Ok I have had a slight moment of madness and put myself forward for a 12 hour enduro (riding completley solo) on April 10th! So that does not leave me much time to prepare. Never done an enduro event before, what tips would you give? (this is from 8am to 8pm so no light issue)
What would be best for energy over a prolonged period, any training tips that I can cram in between now and then, anything really would be a big help!
Do lots of training (long rides) over the next few weeks, then have a weeks rest before the event.
any other tips?
There's probably loads of solo-ists on here that are super fit etc etc etc. and drink all the torque drinks and energy bars and what not, and they'll chip in with the 'pro' advice.
But i'm no one of them, I do cycle a reasonable amount, ( to work and at work ) and I do on occasion enter into daft things like you've just done.
My experiences from being a daftie at these things...
If its a lapped event, and assuming a 1hr to 1h15.min lap time ( ish ) then take a break after each lap. 10 to 15mins. Be realistic, you're not going to win it, so you may as well be able to stay the distance and last the time. Taking proper breaks early on makes a difference further down the line towards the end of the time.
Drinks ... take plenty. To be honest, I normally just drink diluting orange which i make on the sweeter, more concentrated side. The fancy mineral drinks sometimes make me boke when i'm working hard. An alternative I tried was to put Berocca tablets into water as a mineral source .... its only minerals and vitamins after all.
Food ... I find forcing myself to eat a snack at each break helps too. Banana's are good. I dont buy the expensive energy bars. I personally buy the cheaper cereal / breakfast bars. Best of all I think are fig rolls. Not too sweet, nice n chewy but not too dry either. As already said, i'm not out to win and a baw-hairs worth of a difference given by a stupidly expensive bar or gel isn't worth it. Fig rolls FTW. !!!
Training wise, longer rides and pushing out the stamina levels really as already said. MOre a case of just getting out on the bike and putting the time in so you're used to expelling effort over a long sustained time. Speed aint an issue, keeping the pedals turning through to the end is. Also, make sure your bike is comfy after long long periods. I found that a setup of a bike I liked for short blasts turned out to be sore on the back after a longer number of hours.
Oh you mean XC marathon not an enduro then
whys that then juan - what differentiates the 2 ?
whys that then juan - what differentiates the 2 ?
I can see this enduro/endurance think becoming common. 
xc marathon go around a fields for 12/24 hours. Points if the field is muddy. Enduro Ride 30 to 40 kms. With usually 3 specials timed. No need to say the timed bits usually points down.
The 'endurance' events that we do in Scotland can feel like and endurance enduro depending how much you enjoy the downs. AFAIK 900ft per lap at the Strathpuffer for 24 hours. 
I did a 100mile sportive with next to no preperation.
Went to shefffield, slept with the ex, did the sheffield-glossop-hope valley loop (70miles, lots of climbimg) every day for three days (in between sleeping with the ex). Felt fine for the sportive.
Although your going to be going for almost double the time, you'll probably be going slower, should hopefully cancel out.
As others said, force yourself to take brakes, I didn't need that cup of tea and flapjack after the first 30 miles, but it was making all the difference in the last 20.
what differentiates the 2 ?
wear double padded shorts
cheers for the tips, the event is here by the way:
http://www.hayfieldhub.net/MH2010.html
all for chraity!
Damn, I was about to say 'ride around a field 100 times' but that looks like it could be pretty good, and it's for a good cause!
Yeah I am looking forward to it actually!
Stage 9 of 25 of Europe's longest Enduro race:
Ash - thats the first hearing about the Trans Provence - sounds frikkin awesome! All for a grand? Next years event may very well be on my to do list!
tjr what about this year and next year
Who know you might even meet me
Already a stupid ammount of plans for this year, not enough cash! Next year I think.
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