Today was the first day of a training program that Randy and I are developing. To get some real data and a real starting point, there were some things that had to be done: a 2 hour ride that included a 20 minute full effort at the 1 hour mark and another 5 minute full effort at the very end.
I arrived in Boulder around 9:00 and Randy set up my bike with a PowerTap wheel. About 9:20 we set out and did some easy riding while watching all the women on the Venus diMiles ride. We met up with Dennis, another of Randy's teammates, and we rode along with the PowerTap reading around 140 and below. My tendency is to ride harder but thanks to Randy's advice and tempo, I stayed at the 140 mark. An easy ride.
When we finally reached the 1 hour point, it was time to enter a world of pain. I did a 1 minute effort to quickly bring the heart rate up and get the legs ready for the longer effort. 5 minutes later, it was on. I took off WAAAAYYY too hard, riding along at around 225 watts. Too bad Randy's PowerTap display is all monkeyed up or I would have seen that my heart rate was too high to sustain the effort for 20 minutes. At about the 10 minute mark, my power output started falling. At 15 minutes, I was done and pulled the plug. Cooked. Shelled. Popped. Jens Voigt I am not.
We rode around for another 40 minutes and grabbed some cold water at the worlds most Mexican gas station which just happens to be across from Amante coffee. After showing the clerk my id card, the one that says I'm Captain Jen-Luc Picard from the United Federation of Planets, Randy and I cooled off and got ready for the 5 minute show down that would have made Sergio Leone smile.
The canyon was a lot cooler than the previous roads and right away I was much more at ease with the test. As we started climbing, I could tell that my legs were getting all flobbery, but hey...it's only 5 minutes. I went as hard as I could and held it there for the duration of the test. After catching my breath and talking a bit with Randy, we headed down the canyon and back to the parking lot from whence we departed. Mr. Big Guy downloaded the data from the PowerTap and we made some staggering discoveries.
Discovery #1: I have no discipline when it comes to controlling my power output. At one point during the 15 minute effort, I hit 450 watts. That is double what I was trying to maintain and shortly after that peak, my lungs and legs rejected all further requests from my brain.
Discovery#2: My nickname is well earned.
Discovery #3: Riding full gas on the flats requires a LOT more mental discipline than I ever imagined. I was hurting right from the gun during the 15 minutes session and never got a rhythm going whereas the 5 minutes session in the canyons went smoothly.
Discovery #4: I knew I sucked but I had no idea I sucked this much. My average 15 minute power was 202 watts and my 5 minute average was 220. That's less than I hoped for but about what I expected. Hard and fast numbers can put you in your place.
Discovery #5: The 3 taco deal at Qdoba is not worth the money
So there you have it. My nickname is well earned and those of you racing 'cross this year will likely see me twice on the course. Once as we line up for the start, and again as you put me a lap down. But remember: You might be fast, you might be fit, but you are not as cool as a bull-riding monkey.
No comments:
Post a Comment