Young family and busy job vs The Etape

pbraun

As you can tell from all the suggestions, there are numerous ways to prepare adequately for the Etape. I ride only on weekends, but get out by 6 or 6:30 in the summer and can get a 4 hour ride in without interfering too much with family plans. If you can ride during the week, all the better, but it's not necessary if you can get some good miles in on the weekends. Add one or two 5-7 hour rides in May/June and you'll be set -- at least to finish if not get silver. The gearing and fueling strategies are as important as fiitness and are where many have problems.

I have done 4 etapes, the maratona (medio only since i was with my wife), the Death Ride and most recently the marmotte. Lack of pacing, inapprpriate gearing and improper eating and drinking cause more problems than lack of fitness. If you master these, I am sure you can prepare with 6-10 hours of riding a week. Just make sure you get a few long rides in and ride all the hills you can find.

These rides are a real rush. yes you can do the route on your own, but you can't replicate the buzz of being part of the event. I love it. My wife doesn't. Give it a try. Even if you decide it's not your cup of tea, you'll have had a truly memorable experience.

gray700

These guys that say the Etape is nothing special make me laugh. I suppose they would also suggest instead of running the London Marathon that you just measure out a 26.2 mile course round your local town and run that instead. It would save money after all and all the hassle of travelling to London and having to line up with thousands of others.

Kléber

gray700 wrote:

These guys that say the Etape is nothing special make me laugh. I suppose they would also suggest instead of running the London Marathon that you just measure out a 26.2 mile course round your local town and run that instead. It would save money after all and all the hassle of travelling to London and having to line up with thousands of others.

Sure, why not even save on the bike, just close your eyes and imagine you are in the saddle and that the legs hurt. Even cheaper!

prb007

46, two kids of 7 & 9.......
Karate on Mon & thurs
Footbal on Tues Fri & Sun
Brownies on a Thurs

Did Dragon last year(on my 'own')
Dragon this year (with 8 mates)

2 adages apply equally - 'Misery loves company'.......
it was much easier training with like minded individuals for the same event
and......
'a problem shared is a problem halved'.......... other friends will have the same family
pressures, the same time constraints etc, so get out and do quality sessions whenever
you can and hope that grit and determination will make up for any shortfall in training!

Doing JOGLE next year in May...........

<a href='http://www.justgiving.com/Peter-Bowen-JOGLE' alt='JustGiving - SPONSOR ME' target='_blank'><img src='http://www.justgiving.com/design/1/images/badges/justgiving_badge5.gif' width='150' height='85'></a>

and hopefully Marmotte or Etape the year after; all with mates with young families,
so it CAN be done!

Le Commentateur

For a long distance endurance event I would forget about the turbo unless you are going to use it as an alternative to being outside for 5-6 hours (there was some Dutch rider who used place highly in the Marmotte every year who did his winter base miles on the turbo – six hours of hell, I say!).

Whichever event and wherever it is located, combine it with a longer family holiday. It's crazy to spend a small fortune on a long weekend trip that gives only a day or two of riding and alienates you from the partner & kids.

greeny12

Le Commentateur wrote:

Whichever event and wherever it is located, combine it with a longer family holiday. It's crazy to spend a small fortune on a long weekend trip that gives only a day or two of riding and alienates you from the partner & kids.

That's the best bit of advice I've seen on here.

I can speak from experience: Ventoux climb as family trip = worked brilliantly; Marmotte as long weekend = sleep deprived disaster as I just didn't have time to settle into it and calm down.

Clemsy

Loads of fantastic advice here, both for and against riding the etape, I feel compelled to add my own opinion.

I was in a very similiar situation last year, 42, very busy at work and with 3 kids under 6, but felt I had to ride the etape. It was expensive, logistically it was a nightmare and I felt uneasy about being a glory hunter BUT what a day, the support, the scenery, the effort, it was f**kin epic. The most important point I would highlight is the need to explain to your partner and family how important it is to you and get their unqualified support.

Toks

If you wanna do the Etape, do the Etape. I did it in 2003/4/5. No other sportive I've done beats the excitement and thrill of riding with 7/8000 other cyclists in the summer in mountains in France. It sounds like you've already got some miles in the legs so I would do the following:

1. Have dedicated days(3-5) that you ride - stick to them and let everyone who is impotant know.
2. You can definitly perform well at the etape even if your longest ride is only 3 hours. But that 3 hour ride has to be moderatly intensive and not a sight seeing plod.
3. Consistency is the key really - keep training, keep training, keep training
4. Set mini goals and add variation to your training (group rides, new terrain etc)
5. Pick 3-5 UK based sportives leading up to the big one in France
5. Keep posting on and reading Bike Radar training forum

I am the god of hell fire

OK youve all talked me into it!

Although TBH I hate being told I cant do something so the advice Ive had to forget it has been the most motivating

Family stuff all noted
My kids are at school so a family holiday just wont work, plus I have established custom and practice for a lads long weekend with my mates of 25y plus around this time so its cool

Since talking myself into the Etape I have spent 2 weeks eating and drinking to excess
Which feels good actually.....

The summer holidays are never a good time for my own selfish hobby and thus today I got on a bike for the first time in 3 weeks and despite riding at a modest social pace for a shorter ride than Im used to my legs ache like buggery and Im still smarting from being left for dead all morning by my riding pals

It starts here

Its almost 11pm on a Sunday at the end of August
I started drinking 5h ago and am about to finish a very nice bottle of Old Peculiar

Im planning a crafty ride midweek but as the next 2 weekends are already booked am not sure when things "really" start

Thanks for the encouragement

Cheers

Mossrider

One last crafty suggestion - I get the boss to invite the in-laws. They want to monopolise the grand-children, I get limitless time on the bike. Every-one's happy (although they suspect I'm trying to avoid them - surely not ). Otherwise like the others say - commute to work, ride out at 6am etc etc. Sometimes if we are visiting friends and its a decent distance, I go on the bike and the family go in the car. (Various friends have become used to me arriving and heading straight for their shower, beer in hand!) Its all time on the bike without really eating in to family time.