Gravel Shoulder Nixes A Second Race

SPECIALIZED 1.4 TRAINING REPORT (06/10 – 06/16)

HIGHLIGHTS: Arriving on the scene of my second outdoor time trial on Saturday, I planned to drive the entire course route to see the condition of the road shoulder. Before I even got to the start line, I could see that it was just a narrow strip of gravel that was only wide enough for my rear and right front wheel. This was going to severly degrade my performance. When I got back to the registration parking lot, I didn’t even unload my trike from the car. I spent some time chatting with some of my racing buddies before they started their warmups. Then, I headed home.

When I returned home, I put my trike back on my smart trainer and completed my scheduled warmup and a virtual version of the race course. I covered the 11.26 miles in 0:40:49 at an average speed of 16.6 mph. This was my personal best on this particular course. In fact, I was almost two minutes faster than a buddy who raced the course on Saturday on his road bike.

The handlebar width of my road bike is around 18 inches. The two front wheels of my trike are 30 inches apart. This increased width presents both performance and safety concerns if I try to race on rural roads with their narrow/gravel shoulders. I will discuss this situation with coach on Tuesday. I have virtual versions of many of the race courses on the schedule. I’m going to recommend that we stick to that schedule but race virtually for the balance of the season.

My Chronic Training Load (CTL) declined to 57.

This week’s training included eight workouts on the trike, plus one strength workout. All indoor cycling sessions were completed with my recumbent trike on a Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine smart trainer + Rouvy application.

DETAILS:

  • Monday’s Endurance Miles-Coffee Shop Ride workout was 15.01 miles in 1:10:05. Average speed was 12.9 mph; maximum speed was 13.8 mph. Average power was 56 watts; maximum power was 75 watts. The 45-minute strength routine was a mix of upper body and core exercises with ropes, hand weights, and bands.
  • Tuesday’s Stomps Intervals (5 x 15-seconds/45 seconds) workout was 17.42 miles in 1:14:46. Average speed was 14.0 mph; maximum speed was 18.2 mph. Average power was 70 watts; maximum power was 209 watts..
  • Wednesday’s Endurance Miles-Negative Splits workout was 15.28 miles in 1:03:44. Average speed was 14.4 mph; maximum speed was 25.5 mph. Average power was 80 watts; maximum power was 245 watts.
  • Thursday was a rest day.
  • Friday’s Pre-Event Ride-Short & Tempo Intervals workout was 9.61 miles in 0:42:01. Average speed was 13.7 mph; maximum speed was 17.3 mph. Average power was 68 watts; maximum power was 138 watts.
  • Saturday’s 17 Minute TIme Trial Warmup workout was 3.84 miles in 0:17:01. Average speed was 13.5 mph; maximum speed was 17.1 mph. Average power was 66 watts; maximum power was 153 watts.
  • Saturday’s Virtual Garden Prairie Time Trial Race was 11.26 miles in 0:40:49. Average speed was 16.6 mph; maximum speed was 26.4 mph. Average power was 117 watts; maximum power was 274 watts.
  • Sunday’s Endurance Miles-Coffee Shop Ride workout was 15.82 miles in 1:13:15. Average speed was 13.0 mph; maximum speed was 14.7 mph. Average power was 58 watts; maximum power was 81 watts.

BY THE NUMBERS:

  • Total Distance: 88.23 mi
  • Longest Ride: 17.42 mi
  • Total Time for Week: 7:06:41 (h:m:s)
  • Avg Speed: 13.9 mph
  • Max Speed: 26.4 mph
  • Avg Power: 74 watts
  • Max Power: 274 watts
  • Calories: 1,865 C
  • Avg Weight: 172.7
  • Chronic Training Load: 57 (-2)