Fondo 160km training and long rides?

Training
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1

hi all,

new to cycling and new to structured training. aiming for 160km sportive next may. I’m 4 weeks into SSB1. loving the Trainerroad app on my Wattbike Atom.

looked ahead and the remaining SSB, Sustained Build, Century
/ climbing road race speciality plan-

questions

  1. which speciality would you advise? from podcast and here i understand CRR might be more suitable than Century.

  2. looking ahead at low/med plan to conclusion, i see no sessions greater then 2 hrs. would this be enough for 6 hrs in the saddle come ‘race’ day?

many thanks for your advice.

2
  1. Depends a bit on how you want to do the event. Race like would lean towards a “race” plan option, so you can respond to pace changes. Fun and finish like would lean towards Century.
  • Also, event profile can influence the choice in some cases, so you can consider a plan aimed at that as well.
  1. The plans focus o Sweet Spot training. As such it’s about building muscle endurance. You will be able to make the jump to the larger time in the saddle and finish, despite the training time.
  • But, doing longer rides is a good idea to test bike fit, nutrition and such. So, look in the plans weekly notes, and you will see a “long” option to replace the normal Sunday Sweet Spot ride with an longer endurance ride. Usually 2.5-3+ hours at easier pace.
3

thanks for the response.

the profile is ca. 1500m climbing ~450m at 30km again at 70km then similar elevation gain over 30km in final 1/3.

im with two pals so will be competing against them. i have some work to do to catch up though they arent following a structured plan and i feel TR is my secret weapon.

so i think ill end up on climbing road race and slot in some longer rides in latter half of plan.

4

If you’re new to cycling make sure you lock in your on-bike nutrition for a race that long. Also make sure to take a few long rides and don’t skimp on your core work.

From a cardiovascular perspective, indoor structured training will work plenty well. But if you don’t know how to fuel on a bike for a ride/race that long, or if your body can’t support staying in the on-bike position that long and your lower-back/shoulders cramp – you’ll be laying on the side of the road or have a gut that is causing you issues – with super fit lungs, and an inability to continue.

Good luck!

5

great advice, thanks.