume it ends up as.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • lettingthedaysgobylettingthedaysgoby Posts: 1,732
    I'm new to all this, so my goals are pretty modest at the moment.

    1 - Complete Velo Birmingham in September, preferably without needing a heart and lung transplant afterwards :D

    2 - Through training for the above, lose a bit of weight. Not setting any specific numbers for this as I'll get obsessed if I start staring at a set of scales, but if my current jeans are too baggy round the waist by the end of the year I'll be happy.

    3 - Ride to places in my local/surrounding area I've never been to before

    :)
  • fat daddyfat daddy Posts: 2,605
    never really thought of having a benchmark before ...... I guess it would be do more than 1h a day on the bike .... what with commuting its normally 1hr30 anyway, but at weekends if I am off out then it will be get up early and do an hour on the turbo.
  • stretchystretchy Posts: 149
    I've got a distance goal but I find that makes me less motivated to go mountain biking. I should probably switch to a time goal.
  • fat daddyfat daddy Posts: 2,605
    that's the problem with goals ... they stop you achieving other stuff :D
  • slowmartslowmart Posts: 4,410
    To be quicker, stronger and have more endurance than last year.

    Which essentially means riding a 24 mile loop in less than 1hr 16 minutes. It's all relative :D
    “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring”

    Desmond Tutu
  • stovemanstoveman Posts: 125
    To try to lose at least 3 stone, average at least 50 miles a week on the bike and complete at least one century ride before my birthday in September.
    Done 1000 miles last year and already upto 600 this year so far.So the year is going well and feel really motivated.
  • dabberdabber Posts: 1,917
    Ride the Tourmalet on my 70th in June...
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut
  • bernithebikerbernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Win the Tour de France
  • Thick MikeThick Mike Posts: 337
    Castelli Medium
  • DeVlaeminckDeVlaeminck Posts: 8,687
    Thick Mike wrote:
    Castelli Medium

    :D
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • FatTedFatTed Posts: 1,205
    Dabber wrote:
    Ride the Tourmalet on my 70th in June...

    Good luck.
  • bernithebikerbernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    FatTed wrote:
    Dabber wrote:
    Ride the Tourmalet on my 70th in June...

    Good luck.

    Yep, good luck and well done, but don't worry, round our way there are many 70+ Breton ex racers that are still going extremely well and can often surprise the youngsters!
  • cyclingaddictioncyclingaddiction Posts: 4
    Just a light desire to do a sub 5 hour solo on a particular 100 mile course. I managed 5:31:50 moving time (5:45:28 total time) last weekend on this out and back route. Headwinds on the way up and those blessed tailwinds on the way back. However, at 53 and being a recreational level cyclist this isn't getting any easier.

    I think the best I've ever done is a couple years ago with 5:15:00 +/- moving time. If I remember the wind and traffic were in my favor that day more than the typical.

    Not a huge thing if it never happens so I will just call it a light desire and not a goal or benchmark.
  • AK_jnrAK_jnr Posts: 717
    bernithebiker wrote:
    FatTed wrote:
    Dabber wrote:
    Ride the Tourmalet on my 70th in June...

    Good luck.

    Yep, good luck and well done, but don't worry, round our way there are many 70+ Breton ex racers that are still going extremely well and can often surprise the youngsters!

    Yeah dont worry about Dabber. He is a hell of a rider!
  • dabberdabber Posts: 1,917
    AK_jnr wrote:
    bernithebiker wrote:
    FatTed wrote:
    Dabber wrote:
    Ride the Tourmalet on my 70th in June...

    Good luck.

    Yep, good luck and well done, but don't worry, round our way there are many 70+ Breton ex racers that are still going extremely well and can often surprise the youngsters!

    Yeah dont worry about Dabber. He is a hell of a rider!

    Thanks AK, I appreciate that coming from you.
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut
  • cyclecliniccycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    To win a race oh and do 400 miles in the mersey road 24hr TT on a road bike with no aero aids.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
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