How to get through a super LONG turbo session
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- Опубликовано: 19 окт 2024
- I had an endurance day planned but the weather had other ideas, I take you through my strategies and processes of making a mind numbing turbo session fly by (ish)
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Hi Alex, my longest turbo sessions was in June 2020 @ 8:51:05, did the Uber Pretzel on Zwift, got the badge, but didn't stop, went on to get 100 mile badge. So that was 161.26Km and 2491m elevation. Not bad considering I was 70 at the time, and weighed 91.1Kg, so not build for climbing.
my word, FAIR PLAY!
@@xxiipp Fortunately for me, no
Nice Effort!
I’m still procrastinating doing the Pretzel!
For a while I did 120 minutes+ of 250W (as measured by a one sided meter) on a Stages indoor bike several times a week. I was not even that bored, just kept listening to music. I found that after ~1hour my mood would change, the music I was listening to would strike me in completely new ways, a bit like I were drunk. Songs I had heard a thousand times would suddenly grip me and their lyrics would seem meaningful to me like never before
Rode the Über pretzel recently, 5:30ish with the last 1:20 up the alpe a long painful depleted death 😅 z2 power z4 heart rate. Can’t wait for the London PRL full…
That name drop though 🥰 loving the content mate!
🚲🏎👍
Whats the podcast called? I cant find it on Spotify
Sitting on Zwift for a 5hr endurance ride. I always thought 5hr was more than needed indoors, glad to see that feeling is justified. Might stop at 4hr
Hi Alex, quick Question, where you "free riding" in Zwift keeping a eye on your power or did you program a work out in TP with set power/zone you targeting and then choose that work out in zwift riding in ERG? Thanks. (pros and cons for each if any?)
Lol an old cyclist at 35 🙈..I'm 58 and a few of the guys I ride with are in their 70s..your best cycling years are yet to come Alex...no contracts to try and win and just turn the pedals whenever, and how fast you want 🚴😄👍
Great timing to drop this video Alex as I'm preparing for a 14 hour stint on Zwift with Mark Beaumont at the end of the month for DoddieAid. Will be the third World in a Day endurance ride I've done with him (after vowing never again after the first). Missed your appearance in the previous one as was taking a rest when you joined the zoom call. Hoping to see you join us again in the 29th? Keep up the good work with the channel and all the best for the new season.
Cheers Alex, I have a 4hr turbo session planned for tomorrow. Never lasted longer than 1.5hrs on it.
I know the feeling, I'm not a morning person in winter. Lots of turbo sessions ... Snow is not my favorite bike weather, duh !
So thanks for this video.
I don't like the cold, so I don't open the window but I have a huge fan.
I watched the 8h of Bahrain LMP car race, that lasted me 3 or 4 sessions. Can't wait for the Nascar season to restart for my long sessions. Otherwise, I create a list of videos on youtube.
My long sessions, are cut down in blocks of 20min, 2m @ 55% FTP/90 RPM, 17:20 @ 65% FTP/90 RPM and 40s @ 95% FTP/60 RPM Standing, that last part gives a rest to the bum but doesn't bring your heart rate in Zone 3 (but very close).
Yes agree the key is to breakup the session into chunks. Like the idea of standing low cadence that brings in change between repeats. Actually great idea 👍
I did 100 miles on Zwift to get the jersey, that's the longest indoors, outdoors 440kms within 24 hours and a 12 hour Everesting with over 200kms. Riding indoors is weirdly faster, but also harder to sustain, good for saddle testing though.
Loved this. Especially Albert's scratching post as an iPad stand.
I've done 100 miles on Zwift and it drove me slightly insane. I usually just queue up a bunch of RUclips videos in my Watch Later list and let it play. Podcasts help for the really long rides: Andrew Huberman, Rich Roll, and anything else that strikes my fancy.
I did the 100 miles once on Zwift for the badge, but nowadays I only do one long ~100km ride each week. Typically, though, a ride is somewhere between 30 and 50 km, because it's hard to find time for more.
Watching Alex do a long turbo session while doing a long Turbo session is vibes
Max I’ve ever done in Zwift is around 2 hours. Zwift definitely helps to make indoor rides interesting and motivating, but don’t really have the urge to go much longer than that. Maybe some day I’ll desire a badge from one of the longer courses, but hopefully by that time the weather will have warmed up and I’ll be back outside!
“Zero complaints this end”. Good man! I’m about to climb on the turbo for 3 hours (with John Digweed). 🕺😜
Fanny Dumplings good.
I ride on the trainer a lot and I’m doing a lot of 3-4hr rides so I’ve gotten used to it, sometimes I’ll watch zwift and listen to stuff, sometimes I’ll watch some premier league matches, sometimes RUclips, whatever. I’ve found the more one rides indoors the easier. I get some people ride outside no matter what, but I ride outside to bring me joy, having to dress up and deal with gross roads and stuff doesn’t bring me joy so I’m happy to do the work indoors and keep the bike cleaner
My max session was three hours in a small one bedroom apartment on a standard trainer. Total ride 60 miles. This was twenty years ago. I'm still riding a standard trainer at age 50 my max sessions two hours. Winter in New England can be a long season. I enjoy cross country skiing and walking in the winter. Four hours I can't imagine. I like your setup. Cheers.
Hi Alex did 465km (290 miles) over a weekend, 11hour (338km) on the first and 4 1/2 (127km)on the second. It was for a charity ride that should have been on the road but due to lock down decided to do it on the turbo instead. Got through with lots of dvd's, gels and plenty of long rides done before just to get used to being on the turbo for that long. Being uncomfortable was the hardest, but making sure I picked a route that I could sustain the required speed was needed and the kid promising me a very big McDonald's at the end. Great content and good luck for the season
I also suggested that Bont add some new colors to the custom palette. Tan, olive green, various camouflages...
I did the Ironman Hawaii full bike course, 5 hours and 11 minutes or so. And you are 100% right, there is zero reason to ride that long indoors on a trainer. I'm glad even a pro says that trainer time is more demanding than outside riding, I'm not sure why it is, but I'm glad it's confirmed.
Thanks for the tips Alex. May I suggest you move your turbo to the window with the amazing view! Got to be better than looking at a brick wall and an old clothes horse! 🤣🤣🤣 Keep up the good work and good luck for the new season Alex💪
I’ve got 4hours 45 scheduled today and it’s well below freezing outside. Longest I’ve done is 5 hours. Glad to hear you say there’s no need to ride outside is the stupid cold!
Wise choice. If it’s anywhere near 0 degrees here in Northallerton, defo a turbo day!
Man I can't ride on the trainer much more than an hour and a half. I just feel I have to stop and get off and my butt hurts like hell. Music and videos don't help much. I always have to do high intensity stuff to compensate for the lack of volume.
Chanel is a super hero for sitting down at the table w/ her partner, who is still wearing the bib shorts he has been sweating in for hours, all the while trying to feed a happy little lady who likes to play w/ her food. You won, Sir.
Hoping on the bike for a 3hr turbo session and I see this video was posted a couple hours ago.... nice! Thanks Alex!
Great videos and content and nice of you to acknowledge people who have full time jobs and families who try and squeeze in. 12-18hrs a week training
Juliette is enjoying every single bit of her lunch - what's not to love about that?! - Great content guys - For me 2h30 on Zwift more than enough, so chapeau Alex! - And Channel: when will you resume your rides on Zwift, we miss you!
Longest I’ve done on the indoor trainer has been 2x6hrs. One 6hr ride was around Watopia for an 1hr then up and down Alpe Du Zwift for 5hrs. 48mins in Z2 each time at about 70-75rpm as for some reason I’m a proper grinder on Zwift and have no idea why and the other 6hr ride was on La Reine on the France map up and down for 6hrs 😂 did nothing but listen to music and stare at my avatar.
It actually wasn’t too bad as I knew how long each time the climb took and oddly felt quicker doing it that way then riding along the boring flats that feel MUCH LONGER!
Don’t get me wrong still mind numbing and it is much harder than outdoors purely basing it off the continuous pedalling for the entire time. Once you stop it’s difficult to get back in the groove!
A very reasonable and respectable 2:30ish for me as the longest session. Eyeing up some of the longer Zwift badges but once the weight comes down a bit more. Would like to get to a position where I can do 3-4 hrs if necessary
I don't blame you for not going out in minus 12 degrees conditions why risk fall, it wasn't as cold as that for me today still hit patch of ice and went down, low speed and no damage to me or the bike thankfully. Any training tips is always useful, thanks.
Cracking as always Alex! I have a couple of kids not too dis-similar age to Juliet and it’s one of the greatest pick me ups when you come off bike and they are there smiling. As an aside… I recommend the Bibado jackets, great time saver on the clean up!!!
Good set up, for indoor 4 hour ride, you have this DOWN!! Including the carb dinner and breakfast to start with. Contract year, go for it, stay aero, encourage aero-ness and don't lead out a teammember who doesn't want to WIN!!! Old man at 35, damn! Life begins at 40, you're still in training!!! 😆🤣 Juliette, so cute 😍 ( thx, Chanel !! )
Longest ride for me on the trainer was just under 8 hours.
Alex good insights into the fueling during your ride.
Good stuff. Cheers, Alex.
Ticked off the PRL Full route last Jan (108 mile, 7.5k ft, 4k cals) in 5:59 and I've had nightmares since!! Vowed to never do more than a 3 hour turbo since aha.
This time of year - mid Feb onwards - a tablet showing Eurosport live and on demand races does certainly pass the time. Spoilt for choice with the pre-classics 5-7 day races. That and a combination of TR workout and Zwift visuals completes mission control. Longest? For IMUK training. 5h 45min, Mega Pretzel and 2 changes of shorts & vest.
I work full time and training at night, most 3 hours for a day (Monday to Friday).
I can only do it outside on Saturday and Sunday and I can do hours of training without worrying.
When I started using the smart trainer, it was difficult to stay more than an hour, but as the days go by, you get used to it, but for most you have to get hard used trainer.
anyway, good season, we hope you can achieve your goals. 🤛
3.5 hours longest for me, that was on a wattbike staring at a blank wall but podcasts and music. The Direto XR is good as you can pair you bikes powermeter to be the primary source, that way youre getting the same data as outdoors
I find watching the in-game character much more entertaining then a movie. Times fly's chasing and riding routes on Zwift. Probably just me tho and clean the bike! ;)
Thank you Alex, that video was very welcome as having to do long stints on the turbo at the mo, up to 5.75 hrs endurance as a max. Nuts. Needless to say I have failed miserably so far with max of 3.5 without stopping being my best. It’s the mental side of things that gets me. Zwift just ain’t that engaging or stimulating like being outdoors. Yes please to more videos like this, helps to see not so much what pros have to do, so much as how they go about it. Much appreciated and good luck this season, hope it is a corker!
Try some group rides, their usually pretty good!
I rode the Top 10 climbs voted by Cyclist magazine. Col de Finestre, Passo dello Stelvio, Ventoux, Tourmalet, Monte Grappa, Galibier, St Gotthard Pass, Telegraphe, Sa Calobra, Hardknott Pass. I rode for 24hours straight, getting off for 10-15 mins at the end of each climb. 39029ft of climbing 😀
Using which app?
Rouvy and Fulgaz
Due to the static nature of turbo sessions my ass hurts so badly after 1.5 hrs that I can't ride any longer.
Just a matter of cadence change and standing efforts every 20 minutes or so plus some cream. Best solution
I did a 15 hour vEverest last April when I was 13 - 216km. Great video!
VERY ENJOYABLE!!!! VIDEO…. Hey Alex, Yep, negative 12 c is TERRIBLE. Great video on your food for the “turbo” session! Getting NEW BONTS this year? Tan COLOR, sounds cool! I LOVE MY BONTS!Do your “ear pods” work well, while you are sweating? What are some of the best films you’ve watched, while on “turbo”? Good perspective, on the timing of “ hardness biking”. 1st hour & last hour!!!! Was it busy at the coffee stop in the coffee shop. ( HeeHee). Any good cakes?
80-90 carbs an hour. WHOA…….
The most interesting thing is how many carbs he is eating during the session, and how much he has eaten prior to that. A great lesson to learn...
That surprised me a lot as well. I wonder whether I'm doing it wrong when I don't eat anything at all during shorter (3h) endurance rides - and I would say that I don't feel any need to do that. I eat enough carbs prior to the ride, though.
The most I’ve managed on the turbo is a three hour session. I do want to do the longer rides on Zwift eventually but I’m plucking up the courage to do them.
My longest was 3.5 hours on rollers staring at the garage wall. Well before the days of Zwift!
Must have been hard going.
Thanks for your usual GREAT advice and content , Alex
Can you post link for Podcast for Jack Atkein F1 vs Cycling?
10hrs 30mins on turbo using Tacx Neo and Tacx Marmotte video. I rode the day of the actual event at the correct start time as I didn't get in to the real ride.
Where can I find the podcast you mentioned? Sounds interesting..
501km last month on zwift - 12h 45m…. Kit change every 100km ish 👍🏻 ….. then a Sub 5hr Über Pretzel the week after 😬
Great video, turn up those dad watts. 😁
Love the video to get through those hours, longest Zwift I’ve done is 2hrs ~ 60k, and just listen to music
Not necessary to ride non-stop? Aka breaks are ok?
If I am going to do a long Zwift session..I always do it with a pace partner or will do a badge hunt
10.5 hours during a vEverest. Had teammates hop on discord on and off throughout the day so I was rarely "alone" for longer than 1-2 hours.
Longest was 10k vEverest. took ~12h and 256 km. Doubt i'll do that ever again indoor
Any tips on staying comfortable on the bike, besides good shorts? Also, as you've got older have you had to change your training much?
Some great turbo trainer hair in thr first segment....can you do a video on injuries you've had in your career, and your routines for injury prevention? I write this as a 31 year old that's lost the best part of 9 months of training thus far due to patellar tendinitis
You're lucky with those sparkling water bombs. My friend Brian did that when we were at university in Germany. He brought a mostly full bottle inside and commented how surprised he was to find it liquid since it was minus ten degrees outside. Before we could tell him not to turn the cap, he twisted and it shattered in his hand, forcing us all to drive him to hospital at 2 in the morning. For the rest of his life, he'll always understand Boyle's law from chemistry, I'd bet . . .
Never did more than a virtual 100K velodrome, which is how I usually tackle rapha500 days - though I do not do breaks in these sessions (my best from this winter was 2hr 24min @ 327W, which, for a 42y old IT guy, to me at least, seems acceptable enough). I guess, if I would be doing breaks after each hour, and did not push as hard (and maybe got a better fitting saddle), it would be possible to do longer sessions..
I once did the longest Trainerroad workout. It was 6hrs at 200w. Would not recommend !
The most i can do is about 3hrs on the turbo. I've never thougth about food on the turbo though. I go in the garage, do the workout, then come out again.
I did a 160km ride, and someone told me its not 100 miles.... did another 162km (to be sure) for 100 miles on zwift
Francis Cade did that double everesting on zwift
longest was everesting last july. 12 Hours including warmup and after party.
10:44 filthy filthy bike
Most was about 2.5-3 hours without Zwift, just solid Z2 with RUclips videos on. Whether I can pull it off depends. There’s times where I’ve hit 90 minutes and just felt too defeated to carry on.
I did 2 x 1 hour group rides then another 40 mins of climbing
2 hrs (70 km) for me, but I just started with Zwift.
Why not cross country skiing? Looks perfect for it!
Hi. Nice videos! Could you say what sort of zone that 200/220 w for that length of time is? Vaguely what % ftp/effort so I could find equivalent for myself? Happy doing 4 hours max too really. Did it with one song on repeat once just for concentration practice haha.
I have been riding for 5 hours on the turbo at least once a week now during the winter
3 hours on the turbo once, long enough for me!
Alex, what was the session you did? were there intervals or was it a base training session. I find i get a sore back with anything over 2h on the trainer i think because the bike is fixed. good insights mate, keep up the training and good luck for season 2022.
Can do three hours non stop if on Zwift with Smart Trainer but on a “dumb” trainer where there are no downhills 2 hrs is pretty much the limit. It sort of depends on whether there is a training plan ride or Just Riding Along.
I did 4h yesterday and also for me first and last hour was the worst from those
Longest turbo ride was London prl on zwift around 6 hrs 😭crept up box on final lap
Question: have you ever tested cad before and after shaving your beard? And is it allowed and would be beneficial with a kind of a aero facemask?
Alex (or anyone) can you put a link to the podcast you referred to - motorsport / cycling skill crossover
Did a whisker under 6hrs just last Sunday, finally ticking off the PRL Full Zwift route. Technically it was 2 x 3hrs with a 20min lunch/bathroom break inbetween. But it definitely felt like a 6hr slog by the end.
EDIT: I also watched the new Venom film during the stint. Does that make me a pro cyclist?!?
Southern Softie ha ha ha.
Hey Alex. I’m currently “training at altitude - 2750M” but in a simulated way. When I first started in November I noticed a huuge drop off in power and recalibration of zones. Since then I’ve had to re-adjust about 4 times as I’ve become more adapted to the oxygen deprivation. As it’s early season I’ve not done any hard sessions really until this week when I raced (at sea level) quite a few times in the FRB Series on Zwift. I found the 1st two races really very tough but then the last two much better and the legs felt good. Wondering how you adapt with altitude and sea level training and if you struggle with harder efforts at sea level to start s they are much harder at altitude. Thanks
do you recommend putting your clamps far back on the shore for tt?
I have a direto XR but how do you find the resistance? i found that when i had it set at a fixed resistance level it was still surging up and down so i couldnt just ride steady but instead was having big cadence swings to stay at the same power
What saddle are you using?
My max is 2.5 hours on turbo. I don’t get way not send you someplace warmer to do off season
I’ve done four hours before. My issue is saddle pain and my feet.
4hrs 21mins is my longest turbo session - Did the Ven Top route twice in one go - pulled the plug at Chalet Reynard the second time up as i was crawling.
What Willie did (1000km) was bonkers.
-12, doors open, won't the water in the radiator pipes freeze? I only mention it because this happened in a hotel I was in once in Val d'Isere. Whoopsie!
Why dont you just always ride your TT bike on the trainer?
What is that saddle ?
trainerroads disaster ride. only 4:15 but the intervals sucked
Do you have any plans for after your professional career?
12 hours. Hellish, and won't do that again any time soon😵. At the 11.5h mark I was ordering pizza on my phone😂
my butt hurts after 2 hours and I have to get off eventually change a soaked chamois and get back on.
You mean flogging a dead horse 🐴
Be good to hear a training plan. The good and the bad
Notice Alex was complimenting his team bib shorts. Does anyone know what brand they are?
Jinga