Aerobic Endurance (DEUX)
We loop back around and repeat our first six rides of the year. This is a great chance to compare your progress. Same playlist and the same profile. Please share your results. Use the contact form or in the comments below.
1) Happy New Year . . . sorta, we’ll celebrate next week since, technically, this week’s classes start on Saturday, the 31st. This week’s profile foreshadows the endurance work we’ll undertake during the first quarter of 2023. Building your aerobic base is an important off-season activity. High-intensity intervals are fun, but not necessarily a year-round activity. Playlist here and below.
2) As a spin instructor, my evolution involves finding new ways to use music in class. — to deter the boredom/repetition indoor cycling can create. And to sort of buck the system. Can a legit indoor cycling class be entertaining? That’s my challenge in every class. 2023 marks my ninth year teaching spin. I’m lucky to have a cru of riders who motivate me to meet that challenge! I sincerely thank you for that.
3) How are you evolving in 2023? Evolving as a cyclist means changing the way you train and allowing your body to adapt. As your goals (and body) change, the manner in which you prepare for more epic goals changes too. Taking the risk to modify your approach is the first, and most challenging, step. Every few months, we ride a 20-minute Functional Threshold Power (FTP) test. Where do you rank globally? Perhaps I can return the motivation you give me by sharing how other riders of Stages bikes fared over 20 minutes.
4) No one else in the world has the above chart. At least not in miles (vs kilometers). As you set your 2023 goals, here’s another reference point. Last year, pro-cyclist Philippe Gilbert released his power numbers.
A PRO CYCLISTS POWER NUMBERS.. 381 for 20 minutes!!!
It reflects his power over various durations. This is what we aim for in class. Not just PEDAL PEDAL PEDAL, but to quote Drake, “There are levels to this.” We talked “DISCERNMENT” for the last six months. Knowing the difference, in terms of intensity, of a 30-second effort versus a three-minute effort — heart rate monitor anybody? At 38, Gilbert was still very competitive within the peloton. Few cyclists publicly share this data . . . hence the competition uses it against them. But everyone knows their numbers. As should you.
5) This week’s banner is from Lauren Ko whose piometry desserts are all the rage. Her unique take on baking diverges from tradition. And as you can imagine, some in the industry aren’t happy about it. I don’t know much about baking (though I do make a mean apple crumble), but I love anyone who bucks tradition. In my final 18 months teaching indoor cycling, before the rooms are converted to pickleball courts, I promise to keep bucking the system.