Train Train Is Ready to Climb Again
What have I done? The phrase "uphill struggle" is used freely in many contexts, but I've got a feeling I'm going to larn its full definition in the next couple of weeks. I accept signed up to take part in the Haute Route, cycle events going beyond the Alpine terrains of Italy, Switzerland, France and Spain. The scenery will exist spectacular. The Haute Route rides are billed, with cute understatement, as "the highest and toughest cyclosportives in the globe" and "as close every bit information technology'southward possible for an amateur to ride like a pro". It volition take me to the edge of my ability, but, I hope, not to the edge of a cliff.
The Haute Route offers a choice of three 7-mean solar day rides – the Dolomites and Swiss Alps, running from Venice to Geneva, the Haute Route Alps (Geneva to Nice) and the Haute Route Pyrenees going from Ripoll in Espana all the style to the Basque coast on the Atlantic. I am taking on ii new ones this twelvemonth, the Dolomites/Swiss Alps and a meaty version of the Alps, which, I'm told puts me in the then-called "iron-man" category. I would describe myself more as copper human being, or even pewter human, as, due to piece of work, I must spend way more time in front of a calculator than training for this event, which worries me a great deal. At nighttime I wake up in a sweat thinking of mount roads that just go along, and on, and on.
Roughshod but beautiful
But this nightmare is definitely going to come up true. Haute Road is a mountainous combination of the Tour De France, the Giro D'Italia and the Vuelta a España. There volition be uphills that never end. In first calendar week I will take to ride 547 miles and climb more than 20,000 metres. Matt Holden, who helped devise the road, tells me the new Dolomites course will be as tough as the already established Haute Road Alps, which includes notorious monsters such every bit Col de Madeleine, Alpe d'Huez and Mont Ventoux. Professionals weep doing this kind of thing. In addition, he says, "y'all will regularly exist riding above 2000m which means the altitude may also make information technology harder". Oh. Fantastic.
But he has skillful advice – non to overdo things on the beginning two days, a mistake he admits to making when he first tried the Alps route. "Days three and 5 will be actually tough, because they are 94 miles and 110 miles, and y'all will do several peaks that include Oberalppass (ii,046m) and Passo di Gavia (2,652m)." Is there whatever good news? 24-hour interval three will exist a time-trial of but 13 miles. That's OK. Oh no information technology isn't. Information technology's a continuous ascension all the manner upward to Passo dello Stelvio, at 2,758m, a ride described by cycling writer and skilful Claude Droussent, as "very, very difficult … with gradients upwards to 12.1% above 2,000m". And that is not a perspective merely for amateur athletes. Pinnacle British mountaineer Kenton Absurd, who has conquered Everest 11 times, tweeted after a previous Haute Road cycling twenty-four hours in the Alps: "Climbing Everest was easy compared to today's stage … hardest thing ever."
Gearing upwards
Will a better bicycle help? I've ridden an entry-level Boardman road bike on trips for about three years, and have been very pleased with it, but decide, for the get-go fourth dimension, to effort out a new carbon model. I immediately notice a big difference, peculiarly as I normally ride a much heavier bike to work. It's like putting on a pair of slippers later on wearing hobnail boots. The nearest local colina is an instant joy. Just will that be plenty? And what is the all-time gear ratio? Holden advises me get something as depression equally possible, perhaps down to 50 and 34 teeth on the chainring and as big as 32 or higher on the cassette.
I even get to speak to the homo himself – British team "surreptitious squirrel" tech master, bike designer, onetime Olympic champion, yellow jersey holder and pundit Chris Boardman. "Y'all definitely need at to the lowest degree a 32 on the cassette," he tells me, without hesitation. "There'south nada worse then being overgeared. I've seen riders tear up mountains and then regularly blow upwardly. They overdo it, and this is why they fade towards the end of climbs, and the high altitude also affects your recovery. The Alpine roads are nothing like those in the UK. Not necessarily steeper, only relentless. You accept to accept it slowly. It's like walking instead of running."
What virtually preparation? "Well, aside from base fitness, information technology'due south equally much nigh getting your head right, a mental state of knowing y'all take to climb continuously for long stretches." So there you take it. It's not but almost getting the bike right, but simply as of import to get my brain and trunk into gear besides.
Training
And so how on world do yous train for an event that is so thrilling and challenging it has even been attended by onetime Tour De France winners Greg Lemond and Stephen Roche? The electric current Haute's fastest man and ex-pro Frenchman Peter Pouly trains for six months for it. Well, I won't be challenging yous, Monsieur Pouly. I only signed up a few weeks ago, and accept had precious little time to ride much more than than v miles each way to work, go running two or three times a calendar week, and the odd mean solar day out. And I haven't even given up beer and cake. I've trained on a route including Muswell Loma in northward London and the 100m steep hill in my local park, but I'd take to do this 500 times and that will still not replicate the continuous attempt required.
I consult ii mortals who have lived to tell the tale. They cheer me upward a trivial. London-based New Zealander Gretchen Miller has previously ridden the Alps and Pyrenees routes and chosen them "the best 2 weeks of my life. The scenery is amazing. I just started cycling five years ago and I found it tough but managed it." She certainly is keen, and advises doing fast interval grooming to get her heart rate up, in six minute sprints. Aye, I can effort that. Another Haute Route rider and blogger Ben Smithers is also full of neat tips and explains how friendly the event is. Jointly their most important advice is to "get your torso used to doing more than one total day, so you accept to ride once more even when you're tired".
I know exactly what they mean, but sadly don't quite have the time. Yet I comfort myself is having experienced this earlier, last year when riding the Ride Across Britain John O'Groats to Land's Terminate road, a wonderful day-to-day challenge. Despite aching knees and ankles, I got fit in that trip. It's a shame that sharpness hasn't stayed as defined every bit my retentiveness of it during another year of working at a desk.
Notwithstanding, Smithers and Miller also requite me the impression that the Haute Route volition, like Ride Across United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, also be fantastically well organised, with riders treated like VIPs, and I'll imagine I'll be fired up past the esprit de corps. At that place will exist 500 or so taking office, around one-half British, but as well a big selection from around the globe. And it will begin with a 7-mile peloton parade effectually Venice, which sounds magical. After that it will be simply u.s. and the mountains – daunting, but inspiring. The key, for me, and joy, behind all the toil, is that all nosotros volition take to think most is eating, sleeping and cycling. It is a sublime reduction towards cleansing the soul of habitual clutter. I just hope I volition make it there.
Places are still available for this year'southward Haute Route rides
Boardman bikes are available from Halfords
Follow Peter Kimpton'southward progress from 15 August 2014 on his Twitter feed
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2014/aug/04/-sp-how-do-you-train-cycle-over-the-alps-haute-route