I don’t have the time to do the full 28 weeks plan before my sportive but can do SSB1, SSB2 and Build. All Low Volume.
I’m curious to find out if the max of 1hr 30min duration rides in Build LV are enough to see me through an 89 mile sportive with over 6000ft of climbing.
Has anyone used the Build LV plan and done a long outdoor ride straight from it without adding any long outdoor rides to their training weeks?
Thanks
Fitness wise you’ll be fine after 20 weeks of low volume. (remember to taper)
But if you’ve never done a longer ride I would try to do three 50-60 mile rides just to learn pacing, nutrition, hydration and to find if you get any discomfort requiring fit adjustments.
Maybe one ride near the end of SSB II and two in the final workweeks of build if you can.
Just replace the hardest ride of that week by your outdoor ride.
That seems like sound advice Warhound thanks. I’ll give those 50/60 milers a go.
@warhound provides good advice.
From a mental aspect you will want to kno that you are capable of riding for 5-6 hours or whatever it is. For that you need to have been out for 3-4 hour rides.
Riding outside recruits different muscles as well so there are good benefits to doing some outside rides. Saying that I do 90% or more of my training through winter indoors. When I do venture outside I do find it quite tough for the first couple of rides.
Thanks John
I agree with the other comments.
Last summer we had a lot of rain in our region which cut into the number of XC mtb rides I got do to on weekends. Instead I ended up doing a lot of steady state (flat terrain) road rides on Sunday mornings ranging from about 55 - 80 miles. I continued to do most of my intervals and higher intensity work on the trainer with TR. Out on the road I would spend most of the time in the drops and really work on an efficient riding position. Indoors, I find it much harder to do long rides in the drops. It also gave me lots of opportunity to work on nutrition and fueling strategies.
As things dried up in the fall and I got out on the trails a bit more, I was really surprised how much benefit I got from these long steady outdoor rides. I had far more energy late into my rides and my aerobic system seemed much stronger.
So my suggestion is stick with your plan but mix in some longer outdoor weekend rides. I think it will give you a lot of benefit.
If you just want to finish, maybe it’s enough.
If you want to do your best, it’s not enough. Many times I’ve seen people doing a long ride with a lot of climbing…maybe they’ve done a lot of trainer time & have pretty good fitness…but at an appreciable intensity & a duration they have not been exposed to…hitting muscles on hills at angles that they have not trained…now all of a sudden they are getting cramps. ‘I usually don’t get cramps!’
For sure, that person has been me in the past!
Do some long rides. Use them to figure out your nutrition. Figure out if your wrists are going to hurt. Figure out if our saddle is going to start killing you. Figure out if you’re going to have hot spots on your feet. Use those long rides to mimic the climbing you’ll be doing. Do you have to? Maybe not. But you’ll certainly maximize your chance of success if you get out and do some long rides.
Couldn’t agree more the @Brennus. It isn’t so much the distance or the climbing, it is the time in the saddle, hydration, fuelling etc. Do you plan to stop at the aid stations. I always like to make sure I am fully stocked at the aid stations, but it is the stopping and starting that can get you. Plan a good route with a coffee shop stop for a top up and start again.
+1
Get outside but use it to simulate the ride as best as practical. Analyse your execution, keep the power within limits as fits your training and see what the result is; faster/slower? Ruined or fresh for the finish?