In 2016 the bike was shortened to I think 100 miles and I came in at 4:54
With a year to go my ftp is 10 watts higher then it was then.
Is it possible to make the gains in a year to squeeze in that last 12 miles into the same time?
Go to best bikesplit and see what your watts would need to be to ride under 5, given your current cda. Then answer your own question.
You can play with the sliders and see what aero gains vs. increased power would mean for your bike split over the full 112.
4:54 is just over a 20mph average. To go sub five, you would have to average about 22.25 mph. 2 mph doesn’t seem like much but that is a pretty big ask. Ballpark would be at least a 10-15 percent improvement in power to do this.
Maybe.
**Is it possible to make the gains in a year to squeeze in that last 12 miles into the same time? **
Depends on the wind…
I’m not sure I will be able to cross the street next year. Man plans, God laughs. I say give it a try.
To give you some reference:
I went 4:30 in the Maryland 2016 century brick and just rode IMFL at 5 hours flat
I’m about 10-15 watts stronger on long rides (FTP is meaningless really, its all about muscular endurance)
So while not impossible I think you have a lot more work to get there
.
In 2016 the bike was shortened to I think 100 miles and I came in at 4:54
With a year to go my ftp is 10 watts higher then it was then.
Is it possible to make the gains in a year to squeeze in that last 12 miles into the same time?
My advice: get aero. Get really really aero and run fast tires and a fast chain.
In 2016 the bike was shortened to I think 100 miles and I came in at 4:54
With a year to go my ftp is 10 watts higher then it was then.
Is it possible to make the gains in a year to squeeze in that last 12 miles into the same time?
get optimized… get a bike fit
My advice: get aero. Get really really aero and run fast tires and a fast chain.
OSPW
In 2016 the bike was shortened to I think 100 miles and I came in at 4:54
With a year to go my ftp is 10 watts higher then it was then.
Is it possible to make the gains in a year to squeeze in that last 12 miles into the same time?
Ride for 10 hours a week and you will get there.
In 2016 the bike was shortened to I think 100 miles and I came in at 4:54
With a year to go my ftp is 10 watts higher then it was then.
Is it possible to make the gains in a year to squeeze in that last 12 miles into the same time?
You’re looking to increase your speed nearly 10%. Assuming the same drag factors (position, bike, wheels, tires, helmet, kit), you would need an increase in power output of 25% or more to gain that much speed. You say your FTP is up 10 watts in a year. WIthout knowing all the specifics, I’m still pretty confident in guessing that’s well under a 12.5% gain, which means you are not** **currently on track. You either need to change your training program to accelerate your fitness gains or do things to improve your drag factors.
I know the wind can affect things dramatically, but as a finisher of both IMFL & IMMD, I feel Florida is the faster course.
I know the wind can affect things dramatically, but as a finisher of both IMFL & IMMD, I feel Florida is the faster course.
I think if the wind was the same, Maryland would be faster since FL has some small rollers while Maryland is completely flat.
But in the two years I was in Maryland the wind was well over 10 mph, which definitely makes FL faster.
In 2014, I did a 5:05 bike. So, YES, a sub 5:00 is totally possible! Go there and kill it!
What is a fast chain?
In 2016 the bike was shortened to I think 100 miles and I came in at 4:54
With a year to go my ftp is 10 watts higher then it was then.
Is it possible to make the gains in a year to squeeze in that last 12 miles into the same time?
4:54 over 100 miles comes out to be 5:29 over 112 miles. So your question is if you can be 35 minutes faster.
I think you will need quite a bit more than just a 10W FTP increase which really is only about a 7W increase at IM intensity. Saving 35 minutes will probably mean saving energy or increasing power at least 3x that… rough guess though.
For reference I did a 4:46 for 112 miles in 2014 averaging around 245 watts. (I’m a big guy and not very aero).
**Is it possible to make the gains in a year to squeeze in that last 12 miles into the same time? **
Depends on the wind…
^^^This. And if there is any water on the course from tidal flooding.