Hello, I am preparing for my first 70.3 Ironman in Nice, where the bike course is really hilly. I am going to train in Spain where it is as well really hilly. But i dont know how to execute my training there, as at home i am only training indoors. In Spain i can attempt the outside workouts there but if i do them on the hills there i think i wont be able to match the workout. Or i can find some flats and do the workouts there but i think that wont be as beneficial for the hilly triathlon.
I am thinking of dropping some of the workouts and adapting them instead to the terrain there, or doing the workouts and maybe exceed the intensity while doing the various climbs. I dont really see a point of going to train somewhere where it is really hilly and only training on flat courses to satisfy the workout instructions.
Any suggestions?
Its not identical but my 2p/2c (whatever your currency is). I moved down to the flat lands of Peterborough (UK) in circa 2012 didn’t start with a coach until 2015/16. I went to the Mallorca 312 with him which is a tad hilly. His ethos was to develop the power. Its the same power on a hill, you just go slower. So ride/train faster in the flat. After the event I think I can say he was right.
Living in a hilly area, I choose relatively flat routes for endurance rides, the indoor trainer for recovery rides and I do all other training on hills. The advantage with doing intervals on hills is that there are normally no traffick lights and it’s easy to produce the required amount of power. The downside is that the easy part of an interval can be more challenging. My solution: go downhill for the easy bit. Occasionally, I walk in between intervals (e.g. in between 2x 30 minutes). But you need to be a bit more flexible when going outdoors and not attempt overly complicated trainings - I only do work outs that I can remember by heart.
You definitely need to get experience riding hills, so I would go outdoors whenever possible.
