Brewery to Cagle - First Day of the Next Training Block

GARMIN RIDE DATA
STRAVA RIDE DATA

Route:

Distance: 80 miles

Avg. Moving Speed: 18.2 mph

Moving Time: 4:24:59

Total Time: 4:30:02 

Ride Total TSS: 253 (0.76 IF)

Group:

Solo

Goal:

Long steady ride with some good sustained blocks in tempo and higher.

Ride Description:

This is the first day back after an easy week that marked the end of a long continuous training block and the start of another. The last training block was rather flat as far as cycling goes and it seemed that lifting played a far larger role this time around for my legs feeling fatigued. The indicator is that my CTL never reached the 80's and yet my legs felt ultra fatigued at the end of this block.

 

It was quite chilly at the start this morning for a late May ride in Georgia, but actually very nice to keep the body core temperature down. It was about 50 degrees (F) and I was wearing my thinnest summer kit with nice chill bumps on my forearms for those first miles. I was also hitting it a little harder on the pace at the start with my IF (intensity factor) in the mid 80's for the first hour or more so it looks like a nice sustained block of SST (sweet spot training), but on the second half I was not able to keep driving the intensity that high and was tapering off. Overall I was pretty happy on this first day back. I feel like I hit everything just about where I wanted, which was not to dig a deep fatigue hole right off the start of what I hope to be the next long training block.

 

Also something kind of silly was in the first few miles while tucked in the aero position I took a hard turn at a T-intersection. I was too committed to the turn to avoid hitting a hole in the pavement really hard that jarred me and the bike. I was really surprised it did not blow my front tube and I noticed a sharp sting as something pinched my finger while grasping the aerobars, but I couldn't figure out what could have caused it. Several miles later I wanted a sip of water and noticed my bottle was missing out of my torpedo mount that sits just below my fingers. That is what pinched my finger. I spend most of my time looking at that bottle from the aero position and yet my mind was so focused on the wheels being okay and keeping my intensity up that I didn't even notice the bottle was gone. Silliness

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course:

24 oz from Bottle #1 water, Glutamine, maltodextrin - Bounced out early in the ride
24 oz from Bottle #2 water, Glutamine, BCAA, maltodextrin, electrolytes
24 oz from Bottle #3 water with electrolytes
Hammer gel @ mile 20
Cliff Bar @ mile 40
Post Ride | 30 gram protein drink , Hammer gel
Home | grilled chicken breast wrap

Bike: 

Felt B10, Garmin 800, Quarq Cinqo, Flo 60 wheels/Michelin Pro 4's @ 110 psi

Overall Powertap Data: 

Entire workout (151 watts):
Duration: 4:26:36 (4:30:02)
Work: 2400 kJ
TSS: 253.4 (intensity factor 0.759)
Norm Power: 167
VI: 1.11
Distance: 80.647 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 515 151 watts
Cadence: 5 113 77 rpm
Speed: 0 33.9 17.9 mph
Pace 1:46 0:00 3:22 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1326 168 lb-in
Temperature: 51.8 78.8 63.7 Fahrenheit