WHAT VOLUME OF LONG RIDES DO YOU DO FOR AN IM?

TJ1004TJ1004 ✭✭✭

Hi All,

Putting together my long term plan after this years dnf at Outlaw.

What I would really like to know is how many and what sort of distance rides do you do to be comfortable on the IM bike leg.

I faded quickly after 60 miles and speed dropped considerably. Obviously don't want this to happen again, so is it just a case of lots of 80-90 mile rides or is there something I am missing.

Look forward to hearing what works for other people.

Comments

  • I did 2 x 80 miles with company, and then 4 x 100 miles on my own. 

  • I did 2 x 100 rides and an 80 miler.

    I rode mosty on my own and kept a close rack on average mph.

    One of the 100 milers was a hilly one, it was hell and took me forever but in hindsight it did me the world of good.

  • Not enough this time around, with no century rides and just a few over 80. Did lots of 60 mile days at above IM pace  and have some biking history so confident I could get round. Also a lot of my riding is in the Yorkshire Dales which is hilly so I expected the Outlaw to be relatively easier and faster (and it was).

    As with all things what is needed depends upon your goals (I could have done better if l hadn't been lazy) and your history.

    for my first IM I rode the full course beforehand (long course weekend) and did another couple of century rides.

     

  • 2 x 80, 1 x 100 for my first one -  job done

     

  • TJ1004TJ1004 ✭✭✭

    thanks all, looks like its going to be some long rides for me.

    PTL was the hilly one the Castle Ride?

  • TJ the tour of the national forest is very hilly 100 miler and the hope for cancer super tour of leicestershire would be good outings to practice for the Outlaw. image

  • Looking at my logs for me it's usually around 6 x 70 miles done at bit faster than IM pace at least 1 x 100 sportive, 5  to 6 0f my killer hills 40 miler loop, and 2 to 3 x 40 mile commutes per week included in those is the odd fast 20 mile blast into work with an easier recovery 20 miler home

  • i did 7 or 8 century rides this time.for my first i did 3....

     i think its a bit like the 20 milers in marathon training.you need to do a couple.but i think if you can do 5 then it will serve you betterimage

  • K9K9 ✭✭✭

    I probably did more than I needed to...

    10 rides of between 90 and 114 miles.

    All were hilly.

    All were solo too.

    Average speed was pitiful - 13.5 mph

    But on the day I found the distance no problem and averaged just under 18 mph and only started to feel a little tired in the last few miles...

  • wtf !!! thats cheating seren, thats almost as bad as swimming practice. ive never even done 7 century rides in my life!

  • One thing everyone is failing to ask and maybe you should ask of yourself is, did you go out too fast. My guess is yes and you need to address pacing as well as long rides.

    Have to echo K9, I did a lot of rides solo and could never manage more than 13.5 to 14mph but have still averaged nearer 19 for IM bike legs. I have noticed lots of people say they do average speeds of 17,18 + miles on training rides but notice they fail to go faster on race day. Don't get hung up on speed, time in the saddle is far more important, as is doing nice long long runs after the bike.

  • It not how many century rides alone, it time in the saddle. I cycle every day a work and then 3/4 times a week, all over 1 hr. One cycle  is an interval session and the others are all tempo. I avoided slow cycles sessions as I want to maintain a good speed. I get mad with myself if I drop below 20mph, but that me and my expectations image

  • So what do you average on an IM bike?

  • TJ1004TJ1004 ✭✭✭

    thanks again.

    Hi PTLimage

    Andrew, most of my rides averaged around 14mph up to 50 miles, last few weeks before Outlaw I was averaging 15 again from 20-60 mile rides. On the day I was happy at around 15 mph then at end of Northern loop couldnt cool down and was really hot, started slowing until got pulled at start of Southern loop with an average of 13.9 by that point.

    Trying to analyse where it went wrong, heat didnt help me, and I understand that if body cant cool down it slows you down to conserve energy, self preservation in practice, but loads of other people struggled through, so that is no excuse.

    But I honestly dont think my endurance was strong enough, I did same hilly 100 as PTL at slow pace and 4 70 mile rides at 13mph.

    Nutrition seemed ok as well as hydration.

    So I think there wasnt enough in the 70-90 space to get myself ready for it.

    Appreciate all the help as always.

  • popsiderpopsider ✭✭✭

    There are different ways to get fit with varying mixes of volume and intensity.  I know people who have donevwell at Ironman off relatively low volume high intensity - on the bike 2 hard chaingangs (1hour) or short time trials and a 3-4 hour ride moderately hard at the weekend supplemented by the occasional longer open time trial to get used to the bike and onlya couple of longer rIdes.  

     

  • Yo Pops, now Armstrong has been outed are you going to start on Froome and Wiggins?

  • Steady on AndrewSmith. They are British, and the British don't cheat, as a rule. (20 second penalties excepted).

    I read from the majority of this thread that 80 milers and 100 milers are like 18 and 20 mile runs. Fairy Nuff. So with 8 weeks to go, and no bike commuting possible,  I have 1 or 2 days a week available. Arse into gear and out of the door? It sounds like it.

    Cycling is the most energy efficient form of transport devised by man. That's the frigging problem.

  • Blisters, with your fitness levels and 'mental attitude' you'll be fine! I think your only limiting factors are the expectations you place on yourself!  In that I mean, the time frame you want to complete Henly in!

  • Like David Millar, eh Blisters?

  • TJ1004TJ1004 ✭✭✭

    tricked by johny foreignerimage

  • Too be honest it really depends on how much you actually enjoy cycling... I really enjoy the bike and do centuries almost year round, but you would need really 3-5 really long rides 5-7 hours and the rest at maybe 4-4:30 + a medium ish ride during the week etc maybe 30-50 miles where feasible, the bike in ironman is few here the most gains and losses can be made, and don't get too hung on average like said before! Good luck 

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