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Some of
you mountain bikers may be new to this
sort of event & some not. The following
hints & tips should give you a good idea
of what to do to enjoy the event you are
undertaking. As the subject of training
is very extensive we at
Bicyclemania.co.uk are just going to
give you a taster of some of the ground
rules, which will help you.
(Hopefully survive the epic trip)
Don't skip this
bit ...' Today I will mostly be training
'
It's not as terrifying as it sounds !
even if you are just venturing out into
the world of MTB marathons, looking only
to complete your chosen distance, you
will find that the fitter you are on the
day, the more enjoyable the riding will
be!. So let's dispel some of the myths
associated with training. |
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NEW
MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDERS: |
You have probably just started in this new
and exciting sport and with every new sport
you want to do everything in one day but
probably find out very quickly that it
requires strength, stamina and technique. Or
maybe it's one of the many things you do but
you would like to dedicate more time to it.
So far long distance rides are not in your
plans but by looking at the MTB marathons
you will be in right event as you will be
one amongst many who will purely see it as a
personal challenge.
Trust
us at Bicyclemania.co.uk
the feeling after completing the course is
well worth it. To have a regular pattern to
your exercise is probably something very new
to you and might be difficult to stick to
but in any case you can benefit from the
tips given in this planner. |
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REGULAR
MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDERS: |
As a
regular mountain bike rider heading out onto
the big trail you are used to riding your
bike for a few hours at a time and have done
some longer weekend trails. Some of you may
not have undertaken a 75km or 100km non-stop
marathon before or perhaps you compete in
short distance cross-country events. Even if
you have entered a marathon before you maybe
wanting to improve your efforts.
Are you
someone who feels pretty fit by the end of
summer but at lets it all go by the wayside
at the back end of the year. Having a
realistic training plan for the next few
months will help you to prepare in advance
for the summer season of marathon endurance
rides, sharpen your speed and shock your
mates!. |
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EXPERIENCED
MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDERS: |
As a relatively experienced rider used to
marathon endurance riding and with a few
races under your tyres, you may already have
some knowledge of different ways to train
up. You may have experimented with cycling
at different intensities and used interval
training sessions before.
This
training planner will help you to structure
your cycling over the next few months so
that you progressively introduce harder
sessions that will ensure that you are fully
fit and well prepared for the event. |
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BASIC
GUIDELINES: |
Keep things
in perspective:
Remember that the emphasis should be on
enjoyment, satisfaction and last but not
leased Fun ! training should not be a chore.
Listen to your body:
If you are feeling unwell, don't train on
regardless. As a general rule of thumb, if
you have symptoms below the neck (Sore
throat / Cough / Body aching ... ect)
then rest and do not train. If you are
injured see a doctor who will give you
advice on how to avoid further damage.
Vary
the speed:
That means the speed your ride at, although
you have entered a mountain bike marathon,
your training rides should not be all long
distance runs! if you train slowly, you'll
ride slowly in the event. On the other hand,
if all your work-outs are done at break neck
pace, you run the risk of over training and
possible injury. Varying the intensity that
you ride at has the best results.
Warm
up:
With at least 15 minutes of steady riding
before each training ride to prevent injury
and prepare the muscles for exercise. Also,
try not to end the training run at full
pelt! cooling down with easy pedalling for
15 minutes helps in the bodies recovery.
Progress slowly:
Avoid getting too carried away early
on! to much to soon can cause injury and
prolong fatigue. If you are new to biking
your training plan will include lots of easy
workouts initially and plenty of rest days
to ensure full recovery. Even as a regular
mtber's and experienced MTB rides, training
should start out gently, particularly if
you've had a bit of a lay-off.
Recovery:
If you do not allow your body sufficient
recovery time between training sessions your
performance will be affected considerably.
Recovery means having plenty of sleep and
incorporating rest days into your training
plans. Experienced mountain bike riders may
manage to train on a daily basis but need to
build in " easy days ". New and regular
riders should have several rest days each
week of the training programme. All groups
have a recovery week every 4 weeks to allow
the body to adapt.
Technique:
Once you can physically ride a bike, you
tend not to think about your technique!
however a good pedalling stroke will make
you more efficient. Poor technique will
cause muscles to fatigue and can lead to
injury and decreased performance.
Concentrate on a smooth pedalling technique
and make sure you are not pushing in too
high a gear. When cycling on the flat aim to
" spin " the pedals at approximately 80-90
rev's a minute rather than muscling it in
the biggest ring! as you change down the
gears on hills, try to keep the rev's ..(cadence)
as high as possible. Ask more experienced
bikers to give you tips.
Cross-training:
This means including other sports into your
cycling programme, for example swimming,
running, football, an aerobics class or gym
work. Cross training has lots of benefits,
it rests the cycling muscles whilst still
training the heart and lungs and it
introduces variety to your training so
prevents you been brain dead.
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PRINCIPLES
OF TRAINING |
~ Frequency
~
How often you are able to train will vary
hugely from person to person. It will be
dependent on work and family commitments and
also on the level of fitness that you have
to start with. The idea of a training plan
is that you go for quality and not just
quantity, (More is not necessarily better)
So even with a limited amount of free time
for training, if you use your time wisely
the benefits will be greater. This avoids
just miles for miles sake!.
As a new mountain bike rider
used to just occasional rides, you will find
that your performance will improve with 2-3
workouts a week. Cross training is
particularly useful to minimise injury, so
the training plan also incorporates other
sports.
Regular mountain bike riders
will have a higher basic level of fitness to
start with and should aim for between 3-5
workouts each week, work and family
commitments allowing. Again these can be
varied with other cross training sessions.
Experienced mountain bike riders
will often manage 8 workouts each week with
2 training sessions done on some days.
However as we are not professional mountain
bikers and still have to fit in full time
work and have a social life we will leave it
to the pro's to do there thing.
~
Frequency ~
The duration of each ride will vary
depending on what you are trying to achieve
in the training session. Some rides may be
short but hard, others will be long and slow
at an easy pace. Long rides in the winter
are always a bit of an effort due to the
depressing weather. So break them up with a
cafe stop, take plenty of warm gear and get
your mates to join you!. The length of your
long easy paced ride should gradually be
increased as the weeks go by.
As a new mountain bike rider
start with rides of about 30-60 minutes but
increase so that at least one month before
your first event you have completed a ride
of nearly 4 hours.
Regular mountain bike riders
will progress in the same way so that at
least one month before your first event you
have completed a ride of nearly 5 hours.
Experienced mountain bike riders
will complete a ride of over 5 hours that
should be almost equivalent to a full
marathon Enduro distance.
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Intensity ~
The intensity part of your training will
prepare your body to provide.
Endurance:
To enable you to keep going the entire
distance.
Burst-Speed/Power:
This is the ability to be able to produce
bursts of power for short sharp climbs and
that sprint for the finish line and the end.
Sustainable Speed:
That is the ability to keep pedalling as
strongly in the last 50km as you did in the
first 50km for the marathon event. |
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