Re Cycling Rags

Distilled from the Google Bicycle Tech Forum:

Do you wash and re-use rags? How do you do it? What rags do you use?

I use old underwear and socks.

Wash them in a big washing machine with lots of detergent.

Do you use a top or side loading washing machine?

What type and concentration of detergent?

Can dry cleaning be used?

It’s not worth the energy costs to clean old rags!

Use a side loading industrial machine and with detergent the public can’t buy.

Any cotton shirts work well but not denim and sweatshirts.

Standard home washing machine works ok, just get loads of foam going, two washes does the trick.

Yeh, but that freaks the wife out!

Just wait until she is out and don’t forget to wipe the inside of the door afterwards.

You are a very brave man!

Just hide them and wash them along with your normal clothes.

Use the local launderette and save your own machine.

No! No! Putting grease and detergent down the drain is very wrong, same as pouring oil down the toilet.

Use paper towels and send them to landfill.

Disposal is the most eco-friendly thing to do.

Keeping The Track Team On Track

Great article here from the Observer:

100 SRMs being used
£10,000 track bikes
2000W sprints
Starting torques twice that of an F1 car
240rpm cadence
Wiggins has 14 bikes
Each rider as good as they can be in every way
Awesome infrastructure

Time Trial Pacing

What if I rode a 25 mile time trial, on a flat out and back course, with no wind and at and average of 325W? Using the Machine Head Software model I plugged in some numbers and out came a time of 52mins 16secs.

Next, I did some “what ifs”. I kept all the air drag, efficiency losses etc as constants and worked out the following for the same time trial but with a 10mph head wind and 10mph tail wind:

[1] Even pacing at 325W in both directions, 54mins 14 secs
[2] 105%W into the head wind and 95%W with tailwind splits, 53mins 56secs
[3] 95%W into the head wind and 105%W with the tailwind splits, 54mins 35secs

Interesting eh?

A paper on pacing here concluded that “Riders should choose a constant power when external conditions are constant, but when there are hilly or variable wind sections in the race, a variable power strategy should be planned.” My calculations would seem to support this belief. If only it was so simple!

Joe Friel’s posts on pacing and negative splits show a different side to the picture. Friel is adamant that negative splits are an essential component for a successful time trial, yet in one post he alludes to the above idea but does not prescribe a magic winning formula to pacing. In Friel’s ideal time trial there would be no hills or wind and the ideal strategy would to employ the 51-49 time split principle.

The calculations that I made are based on the theory of mechanics and they completely ignore the physiological cost of riding at high or above threshold. Friel says “go out too fast and acidosis increases rapidly, it’s easier to tolerate high acidosis for short periods than long at the end rather than the beginning”. He goes on to say that riders fail to apply the technique because they lack confidence in a strong finish, or have the best intentions but lack self control. To quote “I find this is the most difficult skill there is to teach the athletes I coach and yet the most basic to their success. We work on it frequently in training. But training doesn’t have the same emotional baggage that racing has. The key to negative splitting successfully in a race is to mentally prepare yourself to hold back initially”.

In Saturday’s race I too had good intentions but lacked control. At the time it even felt like I was holding back! As a result my ride definitely suffered, the frequent small accelerations I kept trying to make in the last half of the race would have been inefficient and had physiological costs. Last night I practiced a negative split over 40 mins of threshold. I aimed for 300W minimum for 20 mins and 310W minimum for another 20 mins. That yielded averages of 95% and 101% of threshold power, 98% average overall. This was a bit low, but my final 20mins did have a smooth power profile. Tonight I am going to aim a bit higher to see if I can still maintain the smoothness.

But it still isn’t that simple is it? If you put both of the above ideas together, you have to have a pacing strategy that matches the course profile, the wind and tries to incorporate a negative split. That means saving time by higher wattages both uphill and into a head wind, and an overall higher wattage over the last half of the race. In real life I don’t quite know how you do that. I intend to take Friel’s advice and keep practicing over 40min efforts. I have found a convenient circuit with 2 hills that takes exactly 20 mins. I will try for a first lap at 310W minimum and the second at 320W minimum. I will also try to keep my power inside my threshold zone at 350W on the first lap, rather than push myself into areas that produce too high a physiological cost. On the second lap I will allow myself to exceed 350W on the hills. My aim is to "get it all out", but with as smooth a power profile as is possible. It will probably be a case of trial and error and also practice makes perfect.

A Review Of Last Week's Training

Day By Day:

Monday 40 mins at 99% + 30mins at 80% (146tss).

Tuesday 40 mins at 97% + 40 mins at 75% (149tss), I was pleased with this effort as I haven’t really tried to do proper level 4 sessions on consecutive nights before. The secret was in keeping Monday’s training score at a lower value by just doing the level 4 workout then going straight home.

Wednesday active recovery ride (63tss).

Thursday easy endurance level 2 rides (136tss). I didn’t want any intensity in this ride because of the proximity to Saturday’s time trial; I did however want to keep TSB slightly negative. I could still feel the effects of Monday and Tuesday in my body so this week I am going to make Wednesday even easier. Hopefully I can make Thursday more intense but still not overdo the total weeks training load

Friday active recovery ride (70tss).

Saturday 25 mile time trial (113tss) included 40 mins warm up.

Sunday short level 2 ride (65tss), just a leg loosener really as I was tired after Saturday’s race. I want to do another couple of level 4 sessions today and tomorrow and it made more sense to recover for these efforts.

Overall for the week

742 tss, on target at 106 average tss/day

271 miles and 15 hours riding, it always surprises how much it adds up to, but there was a lot of paddling around at levels 1 and 2 this last week. That was welcome though as June has been a heavy month and I needed a little less load.

Current CTL 109 tss/day and planned to drop to around 105 as I build up the level 4 work, then in a couple of weeks time also add in some level 5 again. I am still not sure whether this load is too high to sustain and will continue to review it each week.

I have struggled with sleep this last week and I spent Saturday wondering whether I was too tired to race; I am pleased that I did though! Somehow I need to get out of the habit of frequently waking up during the small hours. Growth hormone, important for recovery, is primarily released during deep sleep and studies suggest that a lack of it causes physical decline in old people and may contribute to weight gain!

I have realised that I generally use the same lanes, small circuits and grooves over the days and weeks, but choose the terrain to suit the training session. To help me to meet my daily tss targets without going over the planned amount, I have started compiling a list of routes, the workout used and the average wattage on the power meter display whilst riding. The object is to enable me to plan training session loads, hence CTL, then know that the route I will use will yield the correct stress score.

CDLCA 25m TT ~ The Good & The Not So Good

I have only ridden a handful of traditional time trials over the past couple of years so I don't know many people on the time trial scene. Yesterday's 25 mile time trial was held on an "out and back" fast dual carriageway course that ensured a strong field of 142 riders. I counted 7 riders on the start sheet that I would know to talk to! As usual there was a lot of discussion about the stiff cross head wind on the outward leg, but to honest I personally never gave it a second a thought. Riding with a power meter hopefully makes you focus on effort rather than uncontrollable factors that can make you go slower. As I have said before, for me it's what position you end up with rather than the time you complete the time trial in.

The Good Bits

I finished 5th overall, being beaten as follows:

48:52 Charles McCulloch (vet 48yr)
50:35 Matt Bottrill (senior)
52:04 William Moore (senior)
51:40 Geoff Platts (vet 53yr)
52:19 Colin Griffiths (vet 49yr)

The evergreen Mr Platts, ex international and multi national championship medal winner, who told me he sometimes reads this blog, certainly ain't going any slower. I don't know who Moore is, but the first two riders are both class acts on the time trial scene. Last year when I rode this event I was outside the top 10, but updated my personal best over the distance to 54:10. This year (regardless of my comments about finishing times) was an improvement on all counts and a new personal best by 1 min 51 secs.

For me, this result demonstrates the power of training with "power". I am a self taught novice at using a power meter, constantly being reminded at how little I know, getting older by the day, but still able to gain improvements. If nothing else, the power meter and associated planning facilitate an approach that has focus, is consistent and demands precision in training efforts. The best thing that I could do for next year would probably be to get a good coach in order to short cut my learning experience.



The Not So Good Bits





I rode to rolling power values on the meter and once again proved that I am not very good at it. I have been practicing, but clearly need to try harder. One of the problems with this sort of event is that the long duration of each leg demands very even pacing. There were no sudden hills, sharp bends or changes in road conditions. I didn't manage my pacing very well at all and here are some splits:

0 to 5 miles 346W
5 to 10 miles 329W
10 to 15 miles 317W
15 to 20 miles 306W
20 to 25 miles 318W

Overall average was 321W, normalised 325W and my current threshold is set at 323W. I find it remarkable how the numbers came out, despite the poor splits, as I had no idea what averages I was riding too. Average cadence was 100rpm, heart rate 173bpm (96% whereas in training at 323W I only get 90%), speed 28.7mph.

The start felt too easy in a way that training sessions never do which must be down to adrenaline. I knew that wattages between 350 and 380W were too optimistic, but I didn't have the courage to ease back a bit and hold 320 to 350W. At 15 miles my effort became quite ragged, I struggled to get comfortable on the gear and was having to change up and down. I was constantly trying to get the watts up, only to see them go down again after a short while. The power curve shows a distinct difference in smooth output from start to finish. I managed to nail to last mile at 380W.


I haven't yet worked out the mathematical advantages of even pacing, but I guess that the time you loose at lower wattages is greater than that gained for those at higher wattages. The trade off for a short time above threshold is probably a longer time being spent below it. I keep reading that if you have an easy start, at least you can give it your all on the second leg. Yesterday, the last 10 miles were probably an exercise in damage limitation.


As a SMART GOAL, I think that pacing during threshold sessions needs to go to the top of the list ~ starting in tomorrow's 1 x 40mins. I think that I should exaggerate the pacing and aim for 300 to 330W for 20 mins followed by 320 - 350W for the final 20 mins. It'll be interesting to find out how that works out.

Someone told Geoff Platts that "the results were rather strange, how could an unseeded rider [referring to me] get placed like that?". Geoff said "they don't know the half of it, do they?" meaning some of us have been around along a time! I took that as a compliment.

Limpid Eyes

I went for a social ride with my long term friend Pete Warren this afternoon. It started out quite nice, but then set in to rain for the last ten miles or so. As we approached Bagworth we spotted a dark stationary figure in the distance on the opposite side of the road. On getting closer we realised that it was a rather large black motorbike with an equally large guy, dressed in black leather sitting astride the bike. His legs were stretched out straight either side of the machine, his arms hanging motionless at his side, and his helmeted head hung down on his chest. The humour we felt at the ridiculous sight was quickly replaced with concern, so I turned around and cycled back. The figure was still rigid and very still as I stopped alongside, "Are you OK?" I enquired. The head slowly tipped upwards and two lazy eyelids were inched open. A pair of limpid eyes peered out of the gloomy confines of the dark helmet and eventually came to rest on me, an overweight Gollum in a lid. "I was just worried whether you were ok" I said, "So I came back to make sure". I could imagine opening the Leicester Mercury and reading about a motorcyclist in distress, then realising that I should have gone to the aid of my fellow human being. "Oh no", came a voice from the depths of the rotund leather clad shape, "I'm just taking a moment, it's started raining and I hate getting pi55ing wet!" ~ well, it brightened up the remainder of my ride.

Exercise Induced Asthma ~ POWERbreathe

I have suffered from both hay-fever and asthma since I was a child. Both conditions occur in the summer from June onwards, the hay-fever disappearing in July, but the asthma carrying on until August. In recent years the hay-fever has virtually disappeared, and this year, provided that I wear my cycling glasses hasn’t been an issue. The asthma hasn’t gone away and I take the normal reliever and preventer medication. I tend to get it worse when it’s humid, at night or when exercising hard.

This year I thought I would take some other action, so I obtained a POWERbreathe. After agonising about which was the appropriate model I settled for a “Fitness Plus” version. With these devices you breathe in against a spring loaded diaphragm. You can set the spring resistance and so that it is harder to draw breathe through the device. Since March, I have religiously used it daily for 30 repetitions and have seen my breathing performance improve. By “improve” I mean that I can now breathe against a resistance setting of 5 on the POWERbreathe which is about half way. When I first started, I struggled at the lowest settings (I am pleased that I didn’t buy the top “Sports” version).

This year, although I have had some asthma symptoms, I have to say that it hasn’t been nearly so bad and I haven’t (yet) had to stop any intensity training sessions like I did last year. Something has improved. It may of course be that the condition is improving in the same way as my hay-fever has done, or that the causes have not been so acute. Alternatively, perhaps the POWERbreathe has helped, but whatever it is, it has been a much better June for me so far.

I intend to keep using the device; after all it’s now a challenge to reach 10 on the resistance scale! Incidentally, when I first started using it, I thought I would be able to managed say level 4/5 easily. Not so, I had to draw breath so hard that my ribs hurt! It really has been a matter of a few days at each incremental setting at a time.