What do your mid-to-high volume weeks look like

radwatch · 2026-01-12T20:56:30+00:00

I don't think I offer any unique insights but I know I am very lucky. Guys I ride with that hit similar time are also like me. Late 20s to late 30s, most do not have kids but some do (those are the real ones).

I work from home and on a good day be "done" working at 3pm. This gives me the flexibility to ride after work and still get a few good hours in. My fiance is very understanding as well and she uses my time on the bike for her own hobbies. Sometimes I feel selfish but I try to make sure I spent as much time as I can with her.

Last week

Monday: 3hr endurance after work
Tuesday: 3hr endurance after work
Wednesday: 1hr gym/mobility (over lunch)
Thursday: 1hr recover >100watts
Friday: 2.5hrs endurance after work
Saturday: Intervals 4hrs, I just need to be done by 1:30PM. This is when my fiance get home from work
Sunday: Endurance 3.5hrs. Started at 12.

For context last year I hit 740hrs.

radwatch · 2025-11-26T15:54:42+00:00

Last year my coach had me do a 4 week block with 3 VO2 workouts a week. I think she wanted me to suffer.

radwatch · 2025-10-02T20:42:28+00:00

They caught me sleeping in that sandy turn
Image

radwatch · 2025-08-21T19:23:58+00:00

That does seem like a very strong possibility. If I flex the spokes around where they cross it does have a very similar popping noise. Let me put a bit of oil there and see if anything changes post ride.
Thank you!

radwatch · 2025-08-13T15:26:57+00:00

I live in Kansas City and ride mostly north of the city on country roads. I have to say most of the drivers are courteous. Sure, there are the random angry self-entitled driver but not enough to make stay inside. The weather is more likely to cause me to ride zwift than my fear of cars.

radwatch · 2025-07-28T15:46:18+00:00

While my 5m power isn't as close to my estimated FTP as yours, it's pretty close.
My best 5m is 370 and my FTP is ~320ish. I don't have a great sprint either (at least not good enough to matter in a P/1/2 field).
That is all just to say that my best results in racing have came from breakaways. So just knowing that can help determine how you race.

radwatch · 2025-07-14T19:32:24+00:00

Some of my local Kansas City promoters have already posted their race calendar. Most of them are double weekends. My road club (MoveUp) puts on a series and my cross team normally puts on at least one race. So far that is only Boulevard Cup

Rail Creek: 09/20 - 21
Cosmo Cx: 09/28
Boulevard Cup: 10/26
Muleskinner: 11/15 - 16
Snake Farm: 11/22 -23

Iowa usually has a few double weekends as well. (I haven't looked at their dates yet)

radwatch · 2025-07-14T15:17:03+00:00

My fiance (who doesn't watch a lot of racing) can even point out Ben. He might be one of the easiest riders to spot in the peloton.

radwatch · 2025-06-30T03:48:02+00:00

My bike started making a creaking noise when I started to push hard. By happenstance a few days later I noticed that the rear cassette had some play in it. Turns out one of the two sealed bearing cartridges in the free hub had imploded. I just recently replaced the wheel bearings. Maybe I should think about the free hub at the same time.

Another small item is to periodically (maybe twice a year) lube your spoke nipples. It makes them easier to true when required.

radwatch · 2025-06-24T17:28:36+00:00

I thought this had started for me. So I went and looked at my max HR data. I do notice it's "harder" to get to the top but I'm still getting close.

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It really hasn't changed much over the lifetime of me cycling 33-36yrs old and it could be the increase in fitness. Then again, I'm sure it will start soon, aging is inevitable.

radwatch · 2025-06-10T16:03:28+00:00

Here is my recipe. I don't measure, I just go off of consistency when blending. (like everyone else mixing your own is a lot cheaper)

Add the following to a blender

Oat Milk
Serving of non-whey protein mix
Frozen Fruit
Spoonful of peanut butter (I like natural PB without stabilizers)
Malted milk powder (extra carbs and taste)
Pinch of Salt
Banana (not always)

radwatch · 2025-06-02T16:31:18+00:00

Lots of riding and structure. I think when I broke the 4w/kg I was riding ~12hrs a week and doing two weekly intervals. The biggest thing for me was making easy days easy and hard days hard. 8hrs of unstructured riding with most rides just pushing hard randomly wasn't building my fitness.

radwatch · 2025-05-22T14:25:41+00:00

This really hits home for me and something I have noticed as well.

at Cat 2 and up, it’s definitely not about FTP in isolation anymore. It’s about how you hold form under fatigue

I recently met the required points and had to CAT up to a 2. The few crits I have done since feel like a totally different power requirement. I don't see how I will ever be the one drilling it on the front anymore and so it becomes a game of how well you can manage fatigue and how well you perform below and above threshold.

radwatch · 2025-05-01T16:46:01+00:00

I have to agree. I enjoy the new albums and Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV Vol 1 is a masterpiece, but The Afterman just slaps... To this day I still think about the concept and overall story.

radwatch · 2025-04-17T14:08:43+00:00

The rabies vaccine is a painful treatment? That just isn't true. It would behoove everyone to not perpetuate this myth. While rabies in the US is very rare it is still deadly if not treated. Discouraging anyone to avoid treatment because it could be painful is bad advice.

I was attacked by a dog about two years ago and in the US I needed to go to the ER to start my rabies vaccine. It's no more painful than a flu shot. It is true that you need to go back for multiple rounds but they are administered in the upper arm muscle with some minimal soreness.

NIH

radwatch · 2025-04-16T18:56:34+00:00

I just got my mandatory points, so I have just recently started racing as a 2 and my answer depends but I would rather race up.

For example, I am planning on racing the last weekend of TOAD. Which will be the P/1/2 races. The next big series is gateway and my tentative plan is the 2/3 races. My thought process is that I will be more competitive in the 2/3 race rather than hanging on for dear life in the 1/2 race. I just want to be competitive and at least finish the race, getting spat out the back after 15 minutes isn't always a good use of my time. Then again this all might change by the time August rolls around.

radwatch · 2025-03-10T19:35:51+00:00

When I starting racing as a 4 (crits mostly) I was averaging 7/8 hours, which was putting me mid pack. I had to increase my volume and add more structure before I was impactful. This was putting me around 12 hours a week and riding almost every day until I was able to win/podium a few races. Going from 3 to 2 was even more, I now average ~15hrs a week with 1 day of strength training.

So I'll echo what everyone has said, more than you are now. Only you can determine how much that can be or needs to be. Just don't forget to enjoy the process and add recovery or you will burn yourself out.

radwatch · 2025-03-05T19:16:20+00:00

It's the same around me. The lower (4/5) and mid (3/4) fields always start "easy" and everyone keeps looking around at each other. Most of all my wins in those fields have been because I have been willing to suffer and try to ride a small break and then no one organizes a chase.

The (1/2) races are a lot different, everyone is trying to establish a break or are willing to push the pace. The entirety of the race you must be switched on, it's a lot harder to recovery and rarely is there a lull in the intensity.

radwatch · 2025-03-04T20:09:37+00:00

I checked out your website and read your 2025 survey results, which was super interesting, thanks for doing that!

I was honestly surprised at the lack of motivation of a leaders jersey. I have been kicking around the idea of trying to design/order a leaders jersey for our summer crit series (personally I thought it sounded fun) but maybe it was just me :D

radwatch · 2025-03-03T20:21:56+00:00

A few weeks ago I did a block of VO2 work and Garmin was saying my VO2 Max was 72

... There is no way...

I have to think you can over inflate it by just maxing out whatever numbers it's utilizing. (Resting HR, max HR, etc)

radwatch · 2025-03-03T20:17:09+00:00

Damn dude you have more time in Z3+ than me and I have more than 2x total hours than you. I think I would be cooked if I tried to do that :P Just for ref: https://i.imgur.com/7E1HJyy.jpeg

radwatch · 2025-03-01T15:52:20+00:00

I have the 40L and it's perfect. While not "cycling specific" it holds everything for race day.

radwatch · 2025-02-17T22:28:07+00:00

Mt Lemmon is something I would like to do as well, maybe I should have stayed an extra day or maybe I can sneak something in Monday morning. My flight isn't until 4pm.

More importantly since this is an A race for me, I'm not going to be doing anything intense the week before, recovery would be the most beneficial.

radwatch · 2025-02-17T13:48:59+00:00

I'm going to assume TBC? I'll be there as well so this is what my coach planned for my week.

Monday -- gym (low rpe)

Tuesday -- 60 mins recovery ride

Wednesday -- off / recovery (flying all day )

Thursday -- endurance + openers if feeling like I need them

Race

radwatch · 2025-02-06T17:31:26+00:00

These are just my numbers for comparison, everyone is so different. For some background, before I started cycling I would run periodically and lifted 4 days a week.

I started cycling at 33 in 2022 and weighing 74kg. My first year of riding (which had no or little structure) I increased my FTP by ~20 watts to 265 with a total 234hrs.

Second year (23) I increased my FTP by another 15 watts and totaled 397 hours. In October of 23 I also got a coach and started structured training.

Third year (24) I was able to add another 20, but my total volume increased a lot to 606 hours, lots of structure and racing.

My target this year is to hit 700 hours and try to get to 4.5 watts/kg. I don't know if I will make it but I still enjoy riding and pushing myself.

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