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As above, I keep a decent level of fitness, just want to shock/prepare body for the onslaught.
I'm thinking a combo of long rides(4-5hrs), 2hr ones and intervals? Not too many of anyone I'll be overtrained!
Relentless I guess. That sounds like a sensible plan.
I’m not sensible so rode a 200km Audax today (windy as!) and am riding the Bearbones 200 next weekend.
Will be omitting the intervals as haven’t done many (any) for a while. But would be a good way to sharpen up. Those climbs are long and steep in places. Having a bit of top end sharpness helps
Relentless I guess. That sounds like a sensible plan.
I’m not sensible so rode a 200km Audax today (windy as!) and am riding the Bearbones 200 next weekend.
Will be omitting the intervals as haven’t done many (any) for a while. But would be a good way to sharpen up. Those climbs are long and steep in places. Having a bit of top end sharpness helps
I've done Relentless twice, once solo (wrists failed at 15hrs) and once as a pair.
3 weeks to go, i personally recommend very little in the way of longer rides, base should be well established by this stage of the season, and there's little you can achieve other than fatigue in 3 weeks.
My advice would be to spend 3 weeks fine tuning. It's not a course where the traditional advice of pacing yourself and avoiding efforts above threshold works. Last two years its been a really hard course with multiple steep sections that force you into the red. Work on making efforts and recovering from them, and knowing what foods you can tolerate when being forced to work harder than you'd ideally like to.
Find a forest loop, a free day at the weekend and go and ride it again, and again, and again for about 7 hrs at z2 / 24hr pace Go for a night ride or two.
Ta all. I think at least 1 long ride will help psychologically of nothing else. And a night ride,new dynamo/light set up.
I wanted to do a long one this weekend but was building a shed and hosting GF so only managed 1:15hrs, pace was decent tho.
If you do a long ride take it very steady and test food options.
If you've a decent base then as fifeandy says, do some fine tuning. A session of really hard hill reps this week and next week, just the two sessions, will help. At such short notice there's not a lot of time for much else. Any other rides should be zone 1 or zone 2 at a max
Based on your ride with mcmoonter and I last weekend, I'd advise taking a comfy bed. You'll likely spend more time in that than riding 🙂
Remember the cake though!
Harsh!
There is actually some good advice there though. Make sure you've got somewhere comfortable and [b]warm[/b]* to take a break
*Last two years have reached low single figures. Steep climbs make you sweat, and when you stop you can get get chilled really quickly.
Find a forest loop, a free day at the weekend and go and ride it again, and again, and again for about 7 hrs at z2 / 24hr pace
Yep and the following day retract your entry.
There is actually some good advice there though. Make sure you've got somewhere comfortable and warm* to take a break
Be careful. Stay too long and you won't go back out. You'll get comfy, start feeling sleeping then - well thats it.
Yep and the following day retract your entry.
lol.
how ever being able to warm up is a big factor.
i remember racing relentless a few years back - it was starting to drizzle and rather than stop and take a jacket i reckoned it wasnt going to come to much. so jumped a few (smart guys) in the pits taking a jacket.
Hind sight is a wonderful thing BUT i came in off that lap uncontrollably shivering and scratched as i couldnt get warm.
older and wiser now 😉
you are going to break!!! 😈
Long steady miles in the saddle, some off-road. That and plan what you are going to eat. And eat some before the day. I would recommend tuna and rice, because there is only so much sweet glucose you can eat in 24hrs.
And a pork pie. Just because. Save it for 12 hrs 😉
LOL Terry, I'll be in full survival mode, not racing.