Ultra Rider: In Search of the Ultimate Long Ride RSS

Biking is one thing. Bicycling 100 miles is entirely another. But what about the bicycle ride that last all day and all night? At some point, you cross a line and at that point, cycling, becomes ultracycling.

This blog chronicles the story of a guy, his bike and a strange obsession with finding the outside edge of his personal limits.

In this chapter, having broken the UMCA record, recovered from a bone-crushing crash and achieving a top 15 finish at the inimitable Furnace Creek 508 we find our hero grappling with the realities of completing a 100km foot race.

For the complete story, follow this link, and read from the back to the front. The story won't make anymore sense when you've finished, but at least you'll know as much as the rest of us.

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Moving on…

I’ve been doing light training this week, just to stay limber mostly. Next week, its back to the full grind, but with the added motivation of a hot finish in Sebring that gives me line of sight to smashing the record in May.

If I ride in May like I did last week, I will break the record with a 32 hour time. That’s not quite good enough - I want to crush it with a sub-30 hour time.

Therefore, I need to get faster. Over the coming weeks, I will be focusing on increasing my power capabilities and decreasing my weight.

Currently, I’m weighing in at 203. By April 20, I want to be down to 180.

Currently, I’m putting out 3.89 watts per kilo average, over 8 minute intervals. By April 20, I want that to be at 4.32 watts per kilo - that means an increase of 20 watts average over the interval (in addition to the 20 pound weight loss).

The new training schedule looks something like this currently - it will change again once the weather gets slightly warmer and I can start adding in some long rides outdoors…

Monday - Indoor cycling, 3.5+ hours AM+PM

Tuesday - Indoor cycling, 1 hour PM

Wednesday - Dryland training, 1 hour, AM, Indoor cycling, 1 hour PM

Thursday - Indoor cycling, 1.5 hour PM

Friday - 10-15k cross country run, 1-1.5 hour AM

Saturday - Indoor cycling, 1.5 hours AM, Dryland training, 1 hour PM

Sunday - Indoor cycling, 1 hour AM, 5k cross country run, .5 hour PM

I don’t have any rest days built into this cycle, mainly because the work is light enough that I can take advantage of the natural lulls between sessions to get the rest and recovery I need. I’m also taking a lot of cat naps where I can get them. Net, net - as intense as this program is, I’m finding it much preferable to my program last year - better results, with fewer hours on the bike staring at the wall.

Posted at 19:37 - Comments (View)

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