Cycling Weekly 13 May 10

I took this issue of CW with me to Italy and read it thoroughly rather than the usual skip-read that I'm prone to do unless something really grabs my attention. And I'm glad I did. A couple of things caught my attention in the Fitness section.

The first was the Training Check-up, where an ordinary athlete reports on his training week and receives some expert analysis. In this week's issue the analysis started as follows:

"A couple of things immediately spring out from your plan. The lack of rest and the absence of structured riding sessions. Firstly, rest - recovery as the old saying goes, is the most important part of training. You aren't giving your body much recovery time and though we might not like to admit it, as we get older our need for recovery increases."

Enough said I think.

The second was the Research Corner. It gave advice on sessions you can do to gauge improvement even if you haven't got expensive technical equipment; all you need is a good old fashioned bike computer (although if you're doing this on the turbo it will need to work off the rear wheel). In short, the article states that there are 2 tests you can do where the aim is to cover as much ground as possible in the allotted time:

1. A 4 minute flat out TT. An increase in your 4 minute distance indicates a rise in your maximum power.

2. A 20 minute flat out TT. An increase in your 20 minute distance indicates an improvement in your anaerobic threshold (the ability to sustain high power output without a crippling rise in lactate).

These tests results are taken from a study undertaken by scientists at Exeter University so have some credibility, although the test group was quite small. From a layman's perspective what it means to the likes of me is that you don't need expensive power measuring equipment (although it's very nice to have if you can afford it) but can get credible evidence that you are improving from a couple of very simple tests. OK, so you won't be able to brag about how many watts you put out but so what? Most power measuring devices are not that accurate, and even those where the owners claim them to be accurate can vary significantly from one device to another. These tests are also repeatable and by recording the results in a simple training diary you can track your progress.

Train smart folks.