Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

I'd really struggle on rollers! Best bit about the long recovery is that you forget how much it hurt during the interval ;)

I'll certainly try those especially as you mentioned potential weight loss (6ft 82kg).

I've done 3 minute sets at 110%, 120% and 130% before and they really hurt, so much in fact that I've had to skip the spin on the following day.

I really like the simplicity of single speed for a bit of commuting. I would mix it up with my road bike though.

BTW, the short maximal efforts, big gear or just loads of leg speed or a little of both?

I'd aim for higher cadence if you're doing 10sec stuff, not big gear as you won't be able to get the power out effectively and will induce intra-muscular damage rather than neuromuscular adaptation (another side benefit).

Ok. I'm happy with the higher cadence as I'm trying to get my leg speed up for the track.
I can only hit about 130rpm on the rollers before things get too choppy on the track bike (no resistance available).
Should be less of a problem on the turbo/TT bike.

We often throw the obligatory "village sign" sprints in on club rides, can only be a good thing right?

Appreciate the advice Xavier. A refreshing change in the often secret squirrel world of training.

10s max max max cadence rev outs and 30s intervals with a target cadence of 135-160rpm will help with leg speed. I always find there are flat spots between certain cadences.

I can hit 150-160 on the rollers no hands for short spells but can get up there with the hands on the bars. It just gets too choppy.
I maxed at 140rpm on the track a couple of weeks ago but didn't notice any bounce at all.

I had a succesfull tapering last week, unbelieveable good.

weird that you can hit higher cadences with no hands (hanging on to something?) than with hands on the bars.

Nope, not holding on to anything. I'm not being a knob and boasting about my relatively useless prowess of being able to spin out no hands.
One of the coaches I've had at Derby SQT said that it's quite natural to be able to hit higher rpm's no hands. I'm sure there's a reason, Xavier might have a scientific explanation.

Hip openener?

Does anyone plan their weeks according to TSS/hr? I'm starting a base phase but only starting using power earlier in the year and have either been building or tapering thus far (so not totally sure what I'm doing).
I'm doing 3 x 1hr turbo sessions plus a shortish interval ride and a longer recovery ride at the weekend.

Tss/hr can be a good metric to work too, but TSS is based on NP so you can just use NP for a ride to know where to ride. I set total TSS for rides to keep load increasing.
However, it's not something to get hung up on. You can improve without changing load but changing training composition.

Probably this.

On my track bike I can get up to a fairly high cadence with no hands, but on a road bike the front of the bike starts to weave. Probably should make the rollers longer to accommodate the wheelbase but.. meh.

BTW, I'll not be sitting up in the last lap of a points race to try to increase my cadence;-)

Only if I'm within one of the TrainerRoad programmes. They usually build over 3 weeks with a reduction in TSS in week 4.
As far as I'm aware this easing up in week 4 isn't a bad thing. Certainly helps me anyway.

4x70sec unpaced (ie as hard as you can from the start, no changing gear or resistance) with about 10min rest

This is the only session that has ever made my bones feel like they're hurting.

thanks @skinny, that's a good pointer. I'll give the gradually increasing weekly total a go between now and the 'real' training block next year. It makes sense in my head not to be attempting all threshold workouts till then, as I'll probably go insane if I have to do endless 2 x 20 minutes at X watts between now and then.

That said. My CTL has stayed the same for 6 weeks, but I've gained 40W on threshold. I was a bit unfit before mind, plus totally changed my training composition.

Just a point that CTL chasing isn't the be all, especially as a Time crunched trainer.

Now to find another 40W with load increase.

I've gained 40W on threshold

Ooof! That's a fantastic gain.

I would love to attempt to copy your training, but those solid 60's at threshold look utterly horrible.

Well done.

I was unfit to begin with! Though still 40w down on best threshold ever. So some gains needed still.

I agree with @TTM , that's crazy! What (roughly) were you doing to achieve that?

Stabilising his gene pool.

Lots of (hard) work

And no work before doing the hard work. I took 5 weeks 'off'.

That's where I'm going wrong.

Damn those small mouths to feed, getting in the way of my dreams ;-)

Anyway, here's to the next 40w. They'll hurt a lot more to find I suspect.