/BRT/ - Bike Training and Racing thread

flat bar race bike

How fast does a road race go? How many km/h average over a distance of 100 km?

>>996028
depends on the category, race course and conditions. 4/5 will be anywhere from 20-23 mph, 1/2/3 anywhere from 22-25.

There's no standard. Typically, very fast. Over 20 mph for all cats (men at least). (32/33+ km/h)

>>996030
I got a long way to go...

>>996031
Keep in mind it's much much easier to keep those speeds up when your in a pack of riders.

I bough a shitty cx bike for winter commuting and heard there are weekly open cx races right next to me about to start in few weeks. Apparently you can participate on any kind of bike but to get a number and score you need a cx bike.

Never raced at all but I really want to try this. Are there any tips for cx/racing in general. Gonna take at least the first time somewhat easy and see how things go. Also have to do some riding on the bike first to get used to it and because I haven't been off the road on bike in ages.

>>996040
Have to tell ya lad, you can't take CX easy.

>>996040
Practice dismounts/remounts, carrying bike/hopping barriers and tight cornering on shitty terrain (wet grass, mud, etc.).

File: 12032834_10156103424850343_2404822594712949433_o.jpg (909KB, 3361x1244px) Image search: [Google]

909KB, 3361x1244px

>>996025
Fuck yeah I am. First race is on the 28th. Can't wait.

>>996025
I've never. I do need to set aside time to go out and at least watch CX, looks like fun.

>>996032
Sheltering in the peloton may make it easier, but if you don't have the athleticism to keep up during a surge, or find yourself off the back on an ascent, then you're sure not going to have the athleticism to chase back on either; your race is over at that point.

>>996046
I'm just telling that to myself. I'm way too competitive to not go all out and give it everything I have once I'm racing.

>>996047
That's pretty much what I figured I need to practice most.

I'm torn between pedal choice. I guess I'll have to go out and test what feels the best. Unfortunately I caught a flu when flying back from my vacation so I'm no cycling before I've dealt with that. At least it forced me to rest after riding all day every day for two weeks.

>>996030
23mph is fast not "very fast"
I did a cat5 race, first race of my life, it was like 60km and we averaged 23mph/37km/h, and that included a 1.1 mile/2km long climb that we did twice (3x actually, but first time was neutral rollout)
woulda been 24mph+ without the hill and that's cat5
>>996031
Averaging 37km/h in a pack is only as difficult as averaging like 29 solo
>>996058
I let myself get sucked way to the back on the 2km climb half way through because I didn't want to waste energy and I suck at climbing, and it was absolutely trivial to catch back up to the lead guys in like 20-30 seconds after reaching the top of the climb
Same thing at corners, was trivial to close the gap when we got spread out
>>996050
Good luck anon~!

>>996062
>Averaging 37km/h in a pack is only as difficult as averaging like 29 solo
Or maybe 30-31 solo
but still

File: Shimano-XT-Clipless-PD-M8000-Pedals-black-universa-97eebc2a7712b712fb1caeefb9a73863.jpg (157KB, 1920x1080px) Image search: [Google]

157KB, 1920x1080px

>>996059
Pic related, it's the only choice.

Lads I was the asshole cyclist by accident today :/

>>996074
do tell

>>996076
Nothing too major, just impatient to get home after some tough intervals. There was a long line of traffic that was taking a long time to start at a green light so I cut up between the cars and the curb (no bike lane) in an attempt to get up on the sidewalk. When I was about to turn up onto the sidewalk a car (from the long line of traffic) was also turning into the same driveway so I almost hit him which made me cut him off. I sprinted away. I feel bad since it was so busy and I guess(?) I didn't see his turn signal.

Oh well, lesson learned in probably the best outcome.

>>996077
so long as your spinal column is intact

>>996062
>I let myself get sucked way to the back on the 2km climb half way through because I didn't want to waste energy and I suck at climbing, and it was absolutely trivial to catch back up to the lead guys in like 20-30 seconds after reaching the top of the climb
>Same thing at corners, was trivial to close the gap when we got spread out
OK, all that means one of two things:
1) The races you're referring to were low-level and nobody had crazy amounts of athleticism, therefore everybody was gassed at the top of the climb and didn't have anything left to leverage the descent

or

2) You've just got insane amounts of anaerobic endurance but no muscular endurance at Threshold; if this is true, then you're probably a crit racer, a better sprinter than anything else, and for you doing Power workouts like Jumps and anaerobic intervals of up to 5 or 6 minutes in Z5b are probably fun for you.

My recommendation to you? When a climb is coming up, attack like you mean it and get a good solid gap between you and the peloton. Do it right and they'll just be catching you when you reach the top. Also, never skip Muscular Endurance days, and spend some time in the gym this Fall working on building up those Type-I muscle fibers in your legs. Also, three words for you: Long Tempo rides.

Road race today.

>5 or 6 man breakaway group forms on lap 2 of 2
>I'm in the lead chase group
>Breakaway gets far enough ahead before I see it that I don't have enough anaerobic endurance to bridge up to it (also: too much fucking WIND)
>4 or 5 guys in my chase group have a guy in the breakaway
>faggots actively controlling the chase group speed
>everyone else (but me) is being a gigantic pussy and GIVING UP
>I try to set the Right Example and pull like I mean it; makes no fucking difference
>breakaway succeeds
>faggot teams' guy DOESN'T win
>some justice served

However:
>tfw out of position to make it into the successful breakaway and have a shot at actually fucking WINNING

Goddamnit..

File: IMG_20160821_065409.jpg (797KB, 2560x1920px) Image search: [Google]

797KB, 2560x1920px

who #ridingsleepdeprived here?

Can't sleep, don't want to™ but those 80km CX trails ain't gonna ride themselves. Also no fuel left except for 2 bars and some nespresso I poured in actimel container instead of gels. Ghetto as shit I'm not sure I will survive.

>>996444
At least you tried and got some strong efforts lad. Power PRs?
>>996474
I can't do sleep deprived. I don't drink coffee either. So if I miss out on sleep, RIP.

>>996477
>Power PRs?
No power. PowerTap wheel stays home for 'A'-priority races. Spent more time with HR in the 'Max' range than in Threshold or Tempo, though.

>>996477
Know what really rustled my jimmies about this today? When I discovered those guys had a guy (two guys, in fact) in the breakaway, and tried to rally support to chase for real with the non-team guys?
>Me: Hey those guy have a guy in the breakaway, you know what that means, right?
>Other guy: It means we're screwed?

Fucking pussy-ass coward faggots, why do they even bother showing up if they aren't even going to TRY? Makes no sense to me.

>>996474
You know, if you're really hard up and have no on-bike fuel, you can always just use table sugar dissolved in your water bottles. It's not something you should do all the time, but if it's a choice between that and maybe bonking, you should just go with it.

File: IMG_20160821_114623.jpg (780KB, 2560x1920px) Image search: [Google]

780KB, 2560x1920px

>>996477
>>996497

I sort of made it only got to 70km though and rode last 15km with black and white vision

>>996496
Yeah, wtf? That's what racing's all about.
>>996602
Probably don't want to do that again.

How do i get into track cycling guys

Based Jason Kenny and Laura Trott made me wanna do it

>>996602
>with black and white vision
what the fuck are you doing to yourself

>>996602
Hello Barcelona person

Do you only do CX? I would like to meet some people to do some more "enduro" style riding with here..

File: image6.png (43KB, 900x900px) Image search: [Google]

43KB, 900x900px

all the fucking people on my strava who do like 50-100 mile rides and they have a fast average speed and everyone's like AW YEAH KILL IT and you see that they only had like 1500 ft of climbing the whole ride.

Why do climbing casuals suck? People are so afraid of climbing and it's ridiculous. Climbing is the best part of cycling because you get to consistently suffer then bomb a descent.

smfh

>>996780
>coming to 4chan to brag about your exhibitionist "app"
/facebook/

>>996780
this is why i ride mtb (not park)

first you get to go UP
then you get to go DOWN
then you get to go AGAIN

>>996780
>mfw you apparently don't know about 'hill climb repeats' in training
You're not differentiating between the recreational riders and racers.

>>996780
>looking at other people's rides
I use it only as a fitness tracker, never gave a kudos ever

>>996780

>tfw surrounded by mountains
>couldn't ride on anything remotely resembling "flat" even if I wanted to

yeah I hate those flatlanders too but only because I'm jealous :'(

>>996782
I don't have a facebook faggot
>>996780
I ride mtb too, if you have flat mtb rides... Well, that just sucks
>>996813
They don't do those either. I know who these people are, pal.
>>996818
Flat is nice sometimes but you need to climb. You don't even have a valley to ride in?
>>996817
Mostly because I know them personally.

>>996780
>complaining about people who don't conform to YOUR standards like they're doing it as a personal attack on you
I think you should calm down a little. At least they're riding. The average, casual, recreational rider looks at riding 20 miles at a time (which, for anyone in this thread who road races, would call a 'warmup') like it's some gruelling ultra-endurance event that they can brag about to their co-workers and the lady that lives next door when the housewives meet for coffee and gossip.
Remember: pretty much anyone in this thread WAS THEM at some point or other, and that includes YOU. Don't forget where you came from.

Also, remember that it's not the amount of climbing, but the quality of climbing; there's a big difference between 1500 feet of gentle rollers spread out over 100 miles, and 1500 feet all in one shot over 10 miles.

>>996780

I know that feel when you have been suffering cursing your lungs climbing that technical climb and no one gives a shit because you 2 slow.

But guess what normies only see numbers instead of overall effort so ditch your shit strava app and move on.

I am having troubles getting a powermeter lads

>Stages crank is impossible with my low mounted rear brake
>Powertap C1 chainrings seem very good for the price and also with double measurement, but they dont fit on my ultegra 6800 crank arm
>Rotor power cranks dont fit on my ultegra 6800 chainrings
>Powertap hub requires me to get a new wheelset, I dont trust myself to put it in a wheel myself
>pedals are expensive

any good options im missing? Why do they make it so hard? Why dont powertap make the C1 chainrings that are compatible with the newer 105, ultegra and DA groups, those being probably the most popular groups around?

>>996926
just buy new chainrings you retard

>>996926
>>996933
He can't, because 6800 requires asymmetric 4-bolt rings and C1 chainrings don't come that way yet. I might be tempted to replace the crank at this point... shouldn't have bought a bike with a brake mounted under the fucking chainstays.

>>996950
>>996926
Does Pioneer's powermeter work with your bike/cranks? If not I'd just buy a new crankset that has power and sell your current crankset.

>>996926
>>996950
My bike has that brake setup and the stages fit fine. Does it stick out past the chainstay on yours or something?

>>996950
if he gets a crank based meter, it will be a new crank and thus open to aftermarket rings

rotor, quarq, SRM, power2max

Can someone rec me a heart rate monitor? I've no idea where to start.

>>996976
Are you using it with a phone or computer?
Do you need bluetooth or ant?
I think some come with both but connectivity is the main concern.

>>996025
Best preparation for cx in my experience is mtb climbing.
I feel so much fresher at races if I did mostly mtb in the prior week.

Not sure why, I'm casual as fuck anyway.

>>996966
was thinking about that but the aftermarket chain rings would add a lot to the price. I really like what ive heard about the Powertap C1 chainrings so I just hope they make them compatible with modern shimano cranks soon

>>996983
Phone unfortunately, as my Garmin edge 200 has completely lost all ability to acquire satellites.

>>996606
This.
Except I'm a britbong and there's no velodrome's or outdoor tracks anywhere near me. Even if they were close they're over packed and hard to get time on.

>>997070
Why do you even need GPS at all for training? All you need is speed, cadence, power, and maybe heart rate.

Today is the day.
I start training for Ragbrai 2k17.

>>997070
RMA that shit

>>996677

>CX

Sorry man I keep messing it up I meant XC and yeah we can hang out I probably will be a complete casual for enduro but we can try.

>>997141
Out of warranty :*(

thoughts on this for first racing bike
bikeexchange.com.au/a/road-bikes/scott/qld/fortitude-valley/addict-team-issue/102774867

>>997294
is this a serious question?

>>997294
>First race bike
>$11000 bike
>That's a 'fuck you' bike
FUCK YOU AND YOUR 'FUCK YOU' BIKE, FUCKER.

>>996954
Nope, pioneer also has that extension on the inside of the left crank like stages has, unless they make another type of powermeter I dont know about.

The only crank based powermeter that would work on my bike are the Rotor ones, since they dont have that extension.

>>996956
Yes, the ultegra direct mount brake is quite bulky, the standard crank only just clears it by a few mm. Literally no room for any extension there.

>>996966
I was thinking about getting a rotor power crank with Q-rings, since I liked my previous bike with biopace rings so much. But Q-rings are expensive as fuck unfortunately. I also recently bought a new big ring so ill need to wear that one out first.

http://www.strawpoll.me/11068585

http://www.strawpoll.me/11068585

http://www.strawpoll.me/11068585

>>997714
>tfw no powermeter

File: 1471564024161.jpg (88KB, 500x464px) Image search: [Google]

88KB, 500x464px

>>997771
I know that feel

>>997771
My stages was $250 new. Granted I got it through my coach and it's for a rival crank, but still - the cheapest I've ever seen.

>>997650
Have you considered about buying a new, less bulky rear brake?

What about the Garmin Vector S2? Seems affordable

>>997836
oh and I just found bePRO pedals, never heard of them before but they seem to be the cheapest way of getting a real two-sided measurement. Anyone has any experience with them?

>>997842
a riding buddy of mine used bepro left side only pedal. It worked ok-ish, I remember him complaining about his gamin losing the signal from time to time and having weird powerjumps / random numbers afterwards.
It died in a race crash though, he somehow got a money refund and bought a p2max crank after I recommened it to him.

>>997836
Oh and I forgot to mention that the garmin pedals are pretty overpriced. They do have that pedal stroke analysis tool though which could be handy.

Might want to check second hand powermeters by the way. I often see the otherwise way too expensive SRMs for actually reasonable prices. Stuff like: 1 year old, used only on the tria race bike so it has like <500 km on it, fresh inspection and warrenty.

>Team captain emails a select number of us to inform us of The Plan for this Saturdays' road race
>We're allying with another team, and between us we'll have about half the field
>Plan is: 6-man break attacking off the front soon after the start, 3 from our team, 3 from theirs
>Everyone else stays behind to block and chase down other attacks
>One guy responds thusly:
>"I would rather not be a part of this plan, seems very anti-sportsmanship, plus not sure why we would work with another team just to get more guys to block. I prefer to race the course and all of the competitors."
>WTF?
Not sure why anyone with an attitude like that even bothers racing, let alone being part of a team.

>>997975
"You mean this ISNT a drag race?"

>>997995
Yeah no shit. Someone like that should just go do TT's and leave it at that, not bother their little heads with all those rude nasty strategies and tactics. Or maybe just stick with the retirees and their coffeeshop rides.

>>998072
to be honest, making an alliance worth half the field is unsportsmanlike for the rest of the field. Nothing wrong with tactics but if half the field is in on it its more like rigging it.

>>998074
true. I've never really heard of two teams doing that. pretty ingenious tho

>>998074
>>998212
>low quality bait

File: 1455660670261.jpg (66KB, 640x533px) Image search: [Google]

66KB, 640x533px

>>998366
eh. this is such a slow general we need some entertainment.

>>996025
>škoda
>mitas
>crowd
>czech flag

Czechia fug yeah!!

>>998072
>>998074
>Found the two guys in the thread who don't actually race
Pro-tip: Trade in those beach cruisers for a real road bike and ride with the big dogs, kthxbye

>>996926
>new wheelset
Just cut the spokes and lace it to a new hub. If that's too hard then find a good wheelbuilder. Easy

>>998960
>cut the spokes
Do NOT just 'cut the spokes' on any wheel that you want to re-use the hub. The sudden release of tension could possibly damage the flanges. Get a spoke tool and at least loosen the spokes first.

File: Screenshot_20160825-114253.png (229KB, 270x480px) Image search: [Google]

229KB, 270x480px

Should I supplement cycling with resistance/weight training?
If so, what do you guys do? Don't fancy a gym membership just to focus on legs.

I'm already a decent pace (~30 to 32km/h) solo, fairly speedy up hills because I'm super light. Can always get faster though.
Aim is to be a decent all rounder.

File: 1464883585031.jpg (21KB, 480x600px) Image search: [Google]

21KB, 480x600px

>>999010
shave your legs first and foremost

>>999010
>Should I supplement cycling with resistance/weight training?
Yes. Make it part of your Fall training. CTB has a section on weight training. Make your max strength phase co-incide with Early Base weeks.

File: August 28th.jpg (143KB, 984x667px) Image search: [Google]

143KB, 984x667px

Am I gud yet? Laps 1,3, and 5 where the high-intensity laps, whereas 2, 4, and 6 where the recoveries

File: August 28th Data.jpg (299KB, 1370x1298px) Image search: [Google]

299KB, 1370x1298px

>>999291
I just analyzed my Garmin data and added it to this image. Since Laps 1,3, and 5 where the genuine high-effort laps, where do I stand? I haven't raced in years, so I have no idea what Cat. I am. Additionally, what can be said particularly of my power and W/kg metrics? I genuinely have no idea what to think of it

File: 20160524_082238-1.jpg (1MB, 2982x1677px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 2982x1677px

>>996474
Fueled by dabs, coffee, and bagels

>>999328
Well, those are 13 min efforts, so maybe try to do longer efforts. That w/kg is good, you could easily make it to cat 3 if you're starting from 5. I have no idea otherwise. That was a pretty short ride in general. Best way to learn is to race and find out.

Also, how small are you?? I'm 150-152 lbs and 300W is still only zone 3 for me. I can't imagine being at almost 5 W/Kg and still being under 300W lol.

>>999425
I am 129 lbs 5'9: the TrainingPeaks W/Kg chart suggests I'm solidly in the Cat. 2 domain (and perhaps even the low end of Cat. 1), however I am not sure of how apt this data is, given as you've said my laps where are almost uniformly halfway between 5 min and 20 min FTP tests

Taking recommendations for relatively cheap <=400€ wheelset for my cx bike. Disc brakes, preferably clinchers, I plan on racing with them. I've got tons of old road wheels but they're all for rim brakes so can't use them. Getting some disc hubs and new spokes and rebuilding some of the ones with shitty hubs is an option though.

>>999456
>cx75 hubset €160
>h+son archetype €150
>dt revolution €60
You can do it much cheaper on XT hubs if you don't plan on running 11spd.

>>999436
How you test doesn't have as much to do with how well you race than you think it does. If it did then VO2max would be determining who wins the majority of races, and it clearly doesn't.

How long can you maintain Threshold pace continuously? 20 minutes? 30? 40? An hour? If you're in a breakaway, you'll probably be working at that intensity for an extended period of time, if you expect to stay away.
How about your anaerobic endurance? If you're trying to bridge up to a break, or there are surges during a race, or you're in a crit and sprinting out of every corner, low anaerobic endurance will leave you off the back and chasing.

But that's all just the athletic part of the sport, which is half (at best) the equation, and the easier part to achieve. How are your bike handling skills? Race skills? You can have top-notch levels of athleticism and still place poorly in every single race, if you don't know *how* to race effectively, and that's the harder part of racing to learn, because you can't just read books or do exercises alone to learn it, you have to learn it while you're racing.

>>999501
These are all very well-written points. I understand that athleticism does not translate directly to skill, my intention in my posts was to probe for my "rank" prior to inquiring into other intangibles (pack racing skills, wet road handeling, etc), I should clarify.

>>996062
>Averaging 37km/h in a pack is only as difficult as averaging like 29 solo
This pretty much if you have a buddy with a moped that can go 40 kph then you'll get the jest of it. Personally I find it more stressful, since I constantly have to adjust speed/line because I'm afraid of crashing.
It's also why I'll never make it.

>>999010
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwBJ2258hzo
you could always do some test and get a lot better results.

>>999504
Understood, and I've recently started looking at that same chart to help identify limiters in my own athleticism. My original comment was motivated by knowing that it's all too easy to get lost in the numbers, overlooking that it's only part of the whole picture. Wasn't intended to criticize or chastise you. ;-)

>>999515
>ou could always do some test and get a lot better results.
GTFO, we don't need that shit around here. There's already too much of that cancer in cycling, stop helping it metasticize.

File: raaaace.png (134KB, 968x782px) Image search: [Google]

134KB, 968x782px

First CX race of the season today. Came 2nd in Intermediate Men's. 60 minutes, course was super sandy. Forgot how hard this is, jesus (raced last year too). Fun though!

>>999607
why does it matter if jesus raced or not?

>>999501
>How long can you maintain Threshold pace continuously?
Dude that's literally the point of threshold. It's the point where your lactate is being removed at the same rate as it's being added.

So you can maintain it "indefinitely". As in, there is no 20 or 30 minute or 1 hour limit.

>>999669
Ah, I see, so when January rolls around, you'll go out for your first Threshold ride of the year and do a full hour continuous, no breaks of any kind? LOL sure thing buddy.

>>999707
It seems like you don't understand what threshold means. Like anon already pointed out it's the point where lactate is being removed at the same rate as you're producing it. Go faster and it starts to build up. If you can't keep it up for an hour you're going faster than your threshold allows. Threshold is what you can keep doing indefinitely.

Obviously if you go for a first ride after few months of relatively little riding you won't be able to do it at the same power as your previous peak during the last training season. Train actively and properly and your threshold power goes up. Sit on the coach eating and your threshold power goes down.

>>999436
Yeah lad, my threshold is 333W and i'm 69kg. I have no issue holding 365W for at least 10-12 min at a time. On "the chart", i should also be cat 1/2. I'm a 3, and I could definitely climb with cat 2/1s, but there's a lot more to racing than that. I made it from 5 to 3 only after a handful of road races, but I had to learn ALL sorts of things about road racing (coming from mtb).

My point is, sure we could "predict" where you would be - I know how you feel, I've done it myself quite a lot - but it means jack shit until you've actually raced.

>>999777
>tfw im 75.5kg
>can do 400-410 watts for 10 mins
>510 for 3:30
>my best 30 minute is only like 330 watts

how does it feel to have a good ftp?

>>999328
jeez that is some very low cadence. I think you will be able to hold on to your power much longer if you up that to at least 90rpm

>>999594
Are you really that gullible? Every athlete that aspires to compete has to be on some sort of performance enhancing drug dead simple and there's nothing wrong with it.

>>999328
You need a better cadence mate.

>>999515
>>999594
>>999932
lol test isn't going to help a cyclist too much. It honestly doesn't take much to recover from hard cycling training, insulin would be best for recovery because a lot of fatigue from road cycling is from depletion. Train for 2 hours hard in the morning, recovery food+insulin and can train hard again 4-6 hours later and keep doing it for weeks on end, basically means huge gains. Test and certain orals will help mostly from increased hct. But really epo or GW1516 is where it's at. EPO is safest in terms of detection:aerobicgains ratio

>>999932
>hurr durr everyone is on PEDs, LOL
kill yourself

>>999852
>>999935
If he's training muscular endurance, then that cadence is exactly what he should be aiming for.

>>999958
What most competitive cyclists, and pretty much anyone that frequents this thread should be doing, is *training*, not taking PEDs of any kind. Top ranking pros on the world tour who are already at their natural limits of performance may find an excuse to use PEDs, but pretty much anyone in this thread is just getting started and just needs to train properly and race as often as they can.

Memo to no one in particular:

If you show up at a road race, and you're not there to try to win if you can? Just stay home. This ain't 'fantasy road racing', we're actually doing this for real, okay? Go find some group ride somewhere instead and stop clogging up the lane with your half-assed riding.

Any of you guys get guys like that in any of your races? Fucking hate that.

>>1000006
Don't you up in rank from Cat5 to Cat4 simply by participation? No need to make any effort, just finish a mass start race.

>>999799
painful mostly. at a RR I won (last stage of a stage race) I did 309W for 40 min then a descent then another 9:30 at 330W. That first 40 min was after about 40 mi of racing and that 9:30 was after about 65 mi. That power isn't even that great, but after 3 stages I was decently pleased. The winning effort of a minute at 465W was a fucking killer, that was to the finish line.

>>1000006
Yes man. The last 30 riders of any field usually. It's fucking terrible because usually crits around here have callups based on last years participation or who pre reged first. Basically means you are boned in a crit having to move up 80+ positions.

>>999981
whatever brah stay natty and stay without wins or gains lmao.

>>999958
He posted a picture of his babby leg, if he wants bigger muscles he needs some test not a whole lot.

>>1000112
>>1000123
>non-racers posting in a racing thread

>>999992
I agree with this a lot honestly, hardly any people train properly. If someone is training <10 hours a week no amount of test is going to help them with their endurance because they aren't getting fatigued enough to need it

>>1000112
There is plenty of natty athletes here who win the 1/2 races lol. I know a few anabolically enhanced people who never compete and are actually slower than me in basically every possible way completely un-enhanced.

Remember you can't see EPO or the guy taking a low dose anemia steroid for higher hct. That guy who is 65kg and 180cm with absolutely no muscle definition or body hair? He could be on EPO or cancer meds to raise his HCT and you'd never know. I'm not from the most popular places for cycling so it could be different in other regions, but I firmly believe only maybe 2.5% of the competitive riders are enhanced at the 1/2 amateur level

>>999328
You have a lot of fitness, but that w/kg chart is useless

theres guys around me that are solid 5.0-5.2w/kg for 20 minutes type riders and pack fill in cat 2, on the other hand theres a couple guys in this range that win and podium in cat 1/domestic pro stage races and crits

>>999935
is this bait?

his cadence is in a perfect range

>>1000316
is this bait?

his cadence is in a perfect range

>>1000246
because being on a small dose of test makes you a monster squating 500 lbs right?

>>1000341
um no? Like I said gear won't give you super powers, aerobically. The only benefits an endurance athlete would see with 250mg testo/wk would be basically nothing if they weren't severely lowT before.

I'm thinking about entering a crit at the start of next season. What sort of training regimen should I begin? I've been doing ~9 hours of riding a week, some random hill reps and intervals but desu I'm not sure what I should be working on

>>1000372
Crit racing is all power-on/power-off, sprinting out of every corner to try to not get spit out of the back of the pack, and sprinting between the corners to try to move up/maintain position. You need lots and lots of anaerobic endurance. But you shouldn't just go out every day and do anaerobic intervals and sprints, you need to do the Base work first or you'll fall apart. Get Cyclists Trainign Bible and work out a plan for yourself.

>>1000376
Ok thanks for the advice, I'll get that book so I can plan something out a little better

Can someone provide the /n/ Strava group link?

>here for my (You)s

(For) >>1000957
https://www.strava.com/clubs/n-transportation-34043

>>1000959
u wot m8

https://www.strava.com/clubs/forever-shinkansen

>>1000965
the fuck is that train bullshit? where's the rider's group?

>>996025
how gud do i need to git before it's appropriate to start signing up for enduro races?

>>1001046
Really good, like so good you live on your enduro bike to know its limits and how to ride on the edge and pump out 1000 watts after daily hill climbs (maybe 30kms of climbing), on said bike, so choose wisely on your race rig.

File: 20160901_145235.jpg (997KB, 2560x1920px) Image search: [Google]

997KB, 2560x1920px

Did my first formal 20 minute FTP test lads
>less than six hours of sleep last night
>biked around for a few hours last night
>was pissing bright yellow 30 minutes before the test and fairly poor hydration during
>have been eating at a 1000+ calorie deficit for the past three weeks excluding yesterday

At 95% and my weight at 58.5 kg I come in at 4.381 W/kg

Am I fred yet?

>>1001055
You go girl. That's really good, nice work. With that ftp you'd be smashing all the local woman's races if you have a halfway decent sprint.

>>1001056
I'm a guy
>but I'll be your grill anytime bby

>>1001056
Hahaha

>>1001046
Assuming you're talking about local races and not the EWS, you don't need to be good at all... In fact racing is probably ones of the best ways to improve

If it's racing, doesn't it belong in /sp/?

>>1001077
Maybe, but shh

What's a good cycling app for people who want to record their ride parameters and don't care about racing? Is Strava good enough in that case?

>>1001139
Yes

my wrist broke, my stages powermeter broke and now my shifter broke. I don't even want to knmow what's next...

>>1001149
meet me in the park at midnight and i'll break your hymen, you little bitch

File: stephen-forgets-that-he-isnt-on-the-internet.jpg (25KB, 399x358px) Image search: [Google]

25KB, 399x358px

>>1001173
I think someone needs to calm down a little.

>>1001149
Dude, this isn't your personal blog. Sucks to be you, but we really don't need to hear about it, ok?

>>1001149
Look on the bright side, wrist fractures heal relatively quickly, and won't be near as bad as breaking a hip, collarbone, or having a spinal injury.

>>1001074
It'd be some/all of the events for the 2017 Lake Superior Gravity Series

>>1001179
>this isn't your personal blog.
get fucked, cunt. that's exactly what this thread is for.

and for the record i'm not that guy, i'm this guy >>1001173 and if you're too stupid to see that the coded message was 'htfu' then you haven't earned the right to dictate anything, so stfu while the men are speaking, roastie.

>>1001202
Yeah right like I said: CALM THE FUCK DOWN. This isn't /b/, and this isn't /fit/, there's no reason or excuse for shitposting.

File: 1432233190198.jpg (34KB, 442x330px) Image search: [Google]

34KB, 442x330px

>>1001253
There's an equal lack of reason for not shitposting. If you go through life expecting other people to live by the same concepts of good and bad as you, you'll live a life of disappointment, cocksucker.

>>1001046
>>1001191
D U L U T H ? Initials?

>>1001255
>>1001253
Shut the fuck up both of you. No one cares jesus

>>1001273
>D U L U T H ? Initials?
wrong state bud, sorry. i'm in the mitten.

>>1000123
Pics or we assume your legs are smaller.

>>1001255
>>999900
>>999470
>>999179
>>998534
>>988845
>>974093
>>961955
>>953148
>>906183
>>855678
>>848145
>>794386

There's some nice train foamer threads for you. You're the train foamer who hates bikes and hates bike racers, aren't you? That's why you're shitposting, aren't you? Go play in your train threads and quit shitposting in this thread.

>>1001253
Stop pretending that you have the authority to tell anybody how to behave in this public space. It's not your personal board, you colossal faggot. kys

File: 1466903392510.jpg (218KB, 736x585px) Image search: [Google]

218KB, 736x585px

I'm fit and I ride my bike a lot.
I ride it around town daily , but for the past few months I've been also riding most days just for fun.

I'd love to get further into the training aspect of it.
I'm currently doing longer rides (2+ hours), so fast that I breath heavily but don't suffer.
and doing short rides (1/2 h - 1h) where I try to go all out.

should I do intervals ?
is there a good app or something ?

as I'm a contemporary fellow, I'm riding mostly gravel.
should I checkout a cx race and get wrecked ?

For road racing one needs to be a top Cat 1 rider to go pro of course, but what are the criteria for which an amateur gets sponsored from manufacturers and retailers? As in, what rank do you have to be, and how consistently well must you place until you start getting free cycling gear?

>>1001511
As you say: It's a PUBLIC SPACE. I'll say whatever the fuck I want, and if you or anyone else doesn't like it, you can shove it up your ass so far you can taste it. Now go ride you goddamned bike or something.

>>1001593
That's a really stupid question and you should feel bad for even asking it.

JUST RIDE YOUR BIKE AND RACE. If you're any good you'll get noticed. In the meantime you pay for your own shit like the rest of us, and take a loss the entire time. Maybe you get invited onto some team that has corporate sponsorship, maybe you don't.

>>1001599
No shit, to someone with little racing experience however, any advice would be appreciated since I cannot know what the parameters/zones can preclude

>>1001616
It kind of seems that way from the strongest local riders. Just going off the top of my head, 1 of the strongest overall riders has 7+ inches. A couple of the best sprinters have 6.5+ which isn't huge, but quite a bit above average. Surprisingly some of the best TT riders are quite small. The correlation seems to be vo2 max and anaerobic capacity rather than FTP.

>>1001607
Here's advice for you: I think you should worry more about training and racing and actually trying to get good at it, and less about conning people into giving you free stuff. If you start a proper training program in the next few weeks, you might actually be ready for an earlybird Cat-5 road race next year. Maybe after you've been racing a few years and can regularly win races someone will actually give a fuck enough about you to offer you some sponsorship. Otherwise and until then you pay for everything yourself like everyone else does. It's called 'paying your dues' and you don't get to just skip over it.

>>1001616
is lars van der horse cock really hung like a hog or does he have a normal cock and it just looks big on him cuz he's turbo manlet

>>1001616
no, that's stupid. why would you want all those excess gramz? if you think your girl is into giant dongs just start fisting her like her uterus owes you money.

>>1001616

Someone shoop "faggot" with shimano font under the giant logo pls.

Does anyone have any tips how to cope with knee injuries? What can I do besides the obvious (r)ice, pain killers, stretching and weight training?

>>1001696
It's completely dependent on the injury.
I used to be of the "I'll fix it myself" mentality but as I've gotten older bullshit like that keeps me off the bike for intolerably long.
Get yourself checked out by a physician specializing in sports medicine and see a physical therapist if they suggest it.

>>1001699
the PT I use has ordinated the ordeal:
>(r)ice, pain killers, stretching and weight training
I'm basically willing to take any sort of medication, though I will probably have to change doctor, to one that is more liberal with the prescriptions.

>>1001703
Well, I guess I'd go with that, then. I'm not one to argue with a trained professional, but ongoing use of NSAIDs as a blanket therapy for injuries has fallen out of favor among sports science memesters because inflammation is an inherent part of the healing process, but I have no information on your specific reasons for being given painkillers and I would take that question to them, not 4chan

>>1001696
>>1001699
>Get yourself checked out by a physician specializing in sports medicine
This. Knees are complicated, don't fuck around.

>>1001703
Remember this: Your 'average' doctor doesn't GAF about your athletic aspirations, (s)he'll tell you to do what is safest (for them) not what is in line with what your goals are. By all means find a doctor that understands athletes.

>25 mile solo road bike "time-trial" this morning at a massively popular park loop
>now rank 19/1037 on Strava
>maximum FTP calculation of 4.512W/kg
how can I improve lads?

>>1001696
what injury is it?

if its just knee pain, 99.999999% of knee pain is from lack of flexibility, usually from having worked the legs a lot and then everything tightens up after during recovery, so you go out for the next ride and you got knee pain

most knee pain is caused from tight hamstrings, they wrap around the front of the knee at their ends and yank on the PT.

Also, RICE prolongs knee pain. ligaments, tendons get minimal bloodflow, resting and icing them makes them get even less bloodflow which prolongs recovery from inflamation/pain. You want 20 minutes of gentle movement in the area and apply heat to the area. So stick your bike on a trainer and spin for 20 minutes a day, and stretch until you can put your palms flat on the ground when doing a standing hamstring stretch.

if its something different disregard this post, i suffer from knee pain and it fucking bugs the shit out of me when people say you need to drop 200 bucks for a meme bike fit which are a fucking scam.

>>1002010
post tha strava

we need to see the data

>>1002024
Best known methods indicated alternating heat and cold, and reducing inflammation and swelling actually increases blood flow, allowing damaged cells and toxins to be moved out, and oxygenated blood and materials necessary for repairs to be moved in.

>meme bike fit which are a fucking scam
LOL no, if you don't know how to do it yourself properly then you have to get someone else to do it, if you're going to push yourself to your limits regularly on a bike.

>>1002026
https://www.strava.com/activities/700422843/laps

Had my first real bike crash a couple of days ago, pretty average experience but nothing broken; ask me anything.

File: mountainbiking.jpg (63KB, 580x270px) Image search: [Google]

63KB, 580x270px

>Getting turbo trainer or MTB for winter training purposes/staying in shape?

First option is cheaper, more effective and more convenient when the weather is shit but seems boring as hell.
The second is more fun, more expensive and would be nice change of pace as I have been doing road cycling exclusively for past three years . (though I doubt I would be going on a ride no matter what)
I'm kinda jew with money so I'm leaning more towards turbo but im not so sure.

Any suggestions/experiences?

File: packers-fan.jpg (48KB, 500x281px) Image search: [Google]

48KB, 500x281px

>>1001146
>Yes

Thanks. I've gotten the app and tried it a couple of times. It seems good, it has a habit of auto-stopping and then no restarting when I move. Any reason that may be the case?

>>1001077
>If it's racing, doesn't it belong in /sp/?

That place is mostly for people watching the athletes, not athletes themselves. There's a better case for it belong in >>>/fit/ instead.

The thread(s) would be overwhelmed by the banter between who's team of ball fondlers is GOAT, and which form of ball fondling is GOAT.

>>1002032
>https://www.strava.com/activities/700422843/laps
noice
I htink I read ur post earlier?

but yea you have a lot of fitness

that segment doesn't seem like anyone was trying on it though? I don't see anything over 300w with a meter and the top time is 300w for 20ish minutes which is nothing in the grand scheme of things

>>1002029
bike fits are a scam 99% of the time unless you are a complete fucking retard

no one knows what feels good and what feels bad but you, theres basically 4 things to do with bike adjustments for knee issues, move seat fore/aft, move seat up down, move cleat fore/aft, longer/shorter cranks

they all interact but theres not much room for adjustment so it doesn't take long to experiment with moving them around, there are plenty of videos out there explaining the basics of a fit and each individual should know them to be able to adjust things as time goes on

you body is going to be constantly changing and adapting as you ride more, going the 'bike fit' route to a comfortable fit is stupid because in 3 months, you will need a new bike fit as your body changes

bike fitting is not rocket science, its not worth 200 dollars to have someone fiddlefuck with your seat for 30 minutes, its actually detrimental because it limits your own knowledge on what you need to do for a correct fit.

and with all that, people wouldn't even ever have heard of bike fits as a 'thing' if people actually did effective stretching after a ride. When you are limber, you seat/cleat position can be in a very general vicinity of 'correct' and you won't experience any pain over many many miles.

>>1002740
>Any suggestions/experiences?
Yes. Ride your road bike outside if at all possible, even if it means bundling up to the point where you look like the Michelin Man. Using an indoor trainer is not only boring, it can be very de-motivating, and over time burn you out on the whole idea, as well as not allowing you to keep your bike-handling skills in top shape. Some will say 'use rollers instead' because you actually have to pay attention when on rollers, but (most) rollers don't have a resistance unit, so you're just turning pedals at low intensity, and really you're still not getting bike-handling skills time like out on the roads (you're moving in a straight line essentially). Also, a minor point, but using trainers for long periods of time is a great way to completely ruin an otherwise good tire; that of course can be mitigated by using a cheap-ass tire on the trainer, or one of the special tires designed for trainer user (tread is flat, no curve to it).

That's all my opinion, of course, and I'm well aware that there are plenty of places in the country (and the world) where from November to March it's just too goddamned cold and/or too goddamned nasty outside to make it desirable or even possible to ride on the roads.

>>1002801
The top few riders on this list are either Cat 1's or domestic pros that did not have power meters, so take from that what you will m8

>>1002801
I can do a basic bike fit myself -- sort of. I either need a helper to have eyes where I can't put my eyes, or I need to nigger-rig a few things so I can have the equivalent of eyes where I need them, using things like bubble levels and duct tape. I got a gigantic wall mirror from someone, mainly so I could make my own adjustments to the fit of my TT bike, but also useful to be able to see whether my shoes are being held level or not. Most people are not going to go to all the trouble I go to just to fit themselves to their bike, nor are they likely to know how to do it properly, and furthermore they're likely to only need it done *one time*, so it's not a rediculous investment really. Also, if you're having legitimate repetitive-motion issues with riding a bike, taking the problem to someone who knows what the actual fuck they're doing (like a cycling coach, who makes his main living in his physical therapy business, and also has decades of experience doing bike fittings for actual atheletes, like my ex-coach) might be a good idea, rather than just fucking around with it yourself or counting on someone else's half-assed knowledge of bike fitting, and maybe getting injured or just riding in pain all the time for no damned good reason. One more point I'd like to make: If it's a TT bike, then it's a much more complicated fit than just getting the saddle in the right position, and I think you'll agree with me on that.

Now, since we've both expressed our opinions on the subject (and that's what they are, opinions), and since I suspect neither one of us is going to change our opinions, I'd like to suggest we drop the entire subject, since like the whole "helmet/no helmet" thing, it's a never-ending debate otherwise and I just don't see the point in engaging in it, OK? Your points/opinions are just as valid as mine, OK? Thanks.

>>1002740
>>1002803
>too cold or nasty to ride outside
No it's not. I live just south of the Arctic circle and ride year round. However the winter riding is only commuting but even that is around 120 km every week. Riding on dodgily maintained bike paths does wonders to your bike handling skills btw. I do recommend cx bike with studded tires as a winter bike if you're riding somewhere with real winter.

Set up your indoor trainer in front of your TV and put some animu, movies, or whatever you want to watch there and start pedaling.

>>1002822
North America or Yurop

File: 1442360085056.jpg (13KB, 220x268px) Image search: [Google]

13KB, 220x268px

>>1002803
I like using my trainer a lot

I can
>blast my music
>take bathroom breaks and refill my bottles ez

but my handing is shit but the comfort of not having any traffic to or road signs to deal with is 2 good so the choice for me is 2 eaassy

>>1002822
>Set up your indoor trainer in front of your TV and put some animu, movies, or whatever you want to watch there and start pedaling.
That doesn't work for everyone. In my case my brain associates watching television with downtime and rest, not working, and I end up not being able to focus on either thing very well at all and hating the whole experience. For me, the stationary trainer is something I have only for warming up at race venues where there's not enough room on streets to do so. I'd rather ride in a thunderstorm with 40mph winds than ride on a trainer.

>>1003051
Well, whatever works for you I guess, but you're robbing yourself of valuable training out on the streets, dealing with real-world conditions. Some people in cars can really suck, but developing your skills in dealing with them can only help you later on in a race, where some sketchy-as-fuck riders are at least as dangerous to you as some drivers are. Just my $0.02 worth.

>>1002822
>I do recommend cx bike with studded tires as a winter bike if you're riding somewhere with real winter.
i set up my 29er fully rigid with drops+hoods and ice spikes for wintershit.

>>1003047
Yurop. Admittedly it's not as extreme as the same location would be on North America but we still have a real winter. In fact yesterday was the first day it dropped below freezing during the night for this fall. We also get the all consuming darkness for a few months where the sun peeks over the horizon for an hour or two at noon.

>>1003089
That combo also works great.

>>1003092
what country? just curious. I'm in northern north america (alberta) and it's around 0-3 degrees in the morning.

>>1003053
>>1003052
tfw I have to ride the trainer in the winter since I live on campus and I have no place to clean and maintain by bike with the frequency that riding on snowy salty roads would require.

though it is less stress for me which is nice

>>1003195
Finland.

>tfw still gets warm enough during the day to ride back home on bibshorts and short sleeved jersey
>tfw cager commuters have already wrapped themselves in winter coats

what does your weekly training schedule look like? im not competing but i want to be sanic the hedgeheg eventually.

>>1003203
>tfw south louisiana and the temp only drops to 23C at four in the morning
>when it does it's fucking humid as hell anyway

>>1003402
>im not competing
Then someone else's training schedule wouldn't be of any use to you anyway, even if training schedules were 'one size fits all' anyway. Just 'ride more', you'll get faster eventually.

>>1003402
Just "ride". Don't over train though!

>>996025
Ahh, Julian Absalon. Career is going downhill but maintains the technical class that he has despite not having as much strength. Shame really.

I'm starting to go from cycling because I love it to cycling because I want to race.
Is there any shame in aspiring to be someone's domestique? I love climbing, I love sprinting, I love the endurance of it all, but more than all that the idea of pulling and protecting someone else so they can get in the position to win excites me.

>>1003966
What? The past couple years have seen him at his best in a long while. The man's like 35, what do you expect? The olympics and worlds weren't his type of course and never have been. His technical skills have improved so much... some of the finishes with nino this year were way more exciting now that he can descend almost as fast.

/rant

>>1003988
As long as you're in your teens, go for it

>>1003988
There are very few riders throughout the history of pro cycling that are the 'Total Package':
>Can climb
>Can sprint
>Can descend even the fastest, most technical course and still come out ahead
>Can suffer endlessly in an aero tuck to win time trials

Most riders are one or the other; can get KOM on most any hilly course, or beat most anyone in a sprint, or effortlessly descent even the steepest, most technical mountainous course, and be ahead of most everyone else.

But, cycling can be about the individual, but it's also a team sport, and if you're on a team and the 'plan' is for someone (not you) on the team to try to win, then your job is to make sure that your team wins, even if that means you come in dead last. There is no shame in this, in fact it's the opposite: if your Designated Rider wins the race, and your efforts contributed to the team win? Then you're just as responsible for that being possible as anyone else on your team that was in the race, including the Designated Rider.

There are pro riders for teams that are on the pro tour that may go their entire careers never winning a single stage of any of the races they're in -- because their strengths are better utilized to make sure that someone else on the team wins. They are no less important that the guy in the yellow jersey, because without the domestiques, cycling wouldn't be a team sport at all.

So, in my opinion, there's nothing weird about *wanting* to be a domestique.
Truth be told, if there is any sense of justice at all in any team you're on, they'll *make sure* that you win some races, just because you work so hard for the Greater Good.

This does not mean that you don't *try* to win when you can. Especially at the amateur levels, you may not have enough riders in a given race to really use any team tactics anyway, in which case it's every man for himself -- just go for it! Even if you end up sprinting against a teammate.

>>1004228
For a good example of domestiques winning stages without sacrificing their duties, check out two of Orica-BikeExchange's wins from the Vuelta, Magnus Cort and Jens Keukeleire.

The backstage passes for those stages are a good look into how it is being a domestique. They mention that they had the opportunity to go for the win after they had done their duties to protect their GC riders and gotten them to a safe area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk2RdnNRiLw Stage 18, Magnus' win

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dEvb3gHmZg Stage 12, Jens' win

>>1004300
Sure, never said otherwise. Especially if plans don't work out (like they tend to anyway). All that matters is that the team wins, even if it wasn't necessarily expected that it'd be you (the domestique). You get a chance, you take it.

Raises an interesting question, though: If you find yourself in a position to sprint against your designated rider, after completing your 'job' in the race, do you try to beat him (assuming, of course, your doing so doesn't involve sabotaging his sprint)? Or do you hang back and take 2nd? I know what I'd do.

>>1004520
On paper I'm sure it's fine (as long as you've done what you can for him and are not interfering) but I imagine some egos would be damaged. Also, a scenario like this would be very hard to come by...

I mean, the team still gets a win so as I said, on paper not a big deal.

>>997771
Well it's meme unless you are riding some serious climbs.
I blow past freds with their 1000s, heart rate monitor and power meters.

>>1005857
Spoken like someone who doesn't have or know how to use those training tools.

Certainly, if you don't do the requisite performance testing to establish your training zones, power meters and heart rate monitors are just bike toys that produce meaningless numbers that someone could spin into something impressive sounding -- to people who don't know any better. But just because you're decided some dude is a 'Fred' and he has a powertap wheel or a quarq crankset or somesuch, and you're blowing past him on a public road in a non-race situation, doesn't mean that you're a stronger rider than he is; that's what I call 'Cat-6' thinking: It's a race because you say it's a race, even if the other guy has no idea and likely doesn't care. Come back to us with some actual, official individual time-trial finish times (and other data) for a 40km distance, and then we'll have some basis to be discussing how strong a rider you are. Everything else is just hot air.

So, is race season pretty much over for everyone? How'd everyone do this year? Better than last year? Training plans for the fall/winter?

>>1004520
>ignoring team order and going for the win
Yeah, take a look at F1 and see how that is going for Lewis and Nico.

>>1006400
Still got cross. Have a hillclimb this weekend. Still a bit sick so I hope it's gone by sunday. I really want to do well at this hill climb.

>>1006400
Cross season starting next wednesday. Still haven't gotten the new wheelset I ordered for it 2 weeks ago.

>>1006469
tfw when one wheelset

Luckily where I am CX races are just grass crits so it's ok.

File: 1450322836942.jpg (54KB, 700x472px) Image search: [Google]

54KB, 700x472px

>>1006842
"tfw when"

fuck

>get screw in wrist, takes only 4 weeks to heal vs the average of 12
>get cast off wrist
>day later
>rains all day
>decide to do recovery ride cuz im tired af and it's now sunny and seemingly dry
>20 mins
>feelsgood.jpeg
>tell some people who yelled at me to tell them "on your left" to CRY about it
>lol im funny as fukc
>riding down driveway at 8mph
>riding up to door, wooden ramp to get to door because person in wheelchair used to live here
>wood is still wet from the rain and even mossy as fuck because there is a big bush beside it
>slide out
>everything in slow motion, look down see that my previously broken wrist is directly on the deck at a 90 degree angle to my forearm
>fugg
>hurts like a BITCH for 26 seconds


still hurts a bit but I was able to type this message so maybe the screw hasn't dislodged or some disasterous shit heh. Call me superman

Is riding in a peloton as scary as it looks?

>>1007440
depends. The pros you see on tv in the Tour de France ride closer together than nearly all group rides and amateur races. Riding in a peloton isn't scary itself, but you do need to go a bit out of your comfort zone to get used to it.

Finding group rides with good group riders can be super helpful. When I was new, people would tell me to "follow that guy's wheel. He's a smooth rider." and "get closer." That allowed me to confidently inch my way closer and closer to him as I get more and more comfortable without needing to worry about him making constant side-to-side movements or accelerating or braking often.
While you are learning group riding, you should push the boundaries of your comfort zone bit by bit until you feel like you are quite good at riding close to other riders. I would say holding around 6 inches at a constant comfortable speed is a good goal

Several of the guys who just do "slow" group rides (slow is relative, bit I mean <18mph) apparently only ride with 2 feet of space around them at minimum because they never needed to fit into a more serious group. While I don't think riding with more space is always bad, I see not being able to ride close as a hindrance because they will get uncomfortable if a more skilled rider in the group starts riding close to them and they start getting squirrely and possibly dangerous as they get uncomfortable.

>>996926
quark ricken is very good for the price. P1 powertaps are excellent but only real advantage is having the LR balance at the cost of less pedal clearance

File: pmc.jpg (84KB, 1077x577px) Image search: [Google]

84KB, 1077x577px

Spent this week in the mountains. Tired AF. Averaged about 140km a day, longest being 180km.

>>1007440
It is and it isn't. In part it depends on who's in the particular peloton you're in. Sketchy riders will make you feel very uncomfortable because they move around too much, don't hold a line all that well, are too quick to hit the brakes, etc, and generally don't fill you with lots of confidence. Smooth, skilled riders are just 'there' and after a while you stop gripping your bartape so hard because you feel like you don't have to worry about them so much.

Consider this:
Do you drive yet? When you're being taught to drive, they tell you not to follow the car in front of you too closely -- which is called 'tailgating' someone, and it eventually leads to getting in an accident. This gets drilled into your head, over and over again. Then you get on a bike and are pacelining, and you're told the exact opposite: get on that guy's wheel, close that gap! You're encouraged to ride as close as humanly possible to the rider in front of you, for maximum drafting effect.

If you're viewing a peloton from the outside, it can look scarier than being in it, because they're all moving at >=25mph or more. When you're in it, it's not as bad, because unless you're staring at the pavement (why would you do that?) the only velocity you notice is the *relative* velocity differences between riders -- which, if everyone is just moving along, is close to zero, or at best is <10mph.

Also, at least in most amateur races, there's a centerline rule in effect, so you've got 50 to 100 riders all jammed into half the available width of the road, and they're all trying hard to get to the front and stay there, a constant frenetic dance of moving up. At one point or another you're boxed in, with riders on all sides of you, nowhere to go. This is also a situation that drivers are trained to avoid if possible; always have a way out. Very commonly happens in a peloton, though.

>>1007541
Your last part about being boxed in is important as well - that's why the best sprinters in the world aren't just watt monsters for 30 seconds or so, they can also place themselves correctly in the choas and confusion of the final 2-3k of a race to be in the optimal position to let 'er rip. Sure, that's what leadout men are for, but sometimes they're gone by the last 500m and you gotta do it yourself. Really cool to watch.

I have a cx race on saturday (just for fun) and I haven't really trained yet. It's 20 km on a hill so there will be climbs but the problem is that I don't really have any climbs where I live, just a few bridges. Any tips on training or should I just drive up and down on the bridges.

>>1008005
Ride harder gears maybe?

File: Screenshot_20160918-193213.png (722KB, 1080x1920px) Image search: [Google]

722KB, 1080x1920px

This week... Has been tough.

>>1008026
Yeah, I'll try that, thanks for the tip.

>>1008005
There is literally nothing you can do in the week before a race that's going to make any difference. You're better off just being fully rested and fuelled, and doing a thorough warm-up on Saturday morning before the race, so at least you reduce the chance of injuring yourself.

>>1008071
Yeah, it's kinda too late to start now, but a little practice never hurts, and I will do a good warm up, thank you for the tip.

>>1008041
Is that Montichiari velodrome?

>>1008082
..ok, so long as you understand the reality of the situation.

After further consideration, there might be something you can do that might make a little bit of difference, but unlikely.

On Tuesday, do a series of 'jumps'. Warm up well, the do several 'jumps', where, at a moderate speed, you explode up out of the saddle, and pedal as hard as you can for about 12 revolutions of the cranks. Pedal easy for a minute, then repeat. Do like 5-10 of these. Use good form. Wednesday and Thursday, ride easy for an hour or two. Take Friday off the bike, or ride at recovery for half an hour to an hour at most. Then do a good warmup on Saturday morning at your race. Good luck.

I'm hopeless.
Avg speed: 13 mph over 24 mi
Took me nearly 2 hours.
A lycrafag passed me up going into a strong headwind.
How to get gud?

>>1008159
I'm in the same boat.

I've been getting faster after doing some training. basically I spend 3 days of the week going short distances/fast speed and during the weekend I do a long distance ride.

>>1008159
At this point literally just ride more

can you guys post some example weekly training plans?

>>1008159
>>1008177
>not going to race?
Just Ride More.

>>1008191
>can you guys post some example weekly training plans?
No. Figure it out for yourself:
http://www.lronman.ru/docs/CyclistBible3.pdf

>>1008214
that seems like bad advice, even if you did just ride more you would probably hit a wall in progression after a few months. A planned training regimen well get them to there goals faster. Thats like going to the gym and fucking around for an hour and wondering why your 5 sets of 20 rep curls with 10lb weights arent yielding results.

>>1008224
Not really. If they're not going to race and are just riding for fun, then they should 'just ride', so long as they put in the miles and don't shy away from climbing, they'll improve. If they want to be more serious then they can download the .pdf in >>1008219 and wade through learning how to write up some sort of training schedule, but your average recreational rider isn't going to want to stick to that, they want to 'just ride'. A more serious training schedule would require at least a heart rate monitor and some testing to determine heart rate training zones, otherwise you have no idea what you're actually doing and would likely either be training too hard or not hard enough. If they're really serious and want a schedule to stick to I'd recommend going through the 12 weeks of Base training, that takes you all the way up through long Tempo rides, which is about as hard as your usual recreational rider wants to work, and would make you faster and more enduring than, I'd say, 90% of other recreational riders. If you can work your way up to riding 90 to 120 minutes at Tempo at a cadence of 70-80rpm, then you're going to outdistance the vast majority of other recreational riders. If they're really interested in going further than that then that's a whole different subject.

>>1008228
is a heart rate monitor super necessary? surely you could get away with just using a cadence plus speed meter. Is it really worth getting a 300$ advanced cycling computer to help you train?

>>1008230
Heart rate monitors aren't all that expensive.

If you want to train for cycling in any sort of organized manner, it's highly recommended you have at least a heart rate monitor. Otherwise you're training like it's 1916 instead of 2016. Without it you can easily be above or below the level of intensity you should be at for the purpose of a particular ride. Riders new to training can't judge that with any real accuracy.
Any cycling coach you go to, for instance, is going to recommend a heart rate monitor as a minimum investment. If you aren't willing to invest in something so relatively inexpensive, then maybe you should consider looking at back issues of Bicycling Magazine for a 'training plan', they often feature such things for recreational cyclists. Or you could just hook up with one of the cycling clubs local to you and go on their group rides all the time, which really is the 'just ride' training plan, again.

>surely you could get away with just using a cadence plus speed meter.
I'm going to respond to this specifically: road speed, when training, really doesn't mean anything. It's too dependent on terrain and weather conditions and therefore can't be used as a reliable indicator of intensity. Cadence is necessary, though, since different ranges of cadence trains you in different ways.

>Is it really worth getting a 300$ advanced cycling computer to help you train?
If you want to train for cycling in a controlled, deliberate way, then that's what works best. Why do you think they develop these things? However, again, if all you want to do is 'just ride', and you want to 'just ride' better, then you should really 'just ride' more, you'll get better at it over time. Otherwise I've already told you what there is to tell you.

>>1008243
so when you train do you constantly look down at your computer to pace yourself or what? i already have a HR fitbit watch.

>>1008243
>I'm going to respond to this specifically: road speed, when training, really doesn't mean anything

speed IS a good measure of effort on a climb(speed is lower so wind doesn't skew the results that much) . It is less so on a flats because of bigger wind impact, obstacles, etc. Even on a variable gradient climb, if you do it enough times, you can gauge your effort with good accuracy.

>Any cycling coach you go to, for instance, is going to recommend a heart rate monitor as a minimum investment.

The best option would be of course power meter (instant) but paying attention to your breathing is also a very good measure of effort (not instant but better than HR). ie. if you're huffing & puffing and dripping with sweat, you dun goofed. The slower, the better.

Pic related is why HR is bad indicator of effort. It is just a component of cardiac output and itself is affected by lots of things. It can vary a lot for a given power output on different occasions. It it good though for tracking your fitness levels (in long term it should decrease) but not much else.

tl; dr - Power meter or riding on feel (paying attention to your breathing) is the way to go. HR monitor is just a gimmick for people who can't afford a pm or pace themselves properly.

People who advocate use of HR monitors either don't understand human physiology or are selling them.

File: co.jpg (125KB, 715x570px) Image search: [Google]

125KB, 715x570px

>>1008378

>>1008347
Correct. I have a PowerTap wheel, so if I'm doing anything above Zone 2 (Endurance) level work (i.e, Tempo or Threshold, or into Anaerobic) I'm glancing at the display as required to make sure I'm 'in zone', and also that my cadence is in the range for the work I'm doing. For reference, I'm talking about things on the 'M' (muscular endurance) and 'A' (anerobic) workout menus in the back of Cyclists Training Bible; things on the 'E' (endurance) menu are almost all done in Zone 2, which is a wide zone, power-wise, and doesn't require me to watch too carefully.

You do the same with heart rate, but with heart rate it changes much slower than power (which is relatively instantaneous) so you don't need to watch it as much.

>>1008378
You clearly have never trained for an endurance sport, or are just arguing to argue (i.e. trolling). Heart rate monitoring was used extensively before cycling power meters became ubiquitos, and can still be used for that purpose, although they're not as efficient as using a power meter; if a HRM is all you can afford, then it's better than nothing (which a $15 bike computer is, for purposes of this subject).

Again, road speed is relative to itself, and is affected by too many other variables to be useful in any way for zone-based cycling training. Anyone that actually believes you can use that instead of an inexpensive and easily obtained heart rate monitor, or a power meter like PowerTap or Quarq, which are not too expensive anymore as a one-time investment, has never actually researched how cycling training is done in the 21st century. There are plenty of cycling coaches that won't take you on unless you're going to use a HRM, and some that won't unless you have a power meter. Aside from not being able to accurately gauge intensity from moment to moment, which is crucial for higher-intensity training, you can't do any sort of performance-based testing to determine where your training zones are, especially your maximum aerobic power, which is a excellent indicator of your progress; 5 to 10 watts of progress between one test and the next is decent progress for a competitive cyclist-in-training, but that difference in power will get 'lost in the noise' if all you have to go on is road speed; even if you use the same exact course to do your testing (for instance, a 10-mile TT course), wind conditions and temperature will skew the results if all you're looking at is how long it took to cover the distance. Minor day-to-day variations in your bodyweight will even skew those results. In the end you'll either be falsely lead to believe you made no progress, or falsely lead to believe you made progress when you actually made none.

>>1008378
Ran over the 2000 character limit.

Friel himself can explain the subject of how training works much better than I can or than I have time and wherewithal to sit here and type it out. Download and read through the Cyclists Training Bible, then you'll understand why it behooves you to make the minimal investment in at least a HRM, if you want to do some real cycling training: http://www.lronman.ru/docs/CyclistBible3.pdf

>>1008396
>>1008398
If I were to train to maintain an average speed of, say 35km/h over long distances, wouldn't I need to just push myself and ride until I get there?

>>1008398
>third edition
>current is fourth

Any idea if much changed?

What's the best way to train for hills if I live in a really flat area?

>>1008471
If the hill is 5 mins? Get better at 5 min efforts. 10? Better at 10. And so on. Basically raise your ftp and w/kg and bang. The longest climbs here are 5 mins, I'm 77kg and basically never climb, although my vo2 max, ftp and anaerobic capacity are pretty ridiculous so I'm one th fastest up them. Despite only seeing a climb over 10 minutes long one time in the past 10 months.

Basically, strong on the flat = strong in the hills. Get a big cassette

>>1008497
the longest hill I've ever done is about 50 seconds, if that hahah.

So basically just ride a really hard gear on flats to get my ftp/wkg up?

>>1008041
WTF! Definitely shooped

>>1008506
To prepare for long steeps hills, try to ride on the flat at a low cadence and constant high power. Low cadence because you can be forced to by the gradient and you really dont want to get caught out by that, its very unpleasant.

>>1008506
I don't remember where I learned this, but I've heard that while living in a part of Africa without any hills, Chris Froome would ride with both brakes held to simulate the resistance of a climb. I've tried this and I can't really speak to the effectiveness of it training wise but goddamn if it wont make you disciplined as fuck. Nothing is stopping you from releasing the brakes except your own force of will.

File: Zones.gif (71KB, 768x338px) Image search: [Google]

71KB, 768x338px

>>1008390
>>1008396

Not trolling or anything and as a matter of fact, I mostly agree with everything you said.
We're talking about the cheapest ways to gauge your effort and progress on a bicycle.
The guy asked if splashing 300$ for a HRM is worth it. It is not. Riding on feel will give you the same benefits without the hassle of zones, looking at the numbers, etc. Not to mention that is far more accurate when it matters the most ie. maximum aerobic power. HRM at those frequencies is useless because a simple bad night sleep, caffeine intake, dehydration (noticeable or not), temperature, plain simple fatigue and shitload of other factors will throw it off the mark. And guess what, you're more than likely to go anaerobic and ruin your effort because of how narrow margin between aerobic and anaerobic is.

It like that chemistry acid base titration experiment where the whole thing starts to change colour (pH) in a single drop. Same shit happens in your body with lactates and that's why power meters are so good (instant effort measure which helps you to stay aerobic).

HRM and "feel" lag the same so why would anyone go through all that zone hassle (and cost) is beyond me when your body is telling you the exact same thing (and more accurately when you get enough experience).

File: Capture.png (29KB, 601x201px) Image search: [Google]

29KB, 601x201px

>>1008520
>>1008553
Thanks, will try those (maybe not the brake, but I'll try the force of will relating to power).

I started a few months ago and I want to try my hands at a L'etape next year, so I have about a year to train.

This would be the segment:
The first stage of L’Étape Brasil by Le Tour de France will have 112km and 2790m of elevation gain.
The cyclists will start in the city of Cunha (SP), at an altitude of 890m, in the direction of the border with Rio de Janeiro state (1.529m).
The first part, with 28km, is mainly ascends.

Check the main ascends of the L’Étape Brasil by Le Tour de France 2015:


1st – ascend coming out of Cunha: 3,9km with 5,07% of mean slope;
2nd – ascend bottom of Pedra da Macella: it’s one of the biggest challenges in this competition. It is 4,4km with 7,34% of mean slope, very similar to the French mountains;
3rd – ascend of the border: the toughest part of the competition. It’s 3,94km and 471m of elevation gain with around 11,95% of mean slope. This part of the competition is very similar to the mountains of the Giro d’Italia and of the Vuelta a España;
4th – ascend coming back to Cunha: The course is mainly descends, having only one short and intense ascend. It’s 2km with 7,75% of mean slope with a short peak of 18%;
5th – ascend of the 4 mountain view: 3,9km with 6,33% of mean slope;
6th – ascend Campos Novos comeback: with 1,4km and 6,93% of mean slope and a maximum of 14%;
7th – final ascend: 1km with 6,2% of mean slope.


It is estimated that the winner completes the race in 3h20min and the last cyclist in 8 hours.

Pic related.

Is this doable or am I gonna goof myself if I attemp it?

>>1008640
Literally just spin if you're not fit enough by that time, which would be a stretch if you are training regularly. It's only 112k, you'll be done well under 8 hours even with the hills. Don't sweat it lad

>>1008612
>300$ for a HRM
They don't cost that much. No idea where you're getting that. You can get one $100 or less.

>Riding on feel will give you the same benefits without the hassle of zones, looking at the numbers, etc
No, it won't, especially for an inexperienced rider, and if all you've ever done is 'just ride', then you're an 'inexperienced rider' for purposes of this conversation. Highly experienced professional cyclists can fairly accurately judge intensity just on guts alone, but that's after years and years and years of training with an HRM and/or a power meter. If you'd bother to look at how power and heart rate training zones are calculated, you'd see how narrow Tempo and Threshold zones are, and how hard it is even for an experienced racer to know just on guts if they're in those Zones or not.

>chemistry pH lactates blah blah etc etc etc
Stop it, you're making me roll my eyes so hard that I'm going to injure them.

You're making this way, way more complicated than it has to be.

You can get a heart rate monitor for under $50 (just checked Amazon on that). For a RECREATIONAL cyclist wishing to improve their performance, it's more than enough instrumentation to follow a rational, productive training plan with, and be head and shoulders above your buddies performance-wise, in spite of all the excess verbage you've posted. Competitive cyclists and other endurance athletes have been training with HRMs for decades now, with excellent results, and unless you're some alien life-form, it'll work just as well for you.

Of course you can train any way you want, friend-o, nobody is forcing you to buy anything or do anything any way you don't want to. But you're not convincing anyone of anything here, because everyone in this thread has been training and racing for years now, and we know what works and what doesn't. Please do post your progress though and continue participating in this thread.

>>1008402
There are some minor additions, and it's laid out better than 3rd edition, but 99% of it is the same stuff as before. Everyone on 4chan is either broke or too cheap to pay for anything, so I posted it. Use it or not.

>>1008506
>>1008520
>>1008553
50-60rpm: Force training (literally like lifting weights, low weight, high reps). Typically done in Z4-5a, for only a handful of minutes per interval.
70-80-rpm: Muscular endurance training. Long Tempo rides in late Base (up to 90 minutes or more), at Threshold during Build blocks (up to 5x12' as intervals, or up to 40 minutes continuous (or more) as a single interval ride.
80-100+rpm: Aerobic. Lower Force, raises heart rate more. Over 100rpm, you're also working on pedaling efficiency (i.e., co-ordination).
>100rpm: Spin-ups to improve pedaling efficiency; also good for 1-2 minute intervals at very low intensity during warm-ups, to get your HR up. Also during various flavors of anaerobic work, to involve your Type II muscle fibers.

Feel free to comment on the above, that's how I understand it.

>>1008655
Yeah, I guess I'm just scared I'll start huffing and puffing with all the hills.

>>1008663
Thanks for the explanation dude, really appreciate it. saved!

>>1008640
Here's the key to extended climbs: You have to keep it *sustainable*. If you go too hard (i.e., go anaerobic) then you're going to completely blow up after a few minutes, and feel like a total failure if/when you have to come to a complete stop because you feel like you're going to die. If you don't have a power meter and know where you Threshold zone is, what you do is attack the climb conservatively at first, understanding that your heart rate and respiration are going to lag behind effort; your ideal level of intensity is at the exact point of equilibrium where your respiration rate is high, but it's sustainable, which will mirror what your heart rate is doing; if you can attain that state, and assuming you have the mental discipline to maintain the rhythm as long as possible, you'll be able to stay in that state to the limits of your muscular endurance. That's what 8 years of training and racing have taught me about climbing.

>>1008673
>>1008690
>Yeah, I guess I'm just scared I'll start huffing and puffing with all the hills.
Let me add to what I just posted: Don't ALLOW yourself to be intimidated by long climbs. It's literally all in your head; it's JUST A HILL. All you have to do is maintain. That being said: IT'S JUST A HILL; it's not alive, it's not going to judge you; only YOU can judge you. Don't! You fail this time, you'll succeed next time. Believe it. This is where 'mental toughness' comes from.

File: 1383763406775.jpg (64KB, 400x388px) Image search: [Google]

64KB, 400x388px

>>1008690
>>1008691
Thanks senpai, I can totally understand the whole "mental toughness". When I first started a few months ago I thought riding something like 50km would be nearly impossible, yet I've already done a 60km ride.
Surely it's not the fastest 60km out there, but hey at least I did it haha. I'll keep practicing and posting updates in the DRT thread, thanks for the help and pep talk again.

>>1008704
>f a m gets turned to senpai
wtf

>>1008705
>roody-poo
>candy-ass
>newfriend

>>1008673
This is cliche but true:

It doesn't get easier, you just get faster. Sure, you can do longer rides more comfortably, but when the shit gets real it will hurt just as much as the first hill you ever attempted. That's where it gets fun. Don't be afraid to suffer like fuck, that feeling after you've finished is what will keep you coming back for more.

>>1008705
newfag detected

>>1008726
When I started climbing hills I had to stop 3 times on a climb that takes around 30 minutes, and once on a 10-15 climb. It really does get easier, at least in certain senses.

>>1008691
>It's literally all in your head
This right here. When I first came by a first category climb I wasn't sure what it would be like and if I'd make it up. Had to stop few times during the climb. Few days later not only did I ride up the same hill much faster and without stopping but also a harder climb after it. The only difference being that on the second time I didn't doubt myself and was determined to make it.

>>1008726
>>1008773
>>1008782
Good shit guys, I found a route near me that isn't as hilly but at least there is a big hill (compared to whatelse is around me) and it's around the same distance as the race I wanna do.
Gonna try to go after this weekend :3

>>1008773
You have to consider that you probably would have been able to ride the whole climb at once if you had lower gearing available. Intensity always stays the same if you know what I mean

File: IMAG0883.jpg (1MB, 2384x1505px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 2384x1505px

Competing in my first ever bike race tonight- CX. Anything in particular I should know?

>>1008835
Have you been practising dismounts and carries and shit?

>>1008836
Yeah, I'm obviously not great at any of the cross specific techniques yet, but I can do them. Thankfully the course has very few unrideable sections, so I will only have to dismount/remount 2 times per lap.

>>1008835
>tfw got sick and will be missing the cx race this week
ree

>>1008838
get the reflector and bag off for the race

>>1008835
Came in third place in a field of roughly 20-25. Felt bretty gud. I got a great start and was in third place by the first turn, and kept it for the rest of the race. I held off a couple of guys who were on my wheel for most of the race- one crashed going over some barriers and the other just couldn't keep up around the end of the penultimate lap.

>>996025
Getting ready and trying to figure out which bike to get. I have access to both the 2017 CAADX Tiagra bike (promax disc brakes) or the 2017 TCX SLR 2 105 (Spyre disc brakes) for the same price. For about 130 more, I could have the CAADX 105 bike.

I'm confused as fuck on which one to get. I like how the TCX looks, but I ride a 16' Cannondale Supersix right now and the CAADX isn't far off from that.
I've never raced Cross before other than 1 cross practice on a old flat bar 97' Trek MTN Bike with a ridged fork and 26" 1.50 tires.
Either bike will be a massive upgrade.

Any recommendations?
I can have the CAADX in like 4 days, and the TCX in about a month.

>>1009047
thats really good for a 1st race, howd you do it?

>>1009061
The start was the biggest factor for sure. Other than that, I got a chance to ride the course a good bit the evening before and crashed a bunch then, so I knew where to take it slow and where to give it the beans.

Admittedly this was only a Cat 3/4 race, and there's no way I would have placed well in the 1/2 race that happened afterwards.

>>1009059
I actually rode both of these (well, 2016 models) and went for the CAADX, although honestly there was not a whole lot between them. I prefer Cannondale as a brand, and like that the CAADX has external cable routing. I'm not a gigantic fan of the liveries on either of them, at least for the 2016 models, but the 2017 TCX actually looks pretty neat with the silver and acid green.

I'd just say get whichever one you like the best, as there is really not every much between them in terms of performance.

>>1009190
They changed the 17 TCX a little bit...new seatpost clamp (much better), smaller discs (160's to 140's) and also added through-axles both front and rear.
I think I am sold on that one, despite having to wait nearly another month. But, I have waited this long.

Only stupid ride no power.

>>1009432
Are discs legal to use in amature racing?

>>1009957
Depends where you are but I don't think they've ever actually been disallowed in american stuff.

>>1009957
Depends on the country and whoever is organizing the race. I remember reading that they were never considered banned in US when all that fuss about them was up after the P-R crash. It's still best to check with the event organiser in any case.

You're safer off buying a non disc bike right now if you want to race with the bike.

>>1009957
>>1010003
Forgot to mention that that's for road racing. You can run discs all you want in cx and MTB.

Awesome training ride after shitty weather all week. When calgary is sunny, it's gotta be one of the most beautiful areas in NA.

>>1009957
For cyclocross, yes. For road, depends. I run rim brakes on my road bike anyway.

>>1010240
muh danger

How do i get a good back for cycling? my lower back tends to hurt after an hour. i have a 5 1/4 inch saddle to bar drop and my back is parallel to the ground when i go on the drops for dem aero gains.

>uhh anon just raise your stem!
SLAM STEM

>>1010922
Get a bike fit or change your stem length. Sometimes a new saddle that fits your butt helps too. I know when I got saddles that fit my wide butt bones it helped immensely, especially on the mountain bike.

>>1010922
>>1010988
>Get a bike fit or change your stem length.
Both at the same time. Someone decently skilled at bike fitting will change the stem length as necessary.

>>1010922
Gym strength training programs for cyclists include things like seated rows to strengthen your lower back.

>>1011093
I'm 5,10 on a 54 frame, I swapped my stem out with a 120mm a month ago. I deadlift 225 squat 195 bent over row 140lbs

>>1011116
Okay.. go have someone look at your overall bike fit. Or maybe you just have a shit lower back. Ask me about that. No matter how much I can lift doing seated- or standing-bent-over-rows, at some point or another my lower back gets sore on one ride or another. It's not like riding a bike is the most natural position for the human body.

>rider comes up to a climb
>decides to stand
>can't do the transition smoothly, ends up dropping back just enough to fuck with anyone behind them
I seriously hope you guys don't do this.

Training tip for the day: Always work on making the transition from sitting to standing, and vice-versa, as smooth and seamless as possible.

File: auklogo-new[1].gif (2KB, 180x165px) Image search: [Google]

2KB, 180x165px

>>1012748
On our club rides we have "today we're working on ___". This is should be one of them.


I just wanna get in here and chat about Audax.
Anyone do any Audax/long distance events?
Entered my first ride for this season, 200km from my city.
Aim is for Super Randonneur by Spring.

new thread when

>>1012802
Isn't on auto-sage yet.

>>1012794
>On our club rides we have "today we're working on ___".
Gee, wish the team I'm on would be like that.

Maybe I need to be on a different team.

>>1012748
is that hard for some people to do?

I bounce around like contador when i'm out of the saddle (though not nearly the watts lol) and sometimes me plopping back into my saddle throws me off a bit but nothing major

Just bought a crankset so my road bike will finally be ready to ride soon!
Can't wait to see you guys out there!

>>1012927
When you stand up your bike will jump 4 to 6 inches if not more backwards relative to where you would have been if you stayed seated.
It's not super noticeable on your own, but ride in a group and listen for the yelp when you get to the foot of a climb and an inexperienced rider hasn't left a gap and the inexperienced rider in front has jumped out of the saddle and thrown their bike back.

Riding with the slow group tomorrow as part of my cooldown for big ride next week. Not looking forward to tomorrow's ride to be honest.

>>1012958
Hmm, never thought about that but it makes sense. Froome's sitting attacks are even more efficient than I thought.

Why? Are they just cringe-y tier slow?

>>1012927
>I bounce around like contador when i'm out of the saddle
Your pedal stroke should be smooth no matter if you're seated or standing.

>>1013008
It's not that bad. I'm not like Voeckler or something.

File: 1452887238586.jpg (585KB, 1259x947px) Image search: [Google]

585KB, 1259x947px

SUCH a great CX race today lads. Reminded me why it's such a fun discipline

>>1012998
>Why? Are they just cringe-y tier slow?
So I rode with the slow group of my club.
Omg they are 100 times better riders than my usual intermediate group. Signals, warnings, shouts are great, positioning is great, they all hold their line, they don't let gaps form.

Had a nice chat with pretty much everyone, did my fair share of turns of the front into the wind and added 60km solo on the end as training for 200km next weekend.
Successful ride.

>>1014034
Yeah but are they fast as fug?

If not, D R O P P E D

Jk. That would be nice to have a really communicative group.

>page 6

Come on, let's get this to the bump limit. Double CX weekend coming up in Edmonton. Stoked.

>>1014814
If they're really going to combine /o/ and /n/, then we all better get used to two things:
1. Having to post more often, or the /BRT/ thread will get scrolled off page 10
2. /o/ fags harassing us constantly for being on 'their' board -- and I mean orders of magnitude worse than the train foamers

On an associated subject: What would you all think of there being a 'permanent' /BRT/ thread? It's possible, Admins and Mods can make threads that don't have a bump limit and don't get scrolled off. It would at least be worth asking about.

>>1015141
The merge isn't happening.

>>1015141
>permanent /BRT/ thread
it would get slow as shit to load past 1000 posts

>>1015194
>>1015199
Oh, well, good then, just as well, it sounded like a stupid thing to do in the first place.