Chiltern 100...help!!

stretch64

Ive just entered the 100 mile version....21 climbs apparently.
Can anyone recommend a training plan?

In addition to Sunday club run can fit in about 3 rides/6hours cycling per week. Currently just trying to get in as many miles as poss but guess should be moving on to serious hill work sometime next month

reppohkcor

Hi there!

When is it? Do you have a turbo trainer?

curium

I was going to enter this but saw the profile and went for the Surrey-100 instead

sampras38

It's june isn't it, same time as the Wales Dragon? I think a mate's entered it as he couldn't get in to the dragon.

skavanagh.bikeradar

The Chiltern 100 is one of the harder events I've done. A friend that I've ridden it with who has done is twice fears it more than any other. There are a lot of short climbs and some steep ones and for whatever reason it feels like a lot longer than 100 miles.

Anyway, you need to train for two things (bleedin' obvious):

1. 100 miles
2. Lots of short, sharp hills, climbing for maybe 5 mins

How you do this depends on the amount of time you have for training and when that time is. Have a search on this forum for 2x20 and sweetspot. There is also a sticky for Endurance training.

Remember it's all for fun and it doesn't pay the mortgage so do as much as you can in the time and budget you have and try to enjoy it. The enjoyment usually comes after you've finished though!

stretch64

Hi guys,

Working towards Chitern 100 in June this year. Using the 100 mile programme from April 09 issue of cycling plus. Very helpful but I've a query around tempo/threshold. I've worked out (using Joe Friels method from Cyclist Training Bible) my lactate threshold heart rate at 151 bpm.

So in this plan does "tempo" mean the zone just under 151? ie what Joe Friel calls "sub threshold (in my case 142-150) or is it what he calls "tempo" ie in my case 135-141?

Cheers

oldwelshman

My usual comment, too technical advice Just ride and enjoy and increase mileage gradually in next couple of weeks. Try to get uo to about 200miles a weeek and do at kleast one ride a week about 75 mikles, no need to do a 100 before the event, the adrenalin will get you there.
Just ensure you know your limits with respect to when to eat and drink during the ride as it varies for different people, and don't get drawn in to trying to ride with faster groups than you can manage, go at your own oace and enjoy it.
I would ensure you have sufficiently low gears due to the nimber of climbs which are steep as this can cramp you up easily.

Bikequin

I did this ride last year - it was a really great route on really quiet roads. Its pretty tough but none of the hills are too bad. Just make sure on the day you keep you're energy levels up, all of the food stops are spaced out to accommodate the shorter distance so there ends up being a big section in the middle with no rest stops and as its on a Sunday all the local shops are closed,

oldwelshman

Some of the roads are looking pretty crap at the moent also !!

skavanagh.bikeradar

I still maintain that this is a hard event despite having done lots of other lumpier ones, longer ones, prettier ones etc.....I don't know why, it's just physcologically hard for some reason!

Listen to OldWelshie, I seen him doing this sort of thing and he's pretty quick.

oldwelshman

skavanagh.bikeradar wrote:

I still maintain that this is a hard event despite having done lots of other lumpier ones, longer ones, prettier ones etc.....I don't know why, it's just physcologically hard for some reason!

Listen to OldWelshie, I seen him doing this sort of thing and he's pretty quick.

Where did we meet? I can't remember I did not do any sportives last year, focussed on track, same this year, doing europeans and worlds but my team enterred this and paid so we are doing it so I may potter round it as a groaup We will all be in a nice white kit
I just got back from a night ride, 48 miles over a fair bit of this course, loads of really big potholes !!
One of the things that make this course demoralising other than lots of sharp hills (which I don't klike, I prefer longer gradual climbs like continental) is the number of times you seem to go round in circles criss crossing I will be passing my house twice I think

fnb1

lots of hill repeats woul dbe a good training regime.

The Chiltern 100 is not the toughest of sportives but it is just plain nasty.

Short hard climb, quick decent followed by short hard climb, in between your have a series of less steep grinders, not many flat miles on the whole century which is what makes it seem so long. Good Luck with the training

skavanagh.bikeradar

OldWelshman I was at the side of the road on the Circuit of the Cotswolds a couple of years ago waiting for some cycling mates to go up the slog that follow Bushcombe Lane. I'd spent a bit of time putting their names on the road on a hairpin to egg them on. Spotted you from your picture on here I think. You were going well on a difficult stretch and looked fresh and fast. I've done that route 3 times and never gone up it that fresh, never. More of a crawl for me.

Anyway, agree with the comments above about it being hard, hardly any flat, the criss-crossing etc. Agonising!

oldwelshman

skavanagh.bikeradar wrote:

OldWelshman I was at the side of the road on the Circuit of the Cotswolds a couple of years ago waiting for some cycling mates to go up the slog that follow Bushcombe Lane. I'd spent a bit of time putting their names on the road on a hairpin to egg them on. Spotted you from your picture on here I think. You were going well on a difficult stretch and looked fresh and fast. I've done that route 3 times and never gone up it that fresh, never. More of a crawl for me.

Anyway, agree with the comments above about it being hard, hardly any flat, the criss-crossing etc. Agonising!

Ah I remember now yes that was a tough ride in parts. I started in a group with about 14 mates and stayed together till cleeve hill when a few got off and walked it I got over with two mates, one got dropped then we caught a goup of 6 who mostly sat in with just 3 of us rifding at the front. I went off with about 8 miles left.
I got second best time for that ride that year, it was my first year back after 23 years retired
Was due to do a fair bit of that route today with Luton reliability ride but too kuch ice and wet this morning so gave it a miss.

Bronzie

oldwelshman wrote:

Was due to do a fair bit of that route today with Luton reliability ride

Not until the 7th March Dai!

oldwelshman

Bronzie wrote:

oldwelshman wrote:

Was due to do a fair bit of that route today with Luton reliability ride

Not until the 7th March Dai!

Fook, good job I did not turn up then :-) Some of our sat riders said it was yesterday !!
Maybe there will be less ice by then and some potholes filled in !!

skavanagh.bikeradar

I train on the roads around that way a lot, especially the Witney end of the ride and although I'm semi retired due to childcare I can tell you that the number of pot holes has trebbled since the weather in Jan. It's got bad. Some of the down hills might be a bit hairy at the moment.

I'm not sure I'll be back at the Chiltern 100 again, although possibly if I'm marmotting again, but I will be at the Cotswold when it returns next year.

Harry B

stretch64 wrote:

Ive just entered the 100 mile version....21 climbs apparently.
Can anyone recommend a training plan?

In addition to Sunday club run can fit in about 3 rides/6hours cycling per week. Currently just trying to get in as many miles as poss but guess should be moving on to serious hill work sometime next month

I did it last year. As we were waiting for the off one of the organisers says to us "I've done all of those hills, just never all on the same day" :?

I set off too fast last year and blew up before the end. I managed to finish but by the end I was getting overtaken by anyone and everyone. This year I hope to be better prepared and fitter (the weather has thrown a spanner in the works so far but I live in hope).

Just enjoy it, plenty of feed and don't be tempted to hook up with the faster groups at the beginning.