I’ll keep it sweet. I’d like to up my fitness to acceptable level to compete in some gravity enduro events. This season is out of the question, so next season is the aim (plenty of time to at least start something).

The background:
I’m young, and have about 2/3 years worth of experience with pissing about at trail centres, so nothing special. My base fitness is relatively good in general (non bike specific), but could probably do with upping my distance capabilities as really i haven’t done that many longer distance rides and would struggle with pace at anything over 25k). My burst speed is good but i struggle to maintain that over anything thats not a short sharp climb.

As the title suggests, the flat out fit program offered by the rafferty brothers seems like a good source of training help as its supposedly a personally tailored program. Has anyone tried this and can maybe shed some experience as to whether its worth the 90 rips? I ain’t loaded, but i don’t have the brain/will power to read through endless scientific theories on interval sprints and vo2 max mumbojumpo (i.e. i’m a simpleton)

So, trainingtrackworld, give me your best…

I did it last year for 8 weeks before i went to the alps and it was very good – I felt as fit and strong as I could remember having finished it. Thoroughly recommended.

There are two issues; fitness and skill. Although it sounds like a silly answer the best route to fitness is probably a road bike. The skill bit is about you recognising where you are lacking and learning or training yourself to get better.

Emmodd: thanks for the recommendation

crikey: Yeah, i realise that there are two aspects to this, both fitness and skill being separate. The skill part is a separate issue and i’ll take that as it comes another time, right now what i need to improve is fitness. I own a road bike but it doesn’t see the road much as in brutal honesty i find it mind numbingly boring so to ride it for fitness gains would require some form of training knowledge which i a. don’t have b. don’t have the dedicated learning time to pick up all by myself (this is where a little tailored help might be worth the investment providing i get results). I’d like to think myself as a realist, (with maybe a little ambition) so i know where my strengths and weakness mostly lie i just don’t know how to fix them in the best available spare time i have! (not much)

2 halfs to the question

do you have a turbo?
http://www.trainerroad.com/
try this several trainer programmes that worked at a basic level for me but would work better if you started with a lot of fitness.

second Q
do you have the skillz to pay the billz? Get coaching however good you think you are (unless you are in Andora this weekend)

If they find road riding dull then then suggesting a turbo session isn’t going to help

IME it’s all down to motivation.

Even when I’ve not touched a bike in weeks or months I gan flog myself into the ground doing 100 miles on the road bike if I tell someone I’m going to do it.

The same applies to training, you would probably get fitter buying a £90 racer off gumtree and joining a cycling club, 8 weeks and 100miles will be no bother (well 70 won’t, 100 might still hurt).

If you’re not fit enough to be confident of riding ever day for a week then its a fair assumption theres lots of room for improvement (especialy if you considder 25km a long ride!). You’d get faster just doing some long rides 40-50miles once a week, then going out for a coulple of short mid week rides with fast sections (or just with faster mates). If you can comit to actualy doing that then it’ll have almost the exact same efect as any structured plan. Where it fails is in motivation, some people need a kick up the arse, you’re expecting to get it from paying £90 for a plan.

Personaly I’d joining more clubs/goups and riding with faster people on longer rides generaly, the advantage of that is your skill will increace in proportin to the fitness, you make more friends and it’s fun, the riding itself is the motivation. The one time I tried a plan it didn’t work as inevitably I’d want to do a long ride at the weekend with the club and it would perscribe a 30 mile recovery ride, or it would say do session on wednesday in the pissing rain after taking a rest on tuesday missin a group ride in the sunshine.

I’m sure i’ve just replied but it seems to have disappeared so apologies if this is repeating myself

Thanks for the replies, i’d just like to clear one or two things up though.

Riding mates/faster mates/ groups (that i know of):
I don’t have any mates that ride bikes (except for one, who’s starting from the same point as i am). I’ve ridden in the past with one work colleague who further demoralised me on the climbs, this did nothing to motivate me to try harder as you’d expect, instead it just put me off riding with them as i wasn’t enjoying my riding AT ALL(that is the whole point of riding after all). I lack confidence in my fitness which is why i don’t enjoy riding in a group of people i don’t know, maybe when i get to a stage where i can hold my own with average riders will i then take this avenue.

25k: is not considered a long ride. 25k +above of riding at intervals of race pace is, i have no endurance and probably lack base.

road bike: i have one, i just don’t use it as i find it dull. I’m prepared to mtfu and use it providing what i’m doing isn’t a waste of time and more importantly i can see some benefit. If theres other ways of doing the same (ie. with a mtb) i’d opt for that though as at least then i’d enjoy it a little more.

Motivation: I won’t argue with you, i sometimes lack it when i can’t see light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve trained in the past by just simply riding as hard as i could as often as i had time for but i was soon de motivated again when i turned up at a local XC race feeling good about myself and what i’d done so far to be simply shown up and proved that i needn’t have bothered doing any training.

Riding for a week: I’ve not tried it, however I’m comfortable training off the bike (non bike related activities) for 5-6 days a week on a regular occurrence so I can’t see it being too much of an issue.

and finally… skills: No i’m not in Andorra this weekend. Yes i have taken skills coaching in the past, and would again when i find something that i’d like a professional opinion on. No this post isn’t about improving my riding skills.

Thanks for your comments, i’ve no way disregarded any of them, i just thought maybe shedding some more light may avoid confusion