Hey y'all. Started training seriously 14 months ago and after 5 races with 2 podiums I got my first actual win. It was a crit with 15 laps (5.3km each) with Brazil's only pro continental team. It was awesome.
Ps.: ignore the average power number, it's strava's estimate and is faaaar from accurate.
Hi everyone,
Does anyone have any tips for doing heat training core temperature tracking on a budget?
The 200+ euro sensors from CORE are way out of my student budget.
Tips/solutions to find reliable ones are welcome.
Thanks!
Last week I had a stellar training week. Hit about 180 miles/11 hours. Felt tired but good. Had a great recovery day and went out for a ride yesterday, part way through my second interval (about halfway through my workout) I get a puncture. I stop to let it seal and keep going and it opens again. Stop, get it sealed and pumped back up and by this point it’s a slog to finish my interval. I get done with it and just sit on the side of the road and lose a mental battle with myself.
Today I was dreading getting on the bike all day and ended up not doing it. Just felt tired and lazy. It makes me feel like the whole week is a loss and like I’m failing.
What do you all do with your bad weeks?
My FTP is ~255-260 and I weigh about 73 kg (~3.5 W/kg). Last weekend I raced a small 44 mile gravel grinder. It was just a random Fondo / race in Ohio. I tried to hold onto the front group but once they got on the gas, I had to push way above my limits (bursts of 600-1000W) to try to hold on so I just let them go. I ended up in 2nd chase group with a few other guys. We were in sight of chase group 1 (which my buddy was in) for most of the race. We never did catch them. At the end of the race it came down to a sprint finish for my group and that was the first time I have ever had to sprint against other guys. Usually I'm just rolling across the line solo. I managed to out sprint the guys in my group and take 16th / 190.
The point of the post though is that I've felt like I needed a 300W FTP to be one of "The Fast Guys", but I thought to myself yesterday that even if I never get there, I can still have a lot of fun at these smaller less competitive events. I'm going to keep working at it, but I'm pretty happy with "just" a 250W FTP. I feel fast, even if I'm not as fast as these dudes with team kit, golden aero chain rings and massive quads.
Hey,
I'm getting a bit burned out on cycling being my only thing. After five years on the bike, I miss that feeling of being a total beginner and working my way up in something new.
I'm 40, sitting at around 4.75 W/kg. The long-term dream has always been 5 W/kg, but that last quarter watt per kilo is a bitch. My focus right now is ultra events – I'm doing three 1000+ km events this year. I also love racing big alpine granfondos like the Ötztaler Radmarathon and the Giro Dolomiti. My goal is always to finish in the top 20%, and so far that's been working out. I usually train 10–20 hours a week on the bike.
A few weeks ago I stumbled into padel tennis and I'm hooked. I played tennis as a kid so I picked it up pretty fast, and now I've got that itch to actually get good at it. Realistically that means another 4–8 hours of training/playing per week.
The thing is, I really don't want to sacrifice my cycling fitness or give up on hitting 5 W/kg before I turn 45.
So – how realistic is this? Time-wise it could work if I cut my workday from 8 to 6 hours, which I was planning to do anyway. Physically I feel like I can handle the extra load.
But I'm worried I'll end up mediocre at both – not progressing in padel while also losing watts on the bike.
Has anyone here successfully added a second sport without tanking their cycling performance? How did you manage the load?
Thanks in advance.
I decided to treat myself and buy power-meter pedals - specifically the Favero Assioma Pro.
Until now I rode with SPD cleats (or simple toe cages), but I now need to choose a road pedal system. From what I’ve gathered, they’re very similar and the differences seem negligible, yet I still want to make the right choice.
If you were starting from scratch and ignoring the pedal itself (since the power meter will be the same manufacturer), would you choose Look Keo or Shimano SPD-SL?
Thank you!
Edit: I bought Look, sorry Shimano.
Summer is approaching in my hemisphere and I want to suffer less in the heat this year. I’m thinking of adding heat training on top of my workout schedule but could use guidance on if/when to do so. For context I’m early 30s, I’ve been training about 1.5 years, ftp‘s gone from 200->280 in that time at 73kg. Don’t race, just ride for fitness & fun. ~12 hrs/wk right now.
This is my current routine, with a rest week every ~4 weeks (where rest week = <20 TSS total over 5 days then some openers):
Mon: rest
Tues: morning weights (squats & a couple accessories), evening threshold or vo2 intervals
Wed: recovery ride (<10 TSS)
Thurs: morning intervals (threshold usually), evening weights (deadlift & a couple accessories)
Fri: rest
Sat: long endurance ride
Sun: recovery ride
My only real option for heat is riding on the trainer in a bunch of clothes till I get real hot. Per this paper it looks like I need to do that for a few consecutive days for 2 weeks in a row and then 1/wk as maintenance. Specifically looking for guidance on the 2 weeks bit.
Should I pause my other intervals? Pause the gym work? Do heat training after intervals? Do heat training on rest days? Am I on the right track here?
Hi there, while doing Vo2Max sessions these day. I came to ask myself, why would i do 5x3 and then switch to 4x4 and then try doing 4x5 and eventually 5x5. why can't i keep simply doing 4x4 all the time and increase NP per interval if it allows. What are the benefits of Vo2Max progressions and how 4x4 is better than 5x5 ? I do understand that 5x5 yields 25 total mins, but with 4x4 I can output higher NP per intervals. Also, at the beginning it was hard even doing 5x3, but now it is survivable to do 4x4, so i see that there are some adaptations happened. Is it really as simple as the longer at the max O2 intake the better ? And if so, how do you recognize/feel you are at the max o2 intake and don't go harder in order not to blow up?
Im in my second season of road racing, turned 18 this year and have been taking training more seriously since the end of last season, ~8-9 months. Ive made big progress taking my 20 min power from ~200w up to just under 290w in a recent ftp test at arounfd 65kg body weight. My question is, in my training am i aiming to improve my weakness, for me more extended power or inprove my strengths? Ive attached strava power skills for some context. Racing where i live is road and closed course, the road have punchy climbs 3 min max and the track is flat with barely any braking and a slight uphill sprint finish.
Is there a way to improve my measly 1 min and 2 min Power? For context, i (16M) race in the U17 category, train consistently(12-15 hours a week), and while im quite content with my 5, 10 and 15 min power, the courses i race for the foreseeable future favor strong anaerobic capacity. Are there specific intervals etc. that could help with this?
DNF because was about to get lapped.
I got absolutely crushed. Hilly course, and I never felt like I could get a rhythm.
Something I thought about while being off the back of the race is that, whenever I train I kind of riff. I dont have a true plan. I imagine this is my first issue. But whenever I ride I have 2 hard days a week where I try to do max effort, then I have 2 chiller days.
What’s next?
Hi everyone,
I’m a 16-year-old cyclist (168 cm / 5'6") currently weighing 61.5 kg (135 lbs). My current FTP is around 190W-200W (~3.2 W/kg). My main goal by the end of the year is to increase my FTP by at least 35W .
I want to know if my goal is realistic and if my plan to intentionally gain muscle mass is the right move.
My Background & Training:
I’ve been training seriously for about 20 months.
Volume: 13 hours/week (250-300 km), including structured intervals and plenty of Zone 2.
Periodization: I take a full recovery break every September to reset.
Weight History: In Jan 2025 I was 65 kg (2.8 W/kg). By mid-2025, I dropped aggressively to 55.5 kg, which boosted my W/kg but caused me to lose absolute raw power. Now (Feb 2026), I am back up to 61.5 kg, and my power is feeling much better and moving in the right direction.
my plan is to slowly build 4 to 5 kg of muscle over the next 9-10 months (aiming for a very controlled gain of about 100g per week, targeting a final weight of about 66 kg).
Gym: 1-2 times a week, low volume/high intensity focused entirely on leg strength (Squats, RDLs, Bulgarian Split Squats in the 4-6 rep range at 80-85% 1RM).
Off-bike Nutrition: 2600 kcal baseline (~350-400g Carbs, 130g Protein, 65g Fat).
My Questions for You:
Is an FTP jump of +35W (from ~195W to 230W+) realistic within 8-9 months for a 16-year-old with this volume (13h/week) and training age?
Given that I don't care about steep climbs, is intentionally moving up to 65-66 kg through structured leg hypertrophy/strength the smartest path to unlock those raw watts?
Has anyone else transitioned from a "skinny climber" build to a heavier passista/crit build at a young age? What should I watch out for?
Thanks in advance for any insights!
In 4 weeks I’m doing a 6-day mountain cycling trip with a group. It’s not a race, as the goal is to enjoy the rides and scenery, but I’d still like to be reasonably strong for the climbs and survive the accumulated fatigue.
The trip is ~630 km total with ~15,800 m of climbing, so there will be multiple consecutive 6–8 hour days.
Longest sustained climbs expected each day are roughly:
These estimates are based on my current FTP/weight and expected pacing (~72-80% FTP for longer climbs up to ~85% for shorter climbs or late in the trip). All days also include multiple long climbs. For example, Day 5 has climbs of ~40 min, 1h10, 1h, and 1h30.
Training background:
Training consistency and volume has been subpar because of illness/sleep disruption from having a small kid, but I currently feel in pretty good shape (~3.9 W/kg, and I think I'll be at 4 before the trip).
Last week I did:
I intentionally kept only one easier day between SST sessions to simulate some fatigue accumulation for the trip.
I’ll "taper" during the last 10 days, so I effectively have ~2.5 weeks left to train.
I know I’m unlikely to meaningfully raise FTP in that time, so I assume the focus should be durability/fatigue resistance instead.
Given that I can train about ~9 h/week max, with sessions capped at ~2 h each, what would you focus on during these last couple of weeks? Increasing time in zone @ SST? Multiple/consecutive Tempo days in a row? Keep some VO2Max? Anything else?
And is my approach of ~72-80% FTP for longer climbs up to ~85% for shorter climbs or late in the trip reasonable enough?
Hi
I've been hit by a car and looking to change my front wheel I've got this bike "SCOTT Speedster Gravel 30"
What would you advise ? Doing commute + some Forest I'm quite heavy
Don't want to spend so much
Thanks
Hi, just a bit about me. M32, 181cm, 67kg @ 11% BF (confirmed by 3 dexa scans). In the last 84 days I've been easing back in to things after being off the bike for the past 14 months recovering from a compressed nerve/disc injury.
Winter is fast approaching in my part of the world I want to be ready for the race season next summer. I've had prior experience racing and generally race tactically and I know I'll have difficulty keeping up with the bigger riders but putting weight on is difficult for me.
The numbers in my screenshot are taken from intervals; I've got 4 years of data in there and this seems to always be my peak but now with "2 functioning legs" and no more pain while riding I feel I have the potential to be better. I wanted to ask if I sit more in the realm of using something like trainerroad to really hone in on my strengths or would I be better suited to a local coach in person?
Cheers for your input guys.
Edit: I understand crits don't really focus on raw FTP, its all about CP and repeatability. I guess I just want more guidance in training to see what my best potential could be.
Hello readers! I'm currently wondering about buying a Time bike. I'm a 19-year-old guy who's currently riding an Orbea Orca 2022 carbon bike with aluminum wheels and mechanical shifting (my first road bike, which I bought in summer 2024). Three months ago, I learned about Time, their unique frame manufacturing process (RTM, weaving Dyneema…), their commitment to their ideas, and their quality control. I was truly amazed by this and the fact, that there's a brand in the cycling industry, who does things differently. After that, I wanted to build my next bike based on the Fluidity frame (firstly wanted the ADHX, but they released the Fluidity, which now seems like a better option). I calculated, that I'd have to spend at least €6,000 on the configuration I want (Ultegra Di2 + FFWD RyotV2 DT Swiss 240, Deda Superzero RS cockpit, etc.). It's quite a significant sum for me, but I'm thought, that I only live once, and when, if not at 19, do I can make such risky and somewhat "crazy" purchases? I was really excited about this idea and have set myself the goal of making it a reality next year.
But on the other hand, I understand that Time bikes, while leaders in their field, aren't tapping into the market demand due to weak brand marketing. And looking ahead, while I don't plan to sell this bike for a long time (maybe even never, but as we know, plans may change) it might still be difficult to sell it for the same price. Compared to some specialized/canyon/scott bikes..
In short, my question – is a Time frame worth paying more for than something like an Addict/Endurace/Synapse? Is their manufacturing technology, build quality, etc. really worth paying any attention to? I just don't want to be that person, who watched Mapdec's YouTube videos praising Time bikes, bought one, and was subsequently disappointed. And also, I’m afraid, that in case, if I’ll buy smth else, I’ll still have a feeling of missing something, that Time is a “different” one, which still must be explored…
This post probably won't fully answer my question, but I hope it sheds some light... I'd love to hear from people who actually know what they're talking about and have ridden many bikes, including recent Time models. Thanks!
I'm finding my early to mid 30s are a weird time to be bike racing. I am not as gung ho not have the energy and quickness I did racing in my 20s, and I am still a bit too young to be racing Masters. But I'm slowly realizing I do not have what it takes anymore to hang with these young guns in the road scene. They're all faster/stronger than me, have more time to ride/train and the worst part is they have no fear. I can't tell you how many times I've seen some high schooler dive bomb into a corner at a local 2/3 crit for a $20 olive garden gift card preme.
Luckily I'm approaching the end of my 30s and I have Masters racing to look forward to. I know the road scene is dead for the most part of the US so I am not expecting much but - does it get any easier? Is it less sketchy? OR will I just be going up against "dad strength" ex pros who only have enough time in their life to do a 30 minute parking lot crit?
I'm looking to ride a FKT attempt next weekend and was debating on wearing my skinsuit for this 230 mile ride. This is a road route so aero is everything. I'll be wearing a hydration vest so I'm not sure if the skinsuit is worth it. The bibs are definetly more comfortable than the skinsuit in terms of chamois. Is the skinsuit worth the trouble for this long ride?
Say you took all of the current and recent cycling commentators, had them in their prime, with their best team, and had all those teams do a race like LBL. Who do you think would win?
I’ll go first: McEwen.
