Training for Distance and unknown terrain

Fairly straightforward

What training regimens do you take on to prepare for a long ride on a trail you've never been to?

I have a personal goal to ride Bike for Bender in 2016. Where is a good place to train if time and trail access are an issue? Is spinning class an viable alternative?


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There's a few answers to this question, and the degree to which they are applicable depends highly on the talents/skills of the rider:

Time: If you have a goal for time on a particular ride, you need not ride more than 1/2 that time to ensure that you are in sufficient shape for that ride. T.I.T.S....Time In The Saddle...If its the Hell Ride and you have someone you normally can keep up with that has done it in 6-7 hours, be able to regularly ride 3-4 hours over similar terrain to your goal. Bike for Bender is more interval oriented, but can still be replicated by real-world riding. You will be able to make up the difference through adrenaline, recovery, and suffering. T.I.T.S. is more important for this type of event.

Distance: Sometimes duplicated by the time requirement, but IMHO, less important. Virtually nobody trains for a 6-hour race/ride by doing 6-hour/race training rides...it can easily lead to burnout, especially if those distance rides are executed at race pace. I've done several dozen 12-hour and 200-mile races...but never trained for them by doing more than 1/2 that distance leading up to them. When I have done those extended distances, they are usually a month out from the actual event to measure and test fitness, nutrition, and fatigue.

Intensity: Overlooked, but just as valuable. A spin class will get you some benefit, but that is more often focused on pure cardio at the expense of cycling fitness. I've done quite a few of these while on vacation and torched the spin instructors because the focus is strictly on cardio, not cycling fitness. However, when done properly (i.e. use the spin bikes to shoehorn intensity with real-world resistance), you can get 3x-4x the training impact over a certain time period. Sufferfest is a good guide to start with, but the rationale is that when you use the bike in the gym/o-the-trainer properly, there is no downhill, there are no stoplights, there is no coasting. If you replicate the effort of a lap (say 3x 4 minute climbs with 5-6 minutes of spin in-between), then you will gain training through the intensity. I've done a series of clinics every year where I ride 3x a week...2x a week follows the program of 30-minutes on rollers at 100rpm/140bpm, 10 minute rest, 30-minutes on a wind-resistance trainer at 100rpm/140bpm, with some 30-second max efforts thrown in, and a 10-15 minute simulated hillclimb....the other ride is real-world on-trail or on-road. The downside of the gym is the saddle and pedals...the saddle will always suck unless you can bring your own and the pedals less so unless you can use your own shoes with the right cleats.

Mimicry: If you're not very technical, then definitely mix this in. If you have limited time on the trails, then the best thing to do is find the most technical/vertical trail around and become comfortable on it...especially when fatigued. Hit the section(s) at the end of a training ride when the arms and legs are tired...this might mean putting in time at the spin class and then going right out and hitting a 3-4 mile section of trail in Sycamore or doing a small loop from the Morton lookout off of 38 before Loch Leven to the bottom of SART. If you can do it when you're tired, then you'll have more confidence hitting something unknown when you're fresh...and then over-and-over again as you become familiar with it but more fatigued.

As you train/see results, you'll figure out what works for you and what doesn't. Keeping track of what you eat, drink, and your performance using a heart monitor and Strava will start to give you feedback on what works and what doesn't. Sometimes you feel like crap and you end up with a low heart rate and high speed, and just as often you feel good only to find out that you climbed like a sloth.

You have some time (obviously), so one way to stay motivated is to put some intermediate goals out there. Find a few events that you can point to in-between now and then...you'll find that those intermediate steps will help you stay focused and will help you exceed your goals...maybe its a few of the Kenda Cup Endurance events or the 6/12-hours of Temecula in a team setting.

Good Luck, and if there's not an element of fun in training for the goal, then figure out how to make it fun.

 

thanks for all the insight - seems like there is quite a bit to be considered as far as what approach i take. but i guess it really has to be focused on my goals.

So; here is my goal - to ride bike for bender, or hell-ride....hell maybe even both! and to survive to the end of the trail! I don't care about time, right now my goal is just survival. Being able to ride the trail at a level that allows me to get through it in one piece in a reasonable amount of time, not a race pace. (EXAMPLE: If an average finish is about 6.5 hours, i would be satisfied with finishing it in about 7.5) I'm not much of a racer, i just like to take my time and enjoy the trail when it comes to XC riding.

Keeping that in mind it sounds like lots of time in the saddle and some mimicry are good places to start.