Well, we’ve been in VA for a week now, and I’m still adjusting to the new terrain. The hardest change seems to be the lack of roads suitable for a recovery ride. For instance, I had a recovery ride scheduled yesterday, aiming to keep the power ~level 1, low level 2. In order to maintain that level, I wound up riding up the hills at 5-8 mph. There were times I was going so slowly I felt as if I might topple over. I kept repeating the mantra — you have to go slow sometimes to go fast when it counts. Thankfully, I didn’t see too many folks who might wonder about the guy in fluorescent yellow who was moving slower than the cows ambling by in the fields. All in all, I think I was successful at maintaining the proper intensity — TSS for the ride was 19.9, IF of less than .5; 115 NP watts.
If the lack of recovery type rides is a drawback, it is far outweighed by the ability to roll out my front door and do nearly any other type of workout. Yes, it’s been difficult to find the flat, steady roads that are conducive to 20′+ SST type efforts, but I’m sure with a little searching, I’ll find a hill (or a mountain??) that will provide the appropriate distance. As an added bonus, the hills makes the time spent training more efficient. On my "long" day on Sunday, I rode for all of 2.5 hours, less than 40 miles, but managed to rack up 150 TSS points. By comparison, my highest TSS total from one ride in Chicago was 155 and that was 45′ longer.
I have yet to ride with a group. I’m curious to see how my level of fitness compares to the riders from around here. I suspect given the extra weight I’m carrying, which has pushed my w/kg at threshold down to 3.44, I’m going to struggle.
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