Welcome!

We pulled together this guide to get you started with Revel Racing. Know that we are here for you and are happy to provide any support you need. Please contact us at any time with any questions as well as check out our FAQ section. The first 3-4 weeks are generally to accomplish a few goals. The first is to get you acclimated with our style of training. The second is to provide consistency in your training schedule. The third is to evaluate your current level of fitness to appropriately design your program. To evaluate your fitness level, we will perform a benchmark test for swimming, cycling, and running. We will use each test to determine a FTP (functional threshold pace/power) which will then be used to establish your training zones. Depending on the athlete and time of year, there are various ways to calculate your FTP for each disciple. At the bottom of this page you can find a description of the various tests we use to evaluate your fitness. Below is a list of things we need you to complete in order to get you started.

Register on the Revel Racing website

  • Please review our Policies before registering

  • Choose your program: See our Coaching page

  • Once you have registered, you will be billed monthly on the date of the month that you registered up until we receive a written request to discontinue your membership.

  • Your start up fee will be billed separately within a week of you registering

TrainingPeaks

Race Schedule

Look for a 5K

Zwift / TrainerRoad

  • Most of the team uses Zwift or TrainerRoad for our indoor cycling workouts during the cold/wet weather months (generally October-April) when daylight is limited. It will connect to your power meter, heart rate monitor, speed and cadence sensors, and/or your smart trainer. The software runs on a computer, tablet or phone turning your device into a cycling computer and allowing you access to thousands of prebuilt, power-based workouts. If you don’t have a power meter, there is a VirtualPower option that can be utilized to estimate your power based on wheel speed. TrainerRoad fosters greater engagement in the workout, helping the time pass more quickly. Both are a subscription service for ~$15 per month. Therefore, while using Zwift or TrainerRoad is not required, it is highly encouraged.

  • To sign up for Zwift click here: https://www.zwift.com/create-account

  • To sign up for TrainerRoad click here: https://www.trainerroad.com/sign-up

  • Please make your account public.

    • This will allow me to compare your wattage against the target

  • Join the Revel Racing "team" within Zwift / TrainerRoad

  • Sync your TrainerRoad/Zwift and TrainingPeaks account to enable the automatic uploading of workouts. This will also download your structured workouts to TrainerRoad/Zwift and make them available for you to complete.

  • Depending on if you are connected via Bluetooth or ANT+, you may need an ANT+ USB dongle for your computer

Check out our gear recommendations: 

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On behalf of the entire Revel Racing team, welcome aboard!

Dave 

Benchmark Tests

To evaluate your swim fitness, we usually use a broken, 10-minute max effort assessment. The test is broken into 3-5 intervals on minimal rest. Breaking the test up slightly helps with pacing while giving you something to strive for. We generally retest swim fitness every 9 weeks.

I feel TrainingPeaks slightly overestimates the Training Stress Scores (TSS) from swimming, so we use the average pace from the test as your benchmark swim test.

Here’s an example of one of our benchmark tests.

  • 5 x 100 on 2:00

    • You will perform a 5 x 100 yard hard on 2:00 each.

    • Attempt to increase your speed slightly each 100 with the last 100 being max effort.

    • If you miss the 2:00 mark, rest for 5 seconds and continue with the next one

    • We will use the average of the 100 times as your swim FTP (sFTP).

To evaluate your bike fitness, we usually use a ramp test for athletes new to training with power and for monitoring your FTP during the winter months. The test starts off with a with a 5-minute easy warmup then the intensity will increase until you cannot turn the pedals any further.

  • The begins with a really easy 5-minute warmup and

  • Every minute it gets slightly harder until you can no longer continue.

  • The test takes about 25 minutes to complete.

  • Before the test, make sure your power meter or trainer is recently calibrated.

  • Stay in the saddle the entire time, but use whatever cadence feels comfortable.

  • Please use a strap HR monitor during the test so we can determine your HR threshold as well.

To evaluate your run fitness, we usually use a 5K at race pace to determine your run threshold. If we need to, a previous race result can be used to calculate your run paces, but certain assumptions must be made regarding your level of fitness and how well the race was executed.

  • 3-5 mile max effort road race

    • Sign up and race a 5K (or up to a 10K) road race.

    • It is preferable to do this in a race setting as you typically are able to squeeze out a few extra seconds per mile.

    • Your FTP will be calculated based on this effort.