Winter training - The Plumz way.
First up there's no getting away from the fact that your going to get cold and wet, as you need to rack those miles in. Its no surprise that a lot of riders who commute all winter are flying by summer.
You have to improve your Endurance, the building block to all your other skills. No mater how good or fast a rider you are, your skills are useless when you are so fatigued that you make mistakes.
As an Idea let me tell you how I'll be spending this Winter.
I reckon for my planned events next year I need up to 20 hours of riding to build my base level of Endurance up. Notice I say hours, how do you compare a 2 hr road whizz for 40 miles, to a 3 hr off road slog for 18 miles in the peaks. Miles means bugger all, hours in the saddle are important here.
So for you average working man that's a lot of riding in the dark, even 2 long ones at the weekend leaves you short of daylight hours to play with.
A typical week for me might look like this;
| Mon | 2 hrs + weights 1 hr |
| Tue | 4 Hrs Group ride |
| Wed | 2 hrs or weights only for 1 hr |
| Thur | 2 hrs |
| Fri | 2 hrs at recovery pace |
| Sat | 4 hrs off road if no Sun event |
| Sun | 4 hrs or winter event |
Remember its Endurance time, even if there's a race to play at on Sunday, you should not be resting up for it Saturday, that's a whole lot of daylight wasted if you do. And the theory is to build it up for say a 3 week cycle, stretch it further each week, then take a "rest week" of 10 hours before going again.
4 hrs, you cry, yes you need good warm kit and enough food/energy on board to get you through those one's.
An often made mistake is to think you don't need much for those longer rides, you just pile it in on your return don't you........WRONG.
The damage is done by then, eat as you ride, its essential for a better workout and your recovery will be much better as you have a head start in your body repairs.
You can pack your pockets with expensive energy bars, or even good old jam sandwiches (cut the crusts off), but as far as I'm concerned only one product does the bizz for this tough task.
Allsports International produce a specific Winter training formula drink.
2 750 ml bottles of this in gorgeous Butterscotch flavour is good enough for 4 hours of riding, job done fuel and watered in one go, no messing. Right now they have an offer of 4Kg for £30 inc. p&p if you contact them and quote the offer code WTF6 when you order. If it keeps me going for 4 hrs it must work as I eat like a pig normally.
Come on, I can hear at the back there, there's no way I'm doing that much riding, what's the point!
Well think of all your time on a bike as a pyramid. The number of hours you do from now untill Feb counts as how wide the base of your pyramid will be. Now if you think of the height the pyramid can reach as an indication of your potential for Power and speed, it stands to reason that the Rider building one with the wider base will be able to increase the height more than those with a tiny base, before it topples over.
So what type of riding then;
You'll probably be aware that these should be long and steady, but that don't mean dull.
Often most people go to hard, you really should be at a level where your able to hold a conversation easily, i.e. not breathing so much that you gasp for breath between words. So ideally put it to the test and get out with a group, this also helps to make the hours fly by too.
Groups can also have a negative effect, that of the added pressure of going too fast.
Don't allow yourself to be pushed into going to hard, all that you'll succeed in doing is causing the need for more recovery from the effort, as well as limiting your ability to continue for the planned ride time.
With a group you can spice it up by launching off on occasional short sprints for a laugh, just name your target and go for it. Watch the group try and chase you down, a good exercise in sprinting and a welcome warmer for cold bits, just keep them short and sweet.
Often if I'm on a 4 hour solo slog, I'll challenge myself to keep my average speed increasing from ride start to end. Hit the Speedo lap timer every hour and try and make your fastest hour the last, not an easy task.
Usually the speed you found so easy to keep up for the first hour will kill you in the fourth, all part of the learning process. Next ride go out steadier, fight the feeling that your going incredibly slowly and build it up.
Far better to finish the ride feeling good than falling in a heap through your door. Because you held something back, you'll be convinced that your flying, rather than throwing the bike in the shed till next Spring.
Note: most world distance records are set by doing the second half of the event faster than the first, so its worth learning some restraint.
Equipment checklist.
- For the really committed it has to be a winter hack road bike, or preferably a cross bike. They allow the use of wider tyres, for better puncture resistance, and still allow some off road fun. I run one with flat bars and disc brakes, and still hit the mud for some great skills tests mid ride. Your MTB with slicks is a better option than big dragging knoblies though.
- Good gloves and shoes are essential, plenty of room is the key. Restricted blood flow will cool your extremities quicker than any cold.
- Lights that last the distance. I use Lumicycle, on charge every night for a guaranteed 4 hr ride time at 10W, or a blinding 40W HID for the same time for off road fun. 3 yrs of hassle free use is the reward for a simple effective design, worth every penny.
- Get a head torch on you helmet. Its essential for speedo watching and those bike repair moments. Simple white LED models, running on AA batteries are perfect for 20 hrs and will even get you home in an emergency.
- Plenty of drink, just because it's winter don't stop you sweating, eases you recovery if you stay hydrated too.
- Mudguards. Its a amazing how shit up you get in deepest winter, when effectively so little is from rain. Most of the wetness comes from below, (unless your from Wales) another reason for less knobles or thinner tyres, so cut this out and your rides will be more comfortable. At worst get a front extending mudguard, its amazing how much of that crap on your face is from being flicked up from the top of the front tyre.
- Cover your mouth, a fleecy buff is ideal. Breath through something to warm the air, it will save damage to your precious lungs through the winter.
We ride out for at least 2 hours every Tuesday night from HERE, come along and join us for a good workout throughout the winter, lights essential naturally.
These are the Insane views of Jack - Qualifications.......none