Planning my first Alps trip this year. Idea is to do 6 days with a guided outfit and then stay an extra three days after that. However, I'm wondering if I'll be to knackered after 6 days to do another 3! Most riding will be lift assisted so it will a different tired, compared to riding up hill tired. I know after a 6 day ski trip my legs are toasted - however that's skiing all day everyday off piste.
I'm pretty fit but eventually lots of riding catches up to you. What are peoples experiences of long riding trips. Is 6 days enough and 9 being to much for the body and hands? Area will be Les Arcs, Saint Foy etc
Cheers!
Did 10 days out there with White Room and some solo stuff, was fairly fit at big mountains at the time so that helped, was my 2nd apls trip of that year too
Practice and race at Mega was 7 days with one day on road bike before, that was fine but it wasn't none-stop riding by any means. My competence improved loads in very short space of time, rubbish to average was surprisingly rapid.
I think the short answer is both.
Depends on how old, how fit and how used you are to downhill.
I found constant all day downhill / lift assisted riding started to take its toll after 3 days and needed a day off to recover - average health / 30’s.
Found I pushed the same downhill in terms of HR / effort as bike park / cross country in U.K. and was in need of a day floating in the pool at this point to ease out hands / arm pump / general tiredness. My 160mm bike also needed a little help at this point.
The guys in the bike shops in the alps gave me tips at this point to get right back in that I wish I knew before I started.
If you’re not into heavy / long downhill it’s worth checking a few vids on how to avoid arm pump, reduce braking / overgrip, stretches etc.
I'm a fairly sedentary 55 y.o bloke who loves riding and needs to do more. After three days in the Alps my legs are starting to complain a bit but by day 5 all is usually well. However, there have been times when it has been good to have a 'slow' day. Hands and arms have never really been a problem though.
Somehow I know that this will come back to haunt me!
Did 10 days straight then a week of climbing and Alpinism about 3 years ago. Great but took about a month to recover in works time.
I would say both.
I did 2 alps trips several years ago using HT both times. The second time, the bike even lasted the full week so I didn't have to hire a full sus for the rest of the ride.
The second time I also had a reasonably big off on the first or second day, and had to chuck ibuprofen in to keep going for the rest of the week. So I reckon as long as you don't crash too badly early on, you'll be tired after it but not much of a problem.
It's weird, because you're away you just seem able to do more miles and time on the bike, then drink beers, then do it all again... It's only when you get home you collapse !
Day off in the middle to be drunk and bob around in a hot tub
I remember once cramming around 10,000m of sublime singletrack descending into a single long day with Bike Verbier. Best day's biking I've ever done, in more than 20 years of riding (and several months of that spent in the Alps and BC). Next day I felt totally battered but, guess what, I was back on the bike by 10am for more. If the trails are good enough, the adrenalin works its magic and you just push on through. As above, if you're doing a week or two, a day off can be a good idea.
I've only done 7 days straight and tbh by the end I was pretty maimed. The last couple were definitely "and I'll ride a full day today because i can rest later". I reckon if I had 10 days I'd ride 9, it's kind of a shame to go all that way and not really see anything but bike stuff. Last time I was in Les Arcs, I ended up with a day basically spare waiting for a transfer and I had a lovely time exploring, going around the markets and that, failing to speak french...
last year we did a week with Whiteroom with an extra day at either end, so 8 full days, and they were full! we could have had a ninth but were pretty done in so decided to bugger off home instead.
I did once without a day off, and wouldn't be in hurry to repeat it. As others have suggested, it's a different type of knackredness (is that even a word). If you're a regular "big circle in the woods every weekend" kinda rider then Uplift and DH in the Alps uses a bunch of different muscles and skills (not least of which is concentration) that you don't often get to exersize, plus there's altitude and drinking, and later nights, it all takes it toll.