70.3 Branson Specific Bike Training
Well, little did I know and signed up for this without checking the vertical profile. There is no flattening off this thing by any EN method. I read everything our coaches put on bike training and racing with power and without. This thing is seriously rolling with some climbs going 4% for 2mi or more. I live in KC and race 70.3 Kansas, nothing like Branson.
Can someone provide some suggestions for bike training specific to a course like that. Any suggestions I get will go to coaches for an approval prior modifying. Here is some background:
1. I have read all the material on training and racing from EN
2. I am in Week 5 of 12 Week Advanced HIM plan, first race prep EN plan that I am following
3. FTP is 3.97W/kg, 80-85% range is 220-235W
4. History of "good bike" "poor run" races
5. 2:27 bike split PR at Kansas, previous HIM races 4:47, 4:44, 4:39, 4:45
6. Branson run course is pancake flat
Is there a need to modify the plan to include some bike specific workouts that can help with all that climbing or just leave it alone and execute plan as is. As I mentioned, any good ideas will be submitted to coach for approval.
Thank you very much.
Comments
@A,
4% for 2 miles is NOTHING at your w/kg. Seriously, nothing to worry about. If you have a compact + 25-12 on the bike I'm very confident that you'll be able to spin 85-100rpm on pretty much anything out there.
Short answer, zero modifications needed to your plan, just check your bike to make sure you don't have something stoopid on it like a 21-11 cassette
Note to self: fire up "Real Climbing Calibration Training Camp" in SoCal next spring. Expose TeamEN athletes to 2-3hr continuous climbs at 6-8% as well as pitches of 14-18% and forever redefine what a "hill" is on this team
With a bike like that, I would personally target 1-2% lower of an IF than usual to be say. Sure you may lose a few minutes on the bike, but the risk of going to hard on the bike and suffering on the run is seems pretty high. I would bet a number of people will blow up and if you take the bike a little easy you can make up a ton of time on the run.
Sounds like the prefect course for the EN style of execution... If I didn't have another race within a few weeks I would be there.
Thank you both Rich and Matt.
As of now it is 53/39+ 12-25. I know. Wright now, it is budget prohibitive to go compact, but is in the plan for the future. I am a spinner, climb in Rich specified range. 70.3 Kansas course avg. cadence 2 years in a row has been 103 rpm with this gearing. Plan on spinning again at Branson. I just let my body self select, I don't interfere much.
Good advice on IF. That will help using it as a starting point. Definitely will be more conservative on the bike.
Thanks to both, again.
Just FyI, I just picked up an R700 compact crank for about 165 total installed, including the R700 BB (<$150 for the parts). It's what Shimano sold for the Ultegra/DA line before they introduced a formal compact to those lines. Mancona told me he had one until recently, and the chief dude at the LBS (a serious roadie) has it on his race bike too. But they are not available any more, so you have to buy them from a dealer on line that has some left in stock...and that's what I did. LBS totally was cool about installing it ($16) when I told them the price, and I give them plenty of business anyway. <br />
Anyway, just to let you know that there is at least one good quality relative bargain out there.
Thank you very much. I run Quarq Cinqo on FSA Team Issue bcd 130 53/39 crank, so it is not that simple for me to change cranks. I appreciate your suggestion and would jump on it otherwise.
Your #4 from the initial post...that would read, according to EN philosophy, "poor run = poor bike". I completely agree with Matt that a bike course like Branson, followed by that run course is just 'cut out' for EN because 95% of the field will do exactly what you described in #4; which really means what I just said because you can't have a good bike IF you have a poor run. Spin your way like you said, and just keep thinking about mile 9 on the run...that's where the fun starts!
Thank you guys. You got me pumped up now. I purposely disclosed no.4 as I fully agree with EN assessment of "I had a great swim and bike, but poor run". There is no such a thing.
I will dial down the IF, make sure I use high cadence to climb and show restraint, patience. Will see how it goes. I will be glad to report back on it.
If you're worried about the effect of moderatly low cadence on your legs (I say this because looks like you spin at a pretty high cadence and live in flatland = you dont experience much low cadence cycling), you can always insert some low cadence work into your interval sessions. I've been doing this informally on my last few rides, grinding up hills in the big ring at 40-50rpm and high watts to turn a 6-7% grade hill into 13-18% grade.
I will include that for sure. Thanks.