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Registration opened yesterday & My Partner has given me two weeks pootling permission so I've put my name down for a slot.
Anyone done it before / doing it this year?
I'm quite excited - 2,100km and 35,000m of descending
[i]35,000m of descending [/i]
*narrows eyes*
Yes, over the whole route, which starts at sea level 8)
If it helps, that's "only" 16 meters of ascent per km.... all 2100 of them !!!
Enjoy 😉
There's quite a tight cut-off I seem to remember for this? We'd thought about it last year, but it was maybe "a touch ambitious..."
The route has changed a fair bit since the first year (which we did some of). But yes, definitely a ride to do with urgency to make the cut offs.
Great vibe, run by some nice people.
Mrs Mugsy has put an entry in.
That looks freaking awesome.
Well shit just got real - place confirmed and entry fee paid!
Now I need to piece together a decent training plan - any suggestions as to where to start?
France
^ ha..
Now I need to piece together a decent training plan - any suggestions as to where to start?
Joe Friel's website is a good place to understand the reason for base miles, how to work at threshold for 15-20 mins and the need for strength and recovery / resilience (low cadence hill work, SSing, etc). For something like this you need to train to be stronger or faster at a relatively low effort level, ie you can ride 16hrs a day at a certain HR level but if you up that level 10% you're done in 6hrs - train for a higher power output at that sustainable level rather than the top-end speed that most training plans for roadies are based on. 6 months is plenty of time to do a good job if you're coming from a reasonable endurance base.
Like the idea of a race like this in France, follow it loosely each year to see how the route is in general. Loads of potential there.
Cheers Jameso. I'm not completely new to endurance in that I completed a <13hr Ironman last year at Outlaw. The foundation of training for French Divide will be building on the Fink plan I followed last year.
By the end of that plan I was riding 240w at 65% ftp and could hold that indefinitely provided I kept the fuel coming in. I have lost that peak fitness and gained too many kg's of chunk but the base fitness seems to be there.
Your wife has given you TWO WEEKS (!!!) to go cycling!?
Either you have the wife of everyone's dreams or she has some ulterior motive..
I guess all you need to work on then is the ability to hold the pace day after day, a week, etc.
jekkyl - Member - Block User
Your wife has given you TWO WEEKS (!!!) to go cycling!?
Either you have the wife of everyone's dreams or she has some ulterior motive..
Yes, I am fortunate - It is on the proviso that I;
1) take one weeks holiday less this year / roll over a weeks holiday.
2) Take her to Iceland in July.
As such I never had my week's sailing trip this year - It's all a trade off. But yes, very fortunate!
Take her to Iceland in July.
Mark's & Spencer might be more appropriate.
Entry accepted and paid.
Better stop eating crap and start riding my bike again then, hoping for better luck than the last big one!
What are people thinking, rigid MTB or burly gravel bike?
Short travel full susser.
I am / will be going for a 100mm front / rear 29er. If it's the correct choice - time will tell
FS, really?
I was debating between rigid carbon 29er and Modified CX bike - maybe a bit more research on my part is needed!
It's been ridden on a CX with file treads, though when Ben won it is was on a FS.
You would take a fair beating on a CX bike imho.
I've done a couple of cycle tours in France the last 2 years running 28cc tyres. In my limited experience their "gravel" is half fist sized chunks of rock and quite hard going on skinny tyres.
I'm going for something that will help smooth out that chatter