Maybe the question should be what have I done the same?
Well I've still ridden my bike a lot. Just very differently.
I started my training a bit earlier this year. I've certainly been helped by less snow and ice in the Swiss winter. I started getting some decent time on the bike back in December. But even looking all the way back to June each and every month I've done more hours than last year...
I got to January and I was already in much better shape than the previous year. My weight was less and power more. But when you ride a lot alone and do your own training and planning and always have some doubts if your are doing the right things. I guess it's easier if you race a lot and ride with a lot of other people to gauge form and where you are going. I knew I had good endurance in previous years but always felt in better form after racing.
I was getting a bit nervous about knowing where I was actually at and being able to compare with previous years. I'd been looking for an English speaking trainer for some time and finally lucked upon Nigel at BPM. http://www.bpmcoaching.co.uk/ First thing of course any Trainer wants to know is what your goals are and how committed your are. Shortly after after this they want to test you, to know where you at, so they can plan where you are going.
After chatting to Nigel for some time and meeting him and working out everything we went down to the Swiss Olympic Centre in Sion and got tested. A bit of a big wake up call really. My "FTP" was down approx 50 Watts from 2012 and Peak power down approx 30 Watts. The good news was my VO2 max was a bit higher and I was approx 5 kgs lighter. All in all it meant my FTP was basically the same from two years ago.
So since I rode much better in 2013 and I thought in 2014 I was already better than 2013 what was going on? Simple answer is in the way that the tests were made. In Holland in 2012 each min the power was upped by 15 watts. In Switzerland every three minutes they upped the power by 30 Watts. This gives enough time for the Lactate to build in your muscles. Basically use the same Lab if possible and the same test protocol for consistent results.
So what changed post this. Well a full on training plan from Nigel. Customised to me with help a phone call or email away. The plan involves a lot more structure around workouts. Each workout has a purpose and a goal. Not finishing a workout or missing a session is not a failure and it's important to listen to how the body reacts too. We all get sick and it was interesting to see that my body could not do what was required when I was ill. (Better to skip the session until recovered)
I brought a Wahoo KickR (review here) and use TrainerRoad (review here) and got on with the sessions. The awesome thing about the KickR and TR is you program in the session and because TR controls the power for the KickR there is almost no escape. (you can increase and decrease power by percentages but you can't just decide you've had enough to coast for a few minutes to recover). Sessions were based around various things including spinning, power, and intervals of various powers and various lengths. I still get to ride outside a lot but the trainer gives me a way to easily measure my performance in a lab and make sure we are targeting exactly what we want. No course or wind and rain can interfere with the results.
The difference's so far? Well each 4 weeks when we test my results are up 20-30 watts and my testing ground on a hill I'm carving 2-3 mins of it. My heart rates are lower and the easy rides are way easier. The harder rides are also much much harder. First race is only a few weeks away and I'm sure all the pain and suffering on my KickR (and other bikes) is going to be worth it.
