training for trans am westward

[pookey]

Hi All,

I am doing the TA west in two months this summer (june and july). Any suggestions on how to go about training over the next five months. I am used to training for ironman races, but this is quite a different beast. I will be aiming to cover about 75 miles a day, at approx. 10-14mph pace depending on the terrain etc. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Happy new year

Chris Lehrbach

[Pat Lamb]

If you're used to endurance racing, you should be ready to hit the road with only minimal adjustments.  I'd suggest getting in some long bike rides to make sure you're "saddle-hardened,"  and then work on back-to-back rides to emulate touring.  If you can work in 75-100 mile rides on both Saturday and Sunday (assuming you're working a normal M-F work schedule), you should be ready to go.

You may also want to practice riding with a load similar to what you'll be carrying; it changes the ride.  Perhaps you can find a 3-day loop for Memorial Day with a couple nights' camping.  Test out your equipment and how well you've packed, along with touring-specific conditioning.

[DaveB]

Your overall fitness should be fine but, as Pat noted, get a lot of saddle time, particularly several days in a row to get used to riding long hours every day.  75 miles/day is a lot particularly for multiple days in a row so don't be too surprised if you decide to either do shorter days or take a few days off.  What that means is don't schedule your self too tightly as rest days and bad weather can play havoc with an aggressive time table.

Finally, do ride with your full touring load (or similar weight) as your bike will feel and handle a lot differently than unladen.  I also second the recommendation for a "shakedown cruise" for a couple of overnights before setting out.  A local campground is the place to find out what doesn't work and correct it.

[jamawani]

75 miles a day isn't a whole lot - especially in summer.
I've done that on many tours - and I'm no youngster.
Even at 10 mph, it's just a morning ride and an afternoon ride.
Done by 5pm or 6pm.

But you should allow, at least, 1 day off per two weeks -
That's for weather, breakdowns, Montezuma, etc.

[John Nelson]

In the immortal words of Eddie Merckx, "Ride lots."

[Dreux]

Agreed with all above  responses. Most important would the bum conditioning. The only way to get there are multi day rides. Good luck.

[Norsman]

The only thing I would add is to not try to do too much in your first couple of days. On all my long rides I have found the first week to be the toughest to get through. It takes me a while to get into a riding rhythm. Each week it seems to get easier to do decent distances.

[staehpj1]

Even for non athletes no training is necessary as long as you are in decent general health/fitness and have enough saddle time that your butt isn't going to kill you.  Even that isn't an absolute must if you are willing to take it easy the first 10 days or so.  The longer the tour the more true this is.