Lunch/PM: 3 hours on the trainer. 240W. HR 142.
Gravel Simulation #1: 2 Hours @ Sweet Spot (264 watts @ 152 BPM)
Well, not exactly a "gravel" simulation but a gravel simulation. It was rainy out and knew things would not be great condition-wise, so I stuck to the trainer for this very challenging workout.
Warmup was scheduled for 15', but I did 30 before getting into things. I used one of the pacer group rides on Zwift that was set at 3.5 watts per kilo, shooting to average around 270ish. I dropped the group at one point and eventually they came back. My HR stayed quite low, only getting into the lower-160s in the final few minutes. I tried not to press too hard as 2 hours at this effort is like running at a high moderate to low marathon effort, so it helps to be patient. I have never gone this long at this intensity (though admittedly some of my really long tempo rides were probably sweet spot before). The most sweet spot I have done straight through is around 80-90 minutes.
I tried to maintain my carbohydrate intake during the ride as I knew it would be impossible without it. I think I was north of 90 grams of carbs per hour though did not do the exact math. I know I had 3 bottles of 90 carbs each and 3 gels of 30 carbs each and I drank 2.5 bottles and took 2 gels, so around 95 grams per hour. I was going to take more but it was a lot of sugar and didn't want my stomach to revolt. I felt fine though. I think I would shoot to be around 100-110 next time and maybe even higher from there. I have been studying higher carbohydrate intake during training sessions and trying to implement it. If you look at modern endurance sports, that is where the focus has neem.
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