Velosouth training

[Daveyraveygravey]

I was going to ask for a training plan to improve my performance on a 100 mile sportive, but it is for this event which is about 7 weeks away.

I've done a couple of hilly solo centuries this year, in June. Surrey Hills, 161km 7.5 hours moving time, 2500 m climbing. And Surrey/Kent hills 185 km 8.75 hours moving time 2700 m climbing.

I usually do two interval sessions in the week, 60-90 minutes and a longer gentler ride at the weekend. I plan on doing at least one more century, and will climb a proper mountain in Italy on holiday plus a couple of easier rides over there.

I'm trying to see what I can do in the 7 weeks left to benefit my threshold ideally. The two solo centuries were about climbing as many hills as I could rather than putting in a good overall time. I even had a very nice pub lunch on the second, which won't be part of Velosouth! Velosouth is less hilly than those two rides, and I live right in the corner of the route so I know most of the roads really well.

Any ideas?

[Dannbodge]

Sounds like you can ride the distance quite easily already (so already have the endurance) so I would look at building/improving your overall power.

I would look at doing some HIIT or just simple hill reps (go hard as possible, then recover, then go again.

[Daveyraveygravey]

Cheers Dan, that's right, I am not worried about the distance.

I can find plenty of plans and tips for riding your first century, but nothing on how to improve your time once you have done that. I do interval sessions, and hill repeats, but tend to keep these to around an hour. My brain is telling me maybe I should be trying longer sessions pushing a bit more; when I do a long ride I tend to start out slow and steady, and then as you get more and more tired, slower and steadier!

[Usget]

Whilst that route isn't as lumpy as the ones you have done, it's still not pan-flat. I'd suggest a good training approach would be to do some fairly energetic 2-3 hour sessions, then finish them with a couple of decent hill climbs which replicate the last two climbs on the VeloSouth route.

My other suggestion would be to get better at riding in a group. Those miles will fly past in an efficient group - not so much if you've got your nose in the wind the whole time

[Chrisgr31]

I am also doing the Velo South and should be out training rather than posting on here! However last year one of my training rides took in cycling up to the top of Beachy Head. On one day some cyclist went past me and I said "You make it look easy" his response was "It never gets easy you just get quicker".

So the answer appears to me to put in the same amount of effort on every occasion and you will just be quicker. As mentioned cycling with others will increase your speed. My usual average speed is around 11mph. A couple of weeks ago I did a 70 mile ride with others who are quicker and more experienced than me and we averaged 14mph, and for the most part I did not struggle to much (although did lose them on one climb).

[Chrisgr31]

Well followed my own advice and joined a group ride, and it went wrong. Managed to hit the back of another rider, no idea how, but was on transition from downhill to uphill. somehow in spite of staying on the bike I broke my wrist.

Been warned the cast may be on for 6 weeks, that will kill my training!