Getting physically ready for a long long cycle tour is important. Not doing so can lead to many sorts of problems, particularly when you’re anywhere north of your 20s. In 2006, when my younger brother and I biked from Seattle to San Francisco, I distinctly remember that my little bro — then in his mid-20s — eschewed all training before the ride began. He was saved only by his youth and the easy nature of the first few days, along with the prodigious amount of tacos and fry-bread he ate.
Getting physically ready for a tour seems to be mostly about getting your body used to sitting in a saddle for a large number of hours each day. It’s secondarily about fitness and endurance, especially if you’re starting from a decent baseline of cardiovascular fitness. For some — particularly those who are starting from a low level of weekly activity — it’s also about building the strength and endurance needed to cycle for many hours each day. For me, it’s certainly a combination of these things, but since I’m starting at a reasonable place in terms of cardio conditioning, the most important aspect is certainly the first.
There are plenty of resources available all over the place which suggest various training schedules, and from these I wet ahead and adapted the following schedule for the last 6-7 weeks before the tour begins:
weeks_before_tour /long_ride_1 (mins) / long_ride_2 (mins) /total_time (mins)
7/90/120/360
6/120/150/480
5/150/180/540
4/120/0/240
3/180/210/660
2/180/270/690
1/*/*/minimal
So this week (t minus 7) I’m attempting two longer rides of 90 and 120 minutes (90 min ride accomplished, 120 min ride scheduled for Saturday.) The week’s total riding time is 360 minutes, which means that I’ll need to continue riding an average of 30 minutes on the other days of the week. Training peak happens two weeks before touring and will include 3 and 4.5 hour rides with an average of 45 minutes the other days. The week immediately before the tour is a back-off week, allowing the body to recover prior to being hammered for a couple of weeks straight.
So far, this has been my go-to 90 minute training ride … it includes a pretty modest climb, and one fun downhill.
(You might notice that this route does not constitute a complete circuit — blame that on my tendency to stop off at a frozen yogurt place right around the location of the big black dot.)
I’ll provide more detail and updates on training as I go through it.