5 Day Kellogg's Tour of Ireland

[Porkyboy]

Hi

Dunno if it's of any interest but I've just completed the ToI and I put my daily numbers up on my blog. I just thought some of the summary data might be of interest to anyone planning on a similar multi day event. The 5 days covered about 600 hilly miles (12038m of ascent), the first 3 days were in very wet and windy weather, the last 2 days were in very windy but dryer weather.

Total 5 day event TSS: 1784
Start CTL: 80.4
Finish CTL: 111.9
Start TSB: 9.9
End TSB: -87.2
TSB @ start of final stage: -70

I managed the event just fine and was surprised to be able to still ride well on the last stage with a starting TSB of -70, this final stage was not easy with 106 miles to cover including 3474m of climbing, I'm 50, that's years and not kilos.

I rode the event as a trial to test my endurance and my nutrition and hydration strategies for my planned 2010 trip round France. I'd trained through the Winter almost exclusively indoors avoiding LSD work out in the wet and the cold. I've proved, to myself anyway, that this sort of event can be ridden with a fairly modest starting CTL rather than struggling to gain a massive starting CTL which may well have left me too fatigued to ride as I did.

I just thought this experience might be of help to a few people who perhaps think very high CTLs are an essential pre-requisite for this type of event and yet who may not have the time to achieve them. I believe that if a CTL of 80+ish can be achieved through L3/SST/L4 work long hard events can be approached with confidence.

This leaves me I guess with a question, is all CTL the same, I'm sure it's not. I think on balance I'd rather have a CTL generated through higher intensity work than one generated through more hours at lower intensities. I may however be talking out of my hat, as usual

Cheers all.

Q

 

[daveryanwyoming]

Nice job, sounds like an awesome ride.

...This leaves me I guess with a question, is all CTL the same, ...

No, definitely not. The makeup of your training is very important and all CTL is not equal.

-Dave

 

[Porkyboy]

Hi Dave

No, definitely not. The makeup of your training is very important and all CTL is not equal.

-Dave

Thanks very much, I've always thought that was the case but I can't really remember CTL makeup being specifically discussed that much, just seem to see the actual number being referred to in terms of "how much CTL is enough".

Cheers,

Q

 

[daveryanwyoming]

... but I can't really remember CTL makeup being specifically discussed that much, just seem to see the actual number being referred to in terms of "how much CTL is enough"...

That's ashame and probably means we've got to reinforce the point. I can't think of a post where I mentioned building CTL where someone hasn't correctly replied that the composition of CTL cannot be ignored.

Here's how I put it a while back and have tried to repeat frequently:

• CTL or TSS shouldn't be viewed in isolation without taking into
  
  account the training mix that led to that overall load. A CTL of 120
  
  built entirely on six hour L2 rides probably won't get you ready for
  
  general road racing or crits. A lower CTL with a better mix including
  
  an appropriate amount of high end work is generally a better bet..

• -Dave

 

[Porkyboy]

Hmm.. sounds pretty clear!

Q

 

[giannip]

Well done. I was following your Tweets and being based in the SE of Ireland, I was not envying the weather you were experiencing.

Congrats again.

 

[Porkyboy]

Hiya

Well done. I was following your Tweets and being based in the SE of Ireland, I was not envying the weather you were experiencing.Congrats again.

Thanks very much indeed, the weather was indeed gruesome. The event served it's purpose for me, I now KNOW that training indoors over the Winter with a blend of L3/SST/L4 work and not going out in the cold wet weather doing long tedious rides allows me to hold my own @50 with good riders in a 5 day 600 mile hilly event in bad weather. This is therefore how I will be preparing during the Winter of 2009/2010 for my TdF extravaganza

Thanks again.

Q

 

[giannip]

Yup..

My "best" year was when I did most of my training indoors, away from cold / wet stuff here.

Think it will be back to that this winter...

 

[Porkyboy]

Hi

Yup.. My "best" year was when I did most of my training indoors, away from cold / wet stuff here. Think it will be back to that this winter...

Certainly that's what I'll be doing. I'll be further refining this Winter's plan and hope to make further gains by trying to trick my body into thinking it's doing long endurance rides when it isn't

I just find indoor training heaps more time efficient and with a bit of thought the boredom can easily be overcome. I'm recording lots of stages of the Giro etc. and will do the same for Le Tour, I can then watch them in the Winter on the VeloTron Most of my Winter sessions are only 60 minutes and 120 @ most so it's not a problem really.

Cheers,

Q

 

[giannip]

Hi

Certainly that's what I'll be doing. I'll be further refining this Winter's plan and hope to make further gains by trying to trick my body into thinking it's doing long endurance rides when it isn't

I just find indoor training heaps more time efficient and with a bit of thought the boredom can easily be overcome. I'm recording lots of stages of the Giro etc. and will do the same for Le Tour, I can then watch them in the Winter on the VeloTron Most of my Winter sessions are only 60 minutes and 120 @ most so it's not a problem really.

Cheers,

Q

I have to add that I followed the example workouts in THE book which I believe really pushed me to my best yet. Agree re: 60/120min workouts, except on one day I couldn't get out due to hail and had to do 4hrs on IDT................