Reaching Lactic Threshold

Yesterday I thought that I would get breakfast for free before the ride but I didn't. As a result of this I went for a bike ride in a fasted state. I considered having pasta for dinner the night before, even as breakfast but didn't.

The result is that the energy stores I burned off on the two previous rides were not replenished and I started with an energy deficit. The result of this is that I was looking for a place to stop long enough to take a few energy gels I had with me, to fuel at least partially.

Faster on Climbs

The issue was the steep climbs and acceleration. I couldn't put out enough power to stick with the group on climbs so I was often a few seconds behind.I wrote about this yesterday.

Lactic Threshold

The entirely new sensation was when the group was cycling around the Lac De Divonne and pulled ahead of me and I was dropped. That's when I tried to push, and accelerate. At a specific point I could feel the burn associated with excess lactic acid. My legs had no more energy left to give. I was stuck having to coast to the meeting point. I had completely run out of energy. It's the first time that I had it in such a way.

When I ride alone I often ride hard, until I hit the wall, and then I ride slower for the rest of the ride, but in this scenario I couldn't. I had to try to keep up with the group.

The Case for Suunto and Garmin Rather than Apple

When you wear a Suunto, and to some degree a Garmin, both will tell you when you're pushing too hard, or when to rest and when to push. With the Apple watch it tells you "reach this many calories" without taking into account the previous day. The result is that you forget to take rest days. You grow fatigued. With Suunto, after every workout it says "N hours until you have recovered. The same is true of Suunto.

Apple is not designed for people doing truly exertional workouts.

Like Zwift

If you do group rides on Zwift you encounter the same thing. People are fit and fast, and you need to keep up with them. If you don't you get dropped and if you get dropped then it's hard t catch up with them until they stop.

If you're low on reserves, like I was yesterday, then you can't accelerate like the others, so the group ride becomes an endurance challenge. I passed, but I felt the value of having rest days.

And Finally

I should have had a rest day the day before and I should have had pasta the night before. Both would have given me the reserves I needed for such a ride. Within my own context this was an excellent ride. If I had just a little more power I could have kept up with the group this time.

I think that having a cold for two weeks didn't help either, I suspect that this also had an impact.

I still want to go for more group rides.