Using a Turbo for 100 mile sportive training?

Yeoer

Hi,

Can anyone give me an advice on what type of training i need to do using a turbo trainer to help prepare me for my first 100 sportive. I was set to do my first 100 miler back in june (Dartmoor Classic) but was forced to reduce it to the 65 mile course because i had a knee problem sortly before the ride. Grrr...

I've been doing a lot of riding 50 + milers but am having trouble with longer due to work and weather.

I'm training for the Exmoor Beast at the end of this month which i know is not known for being easy so i don't want to be forced to back off my training.

Session length and HR / Cad are things i'm looking for.

Many thanks

sheffsimon

Yeoer wrote:

Hi,

Can anyone give me an advice on what type of training i need to do using a turbo trainer to help prepare me for my first 100 sportive. I was set to do my first 100 miler back in june (Dartmoor Classic) but was forced to reduce it to the 65 mile course because i had a knee problem sortly before the ride. Grrr...

I've been doing a lot of riding 50 + milers but am having trouble with longer due to work and weather.

I'm training for the Exmoor Beast at the end of this month which i know is not known for being easy so i don't want to be forced to back off my training.

Session length and HR / Cad are things i'm looking for.

Many thanks

I would probably do 2 x 20 mins sessions on the turbo, at a hard level, but so that you can complete the two efforts.

Your 50m+ road rides will give the endurance you need to get round.

jgsi

You say you had to curtail your 100 mile attempt.... well you would want to address this before thinking of anything else.
Are you up for 5 hour plus stints in the saddle?
Does your knee pain start up after 3 hours or so?
Are you allowing your cadences to drop which can affect knees if you grind away in too big a gear?
I use the turbo for hour long sessions for race prep or the occasional 10mile tt... any longer endurance rides, I'd really only consider miles on the road as being effective if I was prompted for an opinion..... unless you can stick on a turbo for for a longer time which having done a 4 hour charity turbo ride this year, I dont recommend... wont be doing it again in a hurry.

Yeoer

JGSI wrote:

You say you had to curtail your 100 mile attempt.... well you would want to address this before thinking of anything else.
Are you up for 5 hour plus stints in the saddle?
Does your knee pain start up after 3 hours or so?
Are you allowing your cadences to drop which can affect knees if you grind away in too big a gear?
I use the turbo for hour long sessions for race prep or the occasional 10mile tt... any longer endurance rides, I'd really only consider miles on the road as being effective if I was prompted for an opinion..... unless you can stick on a turbo for for a longer time which having done a 4 hour charity turbo ride this year, I dont recommend... wont be doing it again in a hurry.

The knee problem has been sorted, after around 40 miles i started getting a pain on the outside of my right knee, that was back in the early part of this year, i have found the problem to be my right foot requires a tapered shim which tilts my foot slighty, this had the effect of pretty much instantly releaving the tension and pain i was getting and aligns my knee much better.

The reason i opted for the 65mile Dartmoor instead of the 100 was it wasn't untill may/june time that my confidance in doing more miles was fully up by which time there wasn't really enough time to get enough training in for the 100 so i figured better do the 65 and enjoy it rather than the 100 an stuggle. I did the 65 in 4:46 and loved every minute of it.

To date no return of the orginal problem so 100 miles it is this time

Muffintop

Use your turbo for interval training, you can get plans off the web. There is also a website that will run your Turbo Training sessions, though the name escapes me here (i suspect turbotraining.co.uk or sommink). It also takes the edge off the bordom.

MatthewBulmer

I very rarely do rides longer than 3-4 hours (which around here doesn't get you near 100 miles.) In fact last year due to a combination of factors the majority of my training was done on a turbo. However, I still managed a couple of 100 mile rides with little difficultly. As well as the usual 2*20, 5*4, etc, the mainstay of my training were 2 sessions a week were I did 90 mins at tempo. I buillt up to the 90 mins gradually, then once I had hit 90 mins, I then started to increase the intensity each week to ensure progression. Boredom is obviously a factor, so I bought a shed load of DVDs dead cheap from ebay.

ut_och_cykla

2 x 20 sessions as mentioned. Perhaps test different cadences in conjunction with these. half an hour of 30 secs on/off can be fun too and gets time to go a bit quicker. But obviously bum time on saddle needs to be trained too but you could fix that part next year from early spring.
I did a lumpy 260 km i Norway June 2009 based almost solely on 2 turbo sessions a week - 2x 20 and 5 x 4:4, a gentle 90 minute long jog and some quite heavy weight training for back and legs during a very snowy and cold Swedish winter, topped off with weekly long rides once weather permitted (from late March) . Felt fine all the way and finished within my goal time.
My feeling is that the key is to make all your training 'quality' training. No half measures on the turbo effort wise, no half measures on the distance stuff in the spring and to be consistent whatever you do - regular and progressive slight overload all the way - from the New year onwards.
Good luck!

ut_och_cykla

Having just reread your post - if its the end of this month your concerned about - just ride, rest a few days before and give it all you've got on the day. No training will help much at this late stage!

MatthewBulmer

ut_och_cykla wrote:

Having just reread your post - if its the end of this month your concerned about - just ride, rest a few days before and give it all you've got on the day. No training will help much at this late stage!

Sorry, didn't spot this either. The above is correct. Taking your time to decide proper pacing and nutrition stratgies will be time well spent as well.

racingcondor

If you do 60+ regularly then you can ride 100 no problem.

Keep riding the long rides, add in some 2x20 if you can (just because they're good for your strength) and most importantly, plan your nutrition on the day. You will eat a lot more on a 100 mile ride than you do on your 60 (I'd take something to nibble on every 20 miles and eat even if you're not hungry. A caffinated gel work wonders for me around the 80 mile mark as well).

ozzy1000_0

I'm also doing the beast. I would say its too late to make any real difference to your fitness. any big efforts to over load and make gains now will just lead to more fatigue on the day.

I'd say that you are able to do it. if you can ride 65 miles then with pacing and eating well you can ride 100.

Yeoer

ut_och_cykla wrote:

Having just reread your post - if its the end of this month your concerned about - just ride, rest a few days before and give it all you've got on the day. No training will help much at this late stage!

Thats the thing its not that i haven't done the training up til now as i've been hard at it, with a regular commute of 18 mile each way to work when the weathers good (at a pace) and long rides at the weekends but now the weathers no so good i'm only riding the short routes to work (still doing the longer rides at the weekends) and didn't want to suffer too much because of it so want to topup the traininng a bit with the turbo.

ut_och_cykla

Personally I wouldnt do both. Ride longer & harder at the weekends and use calmer weekday rides to recover. maybe just one turbo midweek - but give it some welly! Not that it will help for a late october ride...but as you go into winter.

Personally if its a big goal to do well give yourself a few days off before the event, or just short gentle commutes at least.

The suggestions about good on the day nutrition are important - but sort them out on the weekends - not on the day.