Building up to a 200 from scratch

joker77

As the title suggests, I'd like some thoughts on building up to a 200 from scratch. From a selfish point of view it's for me with the W200 in mind, but I'm sure some other people on the forum might be interested to know how to tackle this subject.

From scratch I mean someone who's never entered a bike race before, but has a moderate level of fitness, and some experience on a bike.

So say from 6 months out - how often should you be looking to train, what kind of distances should you be doing, and when should you taper off the training before the event? (A long spin 2 weeks out from it?)

Cheers

P.S. If there's a handy link that will kill this thread then go ahead and link?

irishmotorist

I saw this on the Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford website a couple of years ago and I'd imagine it's not too bad an idea, though I haven't followed it myself.
http://www.welcomewaterford.ie/media/SeanKellyTour/Suggested%20Training%20Programme%20160k.pdf

Looking at it now, the figures seem a bit lower than I seem to remember, but the general idea would be to build it up slowly. Get cycling regularly and increasing the distances bit by bit. Once you're going to be out for more than a couple of hours, make sure you're properly equipped with food and water and learn how to keep your self fuelled and hydrated.

I'm hardly a great advertisment for the boards spins as I never manage to get out for them, but they're a good place to be for motivation, tips, advice, routes and training.

blorg

#1 thing to bear in mind is that it is not a race! (No really, it's not.) For your first one it should be more about getting around the distance and don't worry about your time.

The general advice is to build up the distance gradually but consistently, taking a rest week every fourth week. This doesn't mean do nothing but cut back on the cycling every fourth week. So work back from the date to the distance you are doing now and work out how much you need to up it each week.

Starting now should be plenty of time if you apply yourself.

lukester

Good suggestions here (the 160k plan is a good basis)

General advice- build up distance of your long ride gradually, by about 10% a week, with the aim of hitting about 160k a few weeks before the event. Have one or two shorter rides during the week if you can.

Every 4th week have a 'recovery' week, so drop back the amount, e.g.:
60k, 70k, 80k, 60k.

Also gradually increase amount of climbing each week, e.g. for the distances above:
600m, 700m, 800m, 600m.

The 10% thing is a rough guide, depends on fitness, strength, etc. The point is to build up gradually, particularly with hills, to avoid injury.

The above should see you hitting about 160k with about 1600m of climbing a few weeks before the event. (W200 has ~2000m of climbing )

You also should be eating and drinking the same stuff on these rides that you plan to use on the day.

Some googleage.

Group spins are helpful for motivation.

Oh, and it's not a race

shapez

Firstly, it's not a bike race. You can take all day to do the Wicklow 200 if you wish. I would however, start training this weekend if you are to be anyway in shape for it if you've never cycled something like it before. Extend your distances by 10% every week. And whatever you do, focus on the nutrition. After about 3 months start tackling the hills. Sit back in the saddle and get a good comfortable rhythm going.

DirkVoodoo

Finding a group on the day who are moving at a pace you find comfortable will make the whole thing a breeze, both in terms of effort and enjoyment. Having people to chat to, meeting new people, etc. is what these things are all about and with ~ 8 hours on the bike it helps.

Try and incorporate as much of the route, especially climbs, into your training. A new route on the day can feel twice as long, plus knowing how to pace yourself on the climbs can really save your legs for the last 30-40 km.

Lumen

Train for 240km, not 200km.

blorg

Good idea to go out on group spins whether with a club or Boards so you get used to handling your bike in close proximity to other people.

I wouldn't wait 3 months to tackle the hills, start on the likes of Stocking Lane right now.

joker77

Cheers for all the helpful tips! I plan to get out on a boards spin soon, prob won't be this weekend though as I've a wedding on the Friday and a Christening on the Sunday.

Regarding my own training, it's going well - I'm further ahead than I thought I'd be at this stage. I'm using BikeJournal to track all my spins and I've over 950kms done in February, with my weekend spin up at 130kms.

I know it's not a race, and I've all day to do it, and yea I'm not looking to win the thing but I also want to be able to get round it in a decent time. With the freezing weather so far this year I've been holding off going up the mountains, have been heading out to Blessington/Baltinglass and back, but from next week I'll try to start upping the climbing as well as the distance.

joker77

Lumen wrote: »

Train for 240km, not 200km.

Really? I know we've talked about this before - how's it different from marathon training, but I would have thought that getting up to around 200 on your own in training would have been more than enough to finish a 200 event with other people around?

blorg

joker77 wrote: »

Regarding my own training, it's going well - I'm further ahead than I thought I'd be at this stage. I'm using BikeJournal to track all my spins and I've over 950kms done in February, with my weekend spin up at 130kms.

You should have no problem with it at all if you are at this level already in February.

blorg

joker77 wrote: »

Really? I know we've talked about this before - how's it different from marathon training, but I would have thought that getting up to around 200 on your own in training would have been more than enough to finish a 200 event with other people around?

Yes, you don't even need to go that high, personally I had never done more than 100km in one go before my first W200, if you even get up to 160km in training that should be more than enough for you to have the extra push on the day itself. Not 100% sure what Lumen is getting at but I can vaguely imagine some scenarios it might make sense, in terms of if you were aiming for the day itself to be easy or something.

IM0

joker77 wrote: »

Really? I know we've talked about this before - how's it different from marathon training, but I would have thought that getting up to around 200 on your own in training would have been more than enough to finish a 200 event with other people around?

correct. that where training based on time rather than distance is more closer to the truth.

DirkVoodoo

Yeah I think if you get as far as 160km in a spin then the 200 is no bother at all, but it really depends on the route. 240km on the flat would not be as useful as 160km around Wicklow and the mountains, IMO.

Lumen

joker77 wrote: »

Really? I know we've talked about this before - how's it different from marathon training, but I would have thought that getting up to around 200 on your own in training would have been more than enough to finish a 200 event with other people around?

I didn't say prepare with 240, I said prepare for 240.

I don't think it is necessary to do anything like that distance in training, except to build confidence.

joker77

Lumen wrote: »

I didn't say prepare with 240, I said prepare for 240.

I don't think it is necessary to do anything like that distance in training, except to build confidence.

Fair enough

Lumen

joker77 wrote: »

Fair enough

I meant to add, this was based on some analysis of power files from last years WW200, although I'm not entirely sure they're accurate.

Since I can't do it this year I'll probably go round the course a few weeks before and get some fresh data.

Plastik

I've started to build for some of the 200 sportives later in the year. First time on a road bike and probably my first time back on a bike of any description for the best part of 10 years.

Week 1: 29k
Week 2: 38k
Week 3: 62k
Week 4: 87k

Did the first two short spins on my own and the second two longer ones with someone else. For a start, cycling with someone else is a big help in terms of determination to keep going at a speed when the going gets tough.

I think I actually felt more tired after the 62k two weeks ago than after the 87k this week, and the latter was actually a harder cycle. Didn't have a break in the 87k run bar a quick pop into a shop and at the end, after sitting down for an hour or so, I felt like I would have been alright to get back in the saddle again to do some more.

The biggest problem I foresee, personally, trying to get ready for the 200km spins is trying to square away enough free time at the weekends to allow me to get out and put in the mileage.

joker77

Plastik wrote: »

The biggest problem I foresee, personally, trying to get ready for the 200km spins is trying to square away enough free time at the weekends to allow me to get out and put in the mileage.

First off - fair play on getting up to 87kms after only 4 weeks on the bike!

I know what you mean about the time - I've kind of resigned myself at this stage that my training is going to take up my whole Saturday - up at 8.30 or so, leave the house before 9.30 - back maybe around half 2 or 3, warm down and a post workout shake, clean bike, shower, cook, eat, feet up and by that stage it's probably nearly 5!

lukester

If you're short on time, personally I think a ~4 hour ride in the hills is the longest training ride you need. Combine that with some high intensity stuff, and if you really want to maybe one 160k ride with 1600m or so of climbing a few weeks before the event.

If you can ride 4 hours at endurance pace, you can ride 8 hours, and if you add a bit of highish intensity work, it'll make it even easier. Bear in mind on the W200 you'll have the benefit of riding with groups, and the pace you ride at is entirely up to you.

Lumen

lukester wrote: »

If you can ride 4 hours at endurance pace, you can ride 8 hours

Right, in theory. Except doing hills at endurance pace is difficult.

If your "4 hours at endurance pace" is actually "3 hours mooching along the flat, half an hour climbing at tempo and half an hour descending", then you'll struggle on the WW200, because the half an hour climbing becomes 3 hours of climbing, and you'll die.

At least this was my experience last year. The first half was easy, the second half was hell.

If I was training for it again, I'd focus more on shorter, faster rides to build overall conditioning, and do the four hour rides too but not rely on those to get me round.

The most important thing is just to ride your bike lots. Focus on weekly mileage more than long single rides.

lukester

Lumen wrote: »

If your "4 hours at endurance pace" is actually "3 hours mooching along the flat, half an hour climbing at tempo and half an hour descending", then you'll struggle on the WW200, because the half an hour climbing becomes 3 hours of climbing, and you'll die.

I said a ~4 hour ride in the hills is the longest training ride you need.

By which I mean mostly climbing, and no just pootling along on the flat. My main point is that you don't need to be doing 6-7 hour epics if you're short on time.

I suspect your suffering last year was based on you hammering it early on.

My longest ride before the 200 last year was only 80k, and I got a pitifully small amount of time on the bike in general. I got round no problem, slowly, but I was taking it easy all day.

Agree that general time on the bike is more important than once weekly long rides.

Lumen

lukester wrote: »

I said a ~4 hour ride in the hills is the longest training ride you need.

By which I mean mostly climbing, and no just pootling along on the flat. My main point is that you don't need to be doing 6-7 hour epics if you're short on time.

Sorry, I wasn't really diagreeing with you. I live 25km from the Dublin mountains, so a 90km "hilly" ride for me (up to Sally Gap and back) is mostly flat.

I didn't really think this through last year. My longest ride in preparation was ~135km to Shay Elliot and back, but that only had ~85km in the hills.

I honestly tried pacing myself for the first half of the WW200, but still suffered massively after that.

I wasn't really fit, and was kidding myself about how much training I was doing.

I'm just saying, don't underestimate the WW200, and keep an accurate log of training done.

Lots of people seem to find it easy enough, I didn't.

lukester

Lumen wrote: »

Lots of people seem to find it easy enough, I didn't.

In fairness, I'd say you're underestimating your own fitness, and ambition. If you were pacing yourself, I'm guessing you were doing so with a bunch of hammerheads.

I was just trying to get around, conserving energy at every opportunity, given my paltry training for it, which made it relatively easy- hardest part was the last drag of rolling hills from Rathdrum.

If I do it this year I'd be aiming to do it more quickly, and will no doubt suffer much more as a result.

blorg

Hills are best if you are near them but I suspect you can train for these things on the flat, it is just more difficult to be honest with yourself and sustain the sort of effort you will put in on the hills.