La Marmotte 2018 - Training program

henrikcomn

Hi guys,

Do you know of any, free og payed, training plan/programs I can use to be in form for La Marmotte 2018?

The program should be between 3-6 months in length as I plan to start working hard from January.

I am in OK form as I play football/soccer and do some spinning before new year.

I tried google, but had a hard time finding a specific program, but only found tips for training.

thx a lot

fenix

Why waste the summer ? You could have a really decent build up. Otherwise you'll be starting your riding when the weather is cold and crappy.

Just get out now and start building endurance. You can then keep ticking over thru the winter and it'll be much easier to ramp up the distances next year again.

No program would help you if its 3 months - that's not enough time for a non cyclist to prepare properly. You may be on the bike for 10 hours or so. It's not to be underestimated.

Where do you live ? Any hills close by ?

meanredspider

Fenix wrote:

Just get out now and start building endurance.

+1 steady base miles. And, if you're anything like me, it will show up in your football too. I used to play hockey and I found, with lots of cycling endurance training, I could just keep going and going on the hockey field in a way that really surprised me (and my team!).

There's also a truism or rule-of-thumb that the longer you spent building fitness, the longer it will last when you back off. I guess it's that the body has more time to build in deep-seated adaptations.

Midlands Grimpeur

Never come across any that are free. Various training/coaching companies will offer paid for training programmes but just buying a generic plan would be a bit of a gamble. How seriously do you want to target the event? If you have the interest and money find a good coach who can help you tailor a plan and support your prep and keep you on track.

As has been said I would spend the next six months building a good aerobic base, ideally 8-10 hours a week of structured rides. You could throw in a 6 week block of interval training later this year to keep you motivated. Then from Jan/Feb you could start more specific prep with a really solid aerobic base already in the bag.

stevie63

If you are looking to buy a training plan, then I can highly recommend getting one from RST Sport. Whilst it is not a replacement for coaching it is still tailored to you based on your goals and experience.

daniel_b

I use, and have had great success with Trainerroad - clearly a turbo solution, as opposed to out on the road though, but it certainly works, or has for me at any rate.

twotyred

For free training programmes see British Cycling

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/article/izn20140129--2013-14-Intermediate-and-advanced-training-plans-introduction-0

Alex_Simmons/RST

stevie63 wrote:

If you are looking to buy a training plan, then I can highly recommend getting one from RST Sport. Whilst it is not a replacement for coaching it is still tailored to you based on your goals and experience.

Thanks for the shout out. Obviously they are not free since I write each one to suit the individual. You can also get plans back to back to keep a nice progression going.
http://www.rstsport.com/training/

ugo.santalucia

I think the first objective is to identify your target, which is not very clear.

Do you want to go around the course or do you want to do so in under 8 hours?

Once you have clear in mind what is that you set out to achieve then everything becomes easier. If you only want to go around the 170 km within the time limit, it's a simple case of keeping fit with the bicycle and progressively increase the time you are able to spend on the saddle, until 10-11 hours doesn't seem an impossible task. If you have a more ambitious plan, then maybe a training plan is what you need