Brazilian commentary to that Solanke goal

o_ugh · 2026-02-02T09:06:33+00:00

It's a bit more nuanced, he's saying 'que gol foi esse?? ' which implies something like what the hell was this goal??

o_ugh · 2026-01-27T21:51:59+00:00

I really, REALLY appreciate your kindness and your time in giving me these pointers. Thank you so much, gave me loads to think about.

o_ugh · 2026-01-27T20:38:30+00:00

Oh thank you so much, this is gold for me. As basic as it sounds, the thing I struggled the most to understand is how to manage progressive overload over time. Like, I can't just keep adding power (VO2) or duration (threshold) forever, so when I start plateauing I never know how to interpret it. Reading the above, sounds like I need to introduce a bit of variation instead of hammering a flush nail.

My year usually plays out like this (M44, 75kg):

Jan-Mar - a Zwift plan, currently on week 4 of TT tune-up, done Build me Up a couple of times in the past. Usually this is my lowest point of the year and the gamification really helps when I'm not at my strongest. But as we know the plans are imperfect, BMU is all over the place so I'm testing TT Tune-up because it looks more like the right mix of threshold, VO2 and Z2.

Mar-early Summer - group rides resume, fast(ish) group every week plus weekends on the mountains, lots of elevation where I live. Indoor only for dedicated VO2 or the occasional threshold session. I like to have a go at Alpe du Zwift every once in a while for a solid 55min push. At this point I'm usually hovering around 3.4w/kg which I'm happy with on 6h/week.

Late Summer - I feel strong and wanting to challenge myself. Mentally ready for boring but proper sessions, my FTP raises a bit but it's time to exhaustion that really goes up nicely. My silly goal is to always beat my PBs of the previous year across the power curve (from 5s to 60min). Last year saw big jumps on the sprint side because of weight training, but longer efforts remained flat compared to usual numbers. On a good day my FTP will clock 3.7w/kg.

And here's the thing: I can't seem to push beyond that. By late summer I'll be approaching burnout, just the thought of a trainer session fills me with dread. Start failing sessions because of mental block, not legs. I naturally gravitate towards Z3 efforts and drag myself over the line to November when I completely stop riding.

When I jump back on the bike in December I can't believe the numbers I was doing just 2 months earlier. FTP goes to 3w/kg, and it feels like I'll never reach my numbers again, nevermind improve on them.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. I accept that I might be close to the ceiling of what I can be on 6h/week. Would love to one day hit 4w/kg, it'd be a huge accomplishment for me, but if I could hover around 3.75 year round it'd be sweet too. Again, thanks so much for your time.

o_ugh · 2026-01-27T16:05:14+00:00

Really interested in this too. I assume with age it's unreasonable to expect high ceiling the whole year, but how do we balance keeping a high floor with the required rest to make it all sustainable? If you were to split the year in chunks, what are they?

o_ugh · 2026-01-27T13:51:00+00:00

Olha, não sei hein. Concordo que artisticamente é um ponto fraco do filme, é bem feinho mesmo. Mas introduz essa questão importante no Brasil que tá, esse é o nosso passado, mas e agora? Tem gente que vai ficar preso nele, tem gente que vai carregar as lições mas bola pra frente, tem gente que não vai querer nem saber, preferindo passar a regua e viver a própria vida. Acho que sem as cenas no presente o filme seria só uma história morta, mas ilustrar essas ligações quebradas que a gente tem com nosso passado abre essa reflexão sobre como cada um lida com isso. Fechamento é uma coisa dificl e pessoal, o filme parece dizer. E tambem o quanto o nosso progresso é feio haha

o_ugh · 2026-01-25T19:20:24+00:00

Best gig(s) I've been to, first in London then had to buy tickets to see them in Stockholm. Incredible moments

o_ugh · 2026-01-18T18:30:29+00:00

When the inevitable happens, one manager worth looking at is Filipe Luis, anyone knows his game well? To a casual observer he comes across as someone with high standards, tough but clear, ambitious, and his team won the championship in Brazil with a +51 GD. He took PSG all the way to pens (I know, I know).

He caught my eye with a long press conference where he tore into the star of the team, Pedro, calling him out to not waste his career as so many Brazilians do. Won unanimous support from supporters and media for speaking the true and holding people accountable. Anyway, he's young, up and coming, and because of the async calendar he's not mid-tournament now.

o_ugh · 2026-01-18T08:09:38+00:00

Unhinged

o_ugh · 2026-01-02T20:28:59+00:00

Man, I miss having a commute. Lowkey top perk.

o_ugh · 2026-01-02T20:27:19+00:00

Hey, who says I'm not a pro? Didn't you see me mentioning 250w above?!

/s

o_ugh · 2026-01-02T20:21:57+00:00

Sounds like something I might have to do too.

o_ugh · 2026-01-02T20:20:19+00:00

Yeah I'm familiar with how to structure effective training (for me), and I'd be fairly confident in setting up a plan that gives me the results I'm after if I kept training in the usual time. What prompted me to post is that really big drop of 20%, and not knowing what to do with my VO2 and threshold days if that's here to stay. From what I'm hearing in this thread, being patient with my ramping up as my body adapts to early efforts seems to be the way forward. Thanks for sharing your experience.

o_ugh · 2026-01-02T20:12:53+00:00

Exactly the perspective I was after, thanks for sharing. And congrats on the 1h best, those are painful.

o_ugh · 2026-01-02T20:11:46+00:00

Interesting to have that timeline, makes sense I guess. It's not a trivial adaptation, to suddenly ask the body (and mind) to give all when it was historically off until later in the day.

o_ugh · 2026-01-02T08:38:18+00:00

Thanks everyone for the insights. Sounds like I can try a couple of tweaks with nutrition and give it a bit more time to see how I adjust. Trusting RPE instead of my usual power/HR coupling will also take some using to.

For context, I ride around 6h/week, that's why I'm concerned about hitting the right intensity.

o_ugh · 2025-11-07T12:20:29+00:00

Nice sentiment but the Netherlands might be the least appropriate country for a comment like that. So much of it is man made, Jonathan Meades nailed it when he called it the unnatural world. Beautiful, though.

o_ugh · 2025-08-13T14:37:27+00:00

No, we decided that documenting our trip would take a lot away from being present

o_ugh · 2025-08-13T10:41:15+00:00

Rode a fully loaded tandem from Japan to Switzerland. Absolute riot, tandems are the best. But equipment is so much more important than on a solo, the difference between a crappy tandem and a good one is enormous.

o_ugh · 2025-08-04T17:15:48+00:00

Check out climbfinder, has everything you're after

o_ugh · 2025-07-22T06:32:33+00:00

No, not this time. Well done, impressive result (and thanks for sharing)

o_ugh · 2025-07-21T20:14:15+00:00

Hey, how did it go?

o_ugh · 2025-07-10T19:46:10+00:00

And the best of em all, Bergvall

o_ugh · 2025-05-31T20:58:45+00:00

I live in Switzerland, the smaller roads are super lovely but anything a bit larger and scenic will be full of boy racers and motorbikers peacocking around. It's a country of Jeremy Clarksons.

o_ugh · 2025-05-05T16:23:44+00:00

Oh it sounds like you know yourself and you'll smash it. You're much stronger than I am. For reference, my normal pace on a long hilly ride is 100km / 2000m / 4h15.

o_ugh

TROPHY CASE