Preparing for the Audax 200K

If you are relatively new to endurance bicycling, this should be a primer for you. If you are not, you might learn a thing or two, or possibly be willing to contribute a bit of your experience.

One of the things that new riders almost always question is the distance involved. 200K (that’s about 125 miles) seems like a big number. The simple fact is you can do this, and it’s not all that hard. Remember this principle. If you riding on a consistent basis, and have been for eight to ten weeks, you can do your weekly total in a day. That means your total of hours, or miles, whichever way you reckon it.

NOTE: I prefer to think in terms of hours. The cardio-vascular system doesn’t know what a mile is. A better measure of training is duration and quality of effort.

So let’s look at what we’re aiming for. The Audax Ride will cover 125 miles of road. The route is mostly gentle hills, some nice flats, and one modest mountain. At the intended event pace, we expect to spend eight to eight and a half hours on the bike. That’s a rolling average of 14.7 to 15. 6 mph, or an overall average of about 12.5 mph.

To get ready for this, a rider needs to be riding 10 to 13 hours per week, or (if you insist) 125 to 150 miles per week. More, this target needs to be one that is consistently maintained for at least four weeks, with a fifth week of decreased activity and rest prior to the event.

It is now 10 weeks until the event. That means a potential rider has five weeks to build up to that consistent weekly average, and then must hold it for another four weeks. The last week prior to the ride should be one of much more relaxed riding and resting.

I’ll make one last suggestion in this overview. Don’t try to build up too fast. If you are now riding about five hours per week, don’t add more than an hour a week for the next five weeks. Then give yourself a week of reduced activity to allow rest and recovery from the build up.

Try this gentle and progressive approach and you’ll do fine.