Dialling in How Hard is Right Enough

I've got an imperial century with 8000ft+ of climbing in 5 weeks. It starts with 25km of flat, finishes with 40km of slight down, and the middle 100 is steady up/down. There are at least 6 climbs in the 3-9km range, all somewhere between 5 and 10%.

I've not done that much vertical in one ride previous,and haven't done a ride longer than 110km in quite a few years, so I'm looking for some help around figuring out how much effort, when.

Best I have so far is use the opening 25km to ease into it, keep the climbs just under LTHR, use the downs as recovery, and spend whatever I have left on the last up, and the long gradual down to the finish.

I've a pretty good read on long steady efforts, but with all the up/down I don't know what's too aggressive, or not aggressive enough, and would appreciate a more informed perspective.

Whadyagot?

What I got is you should have alot of fun knocking out your goal.

You will overreach big time that is not a criticism it's planning. Stay ontop of electrolytes all day long. Stay on the bike, don't stop and sit.

Set a timer to remind yourself to drink and take light non-sugary snacks. Stay off the throttle yo, this is endurance not the opposite.

Y'all have fun now hear?

Go slow and *eat all the time*. Go really slow on the climbs.

On the last 40k, go as fast as you like.

Have lower gears than you think that you need-

All good advice guys, thank you.

I still need help getting a better sense of how hard I can push and not blow up though.

I'll be going up hill about 60% of the time. The modelling I've done says if I stick to Zone 2 on the climbs, I won't make the time cut. The modelling also suggests that if I can handle 80% of FTP on the climbs, I have a shot. What I don't have a sense of is whether or not that's a bridge too far for the overall distance.

So if you were my coach and this was a 167km TT, how would you suggest I ride it?

This is one to handle by feel, not data. I just was in essentially the same situation last Sunday and rode with no data or electronics at the Hell of Hunterdon. Surprised myself and rode well/enjoyed every moment despite little bike training over a snowy winter. Ride within yourself on the climbs during the whole event - a couple of gears lower than normal, etc. If you have miles in the bank over the years, you'll be fine as long as you touch Zone 4 only when necessary and stay out of Zone 5 altogether if possible. That and what others have said about judicious hydration and nutrition. You should have to stop to pee every 90 minutes or so and it should be clear to light yellow. Ignore the time cut. They're not going to throw you off the road and it's a ride, not leTour.

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Originally Posted by LarryA

All good advice guys, thank you.

I still need help getting a better sense of how hard I can push and not blow up though.

I'll be going up hill about 60% of the time. The modelling I've done says if I stick to Zone 2 on the climbs, I won't make the time cut. The modelling also suggests that if I can handle 80% of FTP on the climbs, I have a shot. What I don't have a sense of is whether or not that's a bridge too far for the overall distance.

So if you were my coach and this was a 167km TT, how would you suggest I ride it?

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When you put it that way I'd say the same as before because I am vaguely familiar with your training up to this point. I'd have a different answer were you to have 1/2 a dozen or more recent data points showing ability to sustain 80% for loooooong periods. That is not something you can pull out of your hat and "do".

Be smart, go easy on the hard parts and hard on the easy parts eat drink LIGHTLY and be positive.

Roger that! (Still indoors:-( Might be able to start long hill repeats this weekend if it stops snowing. This was yesterday (225 is threshold)

Attachment 106947

That's solid work. I'd make one day a 30 min. threshold climb + 2 hrs. endurance. You can break that into 15 mins. + 3 mins off + 15 mins. That's LOW threshold not middle not reaching.

Can do - assuming the weather cooperates, my local weapon of choice is 5km @ 6% so 15-3-15 fits well. I've been doing something similar on the long trainer rides by putting in 30 minutes of Zone 3 in the first hour, then dialing back to Zone 2 for the remainder. (And thank you)

So that didn't go as planned.

5km into the event the friend I went there to ride and celebrate her 65th year with had her rear tire slide on a paint stripe, wobbled into me and took us both down at 25kph.

I got a small booboo on my elbow and a biggish haematoma on my hip. She got 30+ days in a hospital in Palma while the two breaks in her right scapula, 11 broken ribs, and two pelvic fractures healed. She'll be released later this week and looks to be making a full recovery. Indomitable spirit doesn't do her justice.

BTW Mallorca is awesome!

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Originally Posted by LarryA

So that didn't go as planned.

5km into the event the friend I went there to ride and celebrate her 65th year with had her rear tire slide on a paint stripe, wobbled into me and took us both down at 25kph.

I got a small booboo on my elbow and a biggish haematoma on my hip. She got 30+ days in a hospital in Palma while the two breaks in her right scapula, 11 broken ribs, and two pelvic fractures healed. She'll be released later this week and looks to be making a full recovery. Indomitable spirit doesn't do her justice.

BTW Mallorca is awesome!

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UGH. You did so much prep. Your friend sounds tough.
Rest of the trip good?

The riding there is very good. Flat, climbs, whatever you want. Lots of quiet lanes and the drivers amongst the best I've experienced. And cyclists everywhere - I did a couple of samples one lunch hour in Alcudia and was getting 25 riders a minute(admittedly that was 2 days before the Gran Fondo)

Darcy and I loved the people, the food, everything. We spent 10 days in Palma providing support to Kathleen and Patrick (her husband), and the silver lining was we got to see a lot of the city. Plan is to go back next year when I turn 65 and finish riding the route.

Kathleen's a stud. If anything she needs to keep from doing too much too soon. I've never seen anyone as positive and ready to make lemonade out of whatever hand she's been dealt.

BTW the standard of care she rec'd at Clinica Rotger was outstanding.