Hardest Interval Session I have ever done

[Gags]

Sat night I started the latest cycling trial that I managed to scam onto at
RMIT. It was a glycogen depletion session in readiness for the session that
I did this morning. I did a 5 min warmup and then I had to do intervals at
360W for 2 min followed by 200W recovery for 2 min. This was done on a
stationary bike hooked up to a digital control console and the deal was that
I had to keep my cadence above 65 rpm. I managed to go for 2 hours at 360W
intervals before I couldn't keep my cadence above 65 rpm and then the
wattage for the intervals was dropped to 320W (recovery stayed at 200W).
Not sure how long I lasted at each subsequent level but it then went down to
280W, 240W, then 200W each time that I couldn't stay above 65rpm. I ended
up finishing after 3hr01min and I was absolutely knackered. This session
was about the hardest thing I have ever done on a bike!!!

I was provided food that I had to eat before bed time but I was only allowed
to drink water between then and this morning's session. This morning I got
there at 0700h and did a biopsy pre-op (3 incisions on right quad) and then
I had to get straight into a constant effort at 256W. Initially I felt
pretty bad and thought I would be lucky to last more than about 10 min.
Once I started to warm up I felt a bit better and went OK up until about the
50min mark. From this point I alternated between getting out of the saddle
and getting my cadence up to about 85 or so and then sitting down and slowly
dropping back to 70 when I would get out of the saddle again. I ended up
lasting for 1h11min before I couldn't keep the cadence up and then I had to
jump straight off the bike and onto a table located behind it for a biopsy.
I then had 4 hrs of recovery and had to drink some sports drinks and eat
some sports bars (all in measured doses) that contained certain levels of
carbs and caffeine. I had another two biopsies and ended up getting home at
about 2pm.

They were two interesting sessions and I get to repeat them in a month's
time.....it will be interesting to see how I do then.

Gags

[Boostland]

"Gags" > wrote in message
...
> Sat night I started the latest cycling trial that I managed to scam onto
> at RMIT. It was a glycogen depletion session in readiness for the session
> that I did this morning. I did a 5 min warmup and then I had to do
> intervals at 360W for 2 min followed by 200W recovery for 2 min. This was
> done on a stationary bike hooked up to a digital control console and the
> deal was that I had to keep my cadence above 65 rpm. I managed to go for
> 2 hours at 360W intervals before I couldn't keep my cadence above 65 rpm
> and then the wattage for the intervals was dropped to 320W (recovery
> stayed at 200W). Not sure how long I lasted at each subsequent level but
> it then went down to 280W, 240W, then 200W each time that I couldn't stay
> above 65rpm. I ended up finishing after 3hr01min and I was absolutely
> knackered. This session was about the hardest thing I have ever done on a
> bike!!!
>
> I was provided food that I had to eat before bed time but I was only
> allowed to drink water between then and this morning's session. This
> morning I got there at 0700h and did a biopsy pre-op (3 incisions on right
> quad) and then I had to get straight into a constant effort at 256W.
> Initially I felt pretty bad and thought I would be lucky to last more than
> about 10 min. Once I started to warm up I felt a bit better and went OK up
> until about the 50min mark. From this point I alternated between getting
> out of the saddle and getting my cadence up to about 85 or so and then
> sitting down and slowly dropping back to 70 when I would get out of the
> saddle again. I ended up lasting for 1h11min before I couldn't keep the
> cadence up and then I had to jump straight off the bike and onto a table
> located behind it for a biopsy. I then had 4 hrs of recovery and had to
> drink some sports drinks and eat some sports bars (all in measured doses)
> that contained certain levels of carbs and caffeine. I had another two
> biopsies and ended up getting home at about 2pm.
>
> They were two interesting sessions and I get to repeat them in a month's
> time.....it will be interesting to see how I do then.
>
> Gags
>
>
>
>

Wow the things we do for science :P

Was it for a study of some sort ?

Or was it to test you to see if your ready for the pro tour ?

I did a VO2 Max test in 1991 at the Newcastle Uni, it hurt a bit but not as
much as what you described, I scored 71 VO2 Max with a max HR of 198 ( HR
monitor was broken so they measured me by hand after I stopped so I don't
think the max HR was accurate )

Your test sounds like it was more painful than my A grade club race
yesterday at Black Hill (51k race + 40k warm up ride) , and backing up today
with a 51 km handicap off scratch with a 30k ride over a mountain range
there and 30k ride home ( the ride home hurt the most as the legs did not
want to push 41 / 21 over that mountain ).

Here is the warm / cool down up I did today before / after the race ;)
< http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Speers-Point-to-Mulbring-ride-to-race
>

note the distance climbed ;) Total climb: 435m Total descent: 412m, now that
is a good warm up and a leg burner for the ride home :P

[adam85]

"Gags" > wrote in message
...
> Sat night I started the latest cycling trial that I managed to scam onto
> at RMIT. It was a glycogen depletion session in readiness for the session
> that I did this morning. I did a 5 min warmup and then I had to do
> intervals at 360W for 2 min followed by 200W recovery for 2 min. This was
> done on a stationary bike hooked up to a digital control console and the
> deal was that I had to keep my cadence above 65 rpm. I managed to go for
> 2 hours at 360W intervals before I couldn't keep my cadence above 65 rpm
> and then the wattage for the intervals was dropped to 320W (recovery
> stayed at 200W). Not sure how long I lasted at each subsequent level but
> it then went down to 280W, 240W, then 200W each time that I couldn't stay
> above 65rpm. I ended up finishing after 3hr01min and I was absolutely
> knackered. This session was about the hardest thing I have ever done on a
> bike!!!
>
> I was provided food that I had to eat before bed time but I was only
> allowed to drink water between then and this morning's session. This
> morning I got there at 0700h and did a biopsy pre-op (3 incisions on right
> quad) and then I had to get straight into a constant effort at 256W.
> Initially I felt pretty bad and thought I would be lucky to last more than
> about 10 min. Once I started to warm up I felt a bit better and went OK up
> until about the 50min mark. From this point I alternated between getting
> out of the saddle and getting my cadence up to about 85 or so and then
> sitting down and slowly dropping back to 70 when I would get out of the
> saddle again. I ended up lasting for 1h11min before I couldn't keep the
> cadence up and then I had to jump straight off the bike and onto a table
> located behind it for a biopsy. I then had 4 hrs of recovery and had to
> drink some sports drinks and eat some sports bars (all in measured doses)
> that contained certain levels of carbs and caffeine. I had another two
> biopsies and ended up getting home at about 2pm.
>
> They were two interesting sessions and I get to repeat them in a month's
> time.....it will be interesting to see how I do then.
>
> Gags

Bugger me Gags - that is *tough*. I've just started training with a power
meter so
I've got some idea of just how hard that is, and that's without people
taking chunks
of muscle out of me!

Have you seen big improvements out of the training?

Adam

[TimC]

On 2007-06-25, adam85 (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> "Gags" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Sat night I started the latest cycling trial that I managed to scam onto
>> at RMIT. It was a glycogen depletion session in readiness for the session
>> that I did this morning. I did a 5 min warmup and then I had to do
>> intervals at 360W for 2 min followed by 200W recovery for 2 min. This was
....
>> They were two interesting sessions and I get to repeat them in a month's
>> time.....it will be interesting to see how I do then.
>
> Bugger me Gags - that is *tough*. I've just started training with a power
> meter so
> I've got some idea of just how hard that is, and that's without people
> taking chunks
> of muscle out of me!
>
> Have you seen big improvements out of the training?

He did, but them some ******* removed his muscle and he's got to start again.

--
TimC
Never trust a man who can count to 1,023 on his fingers. --unknown

[Gags]

"TimC" > wrote in message
...
> On 2007-06-25, adam85 (aka Bruce)
> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>> Bugger me Gags - that is *tough*. I've just started training with a power
>> meter so
>> I've got some idea of just how hard that is, and that's without people
>> taking chunks
>> of muscle out of me!
>>
>> Have you seen big improvements out of the training?
>
> He did, but them some ******* removed his muscle and he's got to start
> again.
> --
> TimC
> Never trust a man who can count to 1,023 on his fingers. --unknown

There was no actual training leading up to the trial apart from my normal
riding.....I am yet to see any improvement from the sessions on the weekend
as for the last couple of days I have been taking it very easy and spinning
to work on the road in a really low gear on the mtb. I can usually get into
work in just under 40 min on the road but for the last couple of days it has
been closer to 50 min and I have hardly raised a sweat.

The sessions have made me realise that I can push myself a lot further than
I thought I could and hopefully I will get motivated enough to include some
interval sessions in my training program with similar intensity. I am
starting to lose the "dead leg" feeling now and so hopefully I will be able
to go a bit harder tomorrow.

Gags