With just 8 weeks to go before the 3 and 5 Dams Challenge we are nearing the half way point of our training program. By now we have built up a reasonable fitness base on which we can work on to ensure we are ready to take on the challenges that the two courses will throw at us on the day. From here on, we will begin to build our hill climbing fitness to ensure that we don't fatigue to quickly and struggle to complete the course.
This week, we introduce a well known friend of most cyclists in Perth. Mount Street! This is a climb you can do that will condition you to climbing harder climbs in the hills without having to go out to the hills themselves. If you haven't climbed this hill before, it's a consistent and solid climb that you can complete either in or out of the saddle and get a good work out. Doing it just once, however, is not enough to emulate a longer climb so we are going to repeat it.
Recovery between efforts is becoming more important as we lift the intensity of the intervals and strength exercises as well as completing Mount Street climbs. The programs below illustrate when to complete recovery and for how long so please take them seriously and ensure you recover for the full time suggested.
Once again, 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 #6 - 3 Dams (Novice & Experienced) | |
| Mon | RE riding, no hills (1-2 hrs, easy riding) |
| Tue | Intervals. Complete 4x30s 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 (you will fatigue). 4mins recovery between efforts. |
| Wed | Strength. Complete 5 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 | Mount Street. Complete 2 sets of 3 Mount Street climbs. Be absolutely sure to take 5 minutes recovery between the sets. Complete 1 set of 3, recover for 5 mins then complete a second set of 3. Complete the climbs at a pace you are comfortable with. |
| Fri | RE riding, no hills (1-2 hrs, easy riding) |
| 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. 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 #6 - 5 Dams (Novice) | |
| Mon | RE riding, no hills (1-2 hrs, easy riding) |
| Tue | Intervals. 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. 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 | Mount Street. Complete 2 sets of 4 Mount Street climbs. Be absolutely sure to take 5 minutes recovery between the sets. Complete 1 set of 4, recover for 5 mins then complete a second set of 4. Complete the climbs at a pace you are comfortable with. |
| Fri | RE riding, no hills (1-2 hrs, easy riding) |
| 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. 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 #6 - 5 Dams (Experienced) | |
| Mon | RE riding, no hills (1-2 hrs, easy riding) |
| Tue | Intervals. Complete 8x30s 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 | Mount Street. Complete 2 sets of 5 Mount Street climbs. Be absolutely sure to take 5 minutes recovery between the sets. Complete 1 set of 5, recover for 5 mins then complete a second set of 5. Complete the climbs at a pace you are comfortable with. |
| Fri | RE riding, no hills (1-2 hrs, easy riding) |
| 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. 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
IMPORTANT: The above advice and guide ("the advice") is provided to you, the reader, free of restriction and encumbrances, in the hope that it will be useful but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. You are free to do with the advice as you so please, but understand that by reading and/or using the advice, you acknowledge that you RELEASE THE AUTHOR and any of his related parties, including, but not limited to, Bicycling Western Australia, the Unicorn-Specialized Cycing Team, and any of their previous and/or currently engaged sponsors and related third-parties, including, but not limited to, Hall Cycle Training, of ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, whether in an action of contract, tort or otherwise, arising from, out of or in connection with the advice or the use, inability to use, or other dealings in the advice.
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