Specific Training for Tour

[Cathryn]

Hi,

Do any of the tourers on here do a specific type of training plan for their tour or just cycle regularly pre tour?

Or of course do some just hop on the bike and go without much physical preparation?

D

This year, me and the husband have to do some training, we’ve bitten off a LOT and need to be strong from day one! Usually we just rock up and roll but not this year!

 

[Gwylan]

The Snowdon test. Look at each piece of your kit and decide if it is important enough to your expedition to carry it up Snowdon. And bring it back.

Leaving a few kilos of junk behind is worth a lot of training.
Also sets a frame of mind

 

[MichaelW2]

If you commute by bike or ride around regularly you will be fine. The most imp factor is saddle time, you have to know that you are comfortable on the bike for hours. I have done tours on hire bikes with no prep, and expect to ride 30 miles/day only.
I usually take the first day of a tour as a 1/2 day ride.

 

[Dogtrousers]

. The most imp factor is saddle time,

I remember one tour in the 80s when our tour song was, to the tune of Elton John's "Passengers" (that dates it to 1984 or later). " I've got a knackered bum and/ I wanna get off".

 

[Gwylan]

The Snowdon test. Look at each piece of your kit and decide if it is important enough to your expedition to carry it up Snowdon. And bring it back.

Leaving a few kilos of junk behind is worth a lot of training.
Also sets a frame of mind

Seeing other posts. Make sure you have a "friend at your end"
Comfy shorts that have a few 100s km and a few washes in them could be a wise preparation.

Do people still use that lanolin stuff for chamois padded shorts? Do they still use chamois?
I do, but haven't bought shorts or creme for ages.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Hi,

Do any of the tourers on here do a specific type of training plan for their tour or just cycle regularly pre tour?

Or of course do some just hop on the bike and go without much physical preparation?

D

A bit late but it's a common question so anyways.......

First of all, what's a tour?
I think yours is a few days with some hefty climbing in a part of the world where the weather is changeable and is dependent on ferry timetables? That's different, to some degree, than someone heading off for a month or three.
Then, there's the style of tour. I could take a week or longer to do what some do in a day or two.

So long as your daily distances are achievable, then there should be no problem so long as you're used to riding the bike. As pointed out already, distance may not be the problem, the saddle might be. I have always thought that if I have excess energy at the end of the day I can explore where I am. Better that than arriving late, stressed, tired and having those feelings carry over to the next day.

I loathe the use of the word training, especially in relation to a recreational activity. I much prefer words like practise. In my world, there's far, far more to an enjoyable bike tour than making the distance and reaching a destination. It's all the things in between. And sometimes, they can take practice to suit us.
Choosing the best route for me, what to eat or drink, and when, what to wear can all be improved with practice. Judging what 10, 20, 50 more miles or kms will feel like is something that gets better with practice.
Most importantly, getting the head right for whatever we want to achieve from our tour normally takes some practice and experience. As an example, I like to have as much stress removed before I set off. I can use my phone and important apps on the road, offline, in case things are different to what I expected. I carry more food and water than I need so that I can stop when I like and wildcamp, if needs be. Therefore, I feel free and unconstrained. That's what I want from a tour. For someone else, that is close to hell on earth.
Similarly, solo tourers have the advantage of answering to very few but the disadvantage of lacking a buddy on the tougher stretches. No harm to have practised what works to gee us up.

I've had loads of mini adventures just practising. A fully loaded day ride here, an overnighter there. Finding out all the things that worked, and didn't work, for me. They had little to do with distance or fitness and everything to do with enjoyment. Had I thought I was "training" I'd probably have stayed in bed!

Best of luck!

 

[Dogtrousers]

I loathe the use of the word training, especially in relation to a recreational activity. I much prefer words like practise.

"Loathe" is a bit strong, but I know where you are coming from.

"Training" is a chore. It's doing some cycling or other exercise that you don't really enjoy that much.

But if you can go on some rides in advance of your tour, that you actually enjoy then you get double benefit. You've gone on a nice bike ride and had the side effect of preparing yourself for your tour. And it's not really "training", because it's fun.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Hi,

Do any of the tourers on here do a specific type of training plan for their tour or just cycle regularly pre tour?

Or of course do some just hop on the bike and go without much physical preparation?

D

FWIW ahead of any leisure cycling challenge, a "challenge" being something inherently difficult and beyond your normal range, I'd recommend, in order of priority:

1. Test out the exact setup you intend to use (same bicycle, same saddle, same gears, same luggage etc) for as extended a period as possible, well ahead of the challenge to allow changes based on experience.

2. Lose as much weight as possible. It makes more difference than anything else.

3. Cycle up as many hills as possible, as hard as you can be bothered.

4. Do as many long rides as possible, relative to the ride(s) your challenge requires.

All of these are much more likely to happen if you do them in an enjoyable way ie don't overdo it. Only serious racing cyclists require a training plan as such, IMO.

Just "rocking up" to a tour is entirely possible and indeed sensible if your tour days aren't significantly in excess of a typical ride you do anyway.

 

[Alba Zeus]

@HobbesOnTour Thank you for taking the time to write in such detail. I appreciate it.

Yes I'm only going for a couple of hundred mile so nothing to excess. I ride regularly enough so not concerned about time in the saddle.

I do need to activley slow down I think. When I'm out on a regular few hours ride I tend to be kicking it as hard as I can however I want to just pootle along on this mini tour & enjoy the scenery.

I'm heading over to an area of my planned route next week to cycle a different route but with the same ups and downs so will get an idea of the terrain and what I'm probably capable of then anyway.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

@HobbesOnTour Thank you for taking the time to write in such detail. I appreciate it.

Not a problem, happy to offer my insight.

Yes I'm only going for a couple of hundred mile so nothing to excess.

You do realise that for some people a couple of hundred miles is a big tour? My first tour was about that length and it scared the bejaysus out of me

I do need to activley slow down I think.

From my experience only, that can be one of the hardest skills to master.
One of the best "tools" to help me relax is to have an idea of what a certain distance feels like. Then I know if I have to push it or not.
I have found taking photos to be a great way of getting me to slow down. So too is taking notes about where I am, what I am seeing or feeling. On a smartphone that can be very easy and voice recorders are great for that too.
My gps display normally shows no "performance" data - it's available if I want it on another screen but the last thing I want to be seeing is my average speed or distance to destination.
Wherever possible, I like to stop for a little while every hour or so. I had to train myself to drink more often and this was a good way of making sure that I was taking enough water on board. A little snack is nice too.

One of my regrets from earlier tours was that I didn't keep a better record of them. These days it's normal for me to flick through my photos and jot down a quick account of my day before the days start to merge with each other. I find that I remember far, far more of my days than before and that now I have a lovely memory too. Even uploading the ride to Strava allows us to add photos and videos as well as notes or comments to have a record of the day that we can share if we like. RWGPS offers similar.

If all that fails, my preferred unit of measurement isn't miles per hour, it's smiles per mile.

I'm heading over to an area of my planned route next week to cycle a different route but with the same ups and downs so will get an idea of the terrain and what I'm probably capable of then anyway.

That's a very smart idea. I presume you'll be packing as you will on the tour?

Good luck!

 

[Gwylan]

Yes I'm only going for a couple of hundred mile so nothing to excess. I ride regularly enough so not concerned about time in the saddle.

Remember all journeys start with the first step or something like that. Chairman Mao or somebody similar

 

[Aravis]

I've never toured for more than a week or so. I never tried to be in peak form at the start, but ideally I wanted feel I was on an upswing. When preparing for a significant tour I'd plan my practice rides with that in mind.

Being prepared mentally is obviously important as well. You want to feel hungry for time in the saddle.

That said, if you get any of these things wrong there's usually time to turn it around. At the start of one trip, riding out of Dublin heading for Donegal and the north, I remember asking myself if I was really up for this. Fortunately I didn't have any major setbacks until day two...

 

[TheDoctor]

I remember one tour in the 80s when our tour song was, to the tune of Elton John's "Passengers" (that dates it to 1984 or later). " I've got a knackered bum and/ I wanna get off".

I was singing that to the tune of Iggy Pops' "Passengers", and it still works.
But training for a tour? Unless it's something way above and beyond your normal rides you'll be fine. I haven't done much riding over the winter but I can still do thirty miles at the drop of a hat.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I was singing that to the tune of Iggy Pops' "Passengers", and it still works.

For that I simply sing the word banana over and over (with a few additions).
I am the ba-na-na
And I ba-na-na-na
I Ba-na-na ba-na-na-na
etc.

To get back on topic - as well as training you obviously need to practice your tour song.

 

[Jameshow]

For that I simply sing the word banana over and over (with a few additions).
I am the ba-na-na
And I ba-na-na-na
I Ba-na-na ba-na-na-na
etc.

To get back on topic - as well as training you obviously need to practice your tour song.

It's a long way to Tipperary...it's a long way to go!!!