Training and Testing for a Group Tour

The basics of the Cheaha Two Day Tour pretyt much decide the shape of the ride. We’re going to go about 114 miles on the first day. That day will include the ascent up Cheaha Mountain between mile 80 and mile 100. Then there’s a 14 mile descent and trek into Oxford, Alabama. The second day we will be riding back home, about 97 miles. Both days will have their share of hilly terrain.

I’d like to get on the road early enough to ride in the cooler part of the day, and to insure that we have ample time to do the trips in daylight. Consider, this is a self-supported tour, so we will all be riding fairly heavy bikes. That means that we should plan on a rolling average of between 11 mph and 13 mph. This translates to a first day of between 8.75 and 10.5 hours on the bike, or a total of 11 to 13 hours. We can go faster than this if, and only if, everyone agrees to accept a higher pace.

I, for one will not readily go faster during the first half of the day. I’ve found that early enthusiasm leads to a long and painful day.

So how do we each get ready for this?

First off, get your bike ready. Install the equipment you plan to carry. Pack your bike. Weigh the whole shebang. Then go ride it! Now you know what you will be working with. Start riding regularly with a load just like that. (You don’t have to carry exactly what you will be doing on the tour, but weight the bike down to match touring trim.) In fact, add some weight!

That’s right, add some additional weight to your load. Do this gradually over a period of about three weeks. This lets you gradually get used to the whole pack. Your objective is to test to see if you can maintain the needed average speeds, over hilly ground, for a prolonged time. If you are faster, well and good. Now test to see if you can slow down to the expected group speed. (This last, surprisingly, can be oddly hard to do.)

While you are at this fitness training and testing, be testing the equipment you plan to carry. Make sure it all works, and that you can use all of it. (Remember, there is no absolute guarantee that you will have help on hand when you need it. Expect the best, plan for the worst.)

To aid in all of this, I’ll be doing some group “Touring Test Rides.” Expect more info on these soon. (How about a mountain stage as one of these? Anyone interested?)