Tenby Aces - Training Programme for Tour of Pembrokeshire

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Tenby Aces

Training Programme for Tour of Pembrokeshire

Training Programme for Tour of Pembrokeshire

The Tour of Pembrokeshire on June 8^th is going to be a major cycling event in Pembrokeshire.

Next June sees the inaugural ‘Tour of Pembrokeshire’ cyclosportive with a cycle ride taking in some of the most scenic spots in our county. This is a really exciting event for local cyclists and the organisers are hoping to get 1000 cyclists from all parts of the country to take part. Hopefully there will be a significant proportion of Pembrokeshire people lining up on the start line but, with distances of either 65 or 116 miles, this event should not be taken lightly. That doesn’t mean to say that non cyclists won’t be able to do it but, like running a marathon, preparation and training are essential. So, if you are looking for a major sporting goal in 2008 and fancy a cyclosportive, here are a few tips to get you started.

If you are relatively new to cycling below is a suggested training programme which should enable you to complete the longer route. You could also use this programme if you are thinking of doing the shorter route and reduce the training time by one third.

The training load increases week by week and it is important to start at the beginning of the programme to get the full benefit. Some weeks you will not be able to stick to your programme. Don’t worry. Losing 1 or 2 rides from your schedule now and again won’t make much difference to your performance on the day. Don’t be tempted to try and make up the time by increasing the length of your training sessions too quickly.

Using a fixed wheel, indoor trainer (turbo) or gym based spin sessions are ideal, especially if the weather is wet or cold. A weekly circuit training session is great for building core strength which is important for cyclists and can also build cardio-vascular fitness if running, skipping, stepping etc is done at the same time.

If you have a heart rate monitor this can be very useful to make sure you work within the correct limits. Long rides should be done at 50 to 65% of your maximum heart rate (MHR). Shorter rides, turbo or spin sessions can be done at a slightly higher pace, say around 65 to 80% MHR. Remember that we are trying to build endurance and this requires riding at a pace where your heart rate does not exceed 65% MHR for at least 75% of your training time.

Cycling is definitely more fun if you ride with others. Riding with experienced riders can be useful for the tips and advice that you can get. There are a number of clubs and groups in Pembrokeshire. The two that I am involved with, Pembrokeshire Velo and Tenby Aces, have regular training rides, details of which can be found on their websites www.pembs-velo.co.uk and www.tenby-aces.co.uk Their websites also have training tips, maps of cycle routes and details of other cycling events in the area. Pembrokeshire Velo will also be organising some training rides over sections of the route in the lead up to the event. Check their website for details.

116 Mile Training Programme

The training programme below assumes that you are starting from a level of general fitness and that you will be riding a road (racing) bike.

Tip number one is to get a decent pair of cycling shorts. You may also want to invest in some winter/spring cycling gear such as tights, long sleeve jersey, thermal base layers and shower/wind proof jacket. Local bike shops stock a good selection and if you are a member of a local cycling club, you may even get a discount! Cycling clubs also stock items of their team kit.

The examples of sessions given below are not set in stone and can be varied to suit your personal circumstances. Rest periods are essential to allow your body to recover. It is during this period that the body adapts to the physical stresses that are put on it by training. Rest days should be taken after a long ride or after a hard session.

16 week Training Programme (starting 18 Feb 2008)

Week 1 – start off with a few easy paced short rides of around 1 to 1½ hour. Try and complete 4 rides, but not on successive days if possible. An example of the weeks training could be :-

Monday – 45 minute indoor spin or turbo session

Tuesday – rest

Wednesday – 45 minute cycle

Thursday – circuit training session

Friday – 30 minute cycle

Saturday – rest

Sunday – 1½ hour cycle

Total riding time 3½ hours

Week 2 – at this time in the training programme it is important to continue to build up the time spent riding without worrying about pace. Ride slowly and well within your capabilities. Don’t increase your longest ride length by more than 30 minutes each week. Continue with the indoor sessions and circuit training, especially if the weather is poor. Aim for a total ride time of 4 hours.

Week 3 – continue slowly building up the time spent on the bike. By this time you should be able to ride continuously for about 2 hours. Make sure you take sufficient drink (2x500ml bottles) and an energy bar or gel on your long rides. Aim for total riding time in the week of 4½ hours.

Week 4 – this week you need to put in a long ride of around 2½ hours. Again pace is important, making sure you are riding at a pace that is comfortable to sustain for the whole ride. Don’t start off too fast. Aim for a total ride time in the week of 5 hours.

Weeks 5 to 7 – in these weeks build up the time in the saddle to around 6 hours per week, with your longest ride of 3 to 4 hours. When you start getting up to this sort of distance you need to be thinking about food and drink a bit more. Typically for any ride over 2 hours you will need to take in some carbohydrates. A couple of bananas, a jam sandwich, some energy drinks, gels and bars should make sure you don’t ‘bonk’. Aim to drink around 500ml of fluid per hour. Try to start the long rides fully hydrated and well rested. By this stage you will be burning around 3000 calories a week on the bike. This is the equivalent of around 1½ days food intake so your diet may need to take this into account. Try and take the additional calories in carbohydrates, if possible. Make sure you eat a light carb rich snack immediately after a session because this is when the body is more receptive to refuelling the muscles.

Weeks 8 and 9 – in these weeks it is time to introduce some harder efforts into the short mid-week rides. Spinning or turbo sessions should have given you a feeling for short periods of harder efforts and now you need to do them on the road. Try an hour long ride where you ride the hills hard or put in some fast pace riding on the straights. Build up the long ride to 4½ hours. You may not be able to carry sufficient water or food with you for this time so plan your route to go past some refuelling stops. Aim for a total riding time of 8 hours for the week.

Weeks 10 and 11 – continue with the harder efforts, building them up to around 2 hours. Your longest ride should now be up to 5½ hours of easy riding. Include one or two stops, maybe at a café for coffee and cake (cyclists favourite).

Weeks 12 to 14 – in these weeks you should be doing the longest of your training rides. Try and build up to a maximum ride of around 7 hours. Don’t worry too much about the distance covered and take a few stops to look at the scenery and have some food. Make sure you plan your route so that you can refuel at least twice.

Weeks 15 and 16 – these are the penultimate training weeks before the event and training in these weeks should taper off to ensure you are well rested before the big day. By this stage all of the hard work should have been done. Any training from this point on will not improve your performance on the day so don’t leave it until now to try and cram in all the training you should have done in the previous weeks. Use these weeks for making sure your bike is in good working order and to practice eating and drinking on the bike. Reduce the training time by around 25% 2 weeks before and 50% in the week before. Good rides to do at this time are 2 hour mixed pace rides.

Race Day Preparations

Nutrition and hydration are very important factors in endurance events. Your training should have given you an idea about what your nutritional needs are. Use the training period to find out what sort of food and drink suit you best. Some energy drinks and bars are easier to take than others so try them out during your training rides. In the days before the event make sure you are well hydrated. On the day of the race you should have a high carbohydrate breakfast. During the ride you will probably burn about 400 to 600 calories per hour, depending on pace, giving a total burn of around 4000 to 5000 calories. Your body has about 1500 to 2000 calories in reserve, so you will need to take in between 2000 to 3500 calories during the ride. It is difficult to provide this in energy drinks and gels alone, so solid food can be used. If you are like me you will crave for solid food after a few hours in the saddle. If you are using energy gels remember that they need to be taken with water not with energy drink, as your body can only absorb so much carbohydrate at one time.

Typically energy drinks provide around 200 calories per 500ml. Aim to drink 500 to 750 ml of fluid per hour depending on the temperature on the day. Sip regularly and don’t guzzle. Bananas (150 calories), jam or peanut butter sandwiches (300 calories for 2 rounds), cake (200 calories per slice), dried fruit (200 calories per 100g) and jelly babies (300 calories per 100g) are cyclists favourites. Use the training period to find out what suits you best.

Take in some carbs before the start to get you through the first hour e.g. a banana, a sandwich and a drink. Don’t stuff you face at the feed stations as blood flow to the stomach to aid digestion diverts blood from the muscles, and can also lead to stomach cramps. Little and often is the key.

My own ‘musette’ would contain:-

1 energy drink, 1 peanut butter sandwich and 1 banana to have around 30 to 60 minutes before the start of the ride (750 calories)

4 jam sandwiches and 1 banana during the ride (750 calories)

4 x 750 ml energy drinks during the ride, take 2 on the bike and pick up 2 at the feed stations (1200 calories)

Jelly babies for the last 10 miles (300 calories)

Total 3000 calories

You should bring with you a small saddle bag with essential equipment such as:-

Pump, or compressed gas tyre inflator;

Puncture repair kit including tyre levers;

2 spare inner tubes (easier to replace than repair a puncture);

A cycling multi-tool;

Chain splitter and spare chain links;

I also take a spare folding tyre which can be taped to the bike frame. Make sure you know how to change a flat tyre and carry out essential repairs to the bike.

Selection of clothing is really important. Even days in early June can be cold or boiling hot. Check the weather forecast before-hand to get an idea of the likely conditions. Use the layer system to ensure you will have enough clothing. Remember, you can always take clothes off if you are too hot. Arm and leg warmers are good for cool starts on an otherwise warm day and can be taken off and stuffed in a pocket during the ride. A light-weight packable jacket is really useful as it will stop the wind and all but the worst of the rain, and it can be stuffed into a pocket when not required. Overshoes are essential on cold or wet days to keep your feet warm.

Finally

GOOD LUCK!

Summary (116 mile route)

Week
Training hours
Longest ride
1
3
1 hour
2
3
1½ hours
3
4
2 hours
4
5
2½ hours
5
6
3 hours
6
6
3 hours
7
7
3½ hours
8
7
4 hours
9
8
4½ hours
10
9
5 hours
11
10
5½ hours
12
11
6 hours
13
12
6 hours
14
12
7 hours
15
9
4 hours
16
6
2 hours

Summary (65 mile route)

Week
Training hours
Longest ride
1
2
¾ hour
2
2
1 hour
3
2½
1½ hours
4
3
2 hours
5
4
2 hours
6
4
2½ hours
7
4½
2½ hours
8
5
3 hours
9
5½
3½ hours
10
6
3½ hours
11
6½
4 hours
12
7
4½ hours
13
8
4½ hours
14
9
5 hours
15
6
3 hours
16
4
1½ hours