Tina's Training Plan

Day after day

At the Great Vic you’ll be sitting in the saddle for several hours each day, then getting up to do it all over again the next day. That can take its toll on your butt! The more you ride, the harder your nether regions get! Whenever you can, try to do a few weeks where you can ride at least 4 days in a row. Doesn’t have to be long rides, you just have to make sure your butt gets used to the daily saddle sit!

Think of it like a well-seasoned wok…the more you use it, the better it gets. Your bits below are just the same…you need them well seasoned, so to speak! The only way to get through this one is to spend more time on the saddle. But there are a few things that can help

1. Make sure you have great bibs/cycling shorts. Don’t buy a fancy new pair and wear them for the first time on the Great Vic. Make sure you wear them plenty of times prior to the ride so you know that they work for YOUR body. Don’t wear your undies under the cycling bibs/shorts!
2. Butt cream… it’s heaven for making sure you don’t get chafing issues. It basically acts as a lubricant, so you won’t be rubbing against seams in your clothing. There are many available on the market but test them first! You don’t want to try it first time on the Great Vic only to find you are allergic to the ingredients. Butt cream is easy to use – simply smear it onto the chamois of your shorts, or directly onto your skin down there!
3. Because I coach lots of women, one tip we always recommend for multi day rides is to take some anti-fungal cream. Hot days in cycling shorts can lead to fungal infections easily, so some anti-fungal cream not only helps in that department but also acts a little like butt cream too. Some women I know also take nappy cream. It is harder to wash from the chamois of your shorts, but it does have healing properties.

Distance

You’ll be doing some long distances but during your training you don’t need to ride the actual distances you will cover on a Great Vic. The longest day is 105km so don’t fear if you haven’t done 100km before.

If you can ride 50km you can ride 70km, likewise, if you can ride 75km you can do 100km.

We usually find that the 70km mark is where many first-time century riders will ‘bonk’ (that means run out of all energy). But if you have ridden multiple 75km rides in your training then you should be confident that you will reach the tonne.

It requires patience to get to that distance, but once you have achieved it you also know mentally what it takes. What goes on in your head is a big part of the challenge to get to the 100km mark.

Aim for at least 4 x 75km rides during your training and more if you can manage the time.

• Don’t go out at a cracking pace…set off at a relaxed pace. If you find you have more energy after say 60km, then up the pace if you want to. Eat every 25km, just a small snack and sip water constantly. I usually recommend every 10 minutes at least for a few sips (more if it is hot).
• Don’t feel you need to have energy gels and bars. If you have never used them prior to the Great Vic, don’t try them first up at the event. They can affect people in different ways and sometimes can cause tummy aches or nausea, worse still, diarrhoea. If you want to use them, test them before the event.
• Choose a snack food you like that can fit in the jersey pocket or bike bag, nothing too sugary or fatty (or food that melts!)…bananas are great, and so is a few bites of a good old vegemite sandwich!

The hills

There’s always that burning question of ‘how can I be better at hills?’. Most people say ‘just ride more hills’…that’s true, but there are definitely other ways to approach it. I always say you don’t need to ride hills to be good at hills; even short hills will help you ride big hills. What you must aim to do is train the right groups of muscles to take on the role of hill climbing. You can easily do that without a hill…

When we cycle, we need a combination of muscle groups. We are stopping and starting, altering speed, going up hills, riding out the flat sections and changing things constantly. Therefore, we are not only using the slow contraction muscles, we also use fast twitch muscles that produce more power.

Finding the balance to get the most out of your riding is tricky. But by building up the fitness of the ‘fast twitch’ muscles it means you are effectively training those specific muscles to be efficient in their oxygen use when you go up a hill.

Interval training

Interval training engages the ‘fast twitch’ muscles and before I hear you groan, the below version is simple to do and you don’t have to make your intervals agony. Try powering things up on the bike for 1-3 minutes, riding faster than your usual pace (you don’t have to sprint your fastest), then slowing to a relaxed pace for another 1-3 minutes. Keep repeating this for around 20 minutes on the flat but do this several times a week if you can. Whatever you can fit into your schedule is better than nothing at all.

Remember, if you do any form of interval training you should always check with your doctor first.

Alternatively find a hill that is close by, just a short one of maybe 100 – 200 metres. Repeat climbs on the hill at a pace that suits you…you don’t need a long hill to be good at hills. You just need to repeat them a little like interval training…the more you climb those short hills, the more training you are giving those fast twitch muscles. Try doing that short route several times a week.

I am not much of a hill climber so I do the least amount of work I can get away with to prepare me for the hills. I have a route that is literally less than 2km, with one 8% hill of around 400m. I simply repeat this as many times as I feel like and stop before I am completely smashed. It is seriously about 30 minutes of work each time, so it’s multiple short sessions per week in the lead up to the event. I’ve never ridden any long hill in preparation for the hills on the Great Vic (because there are none where I live), so I just repeat the same short hills!

If we don’t train those big power muscles we use on hills, when we do put them into use, they are aerobically not ready, so you’ll be gasping. The more you can train the specific muscles required, the more efficient they become at the oxygen uptake required. With more efficiency you’ll be pedalling up the hills with ease!

Rest days

It’s important to have rest days. You don’t need to be out there on the bike every day doing repeats of your faster bursts. You must have time off the bike where the body has a chance to recover. It’s in the rest time that muscles start building and getting ready for the next activity. On the plan table you will see there is the ‘Minimum Plan’ and the ‘Super Keen Plan’…both have days off the bike.

After you have finished your bike sessions make sure you follow up with something to eat within the first 15 minutes after finishing your ride. The body is immediately into recovery mode and starts to call on all those things that help your muscles recover…most people say protein is great. My favourite post ride treat on a Great Vic has always been a flavoured milk after I finish riding. That’s my little protein hit! We all have our go-to favourites so choose what works for you, just don’t go for sugary drinks or greasy high carb food.