Categories: La Vie VelominatusTechniqueThe Rules

On Rule #10: The Mandlebrot Set of Pain

There is pain to be found upon this road. Photo via Symonbike

My training hasn’t gone as I’d like it to be going. My days keep getting loaded up with things that pay the bills more than they add to the account at the V-Bank. It’s part of not being a Pro, I suppose, as if to spite my obvious talent which is a sort of talent sleeper cell where only I recognize my potential while the rest of the world perceives it as mundane mediocrity. I’ll show them, when I get around to it.

[rule number=10/]

To be an athlete is to mimic the animal world; this is the luxury of our age, stimulating the survival instinct through games rather than an actual need to survive which is itself a staggering accomplishment. It is our nature as animals that drives us to find the next level of achievement as athletes; as athletes, our success is rooted in our ability to process the act of suffering into a productive output, to push beyond the plane of perceived capability. What is left to the adventurer who walks along the path – the Velominatus – is to discover the complexity of suffering.

And, as Rule #10 implies, what lies hidden within the complexity of suffering is deceptively simple: more suffering, like some diabolical Mandelbrot Set set of pain where every point on its continuum contains an infinite set just like it.

The strange thing about suffering is that as you gain fitness, your lens shifts. When our fitness has the most opportunity for improvement, we alternate between pushing through a blockage either in the legs or the lungs – never both. The human mind is, after all, equipped to process only one pain at a time. But as our fitness develops, the mind learns to delegate the pain to the lesser organs and allows them to self-manage: the strength of one learns to support the weakness in the other. Over time, the suffering body becomes a holistic organism that can compensate for the most acutely weak unit with those which still yield some reserves. This is how we go faster; we transform how our body manages its resources.

When we speak of suffering, our minds shift to the climbs. Climbing is the easiest place to find suffering, a sinister gift of our old friend, Gravity. But suffering is to be found anywhere just as easily, provided you can motivate yourself to push as hard as gravity can pull. The Hour Record doesn’t have a climb in sight, but it scores a 100% on the Cycling version of Rotten Tomatoes (which, I am not too modest to suggest, finds its logical home right here at Velominati.)

As I suffer my way towards some level of condition, I am grateful for the opportunity to rediscover the pain behind the pain, to find some hint of control over the suffering, the ability to compensate one suffering unit for another. The ability to, despite every signal emitting from the body, push a little harder and resist the temptation to yield is perhaps the most noble gift our generous sport imparts upon us.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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markb says:

Feb 27 2015 at 9:41 am

@ChrisO

@Teocalli If I was allowed to use an emoticon I would have. I’m not a big believer in fate or any guiding hands but I am a believer in trying to take what happens and make the most of it.

If nothing else one has the opportunity to learn something about one’s self, good or bad.

On a personal level I’ve had nearly 8 weeks at home – the longest I’ve been with my family for seven years – and it has made me realise how far past my shelf life I am in Dubai. I’ve got to do something to get out of here.

On an athletic level it’s given me a challenge I would otherwise never have had. Unless you do different things you never learn, so I will learn what it is like to come back from a serious injury.

I’ve also learned that there is pain which a hundred intervals doesn’t come close to. Hopefully I can put that to good use.

So, odd as it sounds, I don’t actually look back on it as a bad thing. It was just a thing.

Is this love?
Chris says:

Feb 27 2015 at 9:43 am

@ChrisO

True, but if recent news turns out to be true, it would seem that racing licences are are problem at the moment in that part of the world.
Ron says:

Feb 27 2015 at 10:16 am

Awesome piece, Frank!

Being four months in to my first 9-5 in awhile, damn, the time to cycle is limited these days. Doesn't help that we got 8" of snow Weds. night. Not sure I even have enough form to say my form is lacking. I used to find myself wondering why guys couldn't keep up in the group rides, now I know.

The bad thing is that I commute to/from work via bicycle. It's great because I still can ride for 1.5 hours a day, but it's bad because then I feel like I've gotten my fix, but commuting ain't training. I'm only doing real riding twice a week, used to be 6-7.

Oh well, lots of improvements in other areas of life, like a burgeoning Budgetatus. I see a bike shed in the near future.
markb says:

Feb 27 2015 at 10:22 pm

@Chris

Athlete Lab is just round the corner from my office in London which is one of the attractions; I can go in during the day or after work rather than waiting till I get home after a two hour commute when I’m often too knackered to motivate myself well for a roller session.

I've booked a FTP taster session here, mind you at 40 bloody quid for 3/4 hour it better be worth it, if I don't require CRP by the end of it, I'll want my money back.
gilvelo says:

Feb 28 2015 at 5:55 pm

As Frank so eloquently stated: Pain = Improvement. Therefore Pain is welcome and necessary. My wife is having me fitted for a straight jacket. As long as I can indulge in a pint!
RobSandy says:

Mar 2 2015 at 2:37 am

@markb

@Chris

Athlete Lab is just round the corner from my office in London which is one of the attractions; I can go in during the day or after work rather than waiting till I get home after a two hour commute when I’m often too knackered to motivate myself well for a roller session.

I’ve booked a FTP taster session here, mind you at 40 bloody quid for 3/4 hour it better be worth it, if I don’t require CRP by the end of it, I’ll want my money back.

CRP? Do you mean this? http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=copr&topic=crp

Or this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-reactive_protein
RobSandy says:

Mar 2 2015 at 2:42 am

@ChrisO

@VeloSix

@wiscot

What’s FTP? I’m originally from the West of Scotland and know one interpretation, but it’s not applicable here.

Functional Threshold Power, in theory, this is the max average power you can sustain for one hour.

Just to elaborate on that, in case you think it’s just an interesting number…

FTP becomes the level around which all your training is based when you are using power. You establish training zones and work around them.

So a Zone 1 recovery ride would be no more than 60% of FTP, which is actually really difficult to do.

Z2 Endurance is 60-75% so that’s the sort of pace you should be able to do for several hours.

Z3 is also known as Sweet Spot, 75-90% – if you can do a lot of time in that area it pushes the FTP up.

Then you get Z4 which is basically your FTP level and you would do sustained bursts, Z5 is 105-120% which is great to go in and out of to simulate racing and Z6 / Z7 (some scales stop at Z6) is your sprinting.

The Z4 and above levels tend to be done in structured exercises e.g. 1 min Z5, 4min Z4, 5 min Z3 and repeat or 20 seconds Z6 with 40 seconds rest x 10. Z3 and below are ones you crucnh out for a whole ride.

Apart from training FTP is also a good indicator of performance. When you hear people talk about watts per kilo comparison among pros they are typically using FTP for the watts. Tell me your w/kg FTP and I’ll tell you what category you can race at.

Anything above 5 w/kg is pro-level and if you’re getting up towards 6 w/kg you’re a stage or race winner. At my very best I’ve made it up 4.4.

Roughly speaking between 4 and 5 w /kg is pretty good club and amateur racing from Cat 3 up to Cat 1/ Elite level. 3 to below 4 w/kg is sportive/Cat 4 level and below 3 your aren’t trying.

Thanks for making me feel crap! I don't think I'm quite at 3, and I thought I was doing quite well.

That said, I think the issue is the weight part of the equation, as my flat speed/power isn't bad for a relative newby, I don't think (not compared to the guys and club I've been riding with, anyway).

I'm concentrating on training for a 10m TT in 2 weeks right now, so am visiting the pain cave on my turbo and at the velodrome pretty frequently. Difficult to see any definite improvement yet, but I'm hoping it will pay off on the day.
markb says:

Mar 2 2015 at 4:28 am

@RobSandy

@markb

@Chris

Athlete Lab is just round the corner from my office in London which is one of the attractions; I can go in during the day or after work rather than waiting till I get home after a two hour commute when I’m often too knackered to motivate myself well for a roller session.

I’ve booked a FTP taster session here, mind you at 40 bloody quid for 3/4 hour it better be worth it, if I don’t require CRP by the end of it, I’ll want my money back.

CRP? Do you mean this? http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=copr&topic=crp

Or this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-reactive_protein

I mean this:
ChrisO says:

Mar 2 2015 at 6:51 am

@RobSandy

Thanks for making me feel crap! I don’t think I’m quite at 3, and I thought I was doing quite well.

That said, I think the issue is the weight part of the equation, as my flat speed/power isn’t bad for a relative newby, I don’t think (not compared to the guys and club I’ve been riding with, anyway).

I’m concentrating on training for a 10m TT in 2 weeks right now, so am visiting the pain cave on my turbo and at the velodrome pretty frequently. Difficult to see any definite improvement yet, but I’m hoping it will pay off on the day.

You're welcome. Hey, if you want to feel good go to group therapy... [insert multiple emoticons]

I don't know your numbers but losing kgs is the best way to improve the equation for pretty much anyone. That's why even the pros obsess about it.

What are you aiming for in your TT?
RobSandy says:

Mar 2 2015 at 7:06 am

@ChrisO

@RobSandy

Thanks for making me feel crap! I don’t think I’m quite at 3, and I thought I was doing quite well.

That said, I think the issue is the weight part of the equation, as my flat speed/power isn’t bad for a relative newby, I don’t think (not compared to the guys and club I’ve been riding with, anyway).

I’m concentrating on training for a 10m TT in 2 weeks right now, so am visiting the pain cave on my turbo and at the velodrome pretty frequently. Difficult to see any definite improvement yet, but I’m hoping it will pay off on the day.

You’re welcome. Hey, if you want to feel good go to group therapy… [insert multiple emoticons]

I don’t know your numbers but losing kgs is the best way to improve the equation for pretty much anyone. That’s why even the pros obsess about it.

What are you aiming for in your TT?

Well I was feeling pretty good about myself and then you come along with this watts/kg stuff and knock me down...don't worry. I'll be fine.

I'm 90kg (although I did plenty of riding in the summer at around 95/96 before deciding to trim down), which is the lightest I've been probably since I was about 18, and I'm probably also the fittest I've ever been right now. I'm never going to be a climber and I'm fine with that.

I've done 10 miles/16 k in 27:30 on the outdoor track, so I'd like to think I could get somewhere near that. Also, my track efforts have been on cold blustery mornings so if it's reasonably warm and still I might be able to improve on that. I think it's a flattish course.

I'm going to consider this one to be my season benchmark, riding my standard road bike on the drops. I'm considering trying clip on aeros (I wont get away with a TT bike any time soon) for subsequent TTs but I'll have to see how the position works out. Hopefully throughout the summer a combination of fitness, pacing, improved aero etc will see me knock times down. I've only been riding as my main hobby since the summer, so I'm not expecting to set the world alight just yet.