It seems simple enough, I just want to go faster and further with less effort. I want to climb like Pantani, descend like Nibali and hammer the flats like Poli. I also want chat with my riding partners, while climbing 14 percent grades, about the weather or the foliage or the price of organic coffee beans.
I want to eat plates and plates of Rosanna’s homemade pasta, drink glass after glass of Castello di Ama Reserve wine and sleep like a stone.
I want people to look at my upper body and wonder if I might be sick, while looking at my calves and wonder if I might have bought implants.
So after hours and hours of listening to podcasts, weeks and weeks of watching videos and years and years of reading books and magazines I want to share with you what I have finally ascertained I need to do to reach my goals.
I need to lower my BMI, raise my FTP, decrease my HRT and increase my V02 max.
I will need to consume fewer calories, take in greater quantities of fiber and be careful with the “bad” carbs.
Then there is the increasing of my LBM, the training of my fast twitch muscle fibers, the dialing in of my strength-to-weight ratio and the normalizing of my NP.
I will need to do longer rides at slower paces to increase my endurance, matched with the quick, intense intervals to increase my pop, some medium intervals to mimic a breakaway, the over/under or under/over intervals to help me learn I don’t need to have my efforts drop off the map after being pushed over my V02 max and, of course, the sweet spot workouts to help with everything.
I’ll need to stay away from the carbohydrates, unless I am going to be doing a hard workout then I will need to fuel with carbohydrates, but will also need to hydrate and take in electrolytes while not taking in too many sugars and making sure I get enough protein and fiber, while not forgetting treating myself is ok as long as I get back on my low carb, high protein, fiber diet, unless I need higher carbs and lower protein to fuel my workout. And let’s not forget partaking of the occasional coke or donut is fine and coffee, ala caffeine, is an excellent and useful stimulant.
While we are at it is important to remember how important perceived exertion is to the whole equation. I will remember I am strong enough to achieve anything I set my mind to, unless my mind is telling me I need to back off and have a rest day.
Speaking of rest days, I need to remember as I age my V02 max and maximum heart rate will naturally decrease, as well as my muscle mass. Unless, of course, I continue to train and put in the intense training that staves off these “givens.”
I will work on my high speed cadence to tax my respiratory system and my low speed cadence to engage my neuromuscular system.
Then there is my bicycle. I’m going to need longer pedal spindles, so I can sprint like Sagan, will move my saddle up and forward to increase my power, add some elliptical chainrings to mimic Froome, start wearing my helmet on my trainer rides to simulate race conditions and slam my stem to look more #pro.
And let’s not forget the gallons of unsweetened organic tart cherry juice I am chugging, the medical tape I am going to use to tape my mouth shut at night for better sleep and the recovery goop I will be rubbing onto my freshly shaven quads before, during and after every ride.
And as the final piece to my 2019 #fitbyspring cycling plan, I will hook electrodes up to my lower back, pull on my recovery boots and ingest large quantities of 2:1 CBD/THC oils from my new friends at Floyd’s of Leadville. I am also going to start either the DASH diet, mediterranean diet, flexitarian diet, TLC diet, Whole 30 or volumetrics plan. So many choices, so few donuts.
I’m stoked.
It’s going to be my best year ever.
