Author Topic: TCR no8.  (Read 85225 times)

Geriatricdolan

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #400 on: 25 January, 2021, 12:05:17 pm »


Um, why would I be losing pounds? If I wanted to lose 1-2 euros, I'd buy some fries...


I must have lost track of how the conversation ended up with you wanting to improve your climbing... but typically one comes to a forum to ask for advice. If then said person (look at me avoiding the use of pronouns!) is not prepared to accept advice and pays a  coach who has already devised a personalised training program, then I wonder why are we here discussing things that need no discussion?

Do what your coach says, you'll be fine, you'll be in peak condition for TCR and you'll fly up those mountains, 100kg and all

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #401 on: 25 January, 2021, 12:11:16 pm »
QG is joking about imperial vs. metric weight vs. Pounds sterling vs. Euros.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #402 on: 25 January, 2021, 01:29:25 pm »
I didn't notice QG asking for advice. She was talking about her plans and preparation. I thought this was a thread for people to talk about such things?

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #403 on: 25 January, 2021, 02:33:21 pm »
I must have lost track of how the conversation ended up with you wanting to improve your climbing... but typically one comes to a forum to ask for advice. If then said person (look at me avoiding the use of pronouns!) is not prepared to accept advice and pays a  coach who has already devised a personalised training program, then I wonder why are we here discussing things that need no discussion?

Do what your coach says, you'll be fine, you'll be in peak condition for TCR and you'll fly up those mountains, 100kg and all

You see, if you'd been on the forum longer than 5 months, you would know that I am forever banging on about how barbaric it is that people still use Imperial units. You'd know that I also live in the Eurozone. Thus the opportunity to make a joke about metric vs imperial, with a little bit of a EU reference for added measure, is too good to pass up.

Afterall, who in their right mind wouldn't use the metric system?


Fimm is quite right. In this thread, I didn't come for advice. You can tell when I do, as the thread has probably reached double digit pages, and resulted in at least 4 different misunderstandings, three topic shifts, and yet more reinforcement of the popular opinion of yacfers that I am infact, a complete idiot.

Why are we discussing things that need no discussing? Because to the closest approximation, we are all human, we all have relatively similar interests, and we're making small talk. You'll notice we have discussed bears, road quality, route ideas, who should or should not race, if anyone other than the pointy end are actually racing.

Now I did ask for some advice on climbing, back in November 2019:

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=114141.msg2446370#msg2446370

In the immediate few posts after that, there was lots of really good stuff from very experienced riders who's opinion I value. People who have completed the TCR as well as other ultraraces.

But having reread the whole thread, that's the only point I've come close to asking for advice, and you weren't even in the forum then.

I come to the forum cos it's lockdown, its my day off, and a lot of the people on the forum say things I want to hear. I might not agree with everyone, I may not like everyone, but I do value the opinion of many of them.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #404 on: 25 January, 2021, 02:50:23 pm »
This may not be the thread, but how does your coach set your training zones if you do not have a power meter?  HR? (And is that how you are calculating your calorie burn?) Unless you have some known issue regarding imbalances I would suggest that a single sided power meter is better than no PM, and there are pedal power meters available for all major pedal systems except speedplay now. There's no such thing as a cheap accurate PM though - you know your budget and how well what you do is working better than anyone else.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #405 on: 25 January, 2021, 02:51:56 pm »
This may not be the thread, but how does your coach set your training zones if you do not have a power meter?  HR? (And is that how you are calculating your calorie burn?) Unless you have some known issue regarding imbalances I would suggest that a single sided power meter is better than no PM, and there are pedal power meters available for all major pedal systems except speedplay now. There's no such thing as a cheap accurate PM though - you know your budget and how well what you do is working better than anyone else.

I pedal on flats...

We are using a HRM.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #406 on: 25 January, 2021, 06:31:13 pm »
PowerTap G3 hub, but it's 527 euro and then you still need to build a wheel with it.

Davef

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #407 on: 27 January, 2021, 11:51:19 am »
At 2W/Kg you'll struggle to keep balance on anything over 7-8%
Thinking about this, at 6W/kg do you struggle to keep balance on anything over 21-24% ?

Geriatricdolan

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #408 on: 27 January, 2021, 11:54:02 am »
At 2W/Kg you'll struggle to keep balance on anything over 7-8%
Thinking about this, at 6W/kg do you struggle to keep balance on anything over 21-24% ?

yes, if it keeps going, I do... as I said earlier, Hardknott is difficult mainly because of low speed and balance issues. There aren't many climbs which have a long section at that kind of gradient

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #409 on: 27 January, 2021, 12:07:02 pm »
PowerTap G3 hub, but it's 527 euro and then you still need to build a wheel with it.
Powertaps frequently come up on eBay for much less than that.  Greenbank was selling a Powertap wheel on here for a couple of hundred quid not so long ago, I think.  Needing disc brakes will thin the field a bit, but I'd definitely look out for one if I wanted a cheap PM.

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #410 on: 27 January, 2021, 01:57:02 pm »
Even cheaper is the Powertap PowerCal, which estimates power based on your heart rate.  Sounds suspect, but it reviewed well (DC Rainmaker).

Not much use for short duration sprint intervals but pretty good for pacing longer efforts.

https://www.cyclepowermeters.com/powertap/powertap-powercal.html

I've had one for a few years (they cost a lot less when I got mine) and it's not bad.  Mine measures much lower than other PMs - although most people don't get that - and it's fine as long as I don't try to make direct comparisions with other data.

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #411 on: 27 January, 2021, 02:53:32 pm »
I got a non-disk Powertap G3 wheelset for £100 last year and used it in CX. Disk tends to make it more expensive, and there can be issues with accuracy after they are worn due to the design. Left only PMs are only a couple of hundred quid - it might not be the full picture but it's better than nothing.
However, if QG is happy with their current training regime, I think we're trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. :)

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #412 on: 04 February, 2021, 06:04:07 pm »
Mail from Anna.
It looks like people who lost out in the ballot will get places, plus there is an opportunity for others from underrepresented minorities to apply.

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #413 on: 04 February, 2021, 08:41:07 pm »

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #414 on: 16 February, 2021, 12:09:16 pm »
Succumbed to life on the turbo this month to mimic hill climbing for TCR.  A mountain climb every day on the taxc neo app. The plan is to ride at least 30 to 35 k vertical which is, I think, about the height ridden in the event, all be it in a month rather than a week.
On previous TCR's its the mountains that have beaten me up. The Mangart/Visric on TCRno6 looms large in the memory.   At 80 odd kilos I'm never going to fly up the hills but figured some solid base training would set the climbing legs in good stead. Previously I have chosen a local bump outside and done repeats, but I don't think it really simulates a long climb in the same way. Too much resting on the way down every five mins. The turbo however...really drains the batteries. Ive resisted adding 10 kilos to my weight profile to account for the bike weight because erm...I can't face the thought of it right now! Maybe a loaded simulation or two next month after recovery.
often lost.

Geriatricdolan

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #415 on: 18 February, 2021, 02:29:56 pm »
My guess is that it won't happen again...

There is a momentum gathering around the necessity of having a vaccine to cross borders and the average TCR punter won't get a jab by the summer, making things exceedingly complicated.
Second best is to have a PCR test, which again is not compatible with racing across nations

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #416 on: 18 February, 2021, 02:48:09 pm »
My guess is that it won't happen again...

There is a momentum gathering around the necessity of having a vaccine to cross borders and the average TCR punter won't get a jab by the summer, making things exceedingly complicated.
Second best is to have a PCR test, which again is not compatible with racing across nations

I'm having similar fears. On the plus side, it'll mean more time to train, but I guess that also means a 3rd set of controls...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #417 on: 18 February, 2021, 05:28:57 pm »
My guess is that it won't happen again...

There is a momentum gathering around the necessity of having a vaccine to cross borders and the average TCR punter won't get a jab by the summer, making things exceedingly complicated.
Second best is to have a PCR test, which again is not compatible with racing across nations

Yup thats certainly conceivable, but I will continue to train on the assumption that its going ahead. If it doesn't then ahh well.
It seems a little other worldly out here on the Island. After a nasty flare up before Christmas we are now down to 4 active cases, two of which were imported and diagnosed quickly.
The vaccination programme is forging ahead, though not at the rate it is in the UK that seems to be leading the field.
I would have thought that with the vaccinations moving quickly herd immunity or at least approaching it would be possible by the Summer?
often lost.

Geriatricdolan

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #418 on: 18 February, 2021, 06:01:48 pm »

I would have thought that with the vaccinations moving quickly herd immunity or at least approaching it would be possible by the Summer?

Herd immunity simply means that mathematically the virus is prevented from having an Rt>1. If on average, without restrictions, you infect 3 others, if two are vaccinated, then you only infect one. However, the vaccine doesn't fully prevent infection and transmission, so the level of vaccinations required for an effective herd immunity might be well over 80%, which will never realistically be achieved, unless you start vaccinating kids too.
Also, apparently the new mutations have a higher R0, hence on average you might infect 5 without restrictions, meaning you need 4 of them (80%) to be vaccinated... and to that you need to add the fraction of immunised who still pass the virus, so maybe 90% is the safe level?
More to the point, even in the UK was to achieve something close to herd immunity, that will not be the case in continental Europe for some time.

And then of course there is the paranoia of new mutations being imported, which will inevitably lead to borders being hard to pass for the all of  2021

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #419 on: 18 February, 2021, 07:04:32 pm »
Succumbed to life on the turbo this month to mimic hill climbing for TCR.  A mountain climb every day on the taxc neo app. The plan is to ride at least 30 to 35 k vertical which is, I think, about the height ridden in the event, all be it in a month rather than a week.
On previous TCR's its the mountains that have beaten me up. The Mangart/Visric on TCRno6 looms large in the memory.   At 80 odd kilos I'm never going to fly up the hills but figured some solid base training would set the climbing legs in good stead. Previously I have chosen a local bump outside and done repeats, but I don't think it really simulates a long climb in the same way. Too much resting on the way down every five mins. The turbo however...really drains the batteries. Ive resisted adding 10 kilos to my weight profile to account for the bike weight because erm...I can't face the thought of it right now! Maybe a loaded simulation or two next month after recovery.

I’ve done Mt Ventoux on the turbo and it’s certainly a tired set of legs that climb off. Are you trying to do the sessions at a constant effort that replicates the pacing you might do up an alpine scale pass in the race?

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #420 on: 18 February, 2021, 08:48:38 pm »
Succumbed to life on the turbo this month to mimic hill climbing for TCR.  A mountain climb every day on the taxc neo app. The plan is to ride at least 30 to 35 k vertical which is, I think, about the height ridden in the event, all be it in a month rather than a week.
On previous TCR's its the mountains that have beaten me up. The Mangart/Visric on TCRno6 looms large in the memory.   At 80 odd kilos I'm never going to fly up the hills but figured some solid base training would set the climbing legs in good stead. Previously I have chosen a local bump outside and done repeats, but I don't think it really simulates a long climb in the same way. Too much resting on the way down every five mins. The turbo however...really drains the batteries. Ive resisted adding 10 kilos to my weight profile to account for the bike weight because erm...I can't face the thought of it right now! Maybe a loaded simulation or two next month after recovery.

I’ve done Mt Ventoux on the turbo and it’s certainly a tired set of legs that climb off. Are you trying to do the sessions at a constant effort that replicates the pacing you might do up an alpine scale pass in the race?

That was the plan, but I  have ended up selectively doing interval training on various segments so its kind of all over the place. It will help with the local road race season here that starts next month I suppose but galloping up a climb at 250 watts certainly isn't in my playbook for TCR! I figured that if I do a ton of climbing even at varying intensities its got to set up a good base. 18 days in and Im certainly feeling the effects in the fatigue department about now. A couple of all-day climbs is probably prudent too. We have a new turbo arriving some time in the near future that should be a better fit than the current setup so I think Ill wait for that before attempting a 6 hour horror show.
often lost.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #421 on: 04 March, 2021, 05:36:31 pm »


Not sure how to quantify how training is going. But I'm down about 2kg on the body mass.

Just another 30 to go...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #422 on: 04 March, 2021, 06:04:23 pm »


Not sure how to quantify how training is going. But I'm down about 2kg on the body mass.

Just another 30 to go...

J
good effort. Im sure you will be fine even if you don't shed another 30.
Still tapping out the virtual climbs at this end with the goal of being less shit in the mountains. Really loving the scenery on the films.
Ive given up on the prospect of shedding weight on the grounds that my new bike is fooking heavy anyway.
Im a little freaked by the new variants leaping around in covid world and not so sure if the race will have to be pulled. Too early to gauge, but concerning.'


often lost.

Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #423 on: 02 May, 2021, 11:29:00 pm »
@quixoticgeek
I think you might like to listen to Helen Murray's 'Inside Tri Show':
https://www.insidetrishow.com/episode/fiona-kolbinger

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: TCR no8.
« Reply #424 on: 02 May, 2021, 11:41:23 pm »
@quixoticgeek
I think you might like to listen to Helen Murray's 'Inside Tri Show':
https://www.insidetrishow.com/episode/fiona-kolbinger

Already did. Thank you. A very interesting interview.

Lake Tahoe.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/