Riding Intervals outdoors on hills?
I do my riding in a hilly area (there is nothing flat around here) think rolling hills, nothing steep or unfortunatly, that long, but generally hilly horse country
Do you really focus on hitting intervals? It seems that at times, on slight downhills, or real downhills, you just won’t be working to hold watts. Then there is Rich’s mantra espoused on me last year of ride hard, ride fast, ride often? And don’t worry about the intervals as long as you are working hard when possible?
I am thinking of doing a combo of indoor / outdoor training. 1 hr rides, will be indoors on the trainer focusing on the intervals.
1x a week longer rides outside….
Thoughts?
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Entire workout (231 watts):
Duration: 3:45:06 (4:37:08)
Work: 3123 kJ
TSS: 244.4 (intensity factor 0.834)
Norm Power: 259
VI: 1.12
Pw:HR: 12.12%
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 0 ft
Elevation Gain: 3478 ft
Elevation Loss: 3504 ft
The intensity for the ride should be more like .80. I haven't adjusted my ft number up for outside.
I went out just to ride long and didn't do specific intervals. The route was rolling, with one big 18 minute climb, and I stopped 3 times to mess with my saddle position and eat and goof around and really didn't have an intense focus overall. I just wanted to ride. There was a fair amount of coasting(I didn't have my speedometer pod hooked up so the pm would stop when I didn't pedal thus the difference in times). But what happens over time is that you get in the habit of just riding harder and before you know it you're doing 80ish% work for 4 hours. The structure and discipline of having specific intervals is great, but if the mindset is just to "push", you're halfway there. And specific interval training on the trainer, one day a week, even in good weather is very beneficial and very focused work. I always say I'll keep doing them and I never do. Too much fun out of doors to be had.
Long tri has us thinking long, steady, don't spike on the hills, but that's racing. Training (in retrospect for me now) should consist of ride as hard as you can for as long as you can. Basically, that's it. No need to put too fine a point on it until you dial in for race day. Of course, we're all different, but keeping it simple is a real necessity for me.
There are some pretty big names that do pretty much as you describe. I am pretty sure that this is how Andy Potts works, and I believe I've seen mancona say he has done the same. If staying inside is the way to get your intervals done, then go ahead and do it.
OTOH, there is also something to be said for real outdoor riding. You will have more variability in your intervals, but you will face hills/wind/etc more realistically too. This is my second cycle of EN training. I have gone in a slightly "interpretive" direction...not for every ride, but for some. If the goal for the day is 3 x12 or 2 x 20 or whatever at FTP, then I do my best to ride that hard ouside, but I don't worry about short breaks because of downhills and I don't worry about attacking hills moderately. (Maybe a little less attack on the longer ride). If it's a VO2 type ride (which tend to be on the shorter ones), then I minimally hit the intervals that are asked, but I attack the hills hard anyway. For a 60-90 minute ride that's supposed to be mostly threshold, occasionally I will just go out and ride hard as I can manage for that time without worrying about formal intervals. In other words, I am willing to go with the "spirit" of the ride as much as the letter.
But the thing to be careful about is that you really don't want to use that as an excuse to get lay about getting the style and amount of work in. If you think you really want to be certain to get the exact work, then there's no subtitute for that lousy trainer and working inside!
we are def in the same area, i basically ride out 172 from kisco to bedford and to many different loops i have developed between bedford, pound ridge, north salem, purdys, etc. i have a couple of epic rides that i do going out over the bear mountain bridge up to the newburgh or mid hudson bridges as well.we should hook up sometime, what are your A events this year?
If-ever/When-ever you want to do an early am weekend ride, give me a shout at linda.filar@ubs.com.