A bit further, or a bit harder, whenever you have a gap
Life is what happens while you’re making other plans, said John Lennon, or perhaps Allen Saunders.
In this vein, it must be said that everyone undertaking an endurance challenge first has their own idea of how much training will be enough, but second must face the reality of what is possible alongside other commitments.
I set out to follow some of the milestones in the Ride Across Britain Training Plans, and fit what I could around them.
The Intermediate Plan contained the following waypoints, for a September start. Bear in mind the end goal, which is to be able to ride around 110 hilly miles / 170 km per day for 9 consecutive days.
- Jan – 250 miles total / 402 km (Done)
- Feb – 100 mile ride flat / 160.9 km (Done – Tour de Greggs)
- Mar – 100 miles hilly / 160.9 km (Done – Tour de Basingstoke)
- Apr – Back-to-back 100 m flat / 160.9 km (No. But London Revolution)
- May – Back-to-back 100 m hilly / 160.9 km (No. But 100km Leith Loop)
- Jun – 120 miles flat / 193 km (No. But AAA Milne Audax)
- July – 120 m hilly / 193 km (No. But 99 Flake, 1,000km total in July)
- Aug – 120 m hilly, bad weather (No. But Extreme Wet Weather Training)
I didn’t hit the milestones from April. Spending consecutive days out for 6 hours at a time was not compatible with having a job and a family. But after doing London Revolution (155 miles / 250km) then 1,000 km in total during July, I felt ready.
On most days I only had time for shorter rides, so I rode harder, aiming for new PBs on Strava segments with recovery between. Outdoors, I never rode intervals at specific power, cadence or speed, instead going with the road and the conditions. The milestone distances were ridden with my partner in crime Ed, who is taller and slightly broader than me and provided a helpful draft.
In general, I tried to maintain 150 km (93 miles) per week come rain or shine. By the summer, I increased to 300 km (186 miles) per week, before tapering from mid-August.
To keep myself interested indoors, I rarely rode the same course on Zwift and tried many different group rides and workouts. In real life, I had a well-worn route round Richmond Park that would start at 25km (15.5 miles, 55 mins) then could be dialled up with more laps or going harder on each lap.
Over time, I gradually learned routes all over Surrey and Kent, occasionally repeating Box Hill or a 100km (60 mile) loop, but often exploring new roads, inspired by the rides of others on Strava and Ridewithgps.
Some statistics:
- Weekly Average: 3.2 rides, 88 miles / 142 km
- Indoor / Outdoor Balance: Jan-Mar 70/30, Apr-Aug 25/75
- Longest Ride: 250km (155 miles)
- Indoor rides paused due to large spider coming too close: 1
- Buzzard attacks on steep climbs: 1
Overall, my strategy was firstly ‘go a bit further or a bit harder, whenever you have a gap’, secondly ‘only go if you want to’ and thirdly ‘once you’ve started, don’t give up’. Time will tell, but I think it worked out.
The Cycling Eagle 