I’ve been enjoying using the erg videos this winter on my computrainer. I had a question related to the race videos and how they fit best–what do people tend to use these for? I threw on one of the crit videos and it was similar to a race intensity, which got old in a hurry. Is it worthwhile to dial the intensity back or does the tempo of the race make for too much coasting?
Just curious. I think this is a neat product to get me through the umteenth winter of riding the trainer. I’ve actually been much less inclined to go outside to ride because of the quality I’m able to do indoors. I’d never have expected myself to be doing 2 hour indoor rides.
I’ve been looking at Erg lately, having recently acquired a Computrainer. They look interesting. It’s not clear to me how they work…for example, if you are tired and dog it, do the riders on the video just pull away from you or what?
I use them for midweek intensive workouts. In the beginning of the season I’ll do the hill repeats once a week for an hour and typically I’ll do something like the ClubTempoRide (or Capital City Club Ride or** **Lake Placid with a Champ) for 1.5 hours once a week. If I can’t get outside in the weekend I’ll do a base ride for 2.5 hours. Later in the season I’ll do a crit once a week and a threshold ride once a week. I think Ergvideo has a great variety and it certainly helps me get in shape for the season’s first races.
In your example, it would just get harder to pedal, since its an “erg” file, the computrainer will throw a certain wattage resistance at the rider and pedaling slower would mean you’d have to pedal harder.
They are a nice product, it took a little while to figure it out but they are a great way to keep things interesting
Have you figured out how to use the erg mode (F2) on CT yet? It took me a while to figure it out and what the difference was between erg, stand alone and 3D. I really only ride erg vids or erg mode anymore even if it’s an easy ride.
Erg vid is like using erg mode but better! If you are tired you can just enter a lower threshold. After you have done them a few times you will know which ones are most challenging. The riders don’t pull away from you. If you can’t keep up you will get the CT clamp and your cadence will drop really low…which means you are getting dropped.
The other folks have answered your question well. In Erg mode, the CT is a feedback control system which uses power level as the target setpoint. Ergo, (double entrendre intended) you must output the power target regardless. In this case, the power is the product (multiplication) of Speed and Torque (force). At a given power target, say 300W, if you let the wheel speed drop, the CT will react by increasing the force, so that the product of the new speed and new force corresponds to that same 300w.
If you are riding an ErgVideo and you have the difficulty set too high (typically you set this as your threshold power, but you are free to set it higher or lower), and you may encounter a period of power level that exceeds your ability to sustain it for the given period…you get crushed. This is a nice way to learn your limits, I suppose. Lower the setting and enjoy.
I very much like the very intense racing ErgVideos, since I’m most stimulated by the bunch and by watching the race tactics, finding the race rhythm, and just having lots happening around me. I think a LONG time ago in a thread on crit racing, I mentioned that the high concentration levels needed actually calmed me down and relaxed me by removing the possibility that I would think about things like work, girlfriend(s), taxes etc. While that is a case of life/injury/death driving the need to concentrate and ride smart, I get equally sucked into the same focussed mindset while riding a racing ErgVideo. I don’t fear for my limbs, but I will get equally absorbed. A huge projection sceen also helps me get there. I use them when I need intensity but don’t want anything strictly structured, just hard and fast.
It sounds to me that you’re in need of some more videos…
For me, I typically will ride one “race” per week (and really get the music pumping)…I have “Grand Prix de Blaineville” (my overall fave), “Mac’s Attacks”, and “Criterium A1” to choose from.
then, usually do a structured interval workout…most often I’ll build something with “Long Threshold Intervals”. (the 2x20min get my legs burning)
…and, my other ride will be the equivalent of (for lack of a better term) “junk miles” …usually just a cut of “Base: 3 Cool Rides”. (this sounds to me what you’re missing…a “steady state-ish/realistic undulation” type ride.
What I do notice is that my AT is by no means static. Especially doing the race style rides, depending on how I’m feeling and time of day this can vary as much as 30watts from week to week. (and I’m pretty anal about warming up and calibration).
I think one product enhancement would be making the license codes even longer and include more digits that may be zeros or the letter. Banging my head against a wall is good practice for the next time I get dropped.
The video output you watch while you ride is simply a video of the ride or race that was taped. Your cycling has no impact on the video. You can pedal like crazy on your CT or you can sit on the couch and watch the video and it will play the same.
What you need to distinguish is that there are two screens open. I use the coaching software, so in my case, the coaching software is open and my effort is driven by the wattage that I established at the beginning of the ride in my pre ride configuration. You also will have the video screen open which plays the video of the ride. This is the part that you have no impact on. It is not like a 3D mode ride where you can ride past the silver man.
*"*Your cycling has no impact on the video" …true.
…yes, it is the Coach or MR software that dictates the wattage you must produce to keep the cranks turning.
However, the video provides context to the power output (i.e. how you’ll feel in a chase versus “sitting in” versus driving the pace on the front, etc…)…this for my motivation is invaluable.
For me, I definitely prefer the ERG mode as I don’t have to change gears. I believe it’s better for the CT to ride “faster” as it provides better cooling to the unit. (i.e. riding 300w doing 40km/h is better than grinding up a 15% 3D hill @ 300w doing 10km/h)
I rode the whole Gatineau race today, that had some freaking hard sections when you can’t really get out of the saddle. The tactics were an unfolding train wreck, a dumb mistake in the first 200 yards consigns the poor camera man to a group of dropped riders randomly attacking each other and refusing to work. Actually it was a sadly realistic replica of the one time I did the race and got shelled from the 1-2 pack on a long climb and spent the day with a dozen other shrubs and some franco-phone who kept attacking the off the back pack. Nice to re live it down in the cellar this morning!
It was a perfect substitute for my first training race of the year that got snowed out.
LOL…yeah, that crash and then the chase in the first couple minutes…definitely requires a good warm-up and solid calibration.
I hear what you mean about the tactics being a dog’s breakfast in that vid. Good training though for the Tuesday nighters and a lesson in what not to do (i.e. crash).
I’d find myself wondering out loud why people were going hard, then getting dropped, then riding 10 feet off the front, it was fingernails on a chalk board. It was kind of neat to see places I recognized fromt he XC ski race I did up there a couple weeks ago.
Those 500 watt surges are beyond my ability to turn the pedals
…that raises an interesting nuance regarding the vids…
Because the wattage profile is based on actual rider telemetry, the style/strengths/weaknesses of the cameraman play a big part in how the ride unfolds. The guy doing the gatineau race has a very good 1 minute punch that I get “dropped” on too (unless I lower my AT…which is the great part about having MR because you can adjust it on the fly in sections like that)
If you don’t have it, get the “Grand Prix de Blaineville”. The cameraman is definitely one of the strongest out there and the field is very competitive. It’s a great workout and good for the ego too. (even though he doesn’t win)