Week Nineteen
10 hrs
Race Week! I took it kind of easy leading up to the Mine Creek Gravel Battle race on Saturday without doing a real taper.
The race went really well. I haven’t competed in any kind of race in over 10 years, so it was fun to mix it up and let my competitive spirit out. Check out my Race Recap on the Events page for a full breakdown.
It was also really fun to meet lots of new people. I met several new riders, and saw some familiar faces too. I’m getting more involved in the cycling community and it’s cool to recognize other people at events like this, and at regular group rides.
The level of focus I’ve had on my training sometimes makes interactions a bit awkward with ‘normal’ people because when they ask about my training and racing I don’t expect them to care at all. Being around others with the same interest makes those interactions easier because I’m really interested in hearing about their bikes, training, upcoming events, etc, and they’re genuinely interested in mine too.
Week Eighteen
9 hrs
The highlight of this week was my Saturday ride. I made a 40mi loop route departing from downtown DeSoto going west to Lawrence. This was my very first time riding my gravel TT bars outdoors. They took some getting used to, and I had to be selective when to use them due to the high winds and the variable terrain. Overall, this route was awesome and I had a lot of fun on it.
What made it fun was the variety of surroundings including open fields, woods, rolling hills, flats, and a bit of in-town. I couldn’t resist pushing on this ride. I averaged 19.8mph for 40mi with a NP of 244w. I was really excited to see my average watts on this ride.
It’s incredible to think last year I was excited to break 200w average for 20mi, and now I’m averaging 244w for 40mi. The work and consistency is paying off. Next week I’m headed to Mound City for my first “race” of the season. 64 miles gravel with only 2500ft of climbing should be a fun introduction to the gravel racing scene.
Week Seventeen
11.75 hrs
This week was a fun one. On Sunday I attended my first Sunday Chug ride in Lawrence at the Sunflower Outdoor and Bike Shop. I joined in with the ‘Bullet Train’ group and was comfortable rolling with them. Unfortunately I dropped my chain and didn’t get caught back up with the group. But it was still a fun ride.
Then on Tuesday I went out for a solo gravel 42mi ride. I departed from the Old Mill in Bonner Springs and hit some new roads I hadn’t been on before. I kept pushing the pace and the legs felt good.
There was a segment called “Archer Road Hill” that was so steep and loose that my rear tire was spinning out and I nearly had to unclip. But I was able to downshift enough and keep my balance to be able to finish the hill without putting a foot down.
I averaged 204w and 18.7mph for 2hrs 15min with 2800ft of climbing. I was pretty happy with the stats from that ride.
Health and training are feeling good approaching the first race of the season.
Week Sixteen
11.75 hrs
This week I performed my first ever official FTP test. I’ve seen several videos of how to do the test, and heard others complaining about doing the test, so I was a bit nervous going into it. In my research I learned two keys to success are: a proper warm up, and control the effort at the start.
I warmed up for about 20min before the test, then set off. My goal going in was to hit a 300w average. For the first 15min I fluctuated between 300w and 275w. But for the last 5min, I was able to pump up the watts and hold around 315w. The end result was exactly 300w average for 20min! I’d hit my goal precisely, and I was pumped.
In order to calculate FTP from a 20min effort, the average watts are multiplied by 0.95, resulting in a 285w FTP for me.
This is a massive improvement over the 260w FTP I’ve been using. It’s really encouraging to see results like this, and I’m glad I did the test at this point of the season. It gives me some confidence coming out of the base and early build phase as the outdoor riding ramps up and the first ‘race’ of the season approaches.
My focus for the season is still on training for the Katy ride in September.
Week Fifteen
10.75 hrs
Still feeling the effects of those days off. My legs are getting sore after rides that didn’t phase me a couple weeks ago. I’m 4 weeks out from my first race, the Mine Creek Gravel Battle. These weeks will be key leading up to the race not just for getting my legs ready. I also must test my hydration and fueling plans. The last thing I want to do with try something new on race day. With the weather warming up I’ll be able to get outside at least a couple times before the race, and I’ll take those opportunities to try out my hydration pack and drink mix bottles.
Following up on my process of switching the cassette to the full “mullet” set up – I had to give up. The process of switching the cassette was the easy part. I got both wheels set up tubeless and installed the cassette no problem. The trouble came when it was time to swap the cage plates for the jockey wheels. I removed the outer cage without issue, but the inner cage plate was a different story… The T25 star bolt immediately rounded out and ruined the project.
After checking through several videos I think I needed to remove the little pin and rotate the inner plate one time before attempting to remove that bolt.
I threw in the towel and took it to a bike shop for them to get it fixed. They attempted to remove the bolt with their tools, to no avail, and advised I needed to order a new derailleur. That part will be delivered next week.
Week Fourteen
5.25 hrs
Tough week this week. Got sick with a really rough head cold. I tried to push through, but after attempting a breakaway workout I felt the impact of the illness and just how sapped my legs and lungs were. After that, I decided to take a few days off to let my body heal and focus on getting sleep. Getting back on the bike was good, but I could feel the effects from those days off. Consistency is king when it comes to cycling. I’ll work to build back up next week.
Week Thirteen
12 hrs
Family caught a cold this week. I was able to avoid it for most of the week, but it ultimately got me too. So far it isn’t feeling as severe as it was for Jackie, Winona and Wren. I took an extra rest day on Sunday, so I only got 12hrs this week instead of the 15 I wanted.
I’m starting a new job this week where I’ll have to go into the office 3 days per week. This will be an adjustment since I’ve been working 100% remote for the last 4 years, but I’m looking forward to the change of pace. I’ll still continue to prioritize my rides and workouts. This likely means more morning rides, which I’m not necessarily looking forward to. I really respect folks who can get up and ride early. I’ve done it in the past, but I’m finding it harder lately. It takes another level of discipline that I need to keep working towards.
Weather remains annoying, so no outdoor rides coming anytime soon. It’s cold and windy and snow in the forecast. The good news is 60 degree days are on the horizon too.
New wheels arrived this week and I got the front one installed already. I’m awaiting my new 10-51 mullet cassette before I install the back wheel. Planning to do a bigger post about that process since I haven’t seen any in-depth information about changing the GRX cassette from the stock 10-45.
Week Twelve
10.25 hrs
First week of the Build phase in the books! 2 workouts this week with some cross-training and zone 2 aerobic work. The first workout was 3x 10min breakaways at 250w. At the end I did a 30 building tempo because my legs felt good after last week’s recovery. “Breakaways” was a new term for me, but it makes sense. It’s a high watt push to start, then dialed back, while still elevated. Like when someone breaks away from the peloton. Mine were 30sec at 300w, then drop down to 250w for 10min.
My next workout was a fitness test to hold 250w for 20min. It felt good to sustain 250w for 20min and I didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard. That’s near threshold for me. I think my FTP is around 260w currently.
For the weekend I took the family out to the farm in WaKeeney. My sister is getting into triathlons and needed a road bike. She tested out my red Canyon Endurace I named “F40” and it fit! She took it home and is going to start putting in the miles training for 2 triathlons in 2025. I’m really excited to follow her progress.
The weather wasn’t very cooperative, with sustained 20mph wind from North to South, and 40mph gusts. I did a 5mi run on the gravel roads with the wind at my back for the first half, and into the wind on the way back. I negative split the run with my last mile under 7min. That would have been very slow for me 10yrs ago, but now it feels like an accomplishment that I’m still able to do a sub-7min mile.
Week Eleven
7.5 hrs
Recovery week to wrap up the base phase of my training plan! Now onto the build phase. Kept it easy this week and was even able to get outside for 30 miles on Sunday.
Unfortunately my gravel route was derailed by a train that decided to park across the road, meaning I’d have to ride a highway shoulder. I opted instead to ride East and find some hills to climb and stayed on the road for the whole ride.
This coming weekend we’re headed to WaKeeney to see some family. Won’t be bringing the bike because it’ll be cold and hard to get away for a ride. But I’ll only miss out on Saturday. Friday I’ll do a morning ride, and Sunday I’ll get a ride in before the Super Bowl. Go Chiefs!
Week Ten
13 hrs
Back from the long weekend and back to work. Got some two-a-days in this week and legs felt good.
I’ve been trying to push my long rides up in avg watts. When I started 10 weeks ago I was cruising at 150w, now I’m able to hold over 200 for 2hrs. Resting HR was up due to the higher volume and higher sustained intensity this week.
This is my final week in the ‘Base’ phase and the Garmin Coach is calling for a 5hr active recovery week. I think I’m going to do more than that though. Probably 10hrs will be my goal this week, and I’ll work in some lower intensity long rides this week.
Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl for the 3rd straight year! Very exciting times in Kansas City.
Week Nine
8.5 hrs
Had a long weekend for MLK Day, so took the family down to Bentonville, AR. Most of the country is under the ‘polar vortex’ right now with sub-zero temps. Bentonville was about 5 degrees in the mornings, so my early morning rides weren’t going to happen. The idea of crashing on some ice dissuaded me from bringing the bike in the end. Even some of the pro gravel cyclists I follow who live in Bentonville left town for the week to keep training outdoors. Pretty disappointed, since I had my rides all mapped out.
I took my running shoes and went for a 4 mile run about 8min pace. My legs were so sore for the next 3 days. It’s amazing how I can be as fit as I am on the bike, but one run results in so much pain and soreness in my muscles.
Week Eight
12.5 Hours
Another solid week of training in the books! Lots of aerobic zone 2 rides on the trainer. The time on the trainer is getting easier and less boring, which is ultimately a good thing. Unlocking the trainer as another option will be big for keeping my fitness going during days with bad weather or limited time once we get into the outdoor riding season.
I started having some pain in my left knee, and I think I started to subconsciously overcompensate, which then caused some pain in my left hamstring. I’m taking some pain killers, stretching, and massaging to see if I can get it feeling better this week without taking time off.
My aerobars came in after some delays due to the storm. Looking forward to getting some time on them and training in the aero position. Being able to hold that position will be a massive gain on the Katy this summer and Unbound next summer.
Week Seven
14.5 Hours
Biggest week of the training so far. This week I finally felt like I’m getting more fitness. The hours and watts started to feel easier on the trainer. Next week I’ll be doing a monthly update on the stats I’ve been tracking since I started, and excited to see what progress I’ve made over the last 2 months.
No outdoor rides this week. Massive record-setting blizzard in the KC area meant I was shoveling the driveway all day on Sunday. Luckily I was still able to get 4hrs in on the trainer. I’m still collecting the necessary equipment for the ultra rides next season, and recently ordered what should be the single biggest difference-maker: aero bars. After researching, I got the Neosonic bars from Profile Design. They should be arriving in the next week, so I’ll get them installed on the training bike so I can get used to the position.
Week Six
11.75 Hours
Merry Christmas! This week included Christmas Day where I didn’t get in any time on the bike. Considering that fact, I was really happy to nearly hit 12 hours on the bike. I was even able to get outside on Sunday for 37 miles. I did lots of gravel and some true off-road riverfront trails too. I made the most of my 2hrs I had to spare. Even nabbed a couple Top 10 KOM segments without realizing it.
Biggest takeaways from the Sunday ride was how great it was to not have to worry about cars, and how smooth the ride was. I rode some of the same route on my Endurace last season, and the bike got rattled to death. The same roads with 45mm tires on the Crux was awesome. Time to double-down on my training and focus now that the holidays are behind me. 2025 will be a great year!
Week Five
11.25 Hours
This week my legs felt good. I was happy to be able to get outside for an hour on Sunday. I had to really bundle up, but it was sunny, so it wasn’t too cold. There was a sustained 15mph headwind for the first half of the ride, so I had to put down some watts to maintain a decent speed. This resulted in my highest ever avg power output for 1 hour of 223 watts, and Garmin revised my FTP to 253.
I’d like to hit 12hrs next week, and keep building up with the goal of getting to a 20hr week at the end of January. I know these base miles over the winter are going to be a game-changer for me because I didn’t do anything last winter. The work I’m putting in now is going to give me a massive head start compared to last season. I’m excited to see the results in the Spring.
Week Four
10.75 hours
This week was the 1 month check-in on my core metrics. Happy to say I’ve seen improvements across the board.
- Garmin Fitness Age: 25 (12% improvement)
- Cycling VO2 Max: 53 (4% improvement)
- 7 Day avg resting HR: 45bpm (12% improvement)
- FTP: 233 (4% improvement)
- Weight: 161lbs (2% improvement)
- Watts/kg: 3.19 (6% improvement)
- Strava Fitness Score: 54 (64% improvement)
Strava also dropped their Year-In-Sport reivew. My main takeaway was that I need more active days in 2025. No days off!
Week Three
8.5 hours
Week number three in the books. This was considered a recovery week on the training plan, but since last week around the holiday was less than I wanted, I added a little time on the bike.
I was incredibly lucky to have decent weather, and was able to do 2 outdoor rides this week, including a 2hr ride on Sunday from Bonner Springs out to DeSoto.
It was really windy, and cold on the ride. I wore a wind vest over a short sleeve jersey top. Long sleeves would have been ideal. There were some headwind sections where I was totally exposed and it was a real grind. But still thankful to get out of the basement and off the trainer for a bit.
Week Two
5.5 hours
Second week of following the Garmin Coach training plan. This week I traveled with the family to WaKeeney, KS for the Thanksgiving holiday and wasn’t able to take the bike with me. While I missed some zone 2 aerobic rides while traveling, I did have an increase in daily steps (over 15.5k) thanks to pheasant hunting.
After getting home, unloading the car, and taking care of the kids, I was able to get a 1.5 hour ride in on Sunday night.
Looking forward to getting back on track this week.
Week One
10.5 hours
This was my first full week of training following the Garmin Coach training plan. This is the Base Phase, focused on laying the foundation for the training to come by boosting aerobic fitness and increasing training miles. My body seemed to handle it well. My average resting heart rate for the last 7 days is consistent with the last 4 weeks, indicating I’m not overtraining.
I hung up my KU letter blanket near the trainer. It’s motivating to remember how fit I was and what my body is capable of. I added core work and stretching to my routine this week. Flexibility and core strength are going to be key for me to make a step up to the next level of performance.