Climbing training for Alps? « Singletrack Forum

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Climbing training for Alps?

19 posts & 13 voices | Started 5 months ago by weeksy | Latest reply from SevenPillarsofIgnorance

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weeksy - Member

As some are aware a good chunk of my training is gym based on a mon-fri basis.

So, next year we're doing Pass'portes du soleil and also some climbing on the Alps on road rubber. PErsonally i'll be on the 29er HT, one maybe both of the other lads i expect to be on Roadies.. However, that's of little relevence.

So this week i've been 'climbing' on the bikes in the gym. Which boiled down for teh last 2 days to be 45 mins on the maximum resistance the machine goes to. Which equated to 50rpm cadenece overall. With a couple of bursts for 1km intervals.

Now i forsee for example Alp D'Huez taking >1hour but obviously as i've not ridden there, i don't know if me upping these trainings to 1hr 30 for example is sufficient for the climb as i don't know if the resistance i'm training at is real-world to what i'll be climbing in.

Any thoughts on what i should be doing etc ?

Posted 5 months ago #
chakaping - Member

Well don't worry about the climbing on the Passportes for a start, there's not much of it at all.

Posted 5 months ago #
glenh - Member

Can't help you with the gym training stuff as I've never been to one, but in my experience on those big hills, fat = slow, skinny = fast.
If you've got any weight to lose, that's a good place to start

Posted 5 months ago #
nickf - Member

Well don't worry about the climbing on the Passportes for a start, there's not much of it at all.

1200m last year. In a full-face helmet, on a DH bike.

Posted 5 months ago #
weeksy - Member

sorry, wasn't clear, we're doing some climbing on the roads in advance of the PDS.

Posted 5 months ago #
Rob Hilton - Member

Do the gym do spinning classes?

Sometimes I like to ignore the instructor, whack the resistance right up and grind away standing up for a good half hour while the rest of the group looks at me sweating and heaving like I'm a nutter.

If only they knew.

Posted 5 months ago #
weeksy - Member

Do the gym do spinning classes?

Sometimes I like to ignore the instructor, whack the resistance right up and grind away standing up for a good half hour while the rest of the group looks at me sweating and heaving like I'm a nutter.

If only they knew.

i do 3-4 spinning classes a week and incorporate mostly climbs.

Posted 5 months ago #
69er - Member

Losing body weight is the top tip for climbing.

Ride loads of road climbs sat down, but retain the ability to stand of for periods to give eveything a chance to stretch out and use different muscles. When out of the saddle change up a gear or two and back down as you sit down, this will help to maintain consistent speed as your cadence varies.

50 rpm seems quite slow, but that is a personal thing. I would use the perceived rate of exertion scale for training, and climbing Alpe D'Heuz for the first time is likely to feel extremely hard by the time you've done the first three ramps....

The main issue for me on the Alpe or anywhere else is the heat and humidity, not sure how you train for that here..

Posted 5 months ago #
weeksy - Member

Losing body weight is the top tip for climbing.

As much as i'd love to see that happen... it won't be.

I'm an MTBer and sit in my desk in IT world during the day...

Don't get me wrong here, i'm not looking to be setting any records... just get up it and train to the best of my ability for it.

With time constraints, a small child and no turbo trainer etc at home, i'm restriced in what i can and can't do.. but would like to focus the time i DO have spare and avaiable in the best way.

Posted 5 months ago #
Shandy - Member

I don't think you need to get obsessed with grinding out an hour and a half at maximum resistance.

If you're not looking to set any records you just need to be able to put in a consistent effort over an hour or two. You will still be able to spin most road bikes fairly easily up a 7 or 8 % climb, if you're on a MTB cassette then that increases even more.

The climbs in the Alps only get really nasty when they get towards 10%, other than that its just a war of attrition. Take enough food & water, make allowances for the heat and sunburn, and don't go out too fast at the start.

There are a lot of profiles of the major cols on the net, so you can see where the steepest bits are in advance. For instance the Col de Colombiere gave me an absolute kicking this Summer, I thought I was going really well and didn't leave a lot in reserve for the final kilometre or two, which is the steepest, hottest section of the climb.

Posted 5 months ago #
Rob Hilton - Member

i do 3-4 spinning classes a week and incorporate mostly climbs

3 or 4 of pretty much the same class?

Taking a couple of those out and replacing with short, puke inducing intensity interval sessions could benefit you - if you can find a way of doing so.

Posted 5 months ago #
weeksy - Member

reason for the minor change away from spinning at the moment is that our work gym is in for a refurb after being bought out by a big gym company, so we're down the road at the moment in the swanky gym with sauna/steam etc but a distinct lack of spin bikes at the times i go to the gym, hence me using the generic cycle in the gym for the next 4 weeks.

Posted 5 months ago #
thomthumb - Member

climbing is a result of your power:weight ratio.

up the power or lose the weight. or some of both.

Posted 5 months ago #
iDave - Member

50rpm is too low for alpine climbs, 80-90 is more efficient.

Posted 5 months ago #
heuer27 - Member

My mate did the alpe this summer as a fit roadie and said it was the heat that killed him and the rest of the party. He said he struggled to breath due due the heat and humidity not the physical exertion.

Posted 5 months ago #
jameso - Member

I did some alpine road days this summer, big enough to scare me into some kind of training which I've not done in the past. I found that a few months of long steady road rides in the hills and lots of regular 1-3hr SS off-road rides did me a lot of good - ie my normal riding with more 'roadie hills at the weekend' focus, and a bit harder work on the SS. It's a good mix and stoped me getting bored; it worked as I breezed up climbs that I've popped on before.

If you focus just on strength the climbs will beat you, they're too long for all-out power unless you're pro-fit. You need to be fit enough to spin a barely-comfortable gear over a long period and have reserves for the steep bits or effect of altitude.

Alpine road climbs can be ridden hard in a taller gear if you hit one like Alpe D'Huez from the bottom as a TT, most others as part of a longer day are best spun up in as high a gear as you can keep going at high cadence, sat or stood. May feel easy on the first of the day, but by the third you'll be glad - pacing yourself is the hardest bit I find.
I'd avoid the gym unless you already have a solid base fitness on road and have experience in training. Just ride more hills, longer days out, ride a SS - whatever you enjoy and can do loads of really.

Posted 5 months ago #
JImmAwelon - Member

Dont expect any lads to be on roadies.
A roadie is a road bike rider, a road bike is not a roadie, ok?
Carry on with your workout (at the gym)

Posted 5 months ago #
weeksy - Member

thanks all.

Much appreciated.

More training/longer rides won't happen. Small child and wife means that's not an option.

Posted 5 months ago #
SevenPillarsofIgnorance - Member

If you can lose some weight - and I know it's not easy - that is probably the best tip. However, don't under-estimate the psychological barriers - climbing something like the Alpe is not really comparable to anything in the UK (yes, there are steeper climbs you Fred Whitton buffs); there's the relentless gradient and, as others have said, the heat can be a killer. Think positive and understand from the bottom that 1) it will hurt, a lot and 2) you will be putting in a hard effort for well over an hour. Don't "go for it" - it will break you. Re cadence, 50's is, in my opinion, far too slow, I'd aim to be in the 80's; your knees will thank you later. It's your training regime; but for me, spinning is nothing like being on a long hill. If you have the time, which I'm not sure you have, take a day climbing up and down Snake Pass about two/three weeks before your trip. Also bear in mind you will be descending at speeds only resticted by the size of your balls/skill. Hope this helps and enjoy the trip.

Posted 5 months ago #

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