In April 2019 I will be racing the "Iowa Wind and Rock" gravel bike race.
I will have 34 hours to complete the race as a solo rider self supported. The route and distance are unknown until race day.
Getting lost and not being able to finish the race would be terrible. The navigation is done with cue cards, a new cue card is given to you at the check points. The cue card direct you to the next check point.
The mission for the race will be to try and stay focused until the finish line and not get lost!
The preparation for the race requires a weekly long ride which I do on a old school CompuTrainer, for 6-7 hours at Mindset Cycling in Toronto.
Riding for 6 plus hours, in a predetermined manner requires no bullshit discipline. You set the goal, and stick to it, for the entire 6 hours.
I have determined my "all day pace" is heart rate driven. A lactate test showed my sweet spot for ultra distance racing is 135 bps. This means I can ride at 135bps essentially forever provided my mind has the will.
Last Saturday, the plan was to ride the Kona Ironman course on the CompuTrainer. The Ironman course is 112 miles, so I figured I would try and make it to the end keeping my heart rate at 135bps.
Sounds easy eh! I am fortunate that one of my Teammates from the "Race Across the West" team works at Mindset Cycling where I train. This is where the no bullshit discipline comes in, before the training session starts, Wilson, my teammate, asks me to describe the training session.
The session goal...
Hold 135bps for 6 hours.
Ave Heart Rate after 6 hours 135
Results
I was able to hold the 135 bps for 5:55 minutes, and spent 11:23 minutes above 135bps.
This was only possible because my Teammate, Wilson, watched me and stopped me if I started pushing to hard.
At the end of the day I rode 97% of the time in Zone 2.
Next week I get closer to the goal of 100% zone 2 for 6plus hours.
What I learned...
After about 4.5 hours my heart started to rise and I kind of lost control over my HR. I could get it back down but my average wattage plummeted. This is where the mind is separating from the body.
I realized ultra distance cycling is all about zone 2.
The fastest rider will always be able to stay in, his or her, zone 2 the longest, will win the race!
Also Cadence I averaged 90 rpm for the 6 plus hours.
In the last hour I had to hold myself back, but thats where the no bullshit discipline comes in...I worked on getting the mind back in control of the body.
I really wanted to finish the 112 miles but at 135bps I only made it to 96 miles.
I will have 34 hours to complete the race as a solo rider self supported. The route and distance are unknown until race day.
Getting lost and not being able to finish the race would be terrible. The navigation is done with cue cards, a new cue card is given to you at the check points. The cue card direct you to the next check point.
The mission for the race will be to try and stay focused until the finish line and not get lost!
The preparation for the race requires a weekly long ride which I do on a old school CompuTrainer, for 6-7 hours at Mindset Cycling in Toronto.
Riding for 6 plus hours, in a predetermined manner requires no bullshit discipline. You set the goal, and stick to it, for the entire 6 hours.
I have determined my "all day pace" is heart rate driven. A lactate test showed my sweet spot for ultra distance racing is 135 bps. This means I can ride at 135bps essentially forever provided my mind has the will.
Last Saturday, the plan was to ride the Kona Ironman course on the CompuTrainer. The Ironman course is 112 miles, so I figured I would try and make it to the end keeping my heart rate at 135bps.
Sounds easy eh! I am fortunate that one of my Teammates from the "Race Across the West" team works at Mindset Cycling where I train. This is where the no bullshit discipline comes in, before the training session starts, Wilson, my teammate, asks me to describe the training session.
The session goal...
Hold 135bps for 6 hours.
Ave Heart Rate after 6 hours 135
Results
I was able to hold the 135 bps for 5:55 minutes, and spent 11:23 minutes above 135bps.
This was only possible because my Teammate, Wilson, watched me and stopped me if I started pushing to hard.
At the end of the day I rode 97% of the time in Zone 2.
Next week I get closer to the goal of 100% zone 2 for 6plus hours.
What I learned...
After about 4.5 hours my heart started to rise and I kind of lost control over my HR. I could get it back down but my average wattage plummeted. This is where the mind is separating from the body.
I realized ultra distance cycling is all about zone 2.
The fastest rider will always be able to stay in, his or her, zone 2 the longest, will win the race!
Also Cadence I averaged 90 rpm for the 6 plus hours.
In the last hour I had to hold myself back, but thats where the no bullshit discipline comes in...I worked on getting the mind back in control of the body.
I really wanted to finish the 112 miles but at 135bps I only made it to 96 miles.
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