Etap-'08?

tozi1

Been looking for a big challenge to motivate me back to fitness-and wondered if it is realistic to aim at the 08 etap de tour,bearing in mind I am 55,unfit,overweight,in fact the only positive thing is I love cycling! Done a little tt a couple of years ago,but no road racing,thought there might be a website for advice perhaps.Any thoughts appreciated.

nolf

Rough plan-
Summer endurance training- lot's of long rides at a pleasent pace. Go out with your local cycle club and rack up the miles. Continue this through winter, upping the mileage and clocking out 100 milers say once a month.

Then in spring start doing more focused workouts with power building sessions, speed work and hill climbs. Possibly lot's of TT's as practice for the long hills (got more in common with a time trial than an average UK climb, long and sustained high power output opposed to short and very high power output).

Some people go on training camps In february for a week in the sun to train hard.

Spring onwards do audaxes and other UK sportives as preperation.

Couple of weeks before the event start to taper and decrease the number of miles you are doing in preperation for this massive effort.


Good luck


Pride speaks, but Elephants listen...

richa

Tozi,
You have a year. That should be plenty enough time to give yourself a real good chance. If you want to do it - and you put in the work over the winter & spring - you'll be there on the start line in July 08.



Rich
<font size="1"><font color="green">Etape2007.Blogspot.Com</font id="green"></font id="size1">

rob35

I my experience you REALLY need to keep up the training through the winter..
Get the right gear, gloves layers etc.
Don't forget, you should feel a little chilly when you first go out in Jan, you will soon warm up.
Best of luck...

tozi1

Thanks all for advice and encouragement-thanks for the blog Rich-just what I need to get a feel for the level of difficulty-one other thing anyone-I;m really worried about riding at speed in a group-bike handling etc-do I need to do some road racing,something I've always been a bit intimidated by? Cheers.

richa

Don't think you need to do some road racing to train for a sportive. But I would recommend doing some sportives and audax. The good ones get booked up early so will need start planning prior to Xmas, get booked on some sportives (getting progressively longer).

Also you should definattely join a club and go on their weekend club run. It will help with motivation to get out on a wintery Sunday morning, will get you used to riding in groups and give you an opportunity for longer rides.


Rich
<font size="1"><font color="green">Etape2007.Blogspot.Com</font id="green"></font id="size1">

tozi1

Thanks for advice Rich.all the best for your big day.

Unknown

Tozi.

Do it!!!

If your like me you will need some fear of pain/disaster to get you out when you dont feel like it.

It can work out pricey but if thats not a problem then it will be one of the best things you have ever done.

You will get fit and lean (or leaner)and will have bragging rights for years to come.

You can get all the advice you need from here.

Commit to it by telling all and sundry.

popette

This might be a silly question but can girls do the etape? I've never seen anything that says otherwise but just wanted to check. My husband wants to do it for his 40th in two years time and I'd like to join the fun.
Good luck with your training. I've just bought a book called "The long distance cyclist's handbook" which I'm hoping will help me come up with a plan. I've not started reading it yet (still finishing another cycling book) but it's got a good rating on Amazon and from a brief glance through, it does seem to have lots of info.

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

Hi Popette,

Yes women can do the Etape as well. Having a partner to train with would make it a good challenge I think

If only I could get my GF into cycling ... sigh

---

Vive les All Blacks!!! [:D]

popette

Hi TTTT,
Great! Thanks for that.
We have four children so we only go out together when we have a babysitter. However, it is really great to have a common interest and when we do go out, it's a wonderful adventure. It's also good that we understand each others need to spend money on kit and accessories (a turbo trainer this week, as it happens)
Popette

liversedge

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by popette</i>

This might be a silly question but can girls do the etape? <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I stood on the Alpe D'Huez last year watching the entire field go by, waiting in vein for the guy I was supporting.

There were many women of varying ages, shapes and sizes - just like the men and they managed to finish, so why not you too!

Good luck!

One word of caution, once you have committed to the event it will dominate your waking thoughts until the big day.

I'm doing it this year (for my 40th strangely enough) and I'm now pigeon-holed at work as 'that nutter who's doing the tour de france' (It has become too tedious to correct them). My kids barely recognise me [;)]

--
<font size="1">Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. http://markliversedge.blogspot.com</font id="size1">

popette

I'm already getting flutters of excitement thinking about the possibility of it. What an acheivement to finish a stage of the Tour De France!
You're right, I can do it too!