Complementary gym and Equipment

Hi I am preparing for a 110 km race in South Argentina from San Martín de Los Andes to Villa La Angostura (gran fondo 7 lagos)
I am doing the 5 x week training plan I have an FTP of 214. I have three questions

  1. Any gym exercises recommended during the week to complement
  2. What adds more value purchasing power meter pedals or carbon wheels
  3. What is a typical nutrition plan for a race like this one?
    Thanks!!

Hey there and welcome to the TR community! Looks like an awesome event!

1 – Gym work is a good idea – it can help you be a strong, well-rounded athlete. Here are a few TR resources on strength training that might be useful:

2 – We’d recommend a power meter over carbon wheels (though we love both, of course :wink: ). The power meter will do much more to improve your training, ultimately making you faster than even the best carbon wheels would on their own. A power meter can make your cycling training more effective and productive while allowing you to measure your performance and overall fitness objectively.

Better training = more watts. Here’s how just 10 extra watts of fitness stack up against other upgrades you could buy:


3 – For nutrition, make sure to prioritize carbohydrate intake. Even in your day-to-day meals, try to focus on eating enough carbs. Carbs will provide you with the energy you need for high-intensity training.

On the bike, try to down a gel/take on carbs every 20-30 minutes. Athletes try to maximize their carb intake on the bike to maximize performance. A good starting point for carb intake would be ~50g/hr while training/racing. Some athletes work their way up to ~100g/hr, though it takes time to acclimate your gut to that much nutrition coming in while exercising.

These resources should help you out with additional nutrition info:

Hope that info is useful for you. Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions!

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