and it all started by almost taking another rest day. You see, I was planning on doing a Zwift Academy TT race, the one I had put in my calendar - except when I looked to check the start time there was not a single TT event in the schedule! Not sure what happened there as I'm pretty sure there were a couple scheduled when I planned my week. Doh!!
At that point I told myself it was fate telling me to take another rest day and get fully fighting fresh - it was at that exact moment that I slapped myself about the face several times and told myself to get a grip before subsequently rifling through the ride schedules for something else. I found a climb race on the Innsbruck UCI Short Course lap and decided to go for it (24km lap, KOM segment 450m, 7.4km climb).
It was not a big field. Just seven or eight in my age category so it was more of a time trial than a nip and tuck race. That suited me tonight, if I'm honest. After a little bit of nip and tuck in the first few kilometres, it was into the climb and the field was totally strung out. Again, that suited me. I kept in the big ring all the way tonight, in determined mood and ground that hill. I soon realised I was putting down more power than normal and the sight of a distant rider to chase spurred me on wards and upwards.
I passed three riders on the climb before cresting the KOM segment in a PB time of 26:27, having knocked just over three minutes off my previous best. I kept hitting it hard. Legs burning - even on the descent. I was not going to be caught.
In the end I finished with lots of Strava PBs over the entire route and for bonus points, increased my FTP from 195 to 204. (That's 188 to 204 since the start of the Academy). With every passing week, I'm feeling fitter and fitter...
At that point I told myself it was fate telling me to take another rest day and get fully fighting fresh - it was at that exact moment that I slapped myself about the face several times and told myself to get a grip before subsequently rifling through the ride schedules for something else. I found a climb race on the Innsbruck UCI Short Course lap and decided to go for it (24km lap, KOM segment 450m, 7.4km climb).
It was not a big field. Just seven or eight in my age category so it was more of a time trial than a nip and tuck race. That suited me tonight, if I'm honest. After a little bit of nip and tuck in the first few kilometres, it was into the climb and the field was totally strung out. Again, that suited me. I kept in the big ring all the way tonight, in determined mood and ground that hill. I soon realised I was putting down more power than normal and the sight of a distant rider to chase spurred me on wards and upwards.
I passed three riders on the climb before cresting the KOM segment in a PB time of 26:27, having knocked just over three minutes off my previous best. I kept hitting it hard. Legs burning - even on the descent. I was not going to be caught.
In the end I finished with lots of Strava PBs over the entire route and for bonus points, increased my FTP from 195 to 204. (That's 188 to 204 since the start of the Academy). With every passing week, I'm feeling fitter and fitter...
No comments:
Post a Comment