About Mark Mark McCormack was the 2003 US Professional Road Racing Champion (this race was 156 miles and took just under 6 hours). Mark raced as a professional cyclist from 1992-2006. He has been coaching road cyclists, MTB racers, Triathletes, and Cycling enthusiasts since 1995. Mark is now the New England Territory Manager for FUJI, SE, and Kestrel Bicycles and continues to operate his coaching business. Mark can be reached at MarkJMcCormack@verizon.net.
With 1 ½ weeks to go until the EPIC Harpoon B2B ride there are a few things you should be thinking about before the big ride:
- Ensure that your bike is ready to go. You do not want to bring your bike in for service and not have a chance to ride it on your own before the B2B in case there are some issues with the service job. Check your tires for wear/cuts/small pieces of glass embedded in them, lube your chain, check over all of the small bolts, air up the tires, and make sure the bolts that hold your cleats in place on your shoes are tight.
- For the ride itself you should have a small bag that attaches to your saddle and in it you should have 2 inner tubes and tire levers. On the bike you should have a frame pump and/or CO2 supplies to repair at least 2 flats.
- Think about nutrition for the 2 days before and during the ride itself. Don’t have a massive dinner the night before the ride as it will make it very difficult to fall asleep and with the early morning start, sleep is going to be valuable. Two nights prior to the ride is when I suggest a bigger feast. For the two days leading up to the ride you should also increase your intake of water. For the ride you should have some back up supplies to get you through to the first rest stop and then make sure to pack some supplies into your jersey pocket at each rest stop so that you can stay fueled up between each stopping station. Remember that it will be best to eat small amounts many times rather than large amounts a few times on the ride. The same thing applies to your consumption of liquids.
- The night before the ride take a look at www.weather.com and review the forecast so that you can plan what clothing you will need. If the forecast is for sun then it will be obvious what to wear. If there is a chance of rain it is crucial that you have a rain jacket or rain vest with you throughout the ride so that you can prevent from getting cold. You may also need some form of long finger gloves and shoe covers if it is going to be cool and rainy. If you don’t own these types of items, take a trip to a good bike shop this week rather than rushing out next Friday afternoon in a panic.
- Finally, make sure to check out Harpoon’s website so that you know what kinds of beer they offer which should allow you to visualize the one(s) you will enjoy after 150 miles in the saddle.
Until next time, happy riding.
Mark
I hope that you have all been enjoying the extremely nice weather of the past few weeks. If this hasn’t motivated you to jump start your riding, I don’t know what will. Hopefully you have your gear all set, your bike is tuned, and you have several rides under your legs. With two months to go it is now time to get into a routine. Here are a few ideas that should help you make the most of your time during the week while using the weekends to start working on your endurance.
- Monday through Friday the goal should be to ride 2-4 times a week. 60-120 minutes of riding with varied pace will help your lungs and legs prepare for the scattered climbs that come throughout the BtoB ride. These rides should focus on building your power so that the climbs don’t zap your energy. Remember, the more days you ride the better conditioned your body will be.
- There are a few local climbs that can be utilized for these workouts and by doing hill repeats (go up, turn around to go down, then turn around and go back up again, then repeat 3-10 times depending on your fitness level and time constraints)you can maximize your fitness gains in less time. Here is a list of great local climbs: The Blue Hills Access Climb in Milton, MA; The Pine Hills on Rte 3A in Plymouth, MA; Mt. Wachusett/Mile Hill Rd at Mt. Wachusett. You may have similar hills in your local area which will make for great workouts so feel free to utilize them and minimize travel time for your riding.
- On weekends you should be working on improving your endurance. Try focusing on 1 long ride each weekend and 1 shorter ride. For the longer day you should be adding 30-60 minutes each week. If you are starting out with a 3 hour ride now you can add about 30 minutes a week and by the time the ride comes you will be comfortable doing 6 plus hours. Remember that on the day of the B to B you will have other people to ride with, rest stops, and the motivation of a cold Harpoon at the finish to help get you through. But on the weekends leading up to the B2B it will be up to you and hopefully a few friends to get the work done in training so that the B2B won’t be overly challenging and the post ride party will be that much more fun.
Until next time, happy riding.
Mark
Now that the weather is showing signs that Spring is just around the corner there are a few very important things that you should consider as you begin your preparations for the very challenging B2B ride in June.
- Now is the time to get your bike tuned up and ready to ride. You want to make sure that you don't miss any chance to get out on your bike.
- Make any of your planned equipment changes now. Get everything you will need now (cycling shorts, shoes, pedals, comfortable saddle, etc.) so that you can train on the equipment and allow your body a chance to adapt over time.
- Take a look at your calendar and allocate some quality time to your bike. A few rides (even if they are just 45 minutes each) during the middle of the week and some longer rides on weekends in late March and early April will provide a good platform that you can build on as the daylight gets longer and the weekend weather warmer.
- Focus your riding time on steady state efforts in the early season.Remember that you are working on building your endurance and adapting your body to be able to sit on a bicycle for over 7 hours.
- Finally, consider having your bicycle fit/position checked by a qualified fit specialist. If your bike is set up to your body your training time will be more efficient and effective and will help prevent injury. Do this very soon.
