The Gang Goes on a Bike Ride

hotsauce

Well-Known Member
How do you know @The Squirrel ?
I met @The Squirrel , Mark, clicking around on a Hoboken cycling group on Strava in the Spring of 2015. I had been riding exclusively solo until then, outside of some group rides down the shore in the summer, and was looking to connect some with some guys locally. There is/was a group of 4-5 of us that would do the River Rd. ride up the Palisades on weekends. Mark tried to get all of us in on cyclocross and I was the only sucker to take the bait.
 

hotsauce

Well-Known Member
I know bro, I really should get on a MTB and brappp bro. My schedule is so tight, it's just hard to justify. We spend most summer weekends in Ocean City which is dead flat and (obviously) sandy. Wharton is down that way which I may try with my cross bike this year but I have a good group of guys to ride with down there on the road that I don't want to give up. That really just leaves March-May of dedicated MTB riding before cross season starts which just doesn't seem like enough to justify another bike.

I'd like to come out to a short track race, maybe volunteer, and borrow a bike one day to test it out. Maybe actually getting out on the trails will put me over the edge?

Do you plan to move out of Hudson Co? The 'burbs are calling....
I struggle with where I want to live. Ideally, it would be the Philly burbs but the financial services industry doesn't really exist down there so for the time being I'm stuck in Metro-NYC. The thought of living further out than Hoboken and having a commute more than an hour just sounds horrible. I'm 35 minutes door-to-door with a PATH train leaving every 10 minutes which is downright hard to beat.

We're just looking to upgrade from a 640 sq ft 1BR/1BA to the holy grail of 2BR/2BA with parking and laundry in Hoboken. It's not the recent-college-grad scene that it once was, all the bro's grew up, got married, and had kids. Now you're more likely to see someone carrying a toddler or king charles spaniel than a 30 rack. Santa-con and St. Patrick's day are a bit of an annoyance but they're great days to get out of town and avoid the mess.
 

MadisonDan

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I know bro, I really should get on a MTB and brappp bro. My schedule is so tight, it's just hard to justify. We spend most summer weekends in Ocean City which is dead flat and (obviously) sandy. Wharton is down that way which I may try with my cross bike this year but I have a good group of guys to ride with down there on the road that I don't want to give up. That really just leaves March-May of dedicated MTB riding before cross season starts which just doesn't seem like enough to justify another bike.

I'd like to come out to a short track race, maybe volunteer, and borrow a bike one day to test it out. Maybe actually getting out on the trails will put me over the edge?


I struggle with where I want to live. Ideally, it would be the Philly burbs but the financial services industry doesn't really exist down there so for the time being I'm stuck in Metro-NYC. The thought of living further out than Hoboken and having a commute more than an hour just sounds horrible. I'm 35 minutes door-to-door with a PATH train leaving every 10 minutes which is downright hard to beat.

We're just looking to upgrade from a 640 sq ft 1BR/1BA to the holy grail of 2BR/2BA with parking and laundry in Hoboken. It's not the recent-college-grad scene that it once was, all the bro's grew up, got married, and had kids. Now you're more likely to see someone carrying a toddler or king charles spaniel than a 30 rack. Santa-con and St. Patrick's day are a bit of an annoyance but they're great days to get out of town and avoid the mess.

I miss Hoboken. It's been 13 years this April since we left. Had a nice 2br/2ba on 1st & Garden. Man, that was a great commute. Midtown Direct train isn't horrible, although, it does take some getting used to. Some people drive to JC, eff that, I'll sleep on the train, or check Strava on days I don't ride......
 

The Squirrel

Well-Known Member
I met @The Squirrel , Mark, clicking around on a Hoboken cycling group on Strava in the Spring of 2015. I had been riding exclusively solo until then, outside of some group rides down the shore in the summer, and was looking to connect some with some guys locally. There is/was a group of 4-5 of us that would do the River Rd. ride up the Palisades on weekends. Mark tried to get all of us in on cyclocross and I was the only sucker to take the bait.

The good news is after coming to watch MartyCross John wants to give CX a go this coming season. His second is due the beginning of February, so I'm hoping he can put together a bike by the fall and not kill his marriage. I need to get down there for a ride/hard CX pitch before he's on diaper duty again.
 

hotsauce

Well-Known Member
Excel Skills, Drills & Bellyaches - Week 1

The best thing you can do to get better with Excel is to ditch the mouse. Clicking around wastes so much time and there's always a keyboard shortcut to do what you want to do 10x faster. This guy explains it a little more eloquently than I do. There's a keyboard shortcut for almost everything so if it's a command you do semi-frequently, just Google it and it should be in the first few results.

This all goes out the window (hehe) if you're using a Mac. I haven't used Excel on a Mac since college but it generally SUCKS and the function/mac keys don't work the same. I'd rather use Google Sheets in the browser.

Starting basic this week, ya gotta start somewhere.
 

hotsauce

Well-Known Member
Upcoming Events

I'm starting to think of events to ride in early 2017 and registration is fast approaching or already open. Last year i did a mix of gravely fondo rides and a few spring road races. It was fun, but there was SO MUCH SUFFERING. I did the Fools Classic and Fleche Buffoon as tune ups for two different races on the Bear Mountain road race course. It's a 14 mile course with 1,200 ft of climbing per lap including a monster climb up Tiorati Brook Rd, a 60+ mph descent, and average speeds over 21 mph. Then do it 2-4 more times. I had pack finishes at both which was a great personal accomplishment but no upgrade points.

With a sole focus on 'cross this fall, I'm taking a different approach on spring activities. Focusing on fun! The gravely fondos were a blast last year and I'm looking to add a few more this spring. Last year I was drilling it hard at these events and it really hurt! This year I'm going to take them easier to enjoy the scenery and company a bit more. I bought some wide road tires on closeout and will be out there on my cross bike getting loose in the corners.

I may do some spring road racing too but it'll be a last minute decision based on how I'm feeling, the weather, and if anything else more fun is going on.
  • 3/25 Hell of Hunterdon - My first time, it was snowed out in 2015 and I had a confict last year so I'm looking forward to this one.
  • 4/1 Monkey Knife Fight - never done this but it looks fun. I've made so many trips out Rt 78 to cross races, this drive feels like the back of my hand now.
  • 4/15 Fools Classic - Last year it was slick and my first time riding on non-paved roads. Maybe this started my cross journey?
  • 4/29 Fleche Buffoon (maybe) - This one is kind of masochistic, all paved and the climbs are stupid punchy. I rode it with 52/36 chainrings last year and ran out of gears a lot.

I thought this was a dirty bike last year. L O L
IMG_1414.JPG

This bike is now clean and for sale, buy it!!
 
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hotsauce

Well-Known Member
Offseason Update

Over the last 5 years, I've been a somewhat regular at a Crossfit gym in town but started to feel spread thin fitness-wise 18 months ago and scaled back my Crossfit workouts to spend more time on the bike. Balancing high intensity days on the bike plus metabolic conditioning workouts at the gym was too challenging and I wasn't excelling at sport/activity. Then around May of last year my Crossfit membership was coming up for renewal and I was getting married then going on an extended honeymoon and decided to deal with it when I was back in the states. When I got back, my favorite coach from the gym left to join a sports performance/rehab gym in Montclair and ownership of the gym changed so my relationship with Crossfit was officially over.

After coming back from Hawaii, I've had a few weeks scheduled with no concrete bike training but wanted to get back to weightlifting. I've started to feel the imbalances of a year of focused bike training and wanted to get back to generally full-body health and balance. One morning in November I woke up with a stiff neck which almost never happens to me and then it stuck around for two weeks even after my wife, a PT, stretched me out every night. It was the final nail in the coffin that convinced me to go back to the gym.

After talking with a friend who is much more knowledgeable than me on weightlifting, I decided to spend some time focusing on core strength lifts following the Wendler protocol (PDF link). It follows a 5/3/1 rep scheme and usually focuses on the squat, deadlift, bench press, and military press over a 4 week period with specific accessory work mixed in. I've had some familiarity with it from my Crossfit days and now am mid-way through my second cycle and seeing the strength gains. My 1 rep maxes are already back to their peaks from my Crossfit days. I'm not sure how long I'm going to keep the lifting going but would like to keep lifting regularly through at least June then go full bore into cross prep. I can go more into weightlifting if there's an interest.

Also after getting back from vacation I had a nasty bout with the 24-hour norovirus and spent one Saturday night/Sunday morning puking my guts out every hour on the hour from 10 PM to 6 AM. It felt like a college post blackout hangover all over again, but it hurts a lot worse 10 years later. I jumped on the scale periodically throughout the night and basically lost a pound an hour, 8.5lbs lost in total. It was a miserable few days getting back to normal but the consolation was losing the vacation weight that I came home with.

Base training starts in earnest on Tuesday and I'll be following the TrainerRoad sweet spot base plan. Next post will be a follow up on my FTP test results and some more details on my training approach. Maybe an Excel tip thrown in too.
 

hotsauce

Well-Known Member
I'm writing this a few days late after a SNAFU on Monday in my apartment building. My downstairs neighbor had his floors refinished and we came home Monday after work to some pretty noxious fumes and were temporary refugees at a friend's apartment for a few days. Fumes from drying polyurethane will get you high as a kite, burn your eyes, lungs, etc. so this pushed everything back a few days. The first of many likely changes to my plans for this year. But the only thing you can do is roll with it and make the best of the situation!!

2017 Training Plans


This season I'm going to be following the TrainerRoad plans to (hopefully) drop me off with peak fitness leading into Nittany Lion Cross weekend. I loved that race last year and so it's an "A" race of mine this year. I'll be following the mid-volume versions of TrainerRoad's Sweet Spot Base, then Short Power Build, and Cyclocross plans.

Last year I followed the Sweet Spot Base plans then general build plan since I was targeting some lumpier road races. The longer intervals made me better at an area I was already decent at but left the gaping hole of 5 sec - 2 min power wide open. When I got into the cyclocross plan last fall, which focuses on shorter bursts, they were always a struggle and hitting the target power consistently just wasn't happening.

The TrainingPeaks Power Profile for 5 sec and 1 min power puts me below the Cat 5 level which is sad. This doesn't include any power data from last cyclocross season but I doubt it would change much. The poor short-term power also lines up well with poor starting ability in cross races. Comparatively all of the other Power Profile metrics ( 5-60 mins) are in the Cat 3-4 range. In general the graph isn't really worth much but it's a nice guide to show me my weaknesses.

Wattz.JPG


So seeing how the left side of my power profile isn't nearly as spiky as it should be plus my poor starting ability last season, the focus on the trainer is definitely going to be in the sub 2 minute range. This should also translate well to summer crit smashing fitness that I fully plan to exploit.

On plan execution, the goal is to do most of the base work indoors with sporadic outdoor riding when the weather is nice then try to get outdoors as much as possible for the build and cross plans for the non-interval specific workouts. I'm going to make a concerted effort to ride my cross bike in Liberty State Park as much as possible during the spring and summer to get more comfortable with the technical skills that I need so desperately.

The one part of my long-term plan that I'm uncomfortable with is adding a Wednesday night cross practice on top of the TrainerRoad cyclocross plan. Their plan has 3 days/week of short power intensity with one long steady Sunday ride. The research I've been reading, though not a 100% direct correlation, shows a diminished returns and even losses for the 3rd or 4th interval session in a week. 4 days of intensity is a pure bet on early burnout too. Most likely I'll drop one of the weekday interval rides and replace with a slower steady-state recovery ride but I'll think about it more thoroughly as the summer approaches.

FTP Test Time

I did my first FTP test in November 2015 at 261 W (3.26W/kg) then successively raised it to 294 W (3.7W/kg) in August before riding most of last cross season at 288 W (3.6W/kg). My goal for 2017 is to raise my W/kg over 4 with a mix of increased power (over 300 W) and reduced weight (down to 160lbs).

Since this was going to be my first FTP test since September and I felt like I had good power all fall, I was hoping to reach a FTP around 300 W, which based on taking 90% of the result for an 8 minute test means riding the test at 333 W. As I ramped up the first interval, the target power felt tough but manageable and I held strong for the first 5 minutes. I could see my heart rate ramping up above where I'm normally at and I popped, I just couldn't hold it. I went out wayyyy too strong. The last 3 minutes were a struggle and my power just dropped off a cliff. Frankly if it wasn't for planning on writing this post, I would have bailed then puked all over the place. It hurt. Bad.

Screenshot 2017-02-09 at 10.14.22 AM.png


I came to my senses on the second interval and rode it much more conservatively. The net result was a new FTP of 286 W which is 2 W shy of where I've been training for the last few months. I'm a bit disappointed since I thought I had more in me but I'm still starting this year 15 W above where I started last year. Also add in being kicked out of our apartment for a few days and doing this at night compared to a normal morning workout, I guess it's not that bad.

Now time for 12 weeks on the hamster wheel. What are some good things on Amazon Prime or Netflix to watch to get me through the (productive) monotony?
 

MadisonDan

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Why the 8 minute test, and not the 20? I've only ever done the 20 minute test...
 

hotsauce

Well-Known Member
@MadisonDan, good question. The TR plans I've followed have mostly had a 8 minute test prescribed so I just rolled with it and didn't read up on the 8 minute vs 20 minute debate until later. Their #1 point is to always stick with the same test over time so that's what I've done. I also like that you get two passes at it instead of it being a one and done. What's your take on the the 20 minute test?
 

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Ok, after actually finishing the rest of what you said.. :)

-I like Dan's cross practice for the issue you rather mention. Wednesday typical practices are high intensity but his practices have been more skill based, less effort. Although I think there's a lot to be said about a Wednesday mini-race being super beneficial. Let's not forget that the TR people are not cross racers and the plan is not designed around a Wednesday Worlds. I'm sure the TR plans are way different than what a true Cyclocross specific coach would implement, TR just doesn't have the same background.

-I had a similar issue last year with the 8 minute test. After going through a period off the bike with the broken collarbone, 8 minute test, TR plan then 8 minute test I had the same power. Heart Rate was MUCH lower however and that points to an improvement.

-I reassess because that is what is prescribed but I'm not sure it's always the best thing. It's easy to fuck up the test or have an off day. Especially after base, should there be much of a change?
 

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Oh, I forgot to ask, are you running power outside? If so you should be able to import all your data (Garmin/TrainerRoad) into something like TrainingPeaks or Golden Cheetah and get a more accurate power chart.
 

The Squirrel

Well-Known Member
Interesting, for sure. It took me a whole year to figure out I was going out too hard. I'd also think a lot about it beforehand, set a goal and 4-5 minutes in I'd die. Then I'd somehow regroup and the last minute/90s I'd have this do or die effort, but the 4 minute death was so deep that the final push didn't really add much. Then I'd have the recovery and do the same thing. This year I started below my current ftp and kept pushing when I felt comfortable. My chart for the 8' test looks more like a ramp now. I don't think I have the physical ability to just go to the target and hold it.

I've been thinking of doing my next test at Jalapeño on their Wahoo to see how the virtual power compares.
 

hotsauce

Well-Known Member
Let's not forget that the TR people are not cross racers and the plan is not designed around a Wednesday Worlds. I'm sure the TR plans are way different than what a true Cyclocross specific coach would implement, TR just doesn't have the same background.
I didn't develop my thought enough in my post but you summarized it nicely. I've been listening to the TR podcast which I generally think is quality stuff but you can tell that their ideas on cross racing are different that what we see. I've seriously considered coaching for this year but for now the expense was too much since we're going on the apartment hunt soon. Last year, once I gave up on following the TR cyclocross plan in season, I felt a lot better. I ended up switching to one easy trainer ride, friday openers, Wednesday cross practice, and weekend racing and it felt appropriate.

So my set-up is is a Power2Max power meter on my road bike which I use on the trainer so I have power from all of my road riding but nothing from cross racing. Everything runs through TrainingPeaks which is where i generated the purple power graph but it only includes actual power data, so nothing from cross season. I'm probably going to pull the trigger soon on another P2M for my cross bike so I'm capturing power the same way on both bikes.
 
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