I hope you enjoyed your rest week as much as I did. It can be one of the toughest weeks to go through because you feel you should be getting out there and going harder than you are but without recovery, you hard training weeks are basically going to waste because you are not allowing your body to recovery from the harder efforts. Remember, our fitness builds during times of rest, not at times of hard work. Fear not, this week we will be stepping it up and some more and will begin to look at some hills work.
I haven't ridden either of the Dams Challenge rides but from the look of the course, hills are a major part and will typically be a harder element of the ride. Will it be that hardest? I'm not sure because there is a tough ride home along the level ground up the Freeway and if the wind is not favourable, you could be in trouble. Dealing with volume with a very fatigued body can be as hard as the climbing the hills so we need to be sure that we have enough to make it home into a head wind. That's no guarantee that there will be but we should training as though there will. This is where nutrition and eating whilst on the bike will be crucial to you completing the challenge.
With this block of three weeks training we will be building on the base that we have laid down so more volume and intensity, including hills work, will be on the program. This phase will really begin to build our fitness to ensure that we build toward completing the 150km or 240km event in a reasonable condition. There is no doubt that you will be well and truly fatigued at the end of the ride but we want to be sure that you do complete it.
So let's take a look at what needs to be done during the first week of this next phase. As usual, for the 3 Dams riders, I have combined both experience levels into the same training program as whether you are a novice or you have ridden the 3 Dams event before, you should be working to the same level to be ready in time to complete the challenge on the day. For the 5 Dams riders, there are separate programs that largely incorporate the same efforts but with slightly longer and harder rides for experienced riders.
For this phase, our volume will come in the form of hours instead of kilometres. These hours need to be quality hours where our pace is up enough to make use work quite hard. The distance you complete during these hours is less relevant but we need to make sure we work at a reasonable level during these hours to ensure we build our ability through the phase leading into the next recovery week.
| Week #5 - Building on Base - 3 Dams (Novice & Experienced) | |
| Mon | RE Riding. Nothing strenuous. If you feel up to it, take in some Kings Park laps but no more than 1 hour. Otherwise no more than 2hrs if keeping it level. |
| Tue | Intervals. Time to build on what we have already done. Complete 6x20s sprints up Forrest Drive in Kings Park. Start just out of the corner leading into the climb. Go as hard as you can for the 20 seconds. 4mins recovery between efforts. |
| Wed | Strength. Complete 4 efforts up Lovekin Drive starting at Zamia Cafe and finishing at the Forrest Drive intersection at the top of the climb. Do these efforts in a low cadence gear (~60-65rpm) near 53/14 and stay in the saddle. 5-6mins recovery between efforts. |
| Thu | Undulations in Kings Park. Start from the roundabout behind Frasers and ride down May Drive, up Lovekin Drive, down Forrest Drive, up May, down Lovekin and up Forrest. Three climbs at a hard intensity. Do this set twice. Recovery on the descents. |
| Fri | RE Riding. Nothing strenuous. If you feel up to it, take in some Kings Park laps but no more than 1 hour. Otherwise no more than 2hrs if keeping it level. |
| Sat | Longer ride. Ride for around 2 hours at a reasonable pace that is enough to get you working. You should not be able to hold a conversation whilst on the bike as your breathing should be high enough to prevent it. |
| Sun | Hills. Time to start getting some good hill climbs in. We are looking for around 600-700 metres of vertical climbing so you can either do this around the suburban hills (e.g., Kings Park, Reabold Hills or Mosman Park) or get out to the foothills up Welshpool Rd and into Kalamunda. Try for about 1.5-2 hours here. |
| Week #5 - Building on Base - 5 Dams (Novice) | |
| Mon | RE Riding. Nothing strenuous. If you feel up to it, take in some Kings Park laps but no more than 75mins. Otherwise no more than 2hrs if keeping it level. |
| Tue | Intervals. Time to build on what we have already done. Complete 5x30s sprints up Forrest Drive in Kings Park. Start just out of the corner leading into the climb. Go as hard as you can for the 30 seconds. 4mins recovery between efforts. |
| Wed | Strength. Complete 5 efforts up Lovekin Drive starting at Zamia Cafe to the Forrest Drive intersection at the top of the climb then go harder through to the roundabout. Do these efforts in a low cadence gear (~60-65rpm) near 53/14 and stay in the saddle. |
| Thu | Undulations in Kings Park. Start from the roundabout behind Frasers and ride down May Drive, up Lovekin Drive, down Forrest Drive, up May, down Lovekin and up Forrest. Three climbs at a hard intensity. Do this set twice and start the climbs with a 10s sprint to finish. Recovery on the descents. |
| Fri | RE Riding. Nothing strenuous. If you feel up to it, take in some Kings Park laps but no more than 75mins. Otherwise no more than 2hrs if keeping it level. |
| Sat | Longer ride. Ride for around 2.5 hours at a reasonable pace that is enough to get you working. You should not be able to hold a conversation whilst on the bike as your breathing should be high enough to prevent it. |
| Sun | Hills. Time to start getting some good hill climbs in. We are looking for around 800-900 metres of vertical climbing so you should get out to the foothills up Welshpool Rd and into Kalamunda. Try for about 2 hours here. |
| Week #5 - Building on Base - 5 Dams (Experienced) | ||
| Mon | RE Riding. Nothing strenuous. If you feel up to it, take in some Kings Park laps but no more than 90mins. Otherwise no more than 2hrs if keeping it level. | |
| Tue | Intervals. Time to build on what we have already done. Complete 6x30s sprints up Forrest Drive in Kings Park. Start just out of the corner leading into the climb. Go as hard as you can for the 30 seconds. 3mins recovery between efforts. | |
| Wed | Strength. Complete 5 efforts up Lovekin Drive starting at Zamia Cafe to the Forrest Drive intersection at the top of the climb then sprint through to the roundabout. Do these efforts in a low cadence gear (~60-65rpm) near 53/14 and stay in the saddle for the climbs (not the sprints). 5mins recovery between efforts. | |
| Thu | Undulations in Kings Park. Start from the roundabout behind Frasers and ride down May Drive, up Lovekin Drive, down Forrest Drive, up May, down Lovekin and up Forrest. Three climbs at a hard intensity. Do this set twice and start the climbs with a 10s sprint to finish. Recovery on the descents | |
| Fri |
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| Sat | Longer ride. Ride for around 2.5 hours at a reasonable pace that is enough to get you working. You should not be able to hold a conversation whilst on the bike as your breathing should be high enough to prevent it. | |
| Sun | Hills. Time to start getting some good hill climbs in. We are looking for more than 1000 metres of vertical climbing so you should get out to the foothills up Welshpool Rd, Pickering Brook (Patterson Rd) and into Kalamunda. Try for about 2.5 hours here. | |
Be sure to perform some stretching before and after your rides to ensure muscles are appropriately warmed up prior to riding and relaxed afterwards. Take sufficient fluid with you on the bike for the expected duration of your rides. For example, longer rides may require two bidons while just one might suffice for shorter, less difficult rides. For the hills ride, take some food with you to ensure you keep you energy levels up more than what a sports drink will give you. A banana or a sports gel or two will help here. If you like them, take a 55g Fry's Turkish Delight or a 150g Power Pulp with you. These provide a great source of energy that the body can utilise fairly quickly.
Regards, Charlie.
Ride Ambassador
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