MAY TRAINING HINTS
It is May - the Etape is drawing near – and it is quite a challenge! We will be riding 120 miles and climbing around 4000 metres within the time limit! How do we do that?
The key to success is economy and training. This month I want to look two sets of topics:
(1) Economy, Energy Consumption, Heart rate and Power Measurement
(2) Training: Distance, Climbing and descending, and group riding
Economy
I expect you have watched those champions on the TV giving it all they have got as they reach the top of the last col in a Tour de France stage. Sheer power and effort - inspiring! Have you seen them mid race though? “Power, sweat and effort” are not good descriptions! “Economy” is a more accurate description! There they are sheltering behind the others, slip streaming. In a pace line they will be saving around 25% of their energy. Sheltering behind a huge peloton, they may be saving as much as 40% of their energy! That’s not a bad idea with 120 miles of mountains ahead of you!
Energy
It is estimated that an Etape du Tour rider will expend between 600 and 900 calories per hour – their total energy expenditure will be several times that a manual worker normally expends in a day!
So what do you do? Taking on energy in the form of readily digestible food is obviously worth while, but this is limited by the amount of food it is possible to digest while riding.
The answer lies in fat metabolism. It has been estimated that the lightest rider carries enough fat to fuel a ride between England and Italy! Training over long distances enhances your capacity to metabolise fat.
As you ride faster, the percentage stored glucose (glycogen) used increases. Unfortunately if you were using stored glucose alone, your supply will probably be used up in less than two hours of hard riding. It is therefore important to be able to utilise your stored body fat, as well as feeding as you go.
On a ride as long and as mountainous as this year’s Etape it is important to pace yourself to achieve your target speed without wasting too much energy.
Analysing the course is helpful here, in order to leave plenty of time margin at each elimination point while not overdoing it. I plan to publish a detailed course analysis in due course.
Heart rate
People vary, but as a general indication, if you ride at between 70% and 85% of your maximum heart rate, you will be riding at about 40% to 66% of your maximum continuous power. You will probably be able to keep to a level somewhere inside this zone for a long time. This is an “economy zone”. A good starting point to determine your optimum riding speed over long distances might therefore be around 50% of maximum continuous power, which is probably about 80% of your maximum heart rate. These figures are only a very rough guide, and should only be taken as a starting point in determining your pacing over long distances. If you have trouble at these levels you may need to go to a lower effort level, or you may find them too low for you and revise them upwards! On the Etape, and during training, you may want to push yourself beyond these levels.
It has been shown that riding at anaerobic levels uses energy at about five times the normal rate, so anaerobic riding should be kept to a minimum during a ride of this length.
Power Measurement
If you have been training in the gym or on a turbo trainer for any length of time, you may have noticed that you are able to sustain a given power level almost indefinitely. When climbing a mountain, you may estimate your power by multiplying the gradient (%) by speed (mph). Typically you may find that a product of around 37 equals around 150W, 50 is equivalent to 200W and so on. These figures are for a 200lb rider + bike, and need to be adjusted if you are much lighter or heavier. If you have a speedometer which measures gradient, or if the gradients are marked on roadside signs, this is a useful way of pacing yourself on long climbs. It is probably more reliable than heart rate measurements, as these drift with temperature, and will read high on a hot day.
Training
Several aspects of training are worthy of consideration.
Distance
All being well, you will have done a number of long rides by now, possibly approaching or even exceeding 100 miles. As time allows, it is worth continuing with these, to become accustomed to long rides and to improve your fat metabolism. Incidentally the percentage fat burned compared with stored glucose is highest at lower effort levels!
Climbing and Descending
Climbing and descending require practice. An ideal way to do this is to take part in one of our Etape Reconnaissance weekends in June. We will be riding the actual course in sections – what more appropriate training could there be?
Email me (Ron@etape.org.uk) for details.
Also, you probably have hills near you. If the gradients are too low, climb them faster! If they are too short, repeat them, or design a route with a series of hills. This will improve your heart and lung fitness, and leg strength. We have covered descending in previous months, but techniques such as braking when approaching a bend and accelerating out of it, leaning sufficiently into a bend with the inner pedal at the top of its travel, and taking a racing line (assuming a closed road!) all help. Above all be aware of hazards – loose gravel, poor road surface, traffic, animals (cows roam around on some etapes!) and any other hazards you may encounter!
Group Riding
Safety and consideration for other riders are important aspects of the Etape. Important bones have been broken by riders cutting in on others. Also remember that the rider in front may stop unexpectedly because he sees a cow in the road (it has happened!) or even an unexpected water tap on a hot day (I did that once.... sorry who ever you were behind me).
It is therefore useful to practice group riding before the event. There are now numerous sportive rides in the UK (a great innovation!) These are ideal practice for the Etape. You may still be able to get a place on one! Audaxes and Club rides are also good ways of practicing group riding.
Slipstreaming is very important, but in a large bunch it is usually safer to ride slightly to one side of the rider in front - your thinking distance may be six feet if you are going at 20mph - and that’s before you apply your brakes! Don’t let that put you off bunch riding though - just be alert and take care. That 25% to 40% of energy is worth saving, and most riders are aware and well behaved.
I am always impressed with the safe standards of riding in the Etape, despite the huge numbers of riders. Take care though!
Remember - though the Etape may be the most challenging event you ever do, you are only doing it for fun! So stay safe, and don’t forget that there is life outside the Etape!