Training for Ventoux

Falconar

Hi guys. Not sure if i'm in the right forum, as it looks maybe too high-level for me. But, assuming I am...

I'm trying to get in shape for a cycling trip to France in late May, going from Clermont-Ferrand to Marseille over the course of six days, taking in Puy-de-Dôme, Ventoux (from Bédoin) and others. I'm not looking to do anything other than (a) make it and (b) vaguely enjoy myself. I appreciate that the climbing is likely to be bloody hard!

I'm 34, 5'11" and 152lbs, moderately fit but nowhere near club standard. Typical cycling over the last two years has been about 600 miles per year, thanks to work and the arrival of my 2-year-old, before that I was doing about 1250 miles a year. Haven't done a whole lot yet this year, but working on picking up the training, typical rides at the moment are 20-30 miles with 1500-2000ft climbing but appreciate that I need to up that. I live in the South Downs near Portsmouth, so lots of hills around but nothing big. Only planned event beforehand is the Isle of Wight 100k Randonnee, done this for the last three years and find it a fairly comfortable ride.

edit: bike's a Focus Variado expert, geared 50/34 and 12-25 I think.

So hopefully that's a little background, advice very welcome! I have no idea what i've let myself in for - never done anything like a HC climb before now.

nasahapley

Hi Falconar,

I did Ventoux from Bedoin last year as my first ever alpine climb, so hopefully I can help out in that respect. Not having big hills around needn't be too much of a hindrance - getting used to keeping a fairly high level of work going over a couple of hours is the main thing. I had a fairly regular training route that took about two hours - I'd do that without stopping pedalling unless absolutely necessary and trying to keep the effort as high and as consistent as possible. Annoyingly it's actually easier to do this on a flatter route! Other than that I suppose it's just a matter of doing some rides of roughly the same mileage as a typical day on your trip.

As to gears - before I did Ventoux I was thinking that since I go up 10% grades in the UK in 39-21 or thereabouts I'd probably be using 39-23 or 39-25 most of the way up. Didn't work out like that - not too far into the looong 10% section I was in 30-23 and bloody glad it was there! You might be just fine with the gearing you've got, but I'd consider putting a 27 sprocket on the back just in case, especially as the previous days' riding might have taken it out of you a bit.

Hope this helps!

Brian B

Done both of the main side of the Ventoux and a lot of other big climbs abroad so I reckon I am pretty experienced on sustained climbing. Whats worked with me is to get into a gear thats comfortable and keep it there all the way up and move it up if you find the going good. The Ventoux is as hard or harder than most other climbs abroad and the gradient is pretty consistent all the way and the last section out of the trees is a real killer.

Saying that I am going to the Ventoux again this year and going to hit it as hard as possible and totally disregard everything that I have said above. Just get the miles in and some big hills and you will get up. Enjoy

le_grimpeur

As you suffer from a lack of hills, I'd suggest cycling in as big a gear as you can sustain over as long a period as you can over as many inclines as possible. I did the Ventoux for the first time last year, and if you can increase your cycling strength you'll certainly benefit. If you have either a climb or long incline (probably the latter) repeat this as much as you can, it is very boring but I'd say that doing that for 2hours, would be better than a 2 hour ride

Falconar

Thanks guys. I'm planning on working the distances up so that the general day-to-day milage and time in the saddle is nothing unusual by the time I go, it's just combining that with the time going uphill that's hard to prepare for. Hope to drop 10lbs before then too!

Would I be better off training for the climbing element off-road? With the choice of hills and extra resistance of riding off-road I can quite easily find routes where i'm griding away at high HR uphill for half an hour or so, and can string a few together with relatively short low-HR gaps where i'm descending for the next one. Things like Kingley Vale offer a reasonable selection of routes. On-road I have some hard climbs at places like South Harting (as visited briefly by the Tour, but I doubt they even noticed) and Duncton hill, but they're the short, sharp climb rather than the sustained variety.

le_grimpeur

If the off-road climbing is regular - as opposed to undulating, I'd say go for it. For the Ventoux it is sustained hard effort, sorry, sustained unrelenting effort, tautological perhaps but it does sum it up. Even better, do the half hour climb, then repeat it four times!

inseine

What really gets you on alpine climbs is the unrelenting nature of them, so a short steep hill ridden many times is not the same thing. Your better off with some long biggish gear efforts as someone already said. You need to get into your threshold zone, probably 85-90% of your max heat rate and hold it at your climbing cadence.
You have done much so I suggest you just ride your bike for a while first though and you'll find big improvements in fittness.

le_grimpeur

inseine wrote:

a short steep hill ridden many times is not the same thing.

Duh! :roll:

But it IS better than not doing any hills at all, and rolling along on a flat road at a similar cadence is not going to improve climbing abilty compared to repetitive hill climbing at climbing cadence

inseine

Duh, yourself!
Well, that's your opinion. I think that Ventoux feels a lot more like riding a '50' than climbing a typical British hill of 5 mins, however many times you do it. But, given your name, I bow to your experience.

le_grimpeur

Duh, duh and double duh Glad we can disagree in a friendly fashion, i was thinking that the option of a 30 min climb is better preparation, and yes pushing the big ring hard if the hill climb wasn't available would reap improvements. In my own preparation I found that repeating a 15min hill climb 6 times was better preparation than a two hour hard ride

and yes, I would have preferred to do it 8 times but I got bored!

narbs

I'm doing the Ventoux Beaumes de Venise sportive at the end of May so these hints are very welcome.

It's the contstant effort for two hours which is, frankly, scaring me!

inseine

[/quote]It's the contstant effort for two hours which is, frankly, scaring me!

Ride quicker!

I imagine that the sportive is pretty hard, but the climb itself is not that difficult, in that you see allsorts riding it. Given the gears and the time most poeple can do it. Beacuse it's an easy start the temptation is to overdo the first few km's.

le_grimpeur

One of the great things about sportives is that so many others are doing it, so take advantage and follow someone else's wheel - preferably get behind a group. Drafting this way has been measured to save you 10% energy - and that's just behind one person! So, you'll be able to arrive at the base of Ventoux as fresh as a daisy!!!

If it doesn't scare you - then where's the thrill, the sense of adventure and the feeling of accomplishment. Also, you still have plenty of time to prepare yourself for the end of May.

le_grimpeur

narbs wrote:

I'm doing the Ventoux Beaumes de Venise sportive at the end of May so these hints are very welcome.

It's the contstant effort for two hours which is, frankly, scaring me!

Just had a peak at the Beaumes de Venise sportive, and well, forewarned is forearmed, I er, just hope you realise that you'll be doing the climb one and a half times! :shock:

narbs

le_grimpeur wrote:

Just had a peak at the Beaumes de Venise sportive, and well, forewarned is forearmed, I er, just hope you realise that you'll be doing the climb one and a half times! :shock:

Yeeeesss, I had noticed that. After I'd entered.

Still, once I've done it the first time.....

JULIANBRAMLEY

Good grief you get some strange advice on these forums......
Do some long steady rides in training, as it goes without saying its a long ride.
Try doing some more seated climbing than usual, as you can't honk out the saddle for 2 hours! I normally ride 39x21 in the UK but was glad my hire bike had something like 34x27 at times.
Its not intense, you just settle into it, there are no big kicks or ramps, but then again there is no relief, it doesn't level out at all anywhere
Get on weight watchers if you're at all over weight, if it helps put half a stone of baked bean tins or something in a carrier bag and see just how heavy it is, you'll be more motivated to lose it.
I'm a fairly crap 4th cat, 41 years old and 14 stone and it took me 2 hours without killing myself.
Enjoy!

PS Don't forget good quality gilet and armwarmers for the descent.

benvrackie

Did Ventoux from Bedoin in early Sept. '07. A good tip is get off to an early start the bulk of the work is done through the trees and if the temp is high this could be a real killer.
If you can, set off around 8am. When you get past Chalet Reynard ( clear of the trees )
you'll be a lot higher and there will be at least a breeze. It's a long steady climb .
Once you're into the last 6km it's a great feeling ( maybe with a little nagging doubt that you will actually make it ) The cameraderie on the ride from other riders added to the enjoyment. I spent a lot of time using the 30 - 25 . I figured it was better to do it than try for a good time and not do it !