I am planning on doing my own 7 day Transalp in late August, but am struggling to deduce the best way of training for it given my lack of available training time during the week. People say "just get out and ride", but I have read that just doing that can be a waste of the time you have and you do need some structure. I am trying to source a 12-16 week plan and was wondering whether anyone has or knows of one that will enable me to do the ride.
I have searched google, but so far have not found anything suitable
Thanks
It depends on what you're trying to achieve really. If you're doing your own, then I take it that it's not a race? In which case things like aerobic capacity, lactic threshold etc. become largely irrelevant, and advice such as just get out and ride is pretty sensible.
Walking up a few hills won't do much harm either.
That is all well and good, but would a training programme not assist in focussing the mind as well and conditioning the body for the event?
Go and ride up a long, steep, technical hill. Ride down it again. If you then can't go straight up another one, turn round and go back up the hill you've just come down. Do this as often as you can.
If you don't have any decent hills nearby, go up what you have in a couple of gears harder than you would normally.
Do this on consecutive days. Good rest of a few days in between. Do it again but more. Good rest again in between,
There really is no need to be too scientific for this.
Training needs to be specific to what your goal is.
No point doing sprint training with an optimum peak period if your goal is not to win a two lap track race for example.
Ian's suggestion of hill walking is also good. Muscle adaptation in your legs and core along with sustained aerobic stress.
Focus the mind? In what respect? You either want to do it and enjoy it or you're not commited and if you do it, you'll endure it.
Make a decision and stay with it. Even a pedal turn by pedal turn training plan requires mental conviction to complete it.
If you need the psychological structure of a training plan, write your own.
Find the hill. Ride up and down if as often as you can. Remember how many times and how long. Rest for two days or easy cycle or walk. Eat well. Drink lots of water. Go back and do 10% quicker (if you can) and one more rep (if you can). Rest etc. for two days. Go back and do it 10% more again. repeat....up or lower your effort as you feel. Take and extra two days rest every fourth cycle. Complete rest until you feel better if you start to feel ill or overly lethargic.
Go and have an ace time in the Alps.
How can you rest for 2 days if on the day I have 7 back to back days of 1500m of climbing to do?
Op states lack of time......
Mon to Fri try
Lunchtime gym work
Core abs
Legs squats lunges leg prees
Arms, shoulders and back
Aim build muscle and endurance your arms and back will tire so build muscle to compensate. Legs and core equal power and stabilisation
Try 3 times a week
Evening
Spin class a really high intensity class try2 to3 per week
Walking or running
Above 45 minstrel each time
Weekends long ride at moderate pace
Or short ride at intensity
Enyoy
You'll manage. Trust me. Be specific in your training. Do it lots but with rest days and you'll be more than fine over 7 days.
You need strength and aerobic stress. Not fast cadence anaerobic stuff. You go anaerobic on those climbs, you're in trouble.
Monksie+1
It's an endurance exercise with the emphasis on 'endure' rather than exercise. If you want to do it you will do it, fitness really is very much a secondary concern.
+1 IanMunro cos he +1'd me and I liked it.
part of the fitness is mental aka endure agreed but if you feel you have trained and are prepared you will endure better,
consider the odd club 10 to get a feel for what you can and can't do
You get up earlier and train in the mornings I start at 0600 in to work by 0800 so thats 2 hours every day and I grab the odd long ride at weekends. Go figure where you can add time. Mileage itself will be enough for what you want to do. I did the Trans alps enduro in 2011 and lots of other multi day long distance. I used Afan a lot just went there and cycled loops to help train to get enough climbing. I also found a very steep hill about 15 mins from home. 2 hours of up and down intervals on that was enough to kill me. Its not technically difficult but the climbing is tough. Its easy you need to see what you have locally and get using it. Dont expect it to come to you.
Like everyone says its tough its meant to be tough and you need to train hard there are no short cuts.
Getting up earlier is a bit tricky given I have to get up at 545am anyway for work.
I have a good hill near me and I will do as Monksie says and just ride up and down as many times as I can. It takes me nearly 10 mins on the MTB and is a good steep climb so a good few ups and downs will do the trick!
I already do 2 days a week in the gym on abs and leg presses, so I will just add in a spinning session or 2 as well.
I agree that once you are there with no other distractions you just get on with it and feel the pain!
Lynda Wallenfels is a reputable coach and has [url= http://lwcoaching.com/?page_id=159#7daysrfinisher ]online training plans[/url]. You might not have the time to follow one of those though? They cost $99 too.
Which route are you taking? We set off on 6 July to do ours (a strange route that I can't see anyone else has done). I have doen about 8 or 9 up to now. email if you want any pointers, lists, maps etc
C
I am doing this one
http://www.transalp.info/albrecht-route/
Is that one you have done before and if so what was it like?
Haven't done all of that one, but have done a couple of variations on the Joe Route which does some of the same route (mainly St Anton to Sesvennahutte). You will have no problems. About 10,000 Germans do a TransAlp every year so you won't be alone! You'll be hooked and be looking to do longer trips very soon!
Our planned route this year is Geneva to Como which is Geneva, Morzine, Gstaad, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Altdorf, Disentis, Terrihutte, Lentica, Bellinzona, Dongia, Milan. I reckon 600km and 30,000m
C
As above - Consecutive long (hard) training days with lots of climbing. Then rest well and then go and do it all again.
If I was going to race it again (which I'm not) ... I would go and find the longest, steepest most boring fire road climb I could and do it again ... and again ... and again ... and again.
Although it is an endurance event some interval training will help your fitness no end. It will introduce some variety which will stop you getting bored and will raise your 'slow' speed. It will also help with those short, sharp technical bits of climbs.,
+2 monksie
do that, forget everything else, forget spin classes!