Ventoux on the Turbo

I’ve got a DVD showing the climb of Ventoux (on a bike!) which is great for the turbo. Anything more than an hour on the turbo looking on the wall is stupidly tedious.

I say the DVD is great but what I actually mean is that it’s hell. It’s an 1:45 long, with the first 30 being the approach (level 3 of 6 – a nice warm up) and the remaining 1:15 being a full on relentless climb. The first 45 minutes of the climb are at full tilt (6 out of 6), a serious grind; it’s a real killer. It then eases off slightly for a couple of minutes before returning to a good climb (5 out of 6).

I did the full climb last night, just a couple of days after a heavy leg session in the gym and it was a real slog.

I don’t collect stats off my Tacx computer at the end (averages) but do monitor them whilst riding:

Avg HR: 164
Max HR: 177
Climbing Cadence: 70-80rpm
Sustained Power Output: 200w

My power output was a little lower than it maybe could have been, as I was pushing out 230w at some points but i wanted to try and get a good sustainable pace going. by the end of the climb, my HR was sitting at about 172, which is quite high (but also a zone that i can hold for long periods).

I would like to improve to the point where I can sustain the 200w for the duration, but also reduce my HR into the 160s. It’s tough when I know that my bike needs a service and my back wheel isn’t very true. There’s a lot of potential causes for fluctuation in readings…

I’m pretty sure I’m pushing the same power as last time I did the full climb (November?) but am a good 4kg lighter, which has to be a good thing!