Training plan for Raid Pyranean

andy40man
andy40man Posts: 21
edited March 2010 in Training, fitness and health
Hi All,

Would like any advice on how to prepare for Raid Pyranean. Been riding and in the gym over winter but have never ridden the sort of distances required over that type of terrain on consecutive days before.

I have done UK century rides in 6 to 6.5 hrs and rode in the French Alps last year so have a rough idea of what to expect.

Anyone whose ridden the Raid please help.

Comments

  • songbird
    songbird Posts: 60
    Have a look at this company. Plenty of advice etc..
    http://www.marmot-tours.co.uk/summaries/rfr.htm
  • songbird
    songbird Posts: 60
    Have a look at this company. Plenty of advice etc..
    http://www.marmot-tours.co.uk/summaries/rfr.htm
  • nickwill
    nickwill Posts: 2,735
    I did the Raid two years ago. http://www.sportivecentral.com/index.ph ... 313&page=1

    To prepare I just rode a reasonable number of longish rides in the preceding few months, including quite a few hilly sportives. I spent some time trying to hold myself back on hills instead of letting myself 'go into the red'.It's a reasonably tough proposition but achievable. They are long hilly days, but you have all day to get round, and the secret to ensuring success is to resist the temptation to 'go for it' on the first day, when the terrain is pretty easy. I was apprehensive beforehand because the Raid seemed to consist of several hilly sportives back to back. That isn't really the case, because you are not going against the clock in such an intense way.
    Good luck, you are looking forward to some of the best days you will ever have on a bike.
    http://lakescyclist.wordpress.com/
  • andy40man
    andy40man Posts: 21
    Thanks Guys,

    Some real good advice on Marmot site. Enjoyed your Raid memoires Nickwill.

    I'll be using a compact chainset 50/34 with an 11/28 cassette which seems to fit the bill. As I live in a flat area I'm doing most of my training with a 53/39 and 11/25 set up.

    There are planned weekend trips to Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and Lake District as part of training to work on climbing technique.

    Like you say Nick it's not against the clock so no pressure to 'red zone on climbs' I used 170 bpm as my cut off point in the Alps, everytime I reached it I stopped and took some pics then carried on once I'd recovered a bit.

    Thanks again.

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