Follow BreakfastClubATX on IG; they do big rides every weekend.

Thanks. Following.

hbc07 said:

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Does anyone have any good rides in the hill country? I'm considering making a weekend out of it to get a good change of pace from my north Dallas area rides and doing 2 60mi +/- 20mi rides in February or March, but just don't know where to go.

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I sniped this from someone else and it was a fun ride a few years ago:
https://www.strava.com/routes/15699226

RangerRick9211 said:

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hbc07 said:

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Does anyone have any good rides in the hill country? I'm considering making a weekend out of it to get a good change of pace from my north Dallas area rides and doing 2 60mi +/- 20mi rides in February or March, but just don't know where to go.

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I sniped this from someone else and it was a fun ride a few years ago:
https://www.strava.com/routes/15699226

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I've done that ride up Crabapple road, it's just beautiful and awesome. Highly recommend. It may have been one of the western roads on your link, but one of those roads has some low water crossings. Those crossings with a tiny bit of water at the bottom are exceedingly dangerous, full of slick algae, best to get off your bike and slowly cross.

Here's a link to more options.
more options outside Fredericksburg

A little closer to you would be Clifton. I've done their Tour de Norway a couple times and it definitely qualifies as hill country. Here's a GPS map I found of the 80miler.

Castell Grind North or South loops. I'd be down to meet up in Castell and do a loop followed by a burger and beer must weekends. I need to up my training...I stupidly signed up for this year's grind and, with a newborn, am way behind.

https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/4289586349

Just a heads up, if you bike for long enough you will get hit by a car unless you ride in BFE and even then its a maybe. One of the reasons I stopped was everyone I knew, including myself, got hit by a car and this is in Collin county where legally the biker gets their own lane.

P.U.T.U said:

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Just a heads up, if you bike for long enough you will get hit by a car unless you ride in BFE and even then its a maybe. One of the reasons I stopped was everyone I knew, including myself, got hit by a car and this is in Collin county where legally the biker gets their own lane.

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There's a time, place, and method for these kinds of discussions - a thread for new cyclists should illicit supportive responses. Just like the overall statistics for motorcyclists are pretty bad, those that follow the rules, wear their safety attire, ride offensively, and choose smart routes, tend to enjoy a long lifetime on two wheels.
I'm sure there's a cycling safety thread we can dig up better suited for off-handed comments.

I totally agree Rusty. I ride smart and I ride safe routes. Love riding my bike and I will continue to ride as long as I can.

I ride MTB and Gravel. "Safe". Now let's continue the thread and encourage the cycling community (safely)

Bringing this one back to the front page. This last year was filled with a lot of stops and starts for me including covid, strained wrist tendon, and frequent overnight travelling for work. Raced a few times and successfully didn't finish last each time. Have been going back and forth between hiring a coach or trying out a new training program (was using zwift before and did not care for it). For now I'm trying out Systm. To that end I did the Full Frontal 4DP Test which was my first real ftp test. Thought I was going to die.

5sec - 926W
1min - 366W
5min - 265W
FTP - 195W

Happy about the 5sec and 1min. FTP was lower than I expected by a decent amount as I did a ramp test a year ago that read 227W and I certainly feel stronger than then, so not sure what to make of that. Obviously though I need to work on my sustained efforts. I'm going to stick with Systm for a while and then might reach out to a coach I've been eyeing depending on my progress.

hbc07 said:

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Bringing this one back to the front page. This last year was filled with a lot of stops and starts for me including covid, strained wrist tendon, and frequent overnight travelling for work. Raced a few times and successfully didn't finish last each time. Have been going back and forth between hiring a coach or trying out a new training program (was using zwift before and did not care for it). For now I'm trying out Systm. To that end I did the Full Frontal 4DP Test which was my first real ftp test. Thought I was going to die.

5sec - 926W
1min - 366W
5min - 265W
FTP - 195W

Happy about the 5sec and 1min. FTP was lower than I expected by a decent amount as I did a ramp test a year ago that read 227W and I certainly feel stronger than then, so not sure what to make of that. Obviously though I need to work on my sustained efforts. I'm going to stick with Systm for a while and then might reach out to a coach I've been eyeing depending on my progress.

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I'd be curious to see how a current ramp test would compare to your 4dp results.

Those are great results, congrats. This, from Wahoo, might help explain the discrepancy.

Started up a 4 week training block after that test which was focused on threshold power levels. However, have been off the bike since last Sunday due to a sinus infection. Finally felt like I had turned a corner and had energy back so tried wahoo's ramp test this morning. FTP went from 195 -> 220, 5min power went from 265->270, and cTHR increased from 158bpm->166bpm.

Still lower than I expected (though that might just be due to the sinus infection), but it is closer. Going to restart this training block, and then will retest after completing it.

4 week FTP block completed.
FTP: 220W -> 245W (+11%)
MAP: 272W -> 298W (+9.5%)
cTHR: 166bpm -> 170bpm

I don't know if the gain is as big as it shows since I think I was still coming back from a sinus infection, but still satisfied with the results. Doing a few group rides this week, and then will start a new 4 week block focused on either FTP again or MAP. I think I should be able to exceed my race goal from last year of "don't be last place".

Confirmed Plans for the year:
Triple Bypass (Colorado) - July

Possible Plans for this year (though races for the year are still being posted):
Jesuit Ranger Roundup (Celina, TX) - April
Crockett Classic (Crockett, TX) - April
Tour of the Gila (Silver City, NM) - April
Tour de Louisiane (Covington, LA) - June
Texas State Road Race Championships (Copperas Cove, TX) - September

Might throw in some random crits as well.

Nice results. Where are you getting your workout plan?

I'm doing my training with Wahoo Systm. I was going to get an actual coach after not having much luck with training programs, but wanted to give this a try for the annual cost of probably less than what a coach would be per month.

The way it's set up lets you fully customize a program to focus on either a bit of everything or specific power efforts, or to focus on a race, and lets you select duration, amount of time per week, how often to have recovery weeks, adding in yoga, etc. I really like it, much more than the previous training plan I had in zwift.

First week of the MAP focused training block done. The FTP block was mostly sweet spot training or +/-10% of FTP. So the change from FTP to MAP training has been intense... My legs are like jello but I'm enjoying it in a sick way. Still 3 weeks to go in this training block, but based on the growth/gains I feel like I'm getting it feels like I might still have 2 more blocks of easy gains before diminishing returns start kicking in. Big workouts for the week:

14 vice grips: 14 efforts at 307w from 30s-2m (just over MAP).


A very dark place: 5x4m between 250-270w (between FTP & MAP).


Shovel: 23 1m segments ranging from 245w for 60s w/ 0s recovery to 741w for 5s w/ 55s recovery (FTP up to 3xFTP).


This next week will be a bit complicated as I'll be travelling all day Monday, and again Friday-Sunday; so I need to figure out how I'm going to rearrange my training schedule to accommodate.

Good for you! Those are big numbers. I've found A Very Dark Place to be quite apropos of its name.
I love the way they alternately insult and inspire you during the sessions.

Thanks! Ideally, I'd like to get to a position where I'm able to be competitive in Cat 4 races this year instead of back of the pack like last year. Based on the Coggins power chart (which ultimately means **** all on race day) I'm currently sitting at about average power levels for Cat 4 so it'll be interesting to see what happens.

In a weird funk where I have a ton of trouble generating consistent power outside.

On the indoor trainer, tempo is somewhere between 210-240 watts. Outside, I struggle to hold anything north of 180-190 average. It also just feels like a chore.

Been riding for years, and been having this issue for a year or so. Got a full tech fit (with sensors etc). Didn't fix it.

Are you using the same power meter for indoor and outdoor?

Indoor is Peloton and outdoor is my Quarq.

I've been riding long enough to know what certain power ranges feel like (2x Ironman, countless century rides, etc). So if they're off, it's not by much.

For example a 1hr ride:
Indoor - 210w average, HR 155bpm avg
Outdoor - 180w average, HR 170bpm avg

Phat32 said:

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Indoor is Peloton and outdoor is my Quarq.

I've been riding long enough to know what certain power ranges feel like (2x Ironman, countless century rides, etc). So if they're off, it's not by much.

For example a 1hr ride:
Indoor - 210w average, HR 155bpm avg
Outdoor - 180w average, HR 170bpm avg

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Peloton or Peloton +? I'd say that both are pretty skewed towards the high range, but especially the original. I was watching reviews from some of the big names, like DC Rainmaker, when the Peloton + came out and basically everyone had to reset all their PR's and historical outputs because they weren't even coming close on the +.

It may be high, but I had a Wahoo Kickr before and the FTP ramp tests/workouts were in similar ranges. And I've been stronger on the bike outside before (longer rides in the 210-230 average range).

It may just be fitness, it may be position, it may be a complete out of whack set of power meters. Either way, it stinks.

2nd and 3rd week of the MAP block mostly done. Had a few missed sessions due to travel. The workouts have remained challenging, but I feel like I could be going harder. This next week is largely a recovery week and will slot in a ramp test on Friday to see where my FTP/MAP currently sit... hoping for 245->255 / 298->310 which I think is realistic based on how I've been feeling on the workouts. If I hit that (combined having shed a few pounds) I will have raised my W/kg from 2.85->3.4 in the span of two months. Gotta love those easy early gains before you have to fight for every inch

Some random fun highlights:

Nine Hammers - 3x FTP MAP MAP


Attacker - 5x7min efforts starting below FTP and ending over FTP


MAP Micro Intervals - 3x7 40/20s right below MAP


The Bat - 6x 30s MAP 4min FTP 30s MAP


The Chores 40/20s at MAP followed by FTP effort



With the weather take a turn for the better, planning on going for a group ride tomorrow and am looking forward to it with how rarely I've been on in the last 3 months. Also currently considering the Icebreaker race in Austin in 3 weeks to get my first taste of racing for the year, it's a Cat 4/5 that's a 31 mile circuit race (potentially a crit but I can't find much info).

Nothing of note lately. Felt sick two weeks ago and ran into issues since then where it feels like my legs aren't recovering. Finally got in a good 1hr50min ride on the trainer today with steady z2 averaging 161w.

Only good news is that with the weight loss (171ish to 163ish) and power gains (220W to ~265W) since November my FTP has gone from to 2.85W/kg to 3.58W/kg. Now I just need to actually sign up for a race.

I'm about to throw my trainer through a wall.

It's been the longest stretch of <60 deg days in PDX ever (back to late October). It's snowed like 14 days so far in the city. I have 1,100 miles over 49 hours this year and only TWO rides have been outside. Everything else on the trainer.

Great skiing though!

And now they closed Larch Mountain for the year to re-pave. Found out this week; immediately signed up to ride the Hurricane in Olympic Nat. I've got plans to hop all the no-car windows at McKenzie Pass, Johnson Ridge Observatory and Hwy 20 in N Cascade to make up for it.

I've started ramping up my workouts after taking a break to end last year.

I'll hit 7 hours this week of biking/running with just over 5.5 hrs on the Peloton.

Still pushing to get my wattage up to where I can sustain 300 watts for a decent length of time.

End of week 1 of a 3 week plan which will culminate with my first race of the year. Massive allergies hitting me this week made things more difficult than they should have been.

Attacker was on the menu again this week. Ran it at the same power level as my last FTP training cycle, but my HR average was 15 bpm higher due to the aforementioned allergy issues. Never had to deal with my heart rate running away like that.


Today was a mashup of It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time and Into Thin Air - It Seemed Like Thin Air. 5 climbs: 15min, 20min, 20min, 8min, 40min. This was the first ride I ever actually felt the "pain shakes". There were a handful of times I wasn't sure if I was going to get it done, but thankfully made it to the end and averaged 190W over the 2:30.


First race of the year is in 2 weeks. Options I have are:
Cat 5 - 22miles, morning race
Cat 4/5 - 42miles, afternoon race
Cat 4/5 Masters - 32miles, afternoon race.

Last year I did the 4/5 masters as my first ever race without sufficient training and without knowing what I was doing, and got dropped within 5 miles. Plus it was the first 90*+ day of the year out of nowhere. I also had no idea there was a Cat 5 race last year... that would have been smart.

I think this year will either be 4/5 or 4/5 masters. The 5 race feels like it would be too short for me to really get a gauge of where I am right now.

The aforementioned race in March was kind of a disaster but kind of not? Winds @ 25mph with impending storms. Race was shortened and blown wide open by a guy that had no business being a Cat 4. Everyone finished in groups of 2s or 3s basically. Finished 19/25. Heart rate spiked after the first few miles, but once I had a chance to recover I actually had a strong ride. Too bad I was long since dropped at that point.

Cat 5 race in Arkansas last month. Finished 4th. Local team was focus on one guy and weren't doing any work. I rode off the front a few times and caused the group to actually do work. Last 1/4 of the race I wound up in a good spot and launched an attack. After 30 seconds it worked out to 3 of us with a sizable gap which we increased quickly. I unfortunately died on a big hill prior to the end and dropped back to 4th. Some of the guys from the local team said that I broke them with my probing attacks, so I was happy to hear that. First time I've ever been that successful in a race. Learned a lot.

Have been doing some local crits just to get a feel for them and get more used to the tight quarters racing. Last one actually rode a 4 man break for a lap, but no one was committed to working together so it died. Was 8th or so with 3 laps to go, but someone just randomly hit the breaks in front of me and I had no where to go until the entire pack passed and it was too late to try to recover any significant amounts at the pace we were going.

Was supposed to be racing next weekend, and then the weekend after at Tulsa Tough... but yesterday my Di2 died midride. Walked into the shop and talked with the manager and the service manager who got started working on it right away (the benefit of spending so much at a shop... other people were getting quoted 1-2 weeks for routine maintenance). Replaced the battery thinking that would fix it, but it caused more errors to show on the diagnosis. They thought it was a crimped wire or something so they sent me home while they pulled the bottom bracket to locate it... and nothing. They worked on the bike from 10am-6pm yesterday testing and attempting to replace each component of the system and nothing fixed the problem. They've never seen anything like this and have submitted a warranty claim to Shimano to replace the entire system from top to bottom i guess. So now I have to wait for Shimano's response and have been told that even best case, the odds of having my bike for this weekends race is 0%, and the odds for Tulsa Tough are somewhat slim as well.

More of an amateur rider here. I try to ride a couple of ~60m rides each year. I have recently been having problems with my back (probably due to age) but was considering spending the money to get professionally fitted on my bike.

Does anyone have experience with that process and/or thinks it was money well spent? Any recommendations in the SA to Austin areas? Thanks in advance.

I'd probably look into exercises to strength your posterior chain before spending 200-300 on a bike fit

Kool said:

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I love the way they alternately insult and inspire you during the sessions.

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Old school Sufferfest was absolute greatness.