Miles versus Time
I speak an awful lot on this blog about training, but as the weeks have gone on, I have not really spoken about what type of training we do, nor the time (or less preferably, miles) we put into preparation for the Tour Divide.
As a general descriptor, we really started “training” in earnest for the Divide ride in about December. That said, each of the months of, really, August through November we were riding, usually about 150 miles (6-8 hours) a week, and not particularly concerned with the bikes or cross training, which we were doing a lot of. Now, as we get into the meat of trying to get our bodies and, perhaps more importantly our minds, in a position to successfully complete the TD race, training becomes paramount!
In order to make it simple, and yet still describe for you the type of training we are putting in, I will ignore the hiking, running, swimming, weights, core work, etc. we are doing, and will focus primarily on the cycling.
Up front, there is simply no way feasible to replicate the TD effort in training. Working, families, and life’s other demands simply don’t allow it, nor would your body be able to survive the rigors of 12-18 hours a day of riding for any extended period of time. (Not mine anyway!!) So we do the best we can to prepare. But how??
Starting in December, and working off the roughly 150 miles (6-8 hours) a week we were riding in the fall months, Ray and I started really concentrating on riding every day. It doesn’t always work out, but that is the goal. Even if that means a quick 45-60 minute ride at lunch, we figure every mile or minute counts.
SIDE NOTE: Many cyclists will talk about how far they ride. In actuality, the miles mean little. Time is a much better yardstick by which to measure your training effort. For example, a 100 mile road bike ride might take 4-5 hours, while a 100 mile gravel ride in Southern New Mexico (not the best roads) might take 7-8 hours, and a MTB ride of that distance might take 10+ hours. Same distance, but vastly different amounts of work, and a much different training load.
Our weekly time has increased to the point that now, entering the second week of February, we are logging about 19-22 hours a week on the bikes. Mostly gravel miles. Just for the mileage folks out there: last week was 20 hours and 301 miles, with 10,000+ feet of climbing.
The riding time will gradually ramp up over the next several weeks, until we hit a point of about 30-35 hours a week on a bike (Say 400-500 miles). This required a LOT of time, and infinite patience from the SOs and family. Essentially, in addition to our full-time jobs, we are taking on another almost full time activity. Add in the extra sleep we will need (or at least WANT), and you get an idea of the type of commitment TD training requires.
While all this seems like a lot, keep in mind that 300 miles (let’s estimate 25 hours) only represents a little over two days’ worth of racing on the TD, where our daily goal is 135 miles in about 13 hours of ride time, not counting an estimated 2 hours of stops for eating, resupply, bio-breaks, etc.
One other thing. This is our first TD attempt. All of this is just “Guessing” at this point. In a future blog, we’ll list each of our own “Top 20 Pre-Race Assumptions From a Tour Divide Rookie”
Until next time…
Ride On!!
Shane and Ray
