Training
Ride The Rockies is a physically challenging event and requires conditioning. We suggest that you structure a training schedule working backwards from June 15th:
The last week before the ride should be a "taper" week with less riding than the previous weeks (and no riding the last three days before the tour). This gives your body a break and allows you to start the tour fresh.
The three weeks before that you should be averaging 140 - 200 miles per week to prepare for the event. Include a weekend with two long riding days one to three weeks before the event to familiarize yourself with the feeling of going for a long ride, then getting up the next day and doing it again.
From March through mid-May raise your weekly mileage slowly. This will give your thighs, butt, knees, hands, etc. the chance to gradually acclimate to the increasing mileage. You don't want to jump on a bike and start riding 150 miles per week without working up to it.
Another benefit of spending the spring building a mileage base is that you'll learn volumes about riding a bicycle. For example: How much and what foods and fluids do you need to ride for several hours? What clothing should you wear and carry with you? What tools do you need for roadside repairs?
Below is a sample training schedule for the 2008 Ride The Rockies. It begins the first week of March with 3 rides totalling 40 miles. Here's how to read the table:
The 1st column lists the date of the week starting on Saturday (to avoid splitting each wknd into two different wks).
The 2nd column is the total number of miles for that week.
The 3rd column contains the number of recommended rides for the weekend and the total number of miles for the ride(s).
The last column contains the number of recommended rides for weekdays and the total number of miles for the rides.
WEEK (START ON SAT.) |
TOTAL MILES | # WEEKEND RIDES/TOTAL MILES FOR RIDES | #WEEKDAY RIDES/TOTAL MILES FOR RIDES |
March 1 | 40 | 1/15 | 2/25 |
| March 8 | 50 | 1/20 | 2/30 |
| March 15 | 50 | 1/20 | 2/30 |
| March 22 | 60 | 1/20 | 3/40 |
|
March 29 | 70 | 1/20 | 3/50 |
| April 5 | 80 | 1/30 | 3/50 |
| April 12 | 80 | 1/30 | 3/50 |
| April 19 | 90 | 1/35 | 3/55 |
| April 26 | 90 | 1/35 | 3/55 |
| May 3 | 100 | 1/40 | 3/60 |
| May 10 | 125 | 2/65 | 3/60 |
| May 17 | 140 | 2/80 | 3/60 |
| May 24 | 160 | 2/95 | 3/65 |
| May 31 | 185 | 2/140 * | 2/45 |
| June 7 | 90 | 2/55 | 2/35 ** |
* 60 miles Saturday; 80 miles Sunday
** Monday-Wednesday
|
There are a few things to keep in mind about this schedule.
It's obviously structured for riders working a standard Monday to Friday day job. If that's not you, adapt the schedule as necessary.
This schedule is meant to serve as a rough guideline only. Recommended mileages are approximate. There's no need to try to match rides exactly to this schedule. What is important, is to build a mileage base that is comparable to the one outlined here, which will allow you to ride upwards of 425 mountainous miles in a week in relative comfort.
Climbing is an integral part of all Ride The Rockies routes. If possible, your training should reflect this. Include hilly and mountainous terrain in training rides. This becomes more important as the tour gets closer. If it's not practical for you to include climbing in your daily rides, perhaps you can drive to the hills on weekends.
Intensity: Coaches and trainers make a lot of fuss about training intensity – emphasizing the need for both high and low intensity workouts. True, this is a very important component of training to be an elite competitive cyclist. We can only assume that if you’ve made it to this point of the page, that isn’t you. Sure, it’s good to vary workout intensity but if you don’t feel good, make it an easy ride and if you feel great, go hard.
Some cycling novices who don't partake in any regular exercise may find the first week's schedule of 3 rides totaling 40 miles too challenging. If this is you, consult a physician before starting any program of physical exercise. Once you've been given the green light, we recommend you extend this schedule by four to six weeks. Begin by walking a couple days per week and riding just one or two days per week. After a few weeks, ease your bike time up toward the point where you can begin with this schedule.
This schedule requires a large time commitment, but it will definitely allow you to Ride The Rockies in relative comfort.
If work, family or other commitments don't allow you to follow your planned training schedule for a few days, don't obsess about it. Being stressed about keeping a schedule can be more detrimental than missing a few days here or there. Don't ever lose sight of the fact that you're doing this for fun.
Both the Denver Post and CBS4 will feature Ride The Rockies training stories throughout the spring. In mid March, The Denver Post will publish the first of several training articles in the Monday Fitness section. Also, tune-in to CBS4 at 6:30 p.m. on Monday and at noon on Tuesday for Ride The Rockies Training Tips with Greg Moody.
RIDING HIGH:
Effective altitude training and preparation for Ride The Rockies
By Edmund R. Burke, Ph.D.
During Ride The Rockies, you will be visiting some of the most beautiful areas of Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, and we hope you enjoy every minute of your stay. But some of the very features which make these high valleys and mountain passes so attractive can cause problems unless you know how to prevent them.
Above 6,000 feet, breathing and lack of oxygen getting to your working muscles are the limiting factors to performance. When you travel to Colorado atmospheric pressure decreases and the air is thinner and so there's less oxygen available. You will also notice that your breathing becomes faster and deeper and at times you may feel short of breath and that your heart rate is elevated. These are normal and helpful responses by your body trying to get more oxygen to the working muscles.
You may also have a headache, a touch of nausea, or feel tired. About 10 to 15% of all cyclists have such symptoms, which will usually go away in 24 to 48 hours. In addition, the crisp dry mountain air is exhilarating, and your body will lose increased fluids from the deeper breathing and from sweating (often you won't even notice this). It is important to maintain your body's water stores, so drink two or more times more water or juices than you do at sea level. Alcohol and caffeine have an extra impact at altitude, so use these products in moderation.
The sun has more burning power at this altitude, and a bad sunburn can spoil your ride: use protective sunscreen. It can also get cold very quickly at altitude. So while riding, in addition to carrying extra fluids and sunscreen, be sure to carry a light jacket, tights, gloves and hat. Hypothermia (low body temperature) can come on rapidly if you are caught out in a rain storm without proper protection at 6,000 feet or higher- even during the summer.
Sleeping problems are the number one complaint people have when they arrive at altitude. The lack of oxygen affects both sleep and arousal patterns, so your sleep tends to be lighter and you wake up a lot during the night. Many cyclists also experience "dry mouth" while sleeping, and it is a good idea to keep a glass or bottle of water by your bed at night.
So how does one prepare for Riding The Rockies? We know that the longer you can train at altitude, the better prepared you will be to ride at altitude. Your respiratory distress will go down, your body will begin to produce more red blood cells to help carry oxygen and changes begin to take place at the cellular level. The whole effect is a more rapid and more efficient movement of oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. The net effect of this acclimatization to high altitude is a gradual improvement in performance.
In an ideal world, cyclists would spend several weekend visits to altitude during the spring and then arrive in Colorado one to two weeks before Ride The Rockies to acclimatize to higher elevation.
That's great if you've just retired following a grueling five year career at Microsoft. If you can arrange any part of this game plan, go hard.
For the rest of us working stiffs, here's the best bet: find some of the hilliest courses in your area and ride them twice per week for several months prior to coming to Colorado. Then, plan to arrive in Colorado a day or two before the tour.
One more point, and perhaps the best piece of advice that can be imparted on this matter: Relax. Hundreds of people every year travel from sea level to Colorado to Ride The Rockies. The vast majority do so with no significant problems. A very small minority of tour cyclists experience minor problems, and even the most severe of these rarely do more than sideline riders for one day.
Here are some additional tips to follow during Ride The Rockies (and any training trips you make to altitude).
- Don't loaf around your first days. Light exercise stimulates breathing and circulation and speeds adjustment.
- Even if you are having trouble sleeping, try to get plenty of rest.
- If you'll be sleeping in a hotel, use a humidifier. Bring one with you or rent one while you are here.
- Eat smaller meals at altitude, but more often, since digestion can be more difficult at altitude. Eat plenty of carbohydrates, which are needed for energy and recovery.
- Take deeper breaths as often as possible.
- Drink as much water as you can, but avoid alcohol for the first two or three days.
- Stop for short rest periods if your heart rate exceeds your target range for extended periods of time.
- Carry and drink more water during training than your thirst dictates. While riding, drink a little every 5 to 10 minutes.
- In the final days before the ride, make sure to consume 60 to 70 percent of your calories in carbohydrates. This will ensure that your muscles are loaded with glycogen when you start Ride The Rockies.
With these training tips in mind here are some additional things to remember during each days ride:
- Set out at a pace that does not allow for undue lactic acid accumulation. If your respiratory rate appears faster or the depth of breathing more labored than usual, chances are the pace is too intense. If you ride using heart rate to set your limits, stay within your target heart rate range. You will reach your target rate at lower efforts and speeds at altitude than at lower elevations.
- Make sure to take on fluids and food at the rest stops. Do not allow yourself to become dehydrated.
- Carry extra clothing. Once the afternoon hours roll around, weather can change quickly. Wind can dramatically reduce temperatures, and hypothermia can set in rapidly.
- If you need to walk the steeper sections of passes do so without feeling guilty, even the best riders in the tour will have to stop to catch their breath at the top of the passes.
With a better understanding of your responses to altitude and a well thought out training program, you can have a very enjoyable experience Riding The Rockies.
Edmund R. Burke, Ph.D. (1949-2002) wrote Fitness Cycling and Serious Cycling (Human Kinetics Publishers) and Optimal Muscle Recovery (Avery Publishing). He also was a Professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and wrote regularly on health and fitness for Bicycling Magazine and Velonews.
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