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Rich's 2016 Micro

Rich StanbaughRich Stanbaugh
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Hi Coach - I've attached my 90-day MMP/PD Curve from WKO. I tested last Wednesday, so you can see the shelf at 20 minutes.Based on this, I feel that I need to focus on FTP intervals and Longer Sweet Spot / Tempo rides to flatten the tail of the curve and extend watts to the right... is this how you see it? What would you prescribe?

Please and Thank you!

Comments

  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    Rich, thanks for the chart and the great question. I don't want to usurp what your teammates might tell you to do, but here are my thoughts.

    First, let's look at the ratio -- your 5 hour power divided by your FTP. We get .635. Ideally we'd get that up to .7, or 185. Which, eyeballing it, looks like your current 3 hour power.

    With an eye towards Wisconsin (with Florida to follow), you have 8 weeks to the race, there isn't a ton of pressure to ride 5 hours. You can do that in your sleep, so I would save your 5 hour ride until the final RR at the end of Week 18.

    So basically 5.5 weeks into that RR, then it's just Race Specific work from there.

    I would go something like this:

    Ride 1 = FTP work, you are responding so well to it.
    Ride 2 = (Former long ride) Now in the 3 hour range with 20' intervals in the 230W range. So warm up 30' then 20' on, 10' to recover and repeat.
    Ride 3 = Find Randy. Or similar stud. It's as close to motorpacing as you can get and a great change to back up Ride 2 with as much work as you can sustain.

    I know you might freak about the volume, but you got that stuff no problem. Instead I'd look at your weekly TSS and see if you can't drive it up. 5 weeks is the perfect window to make a tangible change in the numbers then dial it back with a few steady ride....you'll feel like you are falling asleep out there except you'll be riding at 185 like it's easy peasy...

    Let me know what you think!

    ~ Coach P

  • Shaughn SimmonsShaughn Simmons

    .......the last thing the competition needs is a faster RS........too late it appears, Stanbaugh is coming!

  • Rich StanbaughRich Stanbaugh

    @SS - don't try sandbagging me... you are a BEAST!

    @Coach P - I think this makes a lot of sense. I don't know if I can miss my Saturday scone though, so the long ride will still be there, but I think I can work 3x20min into that ride and just try to hang on to the group after I exhaust myself :-)

    I was pretty disappointed in how quickly the power was dropping off on my chart. Tonight on my long run, I was fighting through traffic lights and it occurred to me that I have the same problem on all the bikes. Lots of traffic. I added Pnorm to my chart and feel better - the 5hr Pnorm is 195w. It really doesn't matter if I use Pnorm or Pavg for a power test - they are always within a watt or two. But, over 5hrs, the traffic lights, cars and coffee/scone stop impacts Pavg. The long rides so far this year are not low VI RR rides - they are crushing the hills and racing Randy. Plotting the Pnorm helps indicate what I can do over that timeframe. That doesn't change the approach to extending the 20-min power - just makes me feel better :-)

     

  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    Good call on Pavg vs Pnorm...hadn't thought of that. So few of my rides have actual lights that I forget. image

    That is better, and a good indicator...although the style of riding -- hard, suffer, draft, recover, etc., doesn't make that Pnorm the same as you in TT mode. It _does_ show us that you are well on your way.

    Keep it up!
  • Rich StanbaughRich Stanbaugh

    Your prescription is working!

    I haven't given up the Saturday volume, but ave been trying to push hard FTP intervals during the ride. Saturday intervals included (FTP=263w):

    • 45 min @ NP 257w (starting mile 16)
    • 30 min @ NP 221w (starting mile 43),
    • 10 min @ NP 279w (starting mile 67), &
    • 35 min @ NP 246w (Starting at mile 76).

    WKO includes all the stoppage time in the Pavg number, so the 5hr Pavg is still represented too low (but up to 167w from 157w). Heading to WI for RR next week, that should be a good opportunity to start focusing on the low VI steady rides. You can see on the chard below that I have extended the 20min MMP to the right so that the "cliff" is nearly gone. 5hr Pnorm is up from 195w to 215w.

    Here is the new chart so you can see the improvements. Since this is a run-focused week, I was thinking of doing VO2 on Wednesday to lighten the volume but otherwise continue another week of pounding out FTP intervals on Saturday with some tempo work on Sunday, then start transitioning to steady riding during the RR rides next week.

    Does this make sense to you?

  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    BOOM! That's fantastic!!!!! You are a stud. You can do the RR ride but I would still push it a bit. image The value of that FTP stuff is so high I hate to lose it across two weeks.... image

    This week VO2 is great...

    Here's an idea....I'll "let you" do the long rides next week if the week after you do 3 x 90' rides (nothing long) with plenty o' FTP to close out this FTP phase....thoughts? image

    ~ Coach P
  • Rich StanbaughRich Stanbaugh
    Just so I understand... when you say 3 x 90' rides (nothing long) you mean:
    - Wednesday 90'
    - Saturday 90'
    - Sunday 90'

    Thats all for the week?
    - My CTL will plummet...
    - The scones are 45 miles from my house
    - Wouldn't this be better 3 weeks out from the race?

    I've been trying to do the long ride and add the FTP units in with the rest as race pace. So, for example, I will race somewhere around 180-190; I do 95 miles at 180+ and add in 60+ minutes of FTP intervals. I could up that number to 90minutes and then just hang on for the volume and protect the CTL...???
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