I did SSB mid-volume 1 and 2 in October
Then I think sustained power build
Then rolling road specialty
My FTP didn’t increase massively but time at threshold has and I spent nearly 20% of my time at VO2 max and above.
I then took time off structured training and I’m mostly following it now again preparing for Poland but getting some big rides/races in which suits me better.
I was pretty religious at sticking to SSB but then mental boredom set in and life started getting in the way but I gave me a good base over the winter to build on and that is evident now, I’m still getting stronger.
Are you aiming to qualify for Whistler in 2020 or just have a good ride?
It doesn’t look like there is a race group next year which means a bigger bunch starting in the Gran Fondo.
Bunch riding skills are crucial! A lot of riders do not have those skills.
Watching 3 riders collide right in front of me in a bunch at 50kph wasn’t fun, less so for them I’m sure. There were some nasty crashes - stick to the front of the bunch.
Its fast from the gun till the end, there are lots of turns into narrow roads that punish you if you are too far back, the bunch attacks every little climb and the wind blew like hell this year.
As an event I found it really dull, nothing to do when you finish the ride so everyone just leaves.
Cheers! Iv been hovering on here for a while but never posted
I want to qualify for worlds purely as a goal as opposed to me actually wanting to go to worlds
I was planning on doing the SSB plan around Christmas, then into sustained power, then wasn’t to sure on the speciality, i was considering the climbing race place for the sustained high power as that may help in the wind?
This year is my first year of racing and iv done a good few crits and my first road race in a few weeks time, so hopefully bunch riding won’t be an issue atleast on my part,
Its just the gran fondo and the sportive next year so yes It will be a busy field of riders
My missus and dad are doing the sportive so I’ll have a long wait for them to finish so was hoping for something to do at the end
First 90km are rolling road, then there is a pan flat 50km section which is exposed to the wind as the roads are higher than the surrounding land, and then a few lumps.
The pace and corners of the first half need a more attacking ride to stay with the bunch rather than constant power. The wind was brutal but even at that it was a tailwind at times.
I’m signed up for it too. Heard it’s just like a massive crit race, especially more so now it’s one big bunch. A few crits in prep will help I reckon!
My main queries are around nutrition, even though it’s well in advance. Kind of hoping I can rope my wife into getting to a couple of places mid way round to hand out bottles/bars/gels. Don’t really want to stop at the feed stations. Thoughts on that?
I used beta fuel this year, 2 big bottles (980ml each) and I had a soft, collapsible bottle in my pocket with an electrolyte as it was really hot. No need to carry any other food as you can’t absorb any more carbs than the amount beta fuel has.
Took a caffeine shot around 3.5 hrs.
That lasted me the race, gave my emergency gels away to a few riders who were hurting towards the end.
Carboloaded the days before, lots of water, carb drink in the morning before the race and it worked for me.
Iv used beta fuel on a few occasions for bigger events iv not wanted to stop on and it works wonders, my plan is the same as smurfs for TOC
2 big bottles with beta fuel in
And will have 1 or 2 emergency/ caffeine gels with me and hope I manage to get to the end before I run out of water to much haha, planning on not stopping incase I get in a fast group who doesn’t stop, then if I do get chance to grab some more water its just a bonus
Plenty of food/drink the days leading up and in the morning,
The pace is so fast I vaguely recall seeing one feeding station, I have no idea how many there were or where they were but there wasn’t the option of grabbing anything whilst you fly past unless you arrange your own support
I had a blast when I did it, a proper adrenaline rush. I did well to stay upright, there were lots of sketchy moments. I rode most of the time in the middle of a peloton of 200-or-so riders and saved a ton of energy, it was one of the easier rides.
Nutrition was gels and 2 x 950ml of water. I ran out with 20km to go.
Ride in the world champs with my national jersey was something special.
So I got the mail yesterday saying they’re doing race groups again. Just need to request being moved over. Now mulling it over which one to do, gran Fondo or race group. I don’t think I’ll be in a qualifying spot but want to be competitive. However don’t fancy getting left behind! I entered to get the experience for a first try really. Cat 3 in crits so used to racing on closed circuits but not roads.
There’s only 150 spots on each age group which means far less congestion. No worries about getting a semi decent spot at the start either. But if I do get dropped I’ll be waiting for the next group to latch onto rather than gracefully slipping about trains in a big bunch start.
Been thinking the same. Edging towards race group start as even in the general massive group this year I ended you in groups where except for the airfield I did much more than my fair share of the work.
But I’d expect it to be a bit better than a mass group racing to qualify too.
Only top 20% this year qualify
I’ll only do ToC again if/when I’m targeting worlds - at the moment not till Glasgow in a few years