How do you train to cycle the Alps? While I can't speak for everyone on the trip, I know what I've been doing. I took a scientific and calculated approach to the training for this trip - Ride. A lot. And ride even more. Especially up hills!
I've been riding to work almost every shift since February this year. Unfortunately the trip is only a couple miles. Fortunately it's mostly hills, and I frequently add in a few extra on the way in or going home.
I've also been doing a number of longer rides, mostly with Mark. We have cycled around Lake Sammamish a number of times, done a longer 60 mile loop thru the Carnation valley a couple times, and even did zoo hill. Zoo hill is a short but steep ride that will 'make your eyes bleed' in the words of a good training manual.
In late July, Mark and I joined our friend Joe Goeke, his wife Anna and daughter Annika in Iowa for RAGBRAI - a week long bike trip across the state. Or, more accurately, a rolling fun-fest in the small towns of Iowa. You can literally and figuratively eat and drink your way across the state. We did - with some intense fast and hard cycling in between. We had four very good days of weather, fun, and bicycling. And then Joe burst his appendix on his 50th birthday! We were sad to leave him in the hospital in Charles City, but Mark and I drove his big rig back to Seattle and strategized about France.
Travel, work, and other commitments kept our riding to a minimum after RAGBRAI, but Mark and I did manage a ride up to the Mt. Baker ski area on a cloudy Sunday morning. We parked in Glacier, and headed up. And up. Into the mist. You don't get very wet when you're only moving about 6-8 mpg uphill. However, when you turn around to come down, you get very wet at 30+ mph. We coasted for probably 15 minutes without pedaling, and then both of us complained of locked up legs from the cold and lack of movement. Won't make THAT mistake in the Alps! We finished off the ride in a nice new pub in Glacier and a warm drive home.
I've been using a lot of technology this year in my riding. First, I've always used a bike computer so I have speed, cadence (pedal rotations/minute), time, and other average and max numbers. This year I added a Garmin 305 GPS watch with heart-rate monitor to my toys/tools. The cool thing about it is I can now get a plot of my ride route, along with graphs of speed, elevation, cadence, mileage, and heart-rate. For a techie, it's a wonderful thing. What is allows if for me to adjust my riding much more accurately to achieve specific heart rates so that I can improve or survive on a given ride.
My final major training effort was 4 days in Salt Lake City 2 weeks before our trip. Nancy and I flew down, and she enjoyed some down time with Julie, while I endured some up-hill time with Bob. Our first night was a quick 17 miler on the flats, but with the altitude, I felt like I needed and O2 mask and a defib unit. A nice dinner with the girls and a nights sleep got me ready for the big day. Bob and I got up early the next morning, and met two of our travel partners, Dana and Todd at about 0700.
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| Bob & Todd watching Dana go for the BMC team |
Friday, Bob and I got up slightly later, and took a quick ride up Little Cottonwood Canyon. That's kind of like saying you did a quick hike up the Matterhorn. It's about 4000' of climbing in about 9 miles. That's about as steep as most scary roller coasters. Or so it feels when your legs are turning to jello. But, I felt strong, and was only a couple minutes behind Bob to the top after an hour and a half of riding. And the scenery is spectacular up those canyons - dang near rode off the road a couple of times while staring at the mountains. A quick ride back to the house down the mountain, and then we loaded up the girls and headed to Park City. Had a great lunch at a pub in the new area, and then went to the 2002 Olympic ski jump area. We watched some jumpers practicing into the pool (watch the video!), then walked up the hill along the bob-sled run and watched a few tourists taking rides in wheeled bob-sleds. A peek over the ski jump turned the knees wobbly, and then down the chair lift to the car. We spent a couple hours wandering the streets of old Park City, and then drove over the pass and down the canyon where we met Bill and Ann for dinner at
Saturday we got up and headed out again for one last ride. We skirted the base of the hills to the north end of the SLC area, then headed up thru Emigration canyon, down the other side, up Big Mountain, back down Big Mountain, back up over Emigration canyon and finished at Ruth's diner. About 48 miles, with 4300' of climb.
The best part was the Bloody Mary and Corned Beef Hash for a late breakfast. The girls met us and we spent a couple nice hours lounging over the meal under the trees in the canyon. Then it was off to dump the rental bike, get packed, and relax for a bit before the airport, home, and Stella the dog.
Back at home, I get one more good training ride in. Saturday morning, Mark and I do our Carnation Valley route. It's about 50 miles, with a few good hills, and we hit it hard. We shave off almost 15 minutes from our previous best time, so we're feeling strong. We'll see how that translates to the Alps!
Just to stay on the bike, I ride to work on Sunday morning. Even though it's only about 4 miles, I ride it like a sprint, pushing hard. The light rain reminds me how much I really don't like riding in the rain, and will make sure I remember my rain gear for the trip. 1 week of good weather - that's all we need....
