Louisville RR#1: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the .48 IF
FTP: 185
Wattage Gear 2: 126w
97 miles in 6 hrs
IF: .68
TSS: 295.6
Av watts: 118
Av cadence: 70
Norm power: 126
SWIM
Easy, no issues. Training for a 2 mile ocean race so 2.4 is pretty easy for me.
BIKE
- Course: mostly flat (a few rollers) in Oxnard, CA
- Weather: cool, no humidity, overcast (basically the opposite of Lou weather), but became sunny and hot. Plus constant gusty crosswinds (27 mph according to Weather.com!)
- Nutrition: worked like a charm (2 bottles of concentrated Infinit, 1 aero bottle of water)
Bike Goals: (1) stay at 126w or .68 IF (2) keep cadence above 80rpm (3) stay aero 90%. Failed on all three.
The wind really beat me down. I successfully held my wattage for the first 4 hrs, but the last 2 hrs I gradually lost it (dropped to an IF of .48, barely able to keep triple-digit watts!). This was only my 3rd ride over 60 miles ever in my life (I'm clearly lacking on bike endurance over the 4hr mark). Held a solid cadence for about 3 hrs but it really tired out my legs and my average cadence of 85-90rpm dropped to 70. Stayed aero only about 30% of the ride due to rough crosswinds (nearly lost control a half dozen times). Also learned that I CANNOT ride aero on rollers (which comprises a lot of the Lou course unfortunately).
RUN
- Course: flat
- Weather: hot and dry
- Nutrition: electrolyte water (no carbs!)
Despite the underwhelming bike ride, I felt GREAT on my feet. Struggled to keep pace slower than z1. Incorporating walk breaks helped slow me down. Probably could've run a full marathon at that point! Stupidly thought I wouldn't need carbs and set out only w/ electrolyte water. Nearly bonked. That won't happen in the race.
GOALS FOR NEXT RR:
- Tell the supreme being to cut the windy bullshit!
- See number 1
- Keep watts and cadence in check
- Find an even flatter course
- To wheel cover or not to wheel cover?
- Gel during the run
QUESTIONS:
- For an IM, what should I be watching: Av watts, Norm watts or Current Watts? (the wind made my Current Watts more jumpy than ever, hard to keep consistent)
- If watching Av Watts, what do you do if your watts dip (due to traffic lights, unexpected stops, etc). Do you push a bit and try to gradually get your average back, or do you just let it settle below your intended wattage gear?
- Should I lose the wheel covers for Louisville? I couldn't ride aero very much 'cause my rear wheel was swerving around like I was riding on ice. But if the Lou course isn't very windy, maybe it'll be okay?
- I cannot ride aero on rollers (in aero position on downhills my bike violently wobbles and I lose control). Most of my training has been indoors/on flats. Anything I can do, or should I expect to be out-of-aero during the downhill rollers?
- Does all of the above = a 7+ hr bike split?
Thanks for your help!
Comments
1. Pay attention to current watts or something like 3s average.
2. Don't ride to an average. It's a losing proposition.
3. Disc always unless the course disallows it. The disc isn't the issue. The front wheel causes the handling issues. The disc actually helps stabilize your bike in the winds.
4. Clinch your knees against the top tube on descents. It helps stabilize the bike.
5. Probably.
Other thoughts...
Your cadence is really low.
@Bob and Jeff - thanks for the comments. I LOVE shifting. I'm a shifting maniac
But, cadence is an issue that I (as a newbie cyclist) need to focus on. For some freakish reason, when I raise my rpms my legs fatigue faster and cause problems when I run, instead of the opposite. Assume it's lack of cycling experience.
@Jennifer - the coaches want me to stick to flat courses for now. But I hope to get in a few more midweek hilly/roller rides before the race. I've clinched the top tube during non-aero descents...I'll try that in aero and see what happens.
@Jonathan - the .68 wore my legs down big time. Wondering if I should bring it down even further!
Here's some good news:
1. It's unlikely IMLOU will be windy...usually hot and humid
2. There are many hills (short but steep) where you will drop under 10mph for a short period of time. SIT UP on them...will help you give back and neck a break. You will not have to be aero the whole couse.
3. Your low rpms, if your normal rpms, make sure you have enough gears for these hills....a 12-25 or better yet a 12-27 with maybe a compact crank in the front. If no compact, then go with 12-27.
Without the wind, you should be able to descend just as well on your aerobars as on the bullhorns. Wind makes it scary, but try to relax. I find I prefer to keep my weight back farther over my seat (even behind my seat) as I descend on the aerobars. That way I'm not hanging out over my front wheel face first in the wind. This helps me stay low, but feels stable.
@Michael - thanks for the tips, I'm taking every single one to heart. I have a compact crank and 11-28 so I have no excuse for spiking watts on hills.
@John - my FTP for the past few months has been 185 and I used the "wattage gear" calculator (Excel file) in the IM Execution guide to come up with 126 as my goal watts (I hope that's correct). First 4.5 hours wasn't a major issue (aside from wind) but I fell below 100 watts in the last 90 minutes. Thanks for the aero tips. I used to be afraid of just clipping in (!) so I assume it'll eventually come.
I used to mash gears with a lower cadence in the mid-70's and it fatigued my legs a bit too much for the run. I live in flat as a board Texas so I have no use for a compact and run a standard 53/39 with a 12-25 setup. I dedicated early-2010 to training myself to ride at a higher cadence but similar power. The trainer is a super valuable tool for that because you're not getting variables like hills or wind to mess with your gearing. Just steady riding at whatver cadence. It took a couple of months getting used to riding like that. I found out that I also wasn't a "spinner" and wear myself out trying to ride 95 rpms like some people. I found my sweet spot to be 85-87 rpms. I ride that in whatever gear under whatever conditions.
Though my average was 70 rpm, most of my riding in the first half settled around 85 rpm. In the last 2 hrs of riding is when my cadence dropped significantly, partially because of traffic lights partially because of fatigue. Dropping into lower gears (spinning) made my watts go ridiculously low and I suppose I was focusing on keeping the watts in check rather than cadence.
This Sunday's ABP ride I'm planning on putting the bike back onto the trainer (since Mar) to focus 3hrs solely on cadence. No excuses!