Training for this 'Devils Challenge1'

concorde

Hi,

Currently just riding my bike, not overweight etc but my endurance could do with upping a bit. Doing this http://redkite-events.co.uk/devilschallenge1.html on April 7th. Any tips/training for how to get me through it. Doing the 60k. There's a lot of ups and downs on th ecourse profile. I'm probably comfortable with about 15 miles at the minute. Want to get through it comfortablt and enjoy it?

I know I can just ride more and more but are there any smart ways to train? intervals etc?

Cheers

Stu Coops

60k is around 36miles so not to bad by way of time in the saddle but if your comfortable at the moment with 15 miles in the saddle assumming you mean plenty of up's and down's within that then your only really doubling the effort for this event.
Just try extending your rides each time you go out until your comfortable doing say 45 miles at a steady pace, build this up over the next 6 weeks with some hard hill intervals for your top end, these hard efforts will make things a lot easier when riding this event as your aerobic threshold will be better prepared.

Depending how much time you have try 4 rides a week 2 short say 10 milers with lots of hard efforts climbing and 2 rides building up to the 45 miles as you should always go above your event distance to cope better should conditions be piss poor which knowing where we live it will be.

So in summary i would plan my training like this
Sunday distance
Monday rest
Tuesday short hard hill efforts
Wednesday rest
Thursday distance
Friday short hard hill efforts
Saturday rest.

Remember the rest days are as important as the training days it's when your aerobic capacity is getting stronger then the final week before the event do one long distance ride and one short hard hill effort then rest 3 days before and your legs, lungs and heart will be well rested and ready.

Hope this helps

concorde

Cheers mate, I'll put this plan in to action! Looks like the weight training may suffer as a result!

concorde

Stu Coops wrote:

60k is around 36miles so not to bad by way of time in the saddle but if your comfortable at the moment with 15 miles in the saddle assumming you mean plenty of up's and down's within that then your only really doubling the effort for this event.
Just try extending your rides each time you go out until your comfortable doing say 45 miles at a steady pace, build this up over the next 6 weeks with some hard hill intervals for your top end, these hard efforts will make things a lot easier when riding this event as your aerobic threshold will be better prepared.

Depending how much time you have try 4 rides a week 2 short say 10 milers with lots of hard efforts climbing and 2 rides building up to the 45 miles as you should always go above your event distance to cope better should conditions be wee-wee poor which knowing where we live it will be.

So in summary i would plan my training like this
Sunday distance
Monday rest
Tuesday short hard hill efforts
Wednesday rest
Thursday distance
Friday short hard hill efforts
Saturday rest.

Remember the rest days are as important as the training days it's when your aerobic capacity is getting stronger then the final week before the event do one long distance ride and one short hard hill effort then rest 3 days before and your legs, lungs and heart will be well rested and ready.

Hope this helps

In regards to the short hard hill efforts? Could you expand? Is this intervals on a hill? Or jsut a normal ride but try pick somewhere with small hills but get up them at full effort/quick as can?

Cheers

Stu Coops

Basically depending on what type of terrain you have near you, what you need to do on these short rides is look to get a good solid hours training in where your putting yourself in to the red with max efforts so if you got short sharp hills say a hundred metres in length hit it as hard as you can for as long as you can trying to get over the top.

Then recover ready for the next one and keep doing this, on the other hand if you have long steady less steap hills then give it max effort for as long as you can then ease off just a little to recover then repeat, better if you can find a route as opposed to hill repeats as they get boring but if thats all you got use it.

It's all about quality not quantity but these sessions will dramatically improve your aerobic threshold but be aware these training rides are no fun and remember to warm up for at least 15 mins and the same warm down to help clear the lactic acid.

If you can do them with someone it becomes much easier as suffering alone is horrible.

concorde

Stu Coops wrote:

Basically depending on what type of terrain you have near you, what you need to do on these short rides is look to get a good solid hours training in where your putting yourself in to the red with max efforts so if you got short sharp hills say a hundred metres in length hit it as hard as you can for as long as you can trying to get over the top.

Then recover ready for the next one and keep doing this, on the other hand if you have long steady less steap hills then give it max effort for as long as you can then ease off just a little to recover then repeat, better if you can find a route as opposed to hill repeats as they get boring but if thats all you got use it.

It's all about quality not quantity but these sessions will dramatically improve your aerobic threshold but be aware these training rides are no fun and remember to warm up for at least 15 mins and the same warm down to help clear the lactic acid.

If you can do them with someone it becomes much easier as suffering alone is horrible.

Cheers Stu! Sounds grim! :-/ Lol. Will get one of teh boys to come along with me! I can picture a few spewing moments lying on the floor :-)

To fit around what me and the lads I ride with currently do i have rearrange it slighty, will this be ok:

Mon: Rest
Tues: Distance
Weds: Short&hard
Thurs: Rest
Fri: Short&Hard
Sat: Rest
Sun: Distance