First Race: Make It Gravel (Jana's N1 Challenge)

[jana]

Hello, fellow newbie riders and gravel racers!

I started this thread for all of us new to racing our bikes on the dirt to have a place to chime in about our experiences. Please share (1) what race you’ve signed up for, and (2) how the beginning of your training process is going. I’ll start!

I’m the producer of Fast Talk and have been working with Chris, @trevor, and the rest of the team here at Fast Talk Labs for over a year. I have always loved cycling but admired the sport from a distance. Up until 2020, my idea of riding consisted of cruising around the Cherry Creek trail in Denver on an 8-10 mile spin to go to a bar.

Now, it’s 2021, and (COVID notwithstanding) I have registered for my first bike race this summer. I chose to do Crooked Gravel which is a 65-mile gravel race that will take place in Winter Park this July; the course includes over 5,000 feet of climbing at over 8,000 ft. of elevation. I am so excited, and so scared!

I rode a lot last year for a newbie (about 3,000 miles and almost 300K ft elevation) but my riding has been really inconsistent ever since last October. The weather turning cold and the loss of daylight was a real struggle for me. Coming down from a blissful summer into the darkness of winter crushed my motivation.

My race is in T-minus 144 days from today! Time to get it into gear, and stop making excuses. Tomorrow I will be taking my first physiological test, the INSCYD test out on the road with my awesome coach, @ryan to guide me along the way.

I got some tips today on pre-test prep and nutrition from Coach @ryan . I’ll be taking my test midday so I’m going to eat a good breakfast tomorrow and then maybe a light snack of nuts mid-morning so that I’m fueled and feeling my best.

Keep your eye out for coming videos about the INSCYD test protocol and how to do it either inside on your trainer, like Chris and Trevor did, or out on the road as I’ll be doing.

Excited to hear about how this process is going for everyone else!

[bgkeen]

Hi @jana

That is great that you are taking on your challenge and sounds fun in a typical sufferer in this forum type of way. I think you are normal with the inconsistent riding since October, especially with the miles and elevation you put in as a noob…great work!

I can chime in with my experience doing both gravel and road riding and what to (try) to prepare for on gravel as oppose to gravel…Besides the obvious, 65 miles on gravel is tougher work effort from 65 miles on the road, it beats you up more. My first gravel ride over 50 miles, the thing that almost made me quit is my triceps fatiguing and almost keeping from supporting myself on the bike. It was tough. So, don’t skimp out on the strength part of the training in the upper part of the body. Also, since the terrain can be more unpredictable, practice fueling on the bike and know if it something you are comfortable with or if you need to stop to fuel. I found, since it is more effort, I need to stay on top of my fueling on gravel.

I still have one vacation I need to plan that hinges on a family member out of the country getting their wedding date set, so I have not signed up for any race or event yet. I may have some late summer torture events (120-180 miles of 10k-13k elevation) but I am keeping my eyes on the fall and the 100 mile, or so, gravel grinders here. So, my training really hasn’t started yet but I do go through hard and easy blocks as my body sees fit during this time while I am getting my events in order.

It will be fun to follow your training with coach @ryan. Have a great time with the training!

[dave]

I’d like to call out @jana for revealing our not-quite-secret: We’re now offering INSCYD testing!

In fact, both @chris and @trevor took the test last week.

Jana did the INSCYD test on a challenging route around Boulder yesterday afternoon that involved NCAR and Flagstaff. (On a map, the route looks kinda like a monkey!)

This is all part of the N1 Challenge we announced in today’s Member Weekly newsletter. Our N1 Challenge will follow Jana, Chris, Trevor, and Ryan as they prepare for the challenging rides they committed to during Fast Talk Episode 147: What 2020 Taught Us and the Exciting Places 2021 Will Take Us. The idea is similar to Chris and Trevor’s popular VeloNews deep dives which included The New Science of Climbing with Sepp Kuss and Chris’s Hour Record attempt. By sharing their meticulous preparation for a range of ambitious challenges, we can all learn valuable lessons we can apply to our own training.

We’ll announce much more on INSCYD and the N1 Challenge soon.

But since you’re all members, perhaps you’d like a sneak peek at INSCYD and the chance to book tests early before all @ryan’s schedule spots fill up for March and April!

Dave Trendler
Fast Talk Laboratories

[chris]

I can tell how excited you are @jana. It’s very inspiring to be a part of your progression. And that’s what we’re here for, both for you and every member. There’s nothing more exciting or rewarding than helping people meet their challenges, or set them on a course for success, or find a solution to take them to a new level as an athlete.

After watching you execute the INSCYD test, and learning how much pain you’re willing to put yourself through, I know you have the grit to complete the race. And I also know that between all of the knowledge you’ll gain from editing our podcasts and absorbing the deep expertise from @trevor and @ryan that you’ll really take your riding and racing to a more rewarding level. I can’t wait to watch it unfold. Let’s ride.

[bgkeen]

@dave and @chris

When I saw the newsletter in the email this morning I really excited to put some thought into this and set my challenge. I did notice the link going to this prior topic is this where we will make out intentions and then be held accountable

I can’t wait to hear more about this. The INSCYD test sound fun…I am always up to torturing myself to see how much pain I can endure - we are really not normal people…

[chris]

Yes, @bgkeen, you can chime in on that post when you decide on your challenge… but as for being held accountable, the only thing we ask is that you have fun. Progress is good, too, of course. But most importantly, have fun, learn some new things, and let us know how we can help.

[bgkeen]

@chris by me having it out there would just having me being accountable for myself and not expecting other to hold me accountable…I am sure regardless I will have fun with it. Sometimes the most fun is when I “fail” most miserably. I have a mantra I repeat after hard brutal days…I usually will discuss a few things that were hard and always end it with “…at least I had fun!” - i.e “It was cold, rainy, and miserable…but at least it was fun!” was one I clearly remember from a gravel event a few years…Those are the days that tend to make the best “war stories”

[chris]

Agreed. As you may already know from my VN days, I’ll do most anything on a bike if it makes for a good story!

[dave]

Chris, your Amateur Hour hour record attempt for VeloNews is still my favorite of your crazy bike stories. You can’t beat a velodrome for spectator-friendly bike racing, especially when you know the only guy on the track and you get to heckle him for a full hour!

There were quite a few Fast Talk Labs contributors involved in that effort. @trevor was your coach. Nick Legan was your bike tech and time caller. I believe I see @colbypearce in the second photo, sizing you up for bike fit and time trial positioning.

@chris Do you still have your power meter data from that ride? I wonder if we should ask @ryan and Trevor to take a fresh look at it for a workshop since we are approaching time trial season and since time trials are a race format we would expect to be running during COVID.

Dave

[jana]

Thank you for upper body strength tips on gravel riding and racing! I had not even considered how much more fatigued my arms may become. Definitely need to add some strength to my routine. I know it’s so important!

That sounds like some mega-torture! Will be fun to hear what you end up choosing to ride, and how the training for that goes this year.

When are you thinking of starting your first training block?

Also, @bgkeen I agree with you about being self-accountable, and I also enjoy the positive accountability that comes from sharing goals and challenges in a supportive community like this.

[jana]

I’m so appreciative of the incredible support from you, @trevor, @ryan, and @colbypearce! Excited to ride hard, and continue enjoying the bike this year.

[ryan]

Well @bgkeen, @jana attacked the INSCYD test and she did amazingly well on it! It was really fun riding along and helping to coach her through it. When she took off for the 3 minute effort she had a huge acceleration and dropped me pretty quickly. I had to work hard to jump back on to catch up!

Jana did her protocol all at one time, which was a big undertaking, and she killed it out there. We rode about 3 hours and covered nearly 30 miles for the test. There were two solid climbs for the 6 and 12 minute tests, so elevation gain added up quickly too. Keep in mind there was 15 minutes minimum between every effort with very light riding, so that goes to show how hard she was pushing during the intervals. One thing I’d like to point out is a lot of gold on her Strava ride with a couple top 10 finishes!

You an break up your INSCYD test into multiple days if necessary, but I’ve done this twice in the past and it just feels good to keep going with the whole protocol. Once you’re in it, you’re in, so it’s almost easier to keep going right to the end. If you have time constraints that prevent you from being on the bike 2-3 hours at one time, certainly breaking up the efforts is a valid option.

Great work Jana!
Ryan

[murphyy12]

Great thread! I haven’t officially registered yet, but in April I plan on doing some local criteriums and road races. It will be nice to get back in the trenches after not racing since February of 2020. Criteriums suit me the most and I really like them, however this year I decided to target gran fondos, particularly the Asheville Gran Fondo since I just moved from Tucson to Asheville. (it also happens to be the national championship location this year).

I have actually been working with @bgkeen as my coach and I must say the dude knows his stuff (but what do I know, I’ve never had a coach before )! Brian and I have known each other for several years due to being in the same cycling club (shoutout “Team 111”) .

I have been focusing on building my aerobic system as this is something I more or less have neglected over the years. I am also committed to consistent strength sessions which @bgkeen has really helped me with.

I don’t really have expectations right now for how I finish in the Gran Fondo, it is more about challenging myself to be able to do a long race at a high performance (since I historically tend to fizzle out after 2-3 hours or so thanks to a weaker aerobic engine).

If things don’t go according to plan, at least I will have @bgkeen to blame

[chris]

@dave You won’t believe it, but I have no data from my Hour attempt. The head unit, per UCI rules, cannot be viewed during the attempt so I had it mounted under the saddle. In the process of holding me up, the starter inadvertently powered off the Garmin, so I got nothing. No data!

[bgkeen]

@jana I am not certain when my first training block will be since I have nothing set in stone. We are still waiting on my sister-in-law’s wedding plans to be finalized before planning a trip. I have a feeling that portions of late July and early August will be travel (Lebanon - may get a fun ride in here and there but things are not great for training there with my accommodations) for the wedding. So, I am guessing that I will either have to find events in late June (in which case I will probably start my prep block 6 weeks prior - picking things up in April) or in the fall (most likely picking things up after returning from trip) .

Having said that I am always in a training routine where I ebb and flow with easy volume for 6-8 weeks when my body is telling me to pull back and then having a 4-6 weeks of hard intervals when I am feeling good - I am in the “body telling me to ‘pull back’” now…

I am still trying to figure out my N1 challenge for this year that I am hoping to do by mid-summer. But I will post once I have “clearance from the tower” (for those not married, that means spouse permission )

[bgkeen]

@ryan
I can’t wait to hear more about this. Is the analysis done with just the data from the ride - hr, power, etc. - or do you need to get other data - blood, BP, other samples?

[bgkeen]

@murphyy12 thanks for the good words - I think…

He has been crushing it in the past month. I may have to post the data of how his performance has been going up and mine falling…It’ll probably look like a giant “X”

[ryan]

@bgkeen, yes, so the analysis is done with just the ride data. Power is key, and if you have HR you can use that as well, but the HR data does not get pulled into the analysis for the final report. What I am doing with Jana, for example, is running the analysis with her power data, and going back to the FIT file to analyze HR and set up HR ranges from the test separately.

There are other options for running the assessment where you can include lactate. This requires a different protocol, but you can then do some other options where you’re measuring lactate at various time points to generate the necessary report and metrics.

[bgkeen]

@ryan
That sounds pretty cool. Are any PMs more ideal than other? Crank v Pedal? Dual vs single? I cannot wait to see/hear more (case study) on what you are doing. Kudos to @jana for being up for it!

I would like to see what you figure out from getting HR from those efforts. One thing I have noticed that when my HR gets out of whack from power I know it is time to pull back and change focus…case in point now…I have been feeling off in my workouts. I just analyzed the same workout/course from yesterday to a few weeks ago my power was much higher and HR slightly lower. The “funny” thing is that TSS (power based) says my workout a few weeks ago was higher/more stressful than yesterday - although I was hating life, HR went high and stayed regardless of what I did, felt more stressed for longer time (went way ‘slower’), and should’ve pulled the plug. But when I set the toggle to do “hrTSS” the more recent ride was way more stress. Long story short - I usually can tell when I need to pull back…It is usually when my “hrTSSS” is higher than my “TSS”. So, any type of HR zones based on power analysis would be nice to see.

[ryan]

@bgkeen, I’ve tested on the SRM lab ergometer and a number of PMs over the years (single side). For the accuracy with the SRM (and having the torque analysis program available too) I’ve found good agreement, personally, with most of the popular PMs. There is always the caveat that a rider might have some serious L/R imbalances in the pedal stroke, I which case I would think that a dual sided PM would be ideal for this protocol for best results.

Once I finish up Jana’s analysis from the HR side of things, I’ll have to update the post with any additional details. Yes, I think what you’re suggesting is spot on. Our HR tells us so much! I like that suggestion of looking at the hrTSS exceeds your TSS. Very insightful way to look at the relationship between the stress produced with your power meter and what your physiological/hrTSS is picking up on. Very cool stuff!