Which type of training for the upcoming group ride?

Hey,
So a month ago I posted asking if you guys thought I was capable of completing a moderate pace 200k group ride.

Since then I was able to ask the organisers about some details.
The average speed should be around 25kmh for a 200k / 2500m ride. There are some cat 1 and 2 guys there and they will go hard on the climbs ( although they will be waiting others at the end ).

I wanna be prepared for the intensity but I don’t know which type of training to do beside endurance.

Should train for threshold efforts like I would usally do for a hilly ride, or should I train for VO2max type efforts since they are faster than me ?

VO2 Max efforts tend to be short, while threshold efforts can be much longer. If the climbs are short and punchy, look at VO2 max stuff. If they are sustained, focus on SweetSpot / threshold.

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We don’t know the route yet, but if there a mix of both, which type of effort should I prioritize then you think?

Climbing road race has a bit of both

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Threshold - SST

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Seems like for this ride the most important part is being able to ride 8 hrs. So you could try to do long weekend rides, building op to 6-8 hrs. During the week any general training scheme to improve threshold would be good.

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I already ride around 10h a week and I’ve already rode 5h alone with ease so I think I’m good endurance wise.

I’m thinking about doing a bit of both then, but I don’t know if it will be effective.
I forgot to specify that the ride is on April 3rd and since 1 month to prepare is not a lot, I may need to focus on one thing?

Just to clarify, is this a ride or a race?

I ask because the Cat level of the other riders shouldn’t be a concern if it’s simply a group ride. If the ride does include riders of a higher calibre, it could be beneficial to you and others. The overall pace might be smoothed out and the ‘stronger’ riders might take more time on the front.

My advice would be to tackle the climbs at your own pace. If riders are happy to wait at the top of the climbs there is less pressure. Allow yourself the opportunity to enjoy the challenge of those climbs.

Training-wise, I would look at workouts such as Roan High. These workouts offer a variety of challenges, particularly the distinct lack of any real recovery. Personally, I’ve found workouts such as this great for building muscle endurance whilst improving my ability to eat and drink on the bike.