It’s Okay to Rearrange Things…
BY KENNETH LUNDGREN
I gathered a bunch of the guys together Sunday for the Nyack Ride and we really rode hard, pushing healthy watts all ride. Goal was to give everyone a fast, free ride back to Nyack, control the front — no one gets away. The EE guys were great, up front all ride — a few guys rode off front but nothing stuck for more than 30s. Even on Piermont Road, we were able to rotate around and keep the pace high…
Me, I wanted to keep it pinned in the SubThreshold and LT zone pretty much all ride, so I was on the front a ton, just running myself down. Good times, to say the least. As a time trialist, those V02 max efforts can really break me, but at threshold I can just get into the zone and go…
On Piermont Road, near the end, I was going and going and going, and I turned around, Bruno there, but we had a gap. I unleashed him and he took off for the finishing sprint under the Tappan Zee, but Epstein and Co. caught him RIGHT at the line. Nick popped some wicked data for those final 2 minutes, and I told him, “We pay them back when there’s a number on your back…” Nick is looking very, very, very good already, very fluid, almost bouncing around with excessive energy. I was happy with his performance to say the least…
I saw warm weather for Monday morning, so I brought the TT bike out and started the workout, but immediately I could see the legs were dead. Instead of ruining the workout and further destroying my not-recovered legs, I shut it down, rode home, got the road bike, and did a 2.5h recovery ride to work. I felt much, much better at the end… and it really helped. I thought my legs weren’t ready for Sunday’s Hell Ride, but that wasn’t the case — I just needed a solid day of recovery riding.
This morning, I awoke to gray skies, but the weather was almost 60 degrees!!! So out I went, almost giddy, still keeping the knees covered with leg warmers. But man it felt oh so good to get out there!!!
I have this solid local loop I can take the TT bike out on, around a 20-minute effort, no stops. Today I did 3 loops, and I was surprised with how the legs felt. I nailed the effort for the first two. On the third, I was feeling good so went a little harder than originally planned, but after looking at the file the HR didn’t jump that much higher — the legs are just stronger.
As previously mentioned, I’ve gained some weight. I’m around 165 (I’m Bizarro Goldman, everything opposite). Don’t get me wrong: I’m not trying to put on huge weight, but I want to head into the season a little heftier, hopefully minimize muscle loss when we all begin to atrophy by mid-season… I want to ensure that the June peak is just that and not haphazard.
I think the weight will be beneficial in the TTs. Today, the power was up, obviously, but my times were close to my fastest of last year. The HR was lower. I think this could also be due to the fact that my cadence has dropped. I’ve been PowerCranking steadily (I’m trying to slow myself down, of course!), and I’ve deliberately been trying to push a bigger gear on the TT bike. I usually average 104-108 rpms on this loop. Today I was 101, 95, and 98 rpms. I’ve been doing a ton of core work, and I really feel solid in the saddle, able to accelerate out of the turns and just feel comfy in the tuck for extended periods.
At this point in my training, I am very happy with where I’m at. I’m not in O’Donnell or Cannell form, but I’m hoping to get there later on… Hard, specific PowerCrank workout tomorrow (maybe Thursday if weather is better), then more steady work Saturday, followed by a team ride on Sunday.
Thanks for reading.
