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| PHOTO OF THE MONTH: IF I SEE MY SHADOW BEFORE MAY, THAT MEANS 12 MORE WEEKS OF BASE. |
What I did: Four weeks of long-steady endurance rides, maxing out at four hours, 70+ miles on Saturdays, twice-weekly 30-45 minute tempo intervals and weekly big-gear force rep intervals.
Total miles: 971.3
Total hours: 58
Weight: 129.8 pounds (58.6 kilos)
FTP: 240 watts
FTP/weight: 4.1
CP6: 283 watts
CTL: 81.7
Unknown species of lizards (not an iguana) escorted across a busy road: 1
Thoughts from the saddle: I absolutely killed my FTP test. I increased my threshold power by 6.1 percent (from 226 to 240 watts). That's my largest one-month increase ever. In the overall scope of things, this number doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot, especially in the world of racing mountain bikes. What it does mean, unequivocally, is I'm definitely doing something very right in training. ... My FTP power-to-weight has never been higher; anything 4 or above is a goal each season. Hey, let's go higher. ... I also haven't been this light in several years. What's cool is I haven't been trying to shed; it's coming off naturally. Make sure you look for my new diet book soon, The Guaranteed Way to Lose Weight: Ride Your Bike 200+ Miles a Week. Advance orders being accepted at Amazon next week. ... After not testing my six-minute power last month, I put up a 283-watt effort this month, an increase of 5.6 percent from my February number (268). And I didn't pace this correctly. I had too much left over at the end. First time I've done that in a while. ... I started riding in a group again and it's been at the right intensity. Before I latch on, I've been in the saddle for about two hours. I'm pulling short, seeking to keep it steady. ... I continue to ride strong off-road at Markham. It's incredible how low my RPE has been. I'm easily staying aerobic and averaging a steady 10.8 mph over my two laps (about 18 miles). ... My CTL went over 80 last week, so I'm getting into the high-fitness range where I could start intensity work. I'm going to hold off and continue building my aerobic engine for the next three months, when, if all goes as planned, I should be over 100. I should be more than primed for the two-month Build phase of intensity and lower volume. ... Last two Saturday mornings have been wet, making it feel like I went for a swim on my bike.
