Need a new challenge

barrybridges

Almost a month to the day, I completed the Marmotte, but I haven't been on my bike since then. I've cleaned it and it's sat in the garage, although I'll start using it from Monday riding to and from our new place of work.

I'm going to be doing around 120 miles a week commuting - and I'm looking for a new challenge to work towards, next Summer.

I'm not particularly interested in road racing and so I'd quite like to pick one really big event - something really really tough - to train for and work towards. I looked at the Alpenbrevet or something similiar.

Is there something harder, tougher, longer, more painful than the Marmotte and - if so - what would that event be? I'm really looking for something to stretch me, like a 12 hour, or 24, or something like that.

Would welcome your thoughts. I'm inherently lazy and without something to train for, I'm liable just to drift on and off the bike.

max1234

I'm looking into doing the Rat Race London to Edinburgh next May - 440 miles in two days. There were a few threads on here with reports from this year - it looks hard but possible.

http://www.ratraceroadtrip.com/

Slo Mo Jones

barrybridges wrote:

Almost a month to the day, I completed the Marmotte, but I haven't been on my bike since then. I've cleaned it and it's sat in the garage, although I'll start using it from Monday riding to and from our new place of work.

I'm going to be doing around 120 miles a week commuting - and I'm looking for a new challenge to work towards, next Summer.

I'm not particularly interested in road racing and so I'd quite like to pick one really big event - something really really tough - to train for and work towards. I looked at the Alpenbrevet or something similiar.

Is there something harder, tougher, longer, more painful than the Marmotte and - if so - what would that event be? I'm really looking for something to stretch me, like a 12 hour, or 24, or something like that.

Would welcome your thoughts. I'm inherently lazy and without something to train for, I'm liable just to drift on and off the bike.

Beginner's question:

How might an amateur train for an event like this if they live near no hills of any size whatsoever? i.e. in the London area?

I ask as someone who has been cycling for 5 minutes (well, since January) with the single aim of completing the RideLondon 100 in a semi-respectable time. Now I've done that, I know I'll struggle to stick at cycling (just becasue of time commitments) unless I give myself a big challenge. Really interested in doing some alpine climbs, but can't think of a practical way I could train suitably.

Is it something that could be trained for by climbing up a small hill 20 times? Sounds like a weird question, but I'd have thought the couple of minutes rest between each climb of a small hill completely undermines the quest to climb continuously for 35 km or whatever the climb of Galibier is. Anyone here live in Norfolk and trained for the Marmotte or something?

Sorry for the crappily worded question, but as I say, I'm a complete beginner looking for what would (at this point in time) be an unrealistic challenge that I could work towards in a couple of years' time.

Escher303

Slo Mo Jones: Alpine climbs are generally a steady gradient and therefore are ridden in a steady rhythm. You can train for that on the flat by riding at a high tempo that you can sustain for an hour or so, that will mimic what you'll encounter on an alpine climb (apart from the rarefied air, heat, massive descents but you get the idea!)

Repeats on smaller sharper climbs are more suitable for UK hills as the gradients are more often steeper but shorter and encountered more often. Of course there are steep gradients on the continent too but generally in the UK you'll encounter more shorter, steeper hills for the equivalent ascent you may encounter in the Alps.

If you want to do a UK sportive with a similar amount of ascent to the Marmotte, you could try the Bowland Badass.

OP, what about a sweep of all the hardest UK Sportives in a year and try for top ten times in each?

TheStone

barrybridges wrote:

Almost a month to the day, I completed the Marmotte, but I haven't been on my bike since then. I've cleaned it and it's sat in the garage, although I'll start using it from Monday riding to and from our new place of work.

Mine's still in the bike box :oops:

Another option for next year is having lots of targets.
Flanders.... LBL .... Marmotte (or similar) etc.

Slo Mo Jones

I see. That makes sense. Thanks.

I think I'll have a go at the Marmotte.

Ankles50

100th edition of Liege Baston Liege next year

rank_amateur

If I was a thousand times fitter than I am, I'd have a go at this Haute Route thing.... http://youtu.be/-wQdT4stlPs

KKB

barrybridges wrote:

Is there something harder, tougher, longer, more painful than the Marmotte and - if so - what would that event be? I'm really looking for something to stretch me, like a 12 hour, or 24, or something like that.

Le Tour du Mont Blanc

Usually 3rd week of July. They've had 4 editions now and it's a fantastic event/challenge.
I attempted it last year whilst on a 6 week holiday in Europe but unfortunately only made 5 of the 7 cols and had to 'pull the pin' at the top of Col du Petit St Bernard. In hindsight I definitely hadn't done enough training, (hard to find similar terrain in Aust), but it's certainly on the agenda for the next trip. Gotta get me one of them red finishers shirts!

Anyway, if you like a challenge, you won't regret it.

http://www.sportcommunication.info/leto ... p?langue=1

backo

The Bowland Baddass, 167 miles, 18,500 ft of climbing and a good 13 hours in the saddle.

http://bowlandbadass.com/

knedlicky

barrybridges wrote:

I'm not particularly interested in road racing and so I'd quite like to pick one really big event - something really really tough - to train for and work towards. I looked at the Alpenbrevet or something similiar.

Is there something harder, tougher, longer, more painful than the Marmotte and - if so - what would that event be?

The Alpenbrevet long route is definitely harder than the Marmotte and you would well be needing over 12 hours for that.

The Ötztaler Radmarathon (http://www.oetztaler-radmarathon.com/ma ... index.html) is harder than the Marmotte too, by maybe 10% (if one can compare in percentages).

Or you could do the Tour-Transalp: http://www.tour-transalp.de/
This is a 7-day ride for 2-man teams and if you haven’t got a riding partner to make a team, you can advertise for one on the event website.

JamesB

I'm really looking for something to stretch me, like a 12 hour, or 24, or something like that.

have you considered something like a 400km Audax eg national 400 to be held in Yorkshire next year; might broaden out your cycling perspectives It will certainly be something to train for / step up mileage to do !

swiftuck

If anyone fancies the Haute Route Pyrenees this year, we're running a free competition for 1 full package, including accommodation.
Competition winner will be picked by Greg Lemond, I kid you not!
http://www.wheelsuckers.co.uk/profiles/ ... e-pyrenees