Category Archives: training

Routine Routes

I’m on break from academics for another week and a half, and that means I’ve been able to get some rides in on routes that I seldom, if ever, have traveled before. I’ve been out in the Hill Country, over … Continue reading

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Filed under Rides, training

Functional Power Threshold – Part 2

In part 2 of his account of his FTP test, guest poster Don Blount explains how it works.  Completing the functional threshold power (FTP) test opened a new world of cycling to me. I used to think of cycling as … Continue reading

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Functional Power Threshold – Part 1

Guest poster Don Blount tackles some heavy-duty training. In the first of two posts, he explains what it’s all about. It was an offer that was hard to refuse. It was a test to determine my functional threshold power. It … Continue reading

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Time to Start Training

Monday was my last day off before the start of spring semester (Yeah, I know — we academics have it rough), so I was determined to get in a ride. Pat called one of our good local riding friends, because … Continue reading

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Putting It All In Perspective

Guest poster Don Blount looks at different kinds of pain. Suffering sometimes is all about perspective. I recently had two old dental fillings replaced without use of anesthesia. More than a few people cringe when I tell them that story. … Continue reading

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It’s Zone 2 Time

Okay, here we are in November. In most of the country, it’s pretty chilly now. Lots of bikers are moving to their basements, setting up their trainers, and starting the winter ritual of putting in stationary miles. For those of … Continue reading

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The Joy of Drafting

I was doing an afterwork ride this week at the Veloway,  when a couple passed me by. He seemed to be a little older than she, and seemed to be the more experienced biker. He was leading, and she was … Continue reading

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Riding Easy is Hard

Today I figured it was time for an easy ride. Lately, I’ve been pushing it hard, doing hills, doing intervals — or fartlek — but generally, including a lot of fast or strenuous riding. Obviously, that can’t continue, and I … Continue reading

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Training With “Fartlek”

I was in the middle of my regular Tuesday ride at the Veloway today when it occurred to me that I had written about this ride early in the life of the Bike Noob blog. Tuesday is my “fartlek” ride. … Continue reading

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Filed under Technique, training

Neighborhood Hills

“You know what would be cool?” asked my friend David a few months back. “If we worked out a route that hit all the hills in this area, say in a five-mile radius.” We might live on the edge of … Continue reading

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