- Welcome to Ask GCN,
This week with an exciting new segment
which you will see later on.
First let's crack on with some questions from you guys.
First question is from A P, #torqueback,
which is an important hashtag to include
when sending us questions.
Question is,
is everyone with an FTP of six watts per kilo,
able to race as a pro?
Is that a number that all the pros have,
from domestiques to GC contenders?
Well, in a short answer, no.
So FTP varies probably quite a lot between pros
and it depends what they're good at.
So for example, people who are good
at very long climbs, probably have quite a high FTP
and some of the sprinters might,
actually, have a relatively low FTP,
although, still higher than me or most other people.
The other important thing to note is here,
is that FTP is a very rough measure
of what you're good at on a bike
and when it comes to racing,
an FTP is important for long steady efforts
but all it does is measure how much power you can put out
for an hour divided by your weight.
So it's useful for measuring efforts of an hour
but not useful for predicting how good you'll be
at sprinting, attacking, short bursts of effort
to get on a wheel or attack on a climb.
All those things are much more important in racing
than how much steady power you can put out for an hour.
So I would say that the climbers who are good at long climbs
and the time trialists, they'll have a very high FTP.
Some other pros, possibly not.
And as I say, they'll be a big variation.
We have a very interesting video,
which you can watch here, which is Si with Louis Passfield,
explaining why FTP isn't actually everything
about cycling performance.
Another thing to note about pro racing is that of course,
your tactics and how clever you are at racing,
is actually a lot more important than your physical ability.
Obviously at the top end physical ability
and your physiology is extremely important
but how good you are at hiding in the bunch,
how smart you are about when to us energy,
that's often I think, personally,
more important than your physical ability.
- Functional threshold power is,
the theoretical maximum power
that you could sustain for one hour.
And it's pretty much the gold standard
of measuring someone's ability on a bike.
Except that all it really does is tell you
how much power you can sustain for one hour.
And admittedly when you know your weight,
you can work out your power to weight ratio
and therefore you can calculate
how fast you can climb hills, of one hour.
And if you know how much aerodynamic drag you can create,
you can also work out how fast you can ride
on the flat, for one hour.
- The next question comes in from Stuart who says,
hi gang, I have a question about rocking the bike
when climbing out of the saddle.
I'm by no means an experienced climber
but I try to keep the bike still when I stand up.
Rocking seems like it would inefficient.
Sprinters obviously rock the bike too,
but in my sense they're mashing so it's unavoidable.
I know it looks pro but what are the other reasons
for doing it when climbing.
Well Stuart, in my opinion,
it is actually efficient to rock the bike.
So think about it, when you're out of the saddle,
you have to move your body relative to the bike
and if you're keeping the bike still
that means you're rocking your body,
which is actually less efficient than rocking your bike
because unless you are extremely light
and your bike is extremely heavy,
your bike is gonna be lighter than you
in almost every situation unless,
you got a lot of luggage on it and you're touring.
And that means that it's actually,
more efficient to move the bike.
This is something that my, very first,
cycling coach told me years ago
when I was learning to climb and he said,
"Emma, you should move the bike and keep your body still
when you're out of the saddle."
And that's the way I've done it ever since
and I personally, am a big believer
and actually we have a video about riding out of the saddle
where I do go on about this, so you can watch it
by clicking right here.
Right, now to what I think is the key aspect
of technique for riding out of the saddle.
You should sway the bike and not swing your body.
That's because even if you don't own an, amazingly,
light super bike, your bike will weigh less than you.
I mean maybe not if you're touring with a lot of luggage
but apart from that, your bike will be lighter.
It's simply more efficient to move the bike
than your body weight.
(gentle music)
Right the next question is about nutrition
and it comes in from Barb303 and they ask,
nutrition question, glucose and fructose combo.
Does it really work as two energy channels
for the double the power results?
Is it backed up by science?
If so, please give some practical examples
on the sources of these, thanks.
Well yes it is backed up by science.
So fructose and glucose are absorbed
on slightly different energy channels.
Not being a nutritionist my terminology,
might not be quite right, but basically,
if you combine glucose and fructose
in the gels or the sports drink you're using,
you can actually absorb slightly more
than with just glucose or just fructose.
And hopefully avoid tummy upsets
and that is definitely backed up by science.
And actually we have a video
where we interviewed Asker Jeukendrup
about race nutrition, event nutrition
and you can watch it by clicking here and he explains.
- I think for me the starting point is always,
understanding the sport itself.
What is it that determines performance in that sport,
so I think it's almost going back to basics,
like what is it, in this particular sport
that determines performance and in cycling for example,
that's gonna be different in of course,
in mountain stages than it is in time trials
and so it really depends but you have
to go back to that basic.
Once you have a good understanding of that,
I think the question to ask is,
okay now with your training, what are trying to achieve?
What are your main goals?
So that for me is the next step.
- Well now it's time for our new segment
which is Ask GCN Training in partnership with Zwift.
Now in this segment we choose one of your questions
about training and try to answer it in a little more depth.
And the lucky questioner gets three months free subscription
to Zwift which is pretty awesome.
So send in your questions for this segment,
using the #askgcntraining,
in all the usual channels.
Today's question comes in from Anders who asks,
hi, I'm currently new to training on a bike
and at rock bottom on strava.
Since I'm fairly untrained, then of course I signed myself
up to a race, 170 kilometers, next summer.
That is a big race, anyway, he asks,
how should I plan such a long time ahead, 48 weeks?
Given that there is a lot of rain in the autumn and spring
and slush together with ice covering the roads in winter.
Well, thanks from Anders.
Well now that is a great question
and I have to say that despite all my years of training,
I am not actually a qualified coach.
So I talked to a coach at Zwift about this
to make sure that I didn't give any misinformation
and there's quite a lot one could say,
because basically Anders, you have asked
for a year's training plan which is a big question.
But firstly I would like to say that it is fantastic
to see you taking on such a big challenge.
A 170 kilometer race is no small deal
but it's totally doable within 48 weeks
as that's almost a year's training.
So great to see, it would be helpful I suppose,
to know a little bit more about the specifics of the race,
you've taken on, so whether it's hilly, flat, windy,
the weather conditions for example,
but I'm sure you're smart enough to work out
that you need for that specifically
but we'll come on to that later.
So you mention that the weather is pretty bad
where you live at some times of the year,
so that's worth taking into account
when planning your training.
So let's talk about the actual training itself.
It's worth dividing into five generic blocks.
The first one being endurance,
the second one being unstructured intensity,
the next block being structured intensity
to work on your weaknesses,
the next block to be core specific training
and the final block is a taper and freshener.
So to summarize what those blocks should contain.
The endurance block is the first eight to 10 weeks
and it's about achieving consistent volume.
Now since you're new to cycling basically,
any consistent cycling you do, will improve your fitness.
So you want to aim for a minimum of six hours a week
but if you can up it to 10 or 12 consistently, that's good.
That should last eight to 10 weeks.
The next period of training, eight to 10 weeks,
you want to try and introduce some intensity
and since it'll be autumn where you live then
and the weather's not gonna be so good,
you could do this by doing a swift race once a week.
They're great fun, they're definitely very intense
and it will help you to work out where your weaknesses are.
So you find out from these races whether you're weaker
or stronger on short climbs, long climbs, flat
and that'll help you to plan the next block of training
which is 12 weeks where you should try
to work on those weaknesses
by using quite specific interval training,
two to three times a week.
And again Zwift has some amazing interval training sessions
that you could do, I know, I've used them
and they're really hard but really useful.
The next ten to twelve weeks,
you want to be including some longer rides,
at least once a week because that 170 k is a long way.
You also want to think about training specifically
for the course so thinking about the weather conditions
and the terrain and also thinking about your nutrition
so you wanna be practicing eating what you want to eat
in the race and seeing if you get any tummy problems
'cause that's one thing that can really upset,
a lot of people on race day.
The last phase is just to taper,
so you wanna stay healthy and well rested,
still want to keep some intensity
so once or twice a week an intense effort
but make sure you've got plenty of days
to recover between those efforts
so you feel fresh and ready to go.
Some other things to note which is that,
obviously you need to include recovery,
throughout the whole training year
so you need recovery weeks and you need recovery days
because you don't actually get faster through the training
that provides us stress on your body,
and when you get stronger and fitter,
is actually in the recovery from that stress.
So bear that in mind and also think about your bike fit
so if you're new to cycling and you've got a new bike,
make sure you're happy on it.
If you start getting niggles like pain in your knees,
your back, your shoulders for example,
think about making sure that your bike fits you.
You could even get a proper bike fit.
Hope that's helpful and good luck in your event, basically.
Right, now it's time for the quick fire round.
C Mad asks,
"if hills recruit different muscles than the flats,
will that mean I have a slightly different FTP
on hills vs the flats?"
well, yes it could well do.
Not because you recruit different muscles
but because you recruit them differently.
So I always found that I had a higher sustainable power,
uphill than on the flat and I used to think
that was just because I was lazy on the flat
but actually it's because you pedal differently.
Same muscles, different way of using them.
Basically you have much higher inertial load
on a climb because you don't have
as much kinetic energy, you're moving slower
and there's a component of gravity,
acting against you so you don't keep rolling
at a high speed which means that you exert power
around more of the pedal stroke.
That means that on the flat you have less time,
doing the pedal stroke to exert power
and it's basically more of a fast twitch muscle usage.
I know that because I looked it up for some research
that the AIS, The Australian Institute of Sport did.
So yes it can be that you have a different FTP
on the climbs than on the flat
and actually some people have a better FTP,
on the flat that on the climb.
Just depends what kind of rider you are
and you can train it obviously.
Next question is from Tom Beyer who says,
I want to buy new deeper section rims.
I want 38 millimeters and 50 millimeters, front and rear.
Is that too deep for my body weight?
I weigh 57 kilos, will I get blown around?
Thanks.
Well it's a very personal thing
because it depends on how confident you are
on your bike but I reckon that's fine.
I'm about 50 kilos and I've used to race on a bike
with 35 at the front and 45 at the back
so it's not that different, you weigh a little bit more,
I think you'll probably be okay.
But maybe if you can borrow some wheels to try it out first.
Then Joost van der Hoogt asks,
"what is the hardest climb that you ever did?
Greets from holland!"
well, it wasn't in Holland that's for sure.
So that's a quite personal question
and I guess the question is that hardest climb
or hardest experience on a climb?
Probably my hardest experience on a climb,
would've been racing the Giro Rosa back in the day,
on the Stelvio when I didn't win.
Just because I gave it everything and didn't win,
which is a bit annoying
but in terms of actual hardest climb itself,
I think probably the Angliru,
which is quite a new one for me so there you go.
Then we have a question from Rasmus Wiman, who asks,
I'm about to get or actually build myself,
a much lighter bike, going from a steel bike
with racks and mudguards, to everything carbon bike
that will weigh about half as much.
Should I stay with the same gearing
or will that lost weight mean
that I won't need the lowest gears anymore?
Well, I think that depends on the ratio
of your weight to your bike's weight.
So if you're quite a heavy chap then your bike's weight,
even though it is a lot lighter,
won't massively affect your total weight
of you and the bike.
If you're pretty light then it will make a big difference
and you probably won't need your smallest gear
but I never heard anyone complain
that they had too small a gear that they didn't use
so I would go on the safe side
and probably keep the same gearing
and if you find that you don't need that
that big sprocket at the back
then you can always change the cassette.
So this question is,
"What are the pros and cons of putting sealant
into inner tubes for added puncture resistance?
Does it actually work?"
well the answer is, yes and no.
Does it work?
So sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
It can be useful in the times it does work.
It adds in terms of penalty about 50 grams per wheel
and it's in quite a bad place
because that weight is obviously distributed
around the tire furthest away from the hub.
I used to race with sealant in my tubs
to add extra puncture resistance
and I think it worked quite often.
You could tell when it had worked
because there'd be little splodges of sealant
where there'd been nicks in the tire
where the sealant had clearly closed the gap.
However, one time it really didn't work,
I got a puncture at the worst point in the race,
actually I got a double puncture when I hit a pothole
and I spent the whole race chasing back on
and never made the front group again.
So it doesn't always work, sometimes it does, try it.
Right the next question comes in from,
Simchi Rubenstein who asks,
"Are there any good tips you could give
for a turbo trainer beginner?
How long should intervals be?
What are the different types of training you can do?"
Well, they're almost infinite Simchi.
There are loads and loads of different sessions
and in fact we have loads of good training sessions
as GCN videos that you could watch.
But I think the way you should start is
how to start out with training generally.
And we have a great new video from Chris here which is,
it's his first video in this series of Get Fit Quick,
where he starts with a real basics
of setting up your training.
So why not watch that?
(intense music)
Now before you even get started with training.
- Is it? - Yeah, too early mate.
You need to think about setting yourself some clear goals.
So write them down and remind yourself daily
of what you're aiming towards.
- People who set goals are proven more likely
to achieve their objectives.
You should set goals that adhere
to the following principles.
They should be specific, measurable, attainable,
relevant and time bound.
- Smart goals, nice. - Yeah.
- Thanks for all your fantastic questions.
You can send more in to us with the #torqueback,
or of course for the training specific Zwift questions,
you can send them in with a #askgcntraining.
Give us a thumbs up and you might like
to check out this video that came out last weekend,
which is me training on a buffalo bike
so to find out why, click down here.