I had always done one day races, with one of the rewards being that after the race I could just rest for a few days. Mountain biking really is all about climbing and descending, especially in a stage race like the Cape Epic with big mountain ranges to cross. BC Bike Race is the brainchild of a passionate group of longtime mountain bike and adventure race professionals based on the West Coast of British Columbia. Now for most of us, all this will be a trade off with a luggage limit. In 2015 we raced Bianchi Methanol 29 FS bikes. A weeklong stage race of any kind is tough, but mountain bike events can be especially hard on your bike and body. This gives us a big buffer for travel mishaps and lost luggage – arriving right before the event can increase your vulnerability to travel problems. The experience of having ridden the day before and then surviving the Big Ride, made me start to believe that this 8 day challenge was possible. Adding at least one mock stage race … In the beginning this is simple 2- and 3-day blocks of endurance rides. Ironically enough, it is happening again as the friend I raced with lost his partner for a 2 man, 12 hour this … Read the names of the climbs, the towns. You need to believe and even better know that you can go the distance. I have probably done less volume than before other mountain bike stage races ahead of the Swiss Epic, but I believe the quality is better. When you partake in a multi-stage cycling event, you’ve got to prepare your body to withstand rigorous climbs, hours in the saddle, and mental fatigue—over and over again. Die Strecke der BIKE Transalp 2018. These 6 tips might help you to survive an MTB race that is happening over the course of more … I’ll be honest, I follow the plan (which is not as effective as my own training plan) and Imogen looks at my power data and we make changes from there. It’s gonna hurt, but it’s … Include training sessions that include the terrain and trail types you’ll be racing on. Firstly, understand where the stage race is based, and where it starts and finishes. Some people won’t consider travelling to a race without spare shoes. In a summary Imogen is stronger and I’m less strong! Instead reduce the time and effort of each session. What you are training is your ability to recover and perform at an equal level the second and third day. And that final climb to the Albula Pass will be a monster. The ability to climb comfortably and consistently is a real benefit in completing the tough long days. Every year as we prepared for the Cape Epic we applied these training guidelines. 1 Day 80K Race Register Now. We did this ride another two times before the event. MTB Training. Last year, Frantisek became an ambassador for the brand new stage race called Masiv held in his homeland of the Czech Republic which gained a great popularity because the participants moved from stage to stage via train that worked also as a mobile overnight hotel. Of course the best way to increase endurance is by increasing the distance of our normal rides, bit by bit. We set out first thing in the morning and made good progress and felt good at our turning point. Once again simulation and practice to prepare your mind and body for the continuous riding is critical. Goal: Win 7 day MTB stage race. Recovery will be aided by taking in protein alongside carbohydrate. Okay, so the truth is the BC Bike Race is not the hardest event, and nor do we want it to be! Have a look over each day, and not just a glance at the profiles for the stage race. How are you getting to Davos? Request a Demo . We will be using Shimano’s XTR M9100 12-speed group set, giving us a wider range than the 11-42 we had in 2015, instead we will ride on 10-51 cassettes. We have decided to stay in St Moritz beforehand. This shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone. How I’m Training for My First Big Mountain Bike Endurance Race. I have driven it many times and it’s a long climb, so this is the time where the big impact on the stage will happen. Here’s a look at what Imogen Smith and I have been doing to get ready, along with some tips for your own stage race preparations. As you continue to practice this technique you will find it becomes easier as your fitness increases. Not much bigger though, we feel 2.25″ will be ideal. It takes discipline and patience to climb like this, resist the temptation to get over fast with lots of power. And lastly – it’s just a bike race. Then, it’s going to be a really good trail to descend. How far is the train station to your hotel? Where are you staying? Failed to subscribe, please contact admin. We rode through here last year, the trails down are fast and fun and the valley will be a great place to eat and drink. Science 2 Sport have provided this 12-Week Stage Race Training Plan. Athletes “age” at different rates. Practice makes practiced—and occasionally, bruises. Stay tuned, as we will be reporting daily from the Swiss Epic, plus a little from our visit to St Moritz beforehand. There were pains but somehow you just get on with the job of pedalling and once you are warmed its all fine. We are arriving in Switzerland on the Wednesday beforehand, to help with jet lag. We have visited before, and know some fun trails, when the supermarket is open, and how to get around. So when I felt it I knew what it was, why I was feeling it and how to deal with it. Since it is a stage race you are training for, it is a good idea to include back-to-back training days in order to prepare the body for this. Maybe just make it that little bit harder or longer. This experience again built some more confidence and we started to feel comfortable that we were going to make the 800+ Km of riding for our first Cape Epic. Step One: Find a Good Teammate. Spending a couple of hours pedalling and walking to get to the top is not uncommon. And it was the middle of the day. Aber schon beim zweiten Blick war klar: Italien, Sommer, Hammer-Kulisse und feine Trails, da müssen wir einfach mit dabei sein. By Paxton Wiers March 21, 2018. Endurance and cardiovascular capabilities are lost quickly in the off-season, and sometimes with work and life’s daily tasks, it’s challenging to build during the on-season. When preparing for a multi-day event it is imperative to reconfigure your training schedule to incorporate blocks of back-to-back training. It will be difficult to do the same time and intensity of the race. He's the co-founder of MarathonMTB.com. If you choose a hire car, is there actually parking available? Our new Revolver frames are still being run with the 100mm suspension option, but the reach is longer, the head angle is a lot slacker, and the seat angle is steeper. But with multi day events you have to get up and do it all again. Also, be sure to read Sarah Kauffman’s great recent coach’s column article for other ideas about mountain bike stage race preparation. And I totally get that, I’ve just never really done it. These are some of the lessons they learned and the takeaways they can share from two long stage races. Maybe it’s time to look one up. If the event is point to point, now is a great time to check that you have booked for your extra luggage and bike bags to be sent to the finish location. The next challenge was to go the distance for several days in a row and that is where training camps come in. 6 Tips On How To Prepare For A MTB Race [When you don’t race] by Robb Sutton September 13, 2011. written by Robb Sutton September 13, 2011. Unlike a typical mountain bike race, many off-road stage races are team-based. I had raced in 2012, but this showed some terrain and gave a general idea for the area ahead of the 2016 XCM World Championships for Imogen. Top-10-Gründe für die Transalp 2018. 05.12.2017. The stage race course includes the Eastern United States’ most rugged trails. with better balance. The climbing on a typical Cape Epic day is often double that of an average one day marathon race. Another basic – it’s all on the event schedule, right? Riding and recovering from a one day race can be tough, it makes the prospect of riding the very next day seem almost impossible. In a team of two, your time for the day is determined by the teammate that crosses the finish line second. So just being there and finding where our race is is going to be awesome. During this mock stage race, practice your pre/during/post ride fueling and recovery techniques. Does it show what type of surface you are on? We put together our first training camp by ourselves, over a long weekend in December we planned 4 days of riding. Conquer Your Limits! This should be trained for by adjusting climbing speed so that you climb at a comfortable and controlled heart rate. Mike loves all things bike, but marathons definitely hold a special place in his heart. Costa Rica’s premier mountain bike event. A stage race that places more emphasis on the quality of the trails than the distance of climbing – though with seven stages and 60km each day it’s not lightweight – and even includes timed gravity stages. Coach’s Note: Training for and racing more than one ultra in the training cycle can be detrimental to the outcome of the stage race. I had gone the distance before. But lets step it back. Begin this plan 12 weeks before the start of your goal race. So I went into the 2005 event knowing that there is no day that I cannot finish. While doing 2 or 3 back to back days can be included in training often, doing a big block (more than 3 or 4 days) is best incorporated somewhere between 4 and 8 weeks prior to the goal race. Sure, some of that is prior knowledge, but it’s also using information that is available to us. We had to know what we would feel like after riding this distance and could do it? The best way and the only way to prove something and to believe, is to see it for yourself. We want this experience to … Sports Fitness , and the media liaison and coach for the Gore-Tex Transalpine-Run. We also attended an organised training camp in Dullstroom with other riders. This is the final one. Get in touch with Mike via Twitter. For the Swiss Epic, we will take one spare tyre, one spare chain, spare quick links, chain lube for wet and dry conditions, spare brake pads, at least one spare rotor, spare bolts and a set of cleats, a set of handlebars, a set of grips for reach rider, a saddle, a dropper lever, a bottom bracket, head set bearings, a cable and outer and of course tubes, zip ties, multi tools and some essential tools. On the third time we finished it 30 min faster than the first time. Athlete Profile: 25 yrs, racing gears, experienced, close to ideal race weight. As an example, Stage 1 of the Swiss Epic leads from Davos to St Moritz. This works a few ways. We deliver the latest information from the world of endurance mountain biking. It was slow hot and we were getting tired, but we made it up. Think about what is specific to your bike, and what you’re likely to wear out given the conditions. The overload principle is one of the most basic theories in fitness and says that in order to improve, we must continually make ou… By following this guide you will be able to complete each stage of a three-day stage race relatively comfortably and actually enjoy the entire event. It's based off … Example training week during this phase: INCREASE YOUR AEROBIC CAPACITY & HIGH-END POWER In addition to our heart rate training program we did some really Big Rides, attended training camps and did lots of long tough climbs. Etappenrennen in der … Are you able to look up segments on Strava to get an idea of the times some people take? This periodisation programme includes strength development on the bike, aerobic conditioning, threshold conditioning and peak power improvements and is aimed for someone doing a stage race three days or longer. Die zweite Auflage des Masiv MTB Stage Race findet 2018 von 12.-15. Ok so race rego is open from midday. We never gave up and made it back in under 8 hours eventually, we were shattered! No time to eat or drink – just ride! Eins müssen wir vorweg zugeben: Vom Appenninica MTB Stage Race hatten wir noch nie etwas gehört, bis wir zufällig in den sozialen Medien darüber stolperten. Riding day in and day out is also a daunting prospect if you have never done it before. Map your time. Simply enter your email below. By Cameron Justice | 8 October 2015. However it is most often the mind that needs the most training to overcome these two obstacles. We don’t live in the Swiss Alps, but do have access to longer climbs where we live near Brisbane. This is why it is important to complement a training program by including some additional training elements. Our love for the spectacular terrain and phenomenal riding on the West Coast, coupled with a strong desire to share it with the World, spawned the concept of this epic stage race. 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