8 weeks to go (2,100kms / 26,000m climbs)

Stigger

In just under 8 weeks I have a fairly hefty pan-European ride to undertake, 13 days, 2,100kms and the Alps & Pyrenees to take in (about 26,000m total climbing).
I’d say I have a bit more training to do in order to complete this comfortably (as of spring 2013 I am/was a rank amateur not even owning a road bike).
The hills worry me (I live in Cambridge!). Frequently my speed drops as low as 8mph on gradients of only 5% or 6% and I’m thinking I should be maintaining much higher (in general Cambridgeshire terrain I average around 18mph) not to mention the stamina required to maintain pace up a hill that lasts for 10kms.

Recently I invoked the following training plan:
Mon, Wed, Fri: 45 mins interval training on the turbo trainer, (30 secs + recovery 2min 30secs) x 7
Tues and Thurs: cycle to work (53 miles each way, about 1000ft of climbs)
Sunday: Clubrun, about 60-80 miles.

Anything I should be doing differently?
Thanks

drlodge

Just make sure you have gears low enough that you can survive the trip. You can't have gears that are too low!

Stigger

50/34 and 11-28...

drlodge

Stigger wrote:

50/34 and 11-28...

I wonder if that's low enough for the sort of sustained climbing the OP will be doing...I've got 34/27 and I'd be worried. I have the option of a 12-29 cassette so would fit that to be on the safer side.

I would suggest the OP spend alot of his time hill climbing e.g. if the Sunday club runs are anything but full of hills, I would spend that time on a long fairly steepish hill and just do hill climbs for a few hours. If he can do that, the Alps should be a piece of piss.

Tom Dean

I would try get some back to back big mileage days in. I don't really see the value in doing 30sec intervals with a goal like this.

marcusjb

^I'd probably agree with that. Besides - it's summer - get out and do intervals outdoors!

It's probably a little late to make huge fitness gains now - but making sure you are comfortable on the bike for back to back days will really help you out once you're on the ride.

Best of luck - I'm a couple of months away from heading to the Pyrenees for a few days - can't wait!

ut_och_cykla

Low gears on a multi day trip can make the impossible just bearable. And I think I'd be going for longer sustained efforts training wise - somethng like 2 x 20 mins at your 'normal' cadence for hills or a bit lower even. Climbing an average of 2000m a day is okay as is doing 150-200km - if you take your time - but you need to be focused fed & well recovered for each day and grinding too highs gears will sap your srength and resolve.

mididoctors

Actually thats not too bad I think but +1 for the longer rides. maybe divert off the clubrun for a 140-180k spin each week (keep the pace up). you can build a bit more endurance in 8 weeks

160k a day with no rest day?

you supported?

hotels each night?

the climbing will stretch out the time in the saddle a lot so recovery will be difficult but if you are young(ish) you will get fit for the ride doing the ride as long as you don't race it. On a long pacy tour I have found that at the start of any day you either get stronger or fade and once you start fading you are going to have to really get on pace management because you are unlikely to come good

sounds like a ride. you got a route on ride with gps or something

mididoctors

drlodge wrote:

Stigger wrote:

50/34 and 11-28...

I wonder if that's low enough for the sort of sustained climbing the OP will be doing...I've got 34/27 and I'd be worried. I have the option of a 12-29 cassette so would fit that to be on the safer side.

I would suggest the OP spend alot of his time hill climbing e.g. if the Sunday club runs are anything but full of hills, I would spend that time on a long fairly steepish hill and just do hill climbs for a few hours. If he can do that, the Alps should be a piece of wee-wee.

Yeah you will never regret a lower gear option. compared with being overgeared

mididoctors

ut_och_cykla wrote:

Low gears on a multi day trip can make the impossible just bearable. And I think I'd be going for longer sustained efforts training wise - somethng like 2 x 20 mins at your 'normal' cadence for hills or a bit lower even. Climbing an average of 2000m a day is okay as is doing 150-200km - if you take your time - but you need to be focused fed & well recovered for each day and grinding too highs gears will sap your srength and resolve.

I would not bother looking for a hill but +1 on the sustained efforts. 80k commute on the flat... 3hrs or so (not bad btw) .. the middle or close to last hour on the way back full gas sustained effort for a solid hour which is roughly the timed effort on a shorter col in the alps. foaming mouth stuff. Do this once a week on one of your commutes and see if you can up it two efforts and recover. Its going to point somewhat towards how you can handle the ride.

recovery is going to be a big part of this ride

I am guessing you are going supported with a bunch of pacy guys?

quite interested how this goes as this is the sort of touring I did(do). I sort of know the score and depending on the fitness and recovery potential(age doesn't help) design the route. You have thrown a lot of kms into each day there.

mididoctors

if you are dropping off to 12kmh on cambridgeshire drags you are not going to climb fast, period. tbh your speed on long alpine climbs of 7% or more is going to drop at a guess to about 8-9kmh... well thats life I am afraid. which is not uncommon. get the smaller gears if poss

you will find out where you are.. you should return to cambridgeshire flying though

drlodge

On second thoughts I think the OP will be fine on 34x28. Thats 28 chainring and 34 rear sprocket. Seriously, he might need it!

mididoctors

drlodge wrote:

On second thoughts I think the OP will be fine on 34x28. Thats 28 chainring and 34 rear sprocket. Seriously, he might need it!

I overcooked the ventoux last year and was down to 9kmh on a 34X29 after the chalet! day 3 of a 11 day tour all in the hills. He(she?) will make it but its going to be a grind but you are indestructible when you re young (or so my memory tells me)

We designed the ride so no day was more than 85k! even if some of those had 2-3 cols packed into them. the whole tour became a rather enjoyable traning camp if you like as efforts were high but hours in the saddle short(ish). we set out early each day and got the ride done before the hottest part of the day and spent the afternoon in the pool .

self supported ride with super minimalist saddle bag touring. A to B rides traversing the region not "basing" anywhere

the rational was to not to fatigue but keep getting stronger but still tour. it worked

awesome.

did a similar ride rationale this year across england taking in the peak and lake districts from london to barrow keeping it down to a max 4-5 hours in saddle time. Its a good formula and I recommend it. the invention of the garmin is a god send

previous high speed touring was confined to route cards and b roads with few UC roads thrown in. the ability to stick to small roads necessitated a lot of stopping and map reading. PITA.

riding in regions one does not know like the back of ones hand the garmin allows the use of off the beaten track UC roads without the hassle. hard to imagine how I did without it in the past. And as a training aid whilst touring just getting access to the small rolling roads where you can get that deep fitness into your legs from the constant changing gradients is not to be underestimated never mind all the data stuff.

his commute of 85k and 300m of climbing is about 3.5m of climbing a km..that is bvgger all. 28kmh is pretty easy to achieve on such terrain. If you look at a "classic 140k training ride" on UC roads in supposed pan flat essex it works out to 8m per Km because you are on the small roads. The classic short essex 2 hour abridge circuit is over 10m per km. to put that into context our ride through the peak district was 14m per Km, a ride in the lake district is about 20-30m per Km and alps upto about 40m per km on a 2 col day with a finishing descent. Although plenty of 80km rides in the alps are hardly harder in meters per Km than the lake district and shallower gradients to boot.

fun and games. I would love to see the OP's route

the batteries in my wireless keyboard are dying.... sorry for the constant edits

Stigger

mididoctors wrote:

160k a day with no rest day?

you supported?

hotels each night?

sounds like a ride. you got a route on ride with gps or something

14 day tour, 13 days cycling, the route/stages are on here: http://www.mhealthtour.com/the-route#section-177

fully supported

hotels books and covered

the route has been tried and tested (in most parts)

Stigger

mididoctors wrote:

ut_och_cykla wrote:

I am guessing you are going supported with a bunch of pacy guys?

yup, but not supported by, riding with... although we'll not be expected to keep together (one just finished the Etape in 5:49 :shock: )

Stigger

Thanks for all the input/advice...

I'm not as young as used to be - perhaps cycling is my famed mid-life-crisis...

So I've adapted things, dropped the turbo trainer, doing some more intensive road-based training as suggested. Need to begin the back2back long days now.

Off to wales in 2 weeks so hopefully get plenty of short and sharp hill training/repeats in.

Targeting another 7-10lbs weight loss before I go. Have lost 7 ish lbs in the last 3 weeks and already noticing the transformation.

Thanks all.

Stig

marcusjb

Looks like a really amazing route - will be a great experience I am sure.

mididoctors

Stigger wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

ut_och_cykla wrote:

I am guessing you are going supported with a bunch of pacy guys?

yup, but not supported by, riding with... although we'll not be expected to keep together (one just finished the Etape in 5:49 :shock: )

you are going to die

Stigger

mididoctors wrote:

you are going to die

:?

Now that's just defeatist

All of the 'experienced' riders have been very clear, 'Do not try to keep up in the early days, you'll burn out!'

mididoctors

Stigger wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

you are going to die

:?

Now that's just defeatist

All of the 'experienced' riders have been very clear, 'Do not try to keep up in the early days, you'll burn out!'

I suspect you won't have a choice. actually that route is reasonably benign when it comes to how hilly it could be.

markhewitt1978

11-28 shouldn't be too hard to swap with a 12-30, indeed a 12-32 would be better too.

Stigger

mididoctors wrote:

Stigger wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

that route is reasonably benign

Benign? 189km across and 4000m up in one day is not what I would call "benign" :?

mididoctors

Stigger wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

Stigger wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

that route is reasonably benign

Benign? 189km across and 4000m up in one day is not what I would call "benign" :?

20 odd meters per km. you will make it the fred whitton is about this but probably harder due to the gradients

the marmotte is 30 and your ride into annecy 25 (but is shortish). the route across the drome and vercours looks to be avoiding a few nasty lumps. despite not having the real biggies the up down nature can have you averaging 40+m per km all day quite easily. Real leg breakers. 26000/2100 is what? 12m per km so on average similar to a ride from northampton over to leek of something(takes some of the romance out of it).

do they have support cars with water? Heat is going to be a issue. lucky you have some sun now to acclimatised with.

How much sponsorship do you have to raise/pay for the ride it does look good. I like the idea of not having to lug my saddle bag around.



it says they have pace riders do they split them into different speed groups or something. are they paid or volunteers?

Stigger

Who said romance was dead... "12m per km so on average similar to a ride from northampton over to leek of something(takes some of the romance out of it)." to be fair averaging it over the entire distance surely means nothing... by that reasoning climbing the North Face of the Eiger is a piece of p*ss when you start in Zurich ;-)

There are support cars, but these are largely for break downs. there will be a lunch stop and water stops en-route

None of the sponsorship I am trying to raise covers my cost of entry/support, it all goes direct to Diabetes UK - I'm not trying to get others to pay for my summer holiday, paying for that myself!

Didn't register that there were 'pace riders', will have to look into that. Guides are paid, support staff are volunteers.

Heat could be an issue... I suck in the heat!

mididoctors... I think you should sign up...

briantrumpet

Stigger wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

you are going to die

:?

Now that's just defeatist

No it's not. I'm going to Die in about two weeks, and I can't wait.

That's Die, in South East France.

briantrumpet

Stigger wrote:

None of the sponsorship I am trying to raise covers my cost of entry/support, it all goes direct to Diabetes UK - I'm not trying to get others to pay for my summer holiday, paying for that myself!

Did similar recently - six of us did Paris to Rome with a couple in a camper van doing the support crew bit: we paid all their fuel there and back, they had a holiday, with just a little bit of work to do carting our luggage from hotel to hotel. All in, it cost us each about £100 per day including everything (with a couple of restaurant meals a day) for the eleven days, so every penny of sponsorship went to the charities we had chosen. Well worth doing. I'm glad I wasn't asking sponsors to pay for my holiday.