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A Note From Paul:
First, I want to thank and congratulate each of you for choosing to participate in the 2023 Tour des Trees! I consider the Tour to be one of those BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) Events. Certainly, riding almost 400 miles and climbing over 30,000 feet plus raising $3,700 can be considered a Big & Audacious Goal!
We are lucky to have such a passionate and dedicated contingent to join us each year. While a significant number of our riders are veterans of the Tour, our pack generally consists of more than 25% new to the Tour riders. While most people who sign up for such a BeeHag event are pretty experienced cyclists, the Tour is still a stretch for most of our riders.
In last month's newsletter I introduced this year's ride, specifying the daily mileage, elevation gain, the altitude concerns on Day’s 1 & 2 and also highlighting the most challenging climbs along the way. This month, I want to begin to identify some of the best training practices you can use to ensure your successful completion of the 2023 Tour des Trees. While this year's route is not quite as challenging as the 2021 Colorado TdT, it does have similar challenges. Here is what I wrote then about preparing for that Tour.
Preparing for a multi-day event like the Tour des Trees is considerably different than a training for a single day century or Gran Fondo. The demands that riding consecutive long days place on the body require that your preparation focus on building durability and are more mindful of fueling and recovery. The most effective way to build the required durability is to incorporate blocks of 2-3 consecutive days of endurance rides so that you get accustomed to riding with a bit of fatigue. These blocks also present an opportunity to hone your fueling and recovery strategies which play a much bigger role in the success of multi-day rides than a single day event. The Tour is likely 2-3 times your normal training load for most of our riders so coming into the event as fit as possible is the best strategy for ensuring a successful and enjoyable expense. Simply put, the Tour is more fun when you are fit!
We are over four months away from the kickoff of the Tour, so currently the best strategies for training would be:
1. The single best way to prepare for an upcoming multi-day cycling event is to ride consistently.
2. Slowly increase your mileage w/ a ramp rate of 5% or so per week.
3. Focus mostly on Sweet Spot intensity at this point as you build your base fitness.
4. Find a group ride or recruit a few friends to help push you a bit on your longer weekend rides.
5. Remember to have fun!
I really love the sport of cycling and spend a fair amount of time reading articles and listening to podcast about the best practices for endurance athletes. A few of my favorites are FasCat Coaching, Training Peaks, & the Time Crunched Cyclist.
I am heading out for my first reconnaissance of the 2023 route in June and look forward to reporting my findings from the road.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions you have about training. I am happy to offer advice or simply lend an ear.
Ride On!
Paul
Paul Wood- Tour Director
Black Bear Adventures bicycle tours
pwoodbba@gmail.com
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