Frank- I was a few weeks away from finishing SS16 when a guy crashed me out of the Shasta Hugger gravel race last Saturday at mile 98 and I rode one-handed to finish 13th. I had solid finishes at the first two Grasshopper Gravel races including a top 10 finish. I now have a grade 3 shoulder separation and most likely do not need surgery so with Physical Therapy I should be able to compete in SBT GRVL. I also cracked my Ibis Hakka MX so now am desperately scrambling to get a frame so I can race in Steamboat.
So what should I be doing between now and SBT GRVL? I did my first indoor ride last night on my wahoo trainer on zwift with my left hand in a sling. I am not a fan of zwift but I will do it for the next 4 months or until I’m able to ride again outside with both hands safely.
Please advise on what to do as to training plans on an indoor trainer between now and mid-August as SBT GRVL is now my focus and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to compete in any events in July.
Thanks for your help and I look forward to seeing you and picking up one of those rice bars in Steamboat and then hopefully I can race Mammoth Tuff in September and Levi’s Hammer Rally in October.
Sorry to hear about your crash! Never a good thing and something we never want to hear. But glad you should be ok and will recovery. I have been down that road as well more times than I even want to say.
So the first thing you need to do is recover. Follow the directions on activity of your doctor and physical therapist. You have 21 weeks from now till SBTGRL which is a lot of time! Really sounds like you had great fitness as well at the moment.
So first thing I would recommend is a week or two of just easy riding. You don’t have any race plans for 21 weeks. You are not going to hold the fitness you have or just keep building for the next 21 weeks. So take some time rest and recover. I’m not sure how long you will be on the trainer but also you don’t want to be all amped up now on the trainer and be burnt on it in 3 weeks. So just do some short easy zone 1/2 rides, if cleared by the doctor.
Then that leaves you 19 weeks. You can jump into our 6 indoor training plan.
After you do that you can do the middle 6 -7 weeks of your 16 week sweet spot plan. Even if you are indoors still you can do any of our training plans indoors. You may just cut down the duration.
For the final 6 weeks do our Steamboat Gravel Plan. Make sure to have a regeneration week before you start this plan so you can go into it fresh.
Hope the recovery goes well. Personally I have had some really great races coming back from injury. Just being focused on one event and having that goal / target really helps keep you motivated to stay on track.
Jake - thanks so much. typing one handed here. yes so bummed as i had great fitness due to you guys as ive purchashed 6+ plans and have been w you for 1.5 years and had my best result at the opening hopper race of the season. Now im just tring to get deferrals for next season and my hands on a new frame. i have the sbt grvl plan and i’ll buy the indoor plan tonight. yeah i didnt see myself being able to jump into these tue-thu 2 hr interval rides and 4 hr rides on the weekends in my current condition.
thanks for breaking it down for me - 19 weeks into 3 periods will help me to stay mentally focused.
Hopefully i see you at tour tent at sbt. with any luvk that will go well and then i can do mammoth tuff gravel in sept and levi’s hammer rally in october and then gear up for 2023 and do the races in ca and oregon that im missing this year.
i really appreciate your help as its so challenging just to get thru each day now w road rash and the pain so this gives me something to focus on.
if u ever come out to napa i’ll hook you up on rides and wine. This is one that i will be missing:( www.napa9.com - chek it out - 9 great climbs in napa.
After moving away from Colorado, my poor road bike was feeling neglected. I had seen CycleOps trainers before, but I decided to finally take the leap and buy one for myself. I was fascinated by the premise of using VR apps like Rouvy and Zwift to simulate riding indoors, and I have to say it’s definitely been worth it. This thing can simulate both gentle rolling hills and incredibly tough climbs without breaking a sweat (but I sure do break a sweat!!)
The trainer itself was very easy to assemble and seems very sturdy.