#TDF Challenge - Final Report and Thoughts for Next Year

The end of the Tour de France always saddens me somewhat.  I always am thrilled by watching super humans push and pedal themselves across / around a country by traveling through towns, country side, and over mountains for the greater part of a month.

And this is part of the reason I decided to take on a riding challenge - in some way I wanted to participate beyond simply watching.

But this year I am a tiny bit glad the tour is over as it also marks the end of my #TDF Challenge where I attempted to ride each day the Tour rode - 22 day of riding with two rest days.  

At the end of 22 days of the Tour (one prologue and 21 stages) I rode for 21 of those days.

In those 21 days I accumulated 474km of riding - an average of 22.5 km/day.  My longest ride was 40km, and my shortest was 2km.  The 2km shortest ride was on the final Sunday and I fully admit that I limped over the finish line.

I will not lie - at times it was a bit of a struggle, even though overall it was something I was pleased to have attempted.



Physically I suffer from mild cumulative fatigue, and the two rest days were very welcome indeed.  The first rest day came after 10 days of riding and I now know why the Tour riders are so grateful for this before they get into the grueling mountain stages.

I was also fortunate that I did not suffer any injuries over this period that would have kept me off the bike.

Luckily the weather also cooperated as no ride ever needed to be started in wet or inclement conditions, or taken indoors to the trainer.  Around here is it was hot and muggy, but for the most part I could ride in the morning when the conditions were cooler.

The dramatic increase in cycling volume really benefited my cycling ability, especially sustained effort up hills and technique.  This also translated well into improved speed and power on flatter terrain. 

I measured many of my rides with Strava, and was able to see these results over the same the routes through out the 22 days.

The cycling also helped my running even though I did not do as much running during this time.  However the higher cadence required in cycling translated well to running.  The proof was running a 52 min 10km on a very challenging and hilly run course, after the swim and bike legs of an Olympic triathlon.  

As I was coming to the end of the challenge I began to think of next year and how I might revise the challenge.

Here are some early thoughts:

• include a minimum mileage requirement
• ride to a given percentage of each stage.
• ride similar conditions e.g. when the Tours is in the mountains do hills, and in ITT do sprints or speed, and on the flats do steady tempo

These changes would increase the challenge and would likely require more preparation.   But given this years
Challenge results these type of modifications should be manageable. 

So to end I hope that next year I can encourage / entice people to join me in the the challenge - either local riders or with you - virtually.

But for now I will enjoy a few days off, then get back into more triathlon specific training for my upcoming race in about four weeks.

So don't be afraid to challenge yourself, and until next time.....keep tri'n.

Becoming a rider for a month: TDF Challenge Update

As I wrote last week, I've undertaken a challenge to ride each day the Tour de France rides.  This would be 21 days of riding over a span of 23 days.

The purpose was to build some volume, add some spice to training, help improve my riding, and strengthen my mental game.

So after the first 10 days of the Tour de France (1 Prologue and 9 stages) I can say that I am right on track.  
Over that time I've covered 275 km and climbed over 1000 m.     This represents an increase of over 200% to my current cycling volume.

It's been interesting to see the changes over the first half of the challenge.  

But before we get into that let me state that I am really enjoying this challenge.  I think that it has opened my eyes and mind to different ways of training and  I will be more willing to try different methods to achieve results.

I have an Oly Tri this weekend and I'll be interested to see how things unfold in the bike and run segments giving this challenge.  I'll write a review on that next week.

So let's review the past 10 days:

Days 1 - 4
I was fresh and really charged up.   Ready to roll, and push the effort whenever possible.

Days 5 - 8
Over time cumulative fatigue and mental strain began to build. 

The negative thoughts of skipping a day begin to creep in, especially if you need to get up early to get the ride in because of commitments later in the day.  

While I have experienced those thoughts I'm lucky that I ride with a group a few mornings a week and I've told enough people about the challenge that it keeps me committed to achieving my challenge.

I also became more selective on work load during a ride, and focused on technique.

Days 9 - 10
With a rest day on the horizon the efforts picked up, and mentally I was fresher.

So here are some parting thoughts:

1) A challenge should be hard but still achievable.  If it is too easy it is not a challenge.
2) Do not be afraid to challenge yourself.    You are stronger than you may think.  Only when pushed will you see this.
3) I am lucky to have a support network to help me achieve my goal.
4) I appreciate even more the stress and rigours of professional bike riders.  The mental sharpness that must be maintained.  The fatigue of pushing oneself to the brink each day, and having to do it over and over.  And the need to recover well.

So wish me luck on the next number of days, and good luck on what ever challenge you choose.  Maybe you want to complete the remainder of the TDF challenge with me.  Give it some thought.

Until next time, keep tri'n.

It's a stretch.

This is a topic that much has been written about, and debated - stretching.
Stretching is like flossing.  You know you should do it, but somehow it never gets into the routine.

And to be 100% transparent with you for most of my athletic career I've fallen into the "less" category.  But as I get older, and the aches, pains. and injuries take longer to subside, I appreciate more the need to stretch.

The first area of debate is when to stretch - before? after? both?.   This is a difficult question to answer generally because each of us is different.  Personally I like to do some before activity, and then afterwards.

Before activity dynamic stretching is effective in getting one ready to perform.

What is a dynamic stretch?  As the name implies it is an active use of the muscle(s) as they go through a range of motion.  For example, walking lunges are an excellent example, as you are engaging multiple muscle groups that will be used during running and cycling - the core, hip-flexors, and glutes.

These are great to do as part of a warm-up so that you are ready for the main section of your workout.   It also helps get you ready to work hard.  And being warmed up will help minimize injuries.

After a session I switch to static stretches.

Static stretches isolate a muscle and focus on lengthening the muscle.  These type of stretches are held for a longer period of time, :20 - :30-seconds, and should not be painful.  It's also important to breathe as you enter the stretch.

These are good for after your workout to help alleviate soreness and tight muscles, and help speed up the recovery process,  in addition to nutrition, hydration, and rest.

For both styles of stretching a quick Google search will locate hundreds of articles, images, and videos about stretching.  So warm up those fingers, and get going.

Until next time, keep tri'n

Training indoors....don't dread it.

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, as the weather is getting colder and bleaker, and daylight hours are fewer than just a few months ago, you will be forced to do some training sessions indoors.   Unless of course you like to suffer frost bite or even worse put your safety at risk.  

Now if you are like most athletes you'll shudder at the thought of an indoor workout.   The thought of staring at a wall, or the same scene out of a window for an extended period can be challenging.   I believe the reason for this dread is because we are not adjusting our perspective and we are taking our 'outdoor' session attitudes and bringing them to our 'indoor' sessions.  And in my opinion the two are incompatible.

Training outside typically gives you the opportunity to execute longer sessions - long bike rides, long runs, brick sessions.   Training outside also gives you the opportunity to do sessions with workout partners.  And it allows you to fill your sense of adventure by  following your nose and finding new routes and places to train.  And it keeps our minds active with a continual change of environment.

So if you are trying to bring the outdoors indoors you need to change your perspective.

Without a doubt indoor sessions can be some of the most efficient and effective session you undertake.   Nothing to stop and slow you down - no traffic lights, no drivers, not busy running paths,  just the opportunity to put in sustained efforts.  In fact many top triathletes will do their quality sessions indoors

Unless you can pedal like Macca, or run like a Kenyan marathoner, your technique can probably use some work.  An indoor session provides an excellent opportunity to work on technique, and not worry about pace, and trying to keep up with the group.   This is especially important if you are overhauling your technique because your pace will slow down, and your effort will increase.

Now what about duration? You should think seriously about the need to ride for 4 hours on your trainer in the middle of winter.   Can you get just as good, if not better, a workout in under 2 hours [say 60 - 90 minutes]? 

What are you really gaining from 4 hours at low intensity on the trainer?   In the winter probably not a lot.  Try a great interval workout at moderate intensity, with some drills, and voila a great workout. There are plenty of indoor cycling workouts available - free and paid - that will improve your strength and fitness.   And think of the bonus points you'll earn from your family/girlfriend/boyfriend.

Or instead of the trainer, try rollers.  These will help you with technique, fitness, and keep you engaged.  

And if you are more of a social beast, and hate to work out alone, why not invite a few of your training partners over and do a group session. Friends of mine have been known to gather around a TV to spin along with taped Tour de France stages.   A bit of friendly competition, some friends, and the feeling that you are in the pelaton.

So there you have it, you are now better prepared for your next indoor session.  A changed perspective, and some new ideas. 

Let me know how it goes, or if you have some other ideas pass them along.

Until then keep tri'n.