A tale of Two Loop(er)s
February is still a month for clocking up base miles for me generally but with the calendar maybe in doubt for the next couple of months and the fact that I'm not really racing full on this year again I don't want to start specific build work just yet. This week has been good so far weather-wise again so trying to fit in as much we can.
The 2 main things you need for long spins (apart from ride food) is a scenic loop and great company. I was lucky enough to have both and rode with 2 kings of the endurance World, Mr. Jack Ultra Cyclist, and Mr. David McNamee.
So, Monday I rode the Coast Loop in the anti-clockwise standard direction with Jack. Jack likes to ride a few kilometers here and there, prefers records to CD's and is allergic to rainbows. We went out through Fornells de la Selva, right in Llagostera, and on to Tossa de Mar, once you hit the coast there you are treated to spectacular turquoise ocean views on your right side all the way to Sant Feliu de Guixols. The road is like a roller coaster up and down with beautifully flowing corners which really is a joy to ride, Probably my favorite road here!
The key to endurance rides and something I gave out about last week is doing them at the correct intensity. The biggest single error I see riders making is that they don't do the easy stuff easy enough and don't do the hard ones hard enough. On that note, slap on the wrist for me today and maybe don't ride with Jack for long easy ones! He is a big diesel that rides like a Nascar! Too much power for my little legs so even though we rode chatting, I felt like I was in a race. The loop is 120k with 1800m vert, we looped in just over 4hrs, 29.2kph and a packet of tropical Haribo and one small bottle was all I took. Silly Coach. NP of 240w and a TSS of 340 is a heavy 4hrs. (for me anyhoo) and this put me in a box for Tuesday.
You HAVE to fuel enough on these spins, especially if you have more key sessions the following day. I was only good for an easy recovery ride Tuesday but it was another special loop in good company.
Today, Wednesday, I rode with David. He prefers swimming and running but is a reasonable cycler, more calmly paced than Jack, with a drier sense of humour and equally entertaining. He dreams of winning some race in Hawaii and never stops going on about it, he enjoys collecting stamps and has a penchant for chocolate croissants. He chose to ride the same loop as Monday but being a Scot wanted to do it backwards! So, you end up going up some of my favourite descents and vice versa. You would get to the cake shop quicker this way but neither of these guys care for cake stops or any stops for that matter. (only pee stops allowed)! It's always nice to flip one of your favorite routes around, completely changes the flow and perspective.
With Heart rate and Watts more controlled today they fell right into where they should be for a 4hr endurance ride. NP 200w, HR 117avg and a TSS of 260 with an IF of 0.76 so i should be fine for more again in the morning.
The key take aways here are fueling and pacing, get these correct and it's easy to get the work done, train the body to use the fuel you will use on race days and recover sufficiently to get back on the pedals the next day. Failure to take care of these will reduce desired adaptations from this type of training and will lead to sub par sessions in the next days.
If you are having any issues with nutrition for these types of sessions or any for that matter either on or off the bike please fire me a message. Happy to help out.