On a bike I mean (although any ladies with really good legs feel free to post up)
I've done quite a lot of big rides this year - SDW, 45+ milers around the Surrey Hills, Purbecks, etc.
I did the 4 hour at Thetford yesterday and after 40 mins had nothing. I don't think I went off fast, had enough to eat and so on but was just useless. Was hobbling round by the end and felt worse than I've been for a long time after a ride - stiff, sore, etc.
What causes this and how can you prevent it?
Do some actual big rides rather than short ones, that'll sort them out.
porridge.
LOL at Samuri 🙂
😉
Unless the plus bit in the 45+ miler indicates an extra 55 miles then you dont have any long rides in there.
So do some long rides and perhaps put some hills in there too...
less than five times in my life, have I had what I might describe as "good" legs
(I don't ride that much & almost always with fitter, faster riders - it's not a good combination)
Unless the plus bit in the 45+ miler indicates an extra 55 miles then you dont have any long rides in there
🙄
this morning............
I did a shortish ride Sat - prob about 30Km - fair number of big hills - went off too fast then bonked halfway up teh first serious climb - been getting fitter in the last few weeks - couldn't understand it - got back and my wife said - you didn't eat much this morning (2 pieces of toast) and the combination of the fast pace - thats it - ride enjoyment over - had 2 energy bars but only kicked in in teh last 15 mins 🙁 I also think you have the occasional bad day fitness wise and also I think sometimes what you eat the night before has a big influence!
45 miles is a big ride IMO. Depends what the terrain is like though. 45 miles round Ladybower would be the end of me. 🙄
Serious question - why do we seem to have this perception that 'long' rides is the way to train for these sort of events. What is the science, apart from the fact that if your normal ride is 8 hours with serious hills then 4 hours 'on the flat' will seem like a trip to the shops?
I work on the basis that if you're aiming to do a 4 hour ride, in preparation some 5+ hour rides will be enough. In fact, some rides up to 4 hours would probably be enough, since the last bit you can usually blag. Marathon runners don't train over the full distance, let alone twice that distance. 24 hour soloists don't train by doing 24's let alone 48's. Likewise I spend my time doing and 'preparing' for the rides that I do.
The fact is, i do quite a lot of rides of 'intermediate' length / duration, similar to what I was in for yesterday, yet yesterday I felt awful in comparison. I didn't do anything particularly different yesterday in preparation, because i don't when I'm doing a normal ride. Just a bad day, and why does this happen?
I did the 4hr enduro at Thetford yesterday too & had a great ride (by my own standards). Was still probably way down the pecking order, but it's more about challenging myself.
I always find that it is really important to make sure you keep drinking plenty of water the day before a long ride & on the morning too. Most of my 'heavy' leg days I can seem to relate to not drinking much in the previous day or so. I have also started eating lots before the race. I have toast & cereal for breakfast, then eat a banana in the car on the way over, then slowly eat a snack bar while getting the bike in fine fettle.
If you are low on energy & a bit dehydrated to start with, I find it doesn't matter how much energy drink/gel you take, you can't make up the deficit.
What did you think of the course? I thought it was excellent. One of the best they have put together & just about the right distance to feel that you are making progress.
Course was great although by about the third hours those up and down dips when you don't have much oomph in the legs were becoming tricky to find the right gear and keep it turning effectively - spin down one side with nothing to push against or stall up the upside.
I've said about Theftord before, I find it deceptive becuase although there aren't any hills that means there's very little freewheeling either.
So what does a 'great ride' consist of by your standards. Only 6 laps here in 3:56 including some lurking on the last one - couldn't be arsed for a 7th.
[i]Just a bad day, and why does this happen? [/i]
Loads of things I'd say, lack of hydration, lack of food, lack of sleep, tiredness, mental attitude, and so on and on. Sometimes your body just doesn't seem to want to go for a ride. Simple as that. I get them occasionally, I just go home, and do something else.
I went home early on Saturday, just didn't have anything in my legs from the start. Probably left over from Morzine the week before.
yes, and i dont understand them, guess its cos i am old and dont ride enough....
One of my legs went on a ride yesterday. All the strength went from my quads so found it difficult lifting my leg on the up part of the pedal stroke (the other legs was fine though). Then i ran out of water. Then i fell off. Then i got a puncture. It wasn't a good ride.
Thetford is my usual haunt, so I think I have a bit of an advantage in that respect.
There were some undulating sections and it is hard to keep going through them when you are tiring. I find with the plum buster, it's best to just get into an easy gear at the start & spin up it, pulling & pushing the bike away & towards you over the humps. The wind on some of the fire roads was a bit drastic too!
I managed 7 laps in 4hrs 7mins and was pretty pleased with that. It's a shame to think that I could have gone a minute a lap quicker and fitted an eighth in, but I will know for August.
I was aiming for 35 mins/lap so was just outside that. I knew that getting through the start in time for an eighth was pushing it.
One of my riding mates who is doing the 6-4-2 challenge managed 9 laps in 4hrs 20!!
I went past a guy riding a Black Orange 5, with a bright yellow jersey - Was that you? Or there was a tall lad on possibly a Stumpjumper that I overtook on the plum buster.....?
theotherjonv it's about what you do in a run up to an event that matters most. You need to eat and drink right, train well, sleep well, etc.
If you feel like crap on the day ten stuffing in a few energy gels won't undo poor preperation.
Try preparing well before hand and on the day eat something every 30 minutes right from the start - hungry or not have a gel, energy bar, banana, whatever.
On days when I feel crap on the bike it's generally because I haven't had enough slep, ridden too much in previous days or had too many beers the night before.
It really is all about preperation.
The guy in the yellow on an Orange was my mate Rich.
I was on a Fuel in a Gold and Black retro roadie style jersey. I'm sure you'll have passed me too!
The section that really seemed to haunt me was the fireroad up to Plum Buster. Seemed to be much harder than it really was and trying to keep pace up there left me already tiring before the Plum Buster even started!
Ha ha....know what you mean....the singletrack prior to the fireroad was fine - but then the short transition out of the trees seemed really draggy & then that stretch of fire road was much more tiring than it looked. Weird.
If you're doing the August one - my advice would be (not that I am by any means at a 'competitive level')...get a good nights sleep for a couple of day before, make sure you eat a decent amount & drink lots the day before. On the morning - keep eating, even if it's just motuhfuls here & there and keep drinking water as well. If you are driving a fair distance - have a bottle of water in the car.
When the race starts, don't get carried along in the rush to the first corner - just go at your own pace even if it does seem like you are being left for dead (if you do the 2hr, then you often miss the first corner bun fight by putting in a bit of effort at the start, but there's no bottlenecks for the 4hr riders). I generally feel like I am right at the back within about 10 mins. I try & ride consistently, even if it means perhaps being a bit conservative at the beginning & then ramping it up towards the end. I'd rather feel like I have some left in reserve & upping the pace for the last couple of laps, than spanking out the first couple of laps then losing all energy & making the rest of the race a torment, as opposed to something that should be enjoyed!
I try & have an energy gel at least once a lap & drink at least 500ml/lap.
Look out for the ancient Black/Red Stumpjumper FSR at the next race with black Reba team forks. I'll keep my eye out for your Fuel.
I don't think I can make the last one. I know what you mean about the early laps / effort. That's why i was pretty surprised because I hadn't gone too fast too soon. Looking at my laps on timelaps (can't access at work) I did consistent- albeit slow - 35/35/38 (incl a weebreak) for the first three, but then I just folded and gained 7-8 mins per lap like hitting a wall.
Must try harder!