Power in cycling comes from the legs but cannot be transmitted into the pedals unless there is a strong core platform to push off. If the center of your body turns into a noodle after thirty minutes of riding, power and endurance carefully developed in your arms and legs cannot be used. Efficiency is a big part of being fast when mountain biking. A strong core and upper body is needed to drive your bike through technical terrain without losing momentum. Endurance mountain biker racers need a huge reservoir of core and upper body strength to maintain control of the bike for 12-24 hours of off-road pounding.

Core strength means hips, butt, lower back and abdomen. It means flexing and extending the trunk as in back extensions and crunches. It also means stabilizing against a force such as gravity in exercises such as bridging. Integration exercises that work the abdominal, back, hip and butt muscles all at the same time are the best core strengthening exercises.

Tips for core strengthening exercises

Contract your abdominal muscles throughout all exercises. Think of keeping your belly button pressed into your spine. This keeps you muscles close to your spinal column and provides spinal support.
2.        During exercises when both feet are up off the floor, keep your belly button pressed into your spine and your spine pressed into the floor to support your lumbar spine.
3.        During exercises when both feet are on the floor, keep your hips and spine in a neutral position.
4.        Move fluidly without and throwing and jerking motions.
5.        Breathe slowly and smoothly throughout exercises.
6.        Add lots of variety into your core training routine. 
7.        Target your whole core by alternating abdominal, back and side exercises. Use both mobility and stability exercises.

As with all new exercises, start slowly and avoid any movement that causes pain.  If you are not confident with your technique, seek the services of a certified personal trainer. 

Pillar Ball Twist  Get in the push-up position with your feet flat (shoelaces to ball) on top of a stability ball. Place your hands the same width apart they are on the handlebars. Keep your body rigid with legs and feet squeezed together. Rotate your torso to the left turning your belly button to face the wall while rolling onto the side of your left foot. Hold in place for a second and then rotate your feet back to the shoelaces on the ball position with your belly button pointing at floor. Hold for a second and then repeat rotation to the right side. Any butt swinging or bending at the hips or knees is cheating. Make your shoulders and torso do the work. This is a killer exercise for mountain bikers. Ten reps to each side should be tough.

Pull-Ups  Do your pull ups palms facing away from the body (like you are holding your handlebars).

Push-Ups  Face down, body held rigid in plank position, lower chest to floor and raise up. If you need to, start out building push-up strength on your knees and work up to toes.

Psoas Crunch  Kneel on all fours with one end of an elastic exercise-band (swim cords work great here) tied to your right ankle and the other end to an attachment point beyond your feet. Extend your left arm and right leg out and then crunch them in bringing your right elbow towards your left knee. Round your back, exhale and pull your belly button hard up to your spine as you crunch in, hold for two seconds and repeat.

Glute Bridge  Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Extend one leg and then raise your hips up using the strength of the opposite hip only. Hold for 10 seconds and lower. Repeat 10 times on each side. Keep the hips level and in line with your torso. Weakness will show up by one hip jutting out to the side or dipping lower than the other.

Crunches Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on floor. Lift head and shoulders off the floor and then lower. Keep your neck in neutral and don’t pull on your head. Vary tempo. Increase intensity by lifting feet off the floor.

Oblique Crunches Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on floor. As you lift your head and shoulders, rotate your torso to the side bringing the opposite knee and hip towards each other. Then lower. Keep your neck in neutral and don’t pull on your head. Alternate sides. Vary tempo.

Side Lifts Lie on your side, legs straight, arms relaxed. Lift shoulders and legs at same time then lower. Vary tempo.

Superman’s  Lie on the floor face down with your arms extended overhead. Using your core lift your arms, shoulders and legs off the floor and fly like Superman then lower. Vary tempo.

Reverse Crunch  Lie on back, press lower back into floor, lift legs with a 90 degree bend at the hips and knees. Curl tailbone off the floor using lower abs then lower while maintaining the 90 degree bend at hips and knees.

Standing Trunk Twist  Hold a stick on your shoulders behind head (not on your neck). Twist torso to one side then the other like a periscope. Keep hips facing forward. No rotation in legs and knees.

Hanging Knee Raise  Hang from pull up bar or dip station. Contract core muscles. Lift knees as high as you can without throwing them. Control the motion while you raise and lower. Vary tempo.

Seated Knee Raise  Sit at the very end of a bench. Lean back slightly. Round your lower back slightly. Lift both feet two inches off floor. Pull one knee towards your chest then extend back to start. Alternate legs. Keep your core contracted and do not let your back arch.

Dumbbell Side Bend  Stand with a dumbbell in your right hand. Lower dumbbell down thigh as far as you can without leaning forward or back. Return to upright.

Roll-Ups  Lie on your back with your legs straight and arms extended overhead. Exhale as you begin to roll up. Lift your arms, then head, then shoulders. Continue to roll up articulating your spine one vertebrae at a time up and forward. Inhale as you stretch forward keeping your belly button pressed to your spine. Exhale and roll back down slowly with control, exhaling throughout the whole movement. Stretch tall, inhale. Exhale and roll back up. Think of curling yourself forward, stretching then slowly uncurling back down to the mat. Move with a smooth fluid motion at a constant speed. Avoid throwing your body up, or allowing it to flop down. Keep your heels on the floor at all times.

Roll-Over  Lie on your back with your arms by your sides and legs held up towards the ceiling. Inhale to prepare. Exhale slowly, contract your lower abs and peel your spine off the mat one vertebra at a time from your tailbone. Inhale when you have lifted as far as you can. Exhale as you lower to the starting position with your legs straight up towards the ceiling. Control the movement avoiding any throwing or jerking. Move fluidly. Do not roll onto the back of the neck, balance on the shoulders instead. Make sure you are lifting from the back of your hips and not simply allowing the weight of your legs to pull you over. Move with your exhale. Only curl your pelvis up as much as your muscle strength will allow.

Roman Chair Back Extensions  If you have access to a Roman chair, back extensions are great to build strength. Bend all the way forward and when you lift up, do so only to a neutral spine position. Avoid hyper extending (bending back too much) your spine. Start with 3 X 10 and build up to 3 X 20. I don’t like adding weight to this exercise but prefer adding various rotation movements. As you lift turn your shoulders to the side or try figure of eight rotations with your shoulders.

Swimming  Lie on stomach, completely outstretched. Reach your fingertips for the wall on front of you. Hold your head in a neutral spin position (don’t look up). Pull your belly button up in to your spine to activate your transverse abdominis muscle and then bring right arm and left leg up while simultaneously lifting chest off the mat. Switch arms and legs while holding chest up and transverse abdominis muscle tight (just keep your belly button pulled into your spine to do this). Continue beating arms and legs up and down in opposition while holding core strong and stable. Imagine you are balancing on a rock in the water and need to keep the movements controlled so you don’t slip off. Complete 20 beats slowly, 20 beats quickly and another 20 beats slowly with no rest.

Breaststroke  Lie on your front with your arms stretched out overhead. Pull your abdominal muscles in towards your spine and keep them locked in throughout the whole exercise. Lift your arms two inches off the ground then arc them around to your sides in a breaststroke fashion while lifting your chest and chin. Hold here for a few seconds, then dive your head down and your arms forward again in a breaststroke fashion back to the start. Breathe as if in water. Inhale as you lift and stroke back and exhale as you dive forward.

Heel-Beats  Lie on your front with your arms stretched out overhead. Pull your abdominal muscles in towards your spine and keep them locked in throughout the whole exercise. Straighten your arms and legs and keep them straight throughout the whole exercise. Raise your arms and legs two inches off the floor. Clap your heels 20 times. Rest, stretch and repeat 4 -5 times.

Crawl  Lie on your front with your arms stretched out overhead. Pull your abdominal muscles in towards your spine and keep them locked in throughout the whole exercise. Raise your arms and legs two inches off the floor. Hold your left arm and both legs still. Drop only the fingertips of your right hand to the floor and lightly drag them along the floor towards your right shoulder. Raise your elbow up as high as you can towards the ceiling as your arm comes in. Continue dragging your fingertips along the floor and graze your thumb along your side until your arm is straight. Pause here and feel the opposition stretch with your left arm reaching forward and your right arm stretching back. Reverse the finger drag making sure to keep your elbow high. Repeat with left arm. Exhale as you stroke back and inhale as you stroke forward. To reduce the intensity keep your legs on the floor.

Front Pillar or Front Plank  Hold a push-up position for 30 - 60 seconds. Keep head in line with spine and don’t sag or bend.

Side Pillar or Side Plank  Balance on your left side supporting yourself with your left hand and both feet. Left arm is straight without a locked elbow. Right foot is stacked on top of left foot. Legs are straight. Keep hips pushed forward and don’t sag or bend. A straight line is formed from feet to neck. Hold for 30 - 60 seconds then switch sides. Only the side edge of your bottom foot and your left hand should be in contact with the floor.

Ball Pikes  Start in push-up position with legs together and shins resting on top of a physioball. Slowly raise hips up to the ceiling rolling the ball towards your shoulders then lower back to start position. Repeat ten times. Legs remain straight and together throughout the movement.

Nice exercise descriptions and photos can be found here

Book recommendations

The Pilate’s Body by Brook Siller is an excellent book with clear pictures and descriptions of many core exercises.

Core Performance by Mark Verstegen is the best conditioning book you will ever buy. It has clear photos and explain the benefits of functional strength in performance.

By Ann Schofield, PT

The following exercises have been specifically chosen to address the typical muscle imbalances developed by cyclists. The biking position causes certain structures to be elongated, while others are kept in a contracted position. When a muscle is stretched out for prolonged periods of time, (such as gluteus maximus in cycling) it will become long and inefficient in portions of its range. Other muscles, kept in a contracted position will become shortened and overactive. This sort of imbalance found between different muscles or even portions of one muscle, can lead to injury and inefficiency.

Naturally, the muscles used to move the bike forward will be dominant. Without a stable base to work from, these muscles cannot work effectively. The exercises found below will help improve the function of the stability muscles, as well as ensuring that they can work efficiently throughout their range.

1. Neutral Bridge with Single Leg Raise

GOALS OF EXERCISE: To optimize inner range control of gluteus maximus and improve stability function of oblique abdominal muscles.

1. Lie on a firm surface with hands on front of hips to monitor hip position.

2. Lift pelvis using both legs, then raise one leg as shown.

3. Hold this position for 10 seconds, before returning to the start position.

4. Be sure that the pelvis is held level. This is the key. One side may be more difficult to do than the other.

5. Repeat 10 times on each side with a break between every lift.

RELEVANCE TO CYCLISTS: Cyclists tend to have extremely dominant hamstring muscle activity and poor stability function in the gluts. While riding, the gluts do produce power from the middle and outer portions of their range, but fail to stabilize adequately in the inner range, largely due to the mechanical disadvantage placed upon them in the seated, lean forward position. This muscle imbalance can lead to hamstring pulls, hip problems and even IT band friction syndrome at the knee.

2. Clam Shell Exercise

GOALS OF EXERCISE: To strengthen the posterior portion of gluteus medius and gluteus maximus.

1. Lie on side, with hips at 45 degrees and knees at 90 degrees.

2. Keeping pelvis perpendicular to the floor, and heels together, raise the upper knee as high as possible, by turning out at the hip.

3. Hold for 10 seconds, repeat 10 times each side.

4. If the pelvis is not held in the correct position, the wrong muscle will be used to move the leg.

RELEVANCE TO CYCLISTS: Due to bike position and cycling motion, the rider will use the anterior portion of gluteus medius enormously, while the posterior portion will not be recruited much at all. This posterior portion is hugely important to pelvic stability and the prevention of hip, knee and back problems. It will also be needed when climbing out of the saddle.

3. Oblique Abdominal Strengthening

GOALS OF EXERCISE: To improve the stability function of the oblique abdominal musculature.

1. Lie on your back on a firm surface. Monitor position of low back with hands.

2. Raise one leg to 90 degrees, then raise the other to join it.

3. Straighten one leg, then the other, in a cycling motion while maintaining good contact between the low back and the hands.

4. Do this for 10 seconds, rest then repeat 10 times.

RELEVANCE TO CYCLISTS: When torque is applied through pedals, strong rotational forces are produced. The obliques function to decelerate these forces through the trunk and pelvis, so that the energy produced can be used to move the bike forward, rather than turning the body from side to side. When a rider gets tired, form often deteriorates and extraneous motion occurs, reducing efficiency.

4. Prone Inner Range Leg Raise

GOALS OF EXERCISE: To optimize inner range control of Gluteus Maximus.

1. Lie on stomach on firm surface.

2. Bend the knee to 90 degrees.

3. Squeeze gluts on the same side, then raise the leg just 2 inches off the bed.

4. Do not allow the back to hyperextend (arch). Do not roll onto the straight leg to achieve the lift.

5. Hold for 10 seconds, repeat 10 times each side.

RELEVANCE TO CYCLIST: This exercise provides the cyclist the opportunity to work even further into the gluteus maximus inner stability range. Do not underestimate the importance of having strength in a muscle through all portions of its range. Riders who cross train into running in the off season will need to maintain good hip stability in the upright position if they want to avoid injury.

5. Anterior Hip Stretch

GOALS OF EXERCISE: To lengthen tight tissues at the front of the hip joint.

1. Lie on the edge of a firm table or counter.

2. Pull one leg up to chest and allow the other to hang down, opening up the hip.

3. A weight may be strapped to the ankle to pull down on the leg being stretched if a more aggressive stretch is desired.

4. Hold the position for between 30 seconds and two minutes.

5. Repeat on the other side.

RELEVANCE TO CYCLISTS: Due to posture on the bike, a cyclist will inherently suffer from tight structures in the anterior hip. The following recommended stretch may not be the most convenient to do, but is the best way to make a difference.

6. Tight IT Bands?

GOALS OF EXERCISE: To release myofascial trigger points.

1. Lie over the foam roller as shown, with the top leg crossed in front or behind for support.

2. Roll back and forth to massage tight tissue, or hold pressure on especially tight trigger points to release them.

RELEVANCE TO CYCLISTS Both the bike position and pedaling motion can lead to tightness in the illiotibial band, which is found on the outside of the thigh, starting at the hip and attaching into the side of the knee. A tight IT band can lead to hip or knee problems, as well as a painful condition called IT band friction syndrome. Use of a foam roller can control some of this tightness often found in cyclists.

Intensity	Common names	Perceived Exertion Scale (1-10)	Friel HR zone	Coggan Power Levels	Conversation Indicator	Breathing Level	General Feeling
Easy	Active Recovery, Endurance	3-Feb	1	1	You can easily hold a normal conversation	Breathing is normal to very slightly elevated. You can still breathe through your nose with your mouth closed	Go all day pace. JRA (just riding along) pace. Light pressure on the pedals.
Moderate	Endurance	4-Mar	3-Feb	3-Feb	Conversation is still possible	Breathing is slightly elevated. You must open your mouth to breathe	You can cruise along for 2-3 hours at this pace
Race-Pace or Moderate-Fast	Tempo, Lactate Threshold	5-Apr	4-5a	5-Mar	You can talk in four word sentences but conversation is difficult	Breathing deepens markedly. It is audible to a training partner	You can maintain this pace for a maximum of 60 minutes
Fast	VO2max	7-Jun	5b	6	You can give one word answers but cannot converse	Breathing changes to sucking	This is the pace you can maintain for a maximum of 5-6 minutes
Maximum	Anaerobic Capacity, Neuromuscular Power	8+	5c	7	Grunting is possible!	Sustainable efforts are too short to max out breathing level	You can only sustain this pace for very short efforts

There are two reasons to conduct cycling performance field tests:

1. To set a performance benchmark  After future tests you can compare performance benchmark data to check you are improving or see if you are not improving and need to make changes to your training plan. Keeping tabs on performance benchmarks gives a good reality check. Maximum distance ridden or average power output over a specific duration is standard.
2. To set training zones to follow during workouts  Average heart rate from the final 20 minutes of a 30 minute time trial or the average from a 20 minute time trial is used to estimate lactate threshold heart rate and set heart rate training zones. Power training levels are set with  0.93 X average power output from a 20 minute time trial.

Conduct accurate tests!

To test accurately you must limit as many variables as possible. Follow these testing guidelines each time you test:

• Arrive at the test in a rested state, ready to ride fast.
• Arrive at the test adequately fueled, hydrated and ready to ride fast. During the last 45 minutes before you test, drink a sports drink to boost energy levels along with aiding in hydration.
• Use the exact same course every time you test. A 15 minute out, then 15 minute back course or continual gradual climb is optimal. No traffic stops is an essential. A road course is the best idea as it is difficult to control trail conditions from month to month off-road. Put slicks on your mountain bike to test on the road or use a road bike if you have one.
• Test under the same conditions. A calm day is optimal. If it is windy on test day, postpone the test to a calm day.
• Always conduct the same warm-up routine before every field test of at least 30 minutes warming up with at least one five-minute effort near lactate threshold.
• Select a gear that allows you to maintain a cadence between 95 and 100 rpm. Avoid the impulse to mash a big gear at slow rpm - the greater resistance will build more leg-burning lactic acid. The secret is to use the gearing that is most efficient for your personal riding style. Most athletes will respond better to using a slightly lighter gear than what you are accustomed to. Settle into your pace and avoid any power surges or accelerations. Pace at the maximum effort you can sustain at an even pace for 30 minutes – don’t blow up halfway!

Data to record

• Distance covered in 20 or 30 minutes (check your training plan for which test is applicable). This is your key performance benchmark number.
• Average heart rate from the final 20 minutes of the 30 minute time trial or the entire 20 minute average heart rate. This is used to estimate lactate threshold heart rate and to calculate your heart rate training zones using the TrainingPeaks Heart Rate zone calculator.
• Average power from the 20 minutes. Multiply this by 0.93 to calculate Functional Threshold power and set power training levels.
• Perceived exertion (scale of 1-10) at the end of the test.
• Weather conditions.
• All daily indicator metrics on your TrainingPeaks daily log page.
• Any other information relevant to the test outcome.

Calculate Heart Rate Training Zones

• Use the heart rate zone calculator in TrainingPeaks. Select the Preferences tab on the yellow menu bar and then click HR and Power Zones. Enter your bike LTHR (average HR from final 20 minutes of your 30 min TT) select Joe Friel Cycling heart rate zones and click Compute Bike Zones! Then scroll to the bottom of the page and click save. This will save the zones to your TrainingPeaks account and they will appear on your daily log and weekly summary pages.

Calculate Power Training Levels

• Multiply 20 minute average power by 0.93. This is your Functional Threshold power. Use the Power Training Levels table to calculate your power training levels.

Functional Threshold is calculated by taking your 20 minute time trial average power and multiplying it by 0.93. Then use the table below to calculate your power based training levels. 

 

• Thanks to Dr A.Coggan for development of this power based training table.

Part 5 addresses how to train for your first 24 solo effort.  The first 4 posts in this series are here.

Yuri:  Do you do any 24 hour simulations…or just go for it?? Dave, I really appreciate all of your input on these matters and putting up with my petty questions, I know that it will help me out as I prepare for Laguna Seca.

Dave:  Thanks Yuri for the questions - they are really well thought out.  They directly address aspects of racing I’ve been working on for a few years now…and I’m happy to help out fellow chronics!

Training for ultra MTB events in general is a passion of mine.  I’ve spent years thinking on the topic and used different tools to help understand what is happening, how to gauge progress, and how to plan.  Sharing these thoughts is the #1 reason I started this blog.  In time I’ll go into more depth on the whys, whats, & whens of what I’ve found to be effective, but for now, this will get you pointed in the right direction.  Of course, there are a million ways to skin a cat…so you may end up doing something entirely different based on your previous training experiences…

24 solo efforts are huge - physically, financially, emotionally, mentally.  It’s always been my approach to come at them with the best possible fitness, because anything less is just going to hurt that much more and leave me dissatisfied.  We’re always looking for optimal experiences, right? 

Time to stir the pot again.  There just isn’t much info in the public domain on ultra mtb training.  I’ve been coached, used Friel’s methods, and learned a lot for both scenarios.  However, neither filled the ultra gaps.  At issue is the demands of the event, balanced with a need for speed.  There’s a basic paradox in ultra events:  you rarely if ever do sustained efforts at or above threshold power, but power at threshold is the primary determinant of endurance capacity.  That last part is key.  If you train by power, you know that you have an intrinsic power-duration curve.  For example, let’s say you can do 600W for 1 min, 400 for 5m, 300 for 20m, 250 for 5 hours and so on.  These are points on your power-duration curve.  For long events, we’re interested in raising that 5 hour point.  It is my observation that to do that, you must raise the shorter duration points - the 1, 5, and 20 minute points.

This isn’t to say endurance rides aren’t important - they are key!  Another aspect to consider is specificity.  24 solos are long…and the closer to an event, the more “race-like” you should be training.  So when I put these thoughts in a tumbler and shake’m up, I come up with a rough periodization plan that looks like this:

Transition
Endurance phase, tempo training
Top end training (power level 5, 6)
Threshold training (power level 4)
Big, a$$-kicking tempo blocks.
Taper/sharpen/race

That’s more or less reverse periodization in terms of intensity.  The general idea is to first raise threshold power as high as possible, then build the endurance required for the event.  The final big tempo blocks are key - and to get to your question - no there aren’t any 24 hour sims in there.  I shoot for getting a ride in that is at least 8 hours, and not usually more than 10.  In the long rides of this period, I always try to pick it up towards the end.  It instills good PE/pacing practices & intuition.  This is based on power of course…the long rides are when you want to dial in your on-bike nutrition (300-400 cal/hour), pit stop actions, equipment, clothing…all the little details that add up to make or break performances. 

This is the most race-specific preparation of the plan - and part of the process is to learn your body’s signals/requests.  During the race, you should always be thinking about what you need now, and what you need in the near future.  Is your calorie intake on target?  Is it digesting well?  How about electrolytes?  Are you getting cold?  Are your eyes getting worked over by dust?(!!!)  Out on a lap you are thinking of things you might request of your support either now or for the following lap.  The long rides of this period are a time to dial in this ability to plan ahead on the fly, listening keenly to your body’s signals.  This is also a good time to dial in your night riding equipment and technique.

When to end that final tempo block and enter the taper depends on your base and race intentions.  If the goal is a good solid finish, you probably want to enter the taper about 2 weeks prior to the event.  If your intention is race domination, you’ll want to end it 3 weeks prior, and after you freshen up (about a week) do a week’s worth of higher intensity mtb stuff to bring on top end…but that is something I’d strongly recommend for a future event.  You need a huge base to pull that one off.  A 3 week taper will leave you flat (less fit) if your base isn’t big enough.

Blah blah blah…a picture is worth a thousand words.  Cyclingpeaks WKO+ is *the* software package for power meter users.  Here’s a plot of some of my training metrics leading to Old Pueblo this year.  Higher intensity weeks occurred in early Nov and mid-Dec, the low volume weeks.  Note the steady progression of volume each week through early Feb (except one easy week when I was torched, had to rest up for this week).  Long rides get a bit longer each week in this phase.  This was a very aggressive, experimental training block.  The result was my best 24 hour form to date.  This just goes to show that even folks with average genetic endowment can have their share of “pinch me” moments given smart, hard training.

Yuri, thanks again for the well-formed questions.  Good luck in your quest for an optimal experience, I know you’ll rock it.

I’d really like to hear what others think about this and any of the other ideas I’ve expressed in this series, all thoughts are welcome. 

TeamDicky:  care to share any insights from the Viking point of view?  Don’t worry, Yuri’s a west coast guy

Now it’s time for the fun stuff. 

Yuri:  Last, how do you pace yourself? Did you pre-ride so you knew what kind of times you should be laying down, or did you just go out and base your pace off your first lap?

Dave:  There are several possible answers to this one…as in what did I do in my most recent race, or what did I do in my first few races…but sticking with the theme of solo virginity (that sounds bad!), the short answer is start out a lot easier than you think you should, especially on a SS.  I’ve been training with power for several years now and have collected power data for long rides and a few 24 hour efforts as well.  From this data, one thing that is obvious is how much initial pacing affects late race performance.  Go too hard early in the ride and you’ll slow sooner.  Fatigue in these events is inevitable but manageable with good fitness and a good plan.  Let’s break the event down into 6 hour chunks.

Hours 0-6

This is a critical period of the race - not because you can win it here, but because you can lose it here.  Since this is when you are uber fresh and chomping to get racing (you’ve been tapering for a couple weeks and have been going stir crazy with extra energy) it will be easy to come out of the gate flying, and it will feel effortless.  Be conservative!  No matter how fast you go, you still gotta go in circles for 24 hours…go too hard here and the next 18 hours will be pure torture, or worse.  A prime example of going too hard early in the race happened last year at 24 hour Natz.  All the big guns did their best to torch each other - and took themselves out of the race, one by one.  A hard pace means you aren’t eating or hydrating well either, it all leads to CTD conditions.

I suggest setting some sort of limit for the first 6 hours.  This can be based off heart rate, PE, breathing rate, or power, depending on what you have available.  If using HR, the limit would be about 10 beats below LTHR, and you probably wouldn’t want to average any more than LTHR-20 for any given hour.  You never want to go to the point where you hit your ventilatory threshold, where breathing just begins to get labored.  If you find yourself there, back off quickly.  At this point the primary fuel source is muscle glycogen which is good for about 2 hours.  If pacing by power, Coggan’s level 2 is a good place to hang out, and limit any power spikes above L5.

So you’re wondering what I’m talking about there…some of the fastest 24 hour riders come out swinging throwing down wicked fast first laps, sometimes faster than any team riders, and still go on to win.  It takes quite a few events under the belt to get a feel for what you can get away with.  Experience builds confidence.  Still, I’ve often pondered the pacing question.  Given what I’ve learned about power output (which determines speed & performance), it seems ridiculous to start a 24 so hard.  Yet, the winning riders often go hard.  Is it just because physiologically they are head and shoulders above the rest?  Or maybe it’s best to make hay while the sun shines, so to speak?  The mental edge of leading the race?  Hard to say.  But for sure, in your first 24 solo effort, take it easy the first 6 hours.  If you find you have lots of energy left you will still have 18 hours to put it to good use.

In general, I don’t pace by lap times at all.  It’s all perceived exertion for me these days.  Ride the wheel of others when you can, but avoid getting on the wheel of someone riding like a XC event - super bursty - you’ll want to ride as steady as possible to avoid those higher power bursts.  Ride relaxed, upper body loose, and get dialed into your nutrition plan ASAP.  You’ll want to be taking in 300+ calories an hour, the sooner you get on track with this the better.

Hours 6-12

The first 6 hours don’t tell you a lot about how you’ll feel for the rest of the race, but in this period (6-12) you’ll get strong indications.  In my first 2 events, there was a time around the 9 hour mark when I’d have trouble maintaining, probably because that’s about the length of the longest training ride pre-event.  It was a difficult time.  Your circadian rhythms are telling your body its time to get some shut eye.  Don’t push pace at all in these hours.  This is the time to “settle in” and find your flow.  Your actual power output will likely come down considerably, and you are best served by a comfortable pace.  MP3 players were made for night riding in 24 solos…talking to others is a treat as well.  The camaraderie/vibe of 24s in general is so NOT norba, it’s grassroots stuff where everyone is having a great time.  Soak it in, it becomes more apparent in the night. Keep your pits as short as possible.  Long stops in the night just have you starting the next one colder.  You don’t have to ride hard, just ride…

Hours 12-18

The witching hours.  By anyone’s measure, the hardest part of the race.  Everyone slows towards dawn - just know this, accept it, don’t fight it, flow with it, and keep the wheels turning.  Focus on keeping to your nutrition plan - and when I say “plan”, I’m talking more about calorie goals.  Eating in the middle of the night is often difficult.  This is when you will make use of all the variety of foods you brought.  Be flexible in *what* you eat, just make sure you get the calories in.  I find that I need surprisingly little water in the night so can’t get nearly enough calories by drink alone - but just be aware that solid foods take energy to digest.  This can be trouble, leaving energy reserves super low…if your support person can keep track of your calorie intake in calories/hour, they can help you avoid the total crash.  These are oatmeal hours.  You might find that sections of trail that were previously rideable become techy monsters.  Don’t sweat it; when the sun comes up you’ll see that line again. 

This is also a good time to make little short term goals for yourself.  “Eat banana at turn x” or “make it through rock garden without unclipping” sort of stuff. 

If you have inner demons, they will surface in this period.

Hours 18-25

So you’ve been hammering away for 18 hours, only 7 to go!  After suffering through the dawn lap, the sunrise brings warmth back to the world.  It’s amazing what this can do for you.  Hopefully at this point you’re feeling OK, haven’t cracked too hard, and have a little something left.  If you are in a good position, this is a tactical time.  Know where you are in the field in relation to others, and know that they are hurting as much as you.  If you haven’t overcooked the pacing, you’ll wake up nicely and have more to give…it becomes absolutely limited by fuel intake.  If you find that you are still racing, you’ll want to go fast…but one fast lap in the last quarter of the race can leave you pretty drained.  So it’s the constant tug - go hard, or eat?  If you can do both, great…if not, eat as much as you can in the pits.  I’m usually on to pepsi on alternating laps in this period…if you do a straight sugar approach like that, be sure to use electrolytes of some sort as an electrolyte bonk in the morning is a bad thing.  In a good race, I’m riding right at VT for most of the morning, and might even have to dig deep for a lap or two.  Despite the hard breathing, power output isn’t much, it’s just that by now the primary fuel source is fats & it takes a lot more oxygen to burn them.

On tactics:  You’ll need help from your support crew here.  The idea is to do the least amount of time on the bike to achieve the highest possible placing.  You’re racing, right?  You could find yourself at the front, but close - which might mean you have to crank really hard to come through before noon so you get the honor of another lap.  Or, you might be in a bit of no mans land, where you can stop at 11am and not lose a spot.  If the SS field is small (not likely in CA I’m thinking), the gaps could be large.  Just don’t convince yourself you will stop at 11am if there’s any chance whatsoever you need to keep it rolling.

More on tactics:  If you have the good fortune to still be racing (95% or riders are in survival mode right now) it is a huge mental game right now.  Actually, racing always is…but especially so after everyone has been to the bonk and back already.  You may be really tight with one or two competitors.  If you lay down a lap that is substantially faster than a previous lap, it will strike fear and doubt into your competition.  Or, really motivate them…depends how tough they are.  Just know that these are the type of games that go on at the pointy end of the field, and if you are still racing, everything you do will have consequences one way or another…OK so this is a more advanced topic, but Yuri is a fast, salty dog that just might find himself in this position.

Finally, you’ll come into the timing tent for the last time, and with that arrival a sense of accomplishment you’ve done something out of the ordinary, something big.  Your body will know it too.

Yuri:  How long were your pit stops?

Dave:  They’ve been all over the map.  At Old Pueblo, they varied between 0 and 5 minutes, probably averaged about 1-2 minutes - except for the 8 hour forced stop :(  Moab was similar, quick stops throughout.  Competition was really tight and strong; I was motivated to hustle them all on through. 

Pit stop length seems to be something I’ve adapted to.  I couldn’t do short pits in the first couple of events.  I tried…but ended up stopping for 5-10 min through the night after 9pm or so, and really looked forward to the “every other lap” in the night when I switched out batteries, since it took a little longer. 

For your first event, I’d strongly recommend taking a “relaxed” plan of attack.  You want to keep the wheels rolling as much as possible, but it might be too costly to shoot for 2 min stops throughout the night.  Have a good plan in place, then on race day be flexible and seek the flow.

Yuri:  I know this one is a little more personal but, how many shammies did you go through? Did you rotate every few hours or did you just use one for the whole 24 hours? Any issues with chaffing, if so, any secrets for prevention…besides Vaseline??

Dave:  It depends on the race.  If it’s a close one, I’ll go the whole 24 without a change.  I think the perfect plan is to change twice during the race, every 8 hours.  The first change could coincide with when you mount your lights, the second the am breakfast stop.  To keep things pain free (well, sorta anyway) new chammies are key, and the kind that you know are uber comfortable.  I started using performance bibs, not sure the make but they come from Italy…every 24 hour event gets a new pair of bibs.  24 solo events are so big, so epic - that I figure I just owe it to my nether regions.  The other key is a saddle you know won’t rub you raw.  I prefer the WTB lasers as the whale tail design spreads the pressure points over a wide area - but this is totally subjective.  It all gets lubed up with Udderly Smooth udder cream - cheap and works better than anything else I’ve used, although it doesn’t have the menthol tingle of that expensive euro stuff.

Yuri:  Now, I read your blurb about the run….how important do you think it is to be in good position on the run? I don’t think that Laguna Seca bottlenecks too bad at the beginning, so there will be time to bring people back. How do the other solo riders approach the run?

At OP last year I dawdled the run and got completely bottle-necked in traffic.  My first lap was about 25 minutes slower than the second.  This year I was on a mission, and getting bottle-necked wasn’t part of the plan.  It takes a few races to get a feel for how you’ll respond, and with each race confidence improves, allowing more aggressive pacing.  However, for the first one, the position of the run is absolutely meaningless.  You could walk it and it just wouldn’t matter, especially on a course that doesn’t bottleneck.  For example, last year at Steamboat I was pretty much dead last on the run.  Didn’t expend any effort at all, yet it certainly didn’t affect the results.  In fact, there are some potential pitfalls of an aggressive run.  First of all, it will put you with the front-runners, which may motivate you ride harder than you should.  The second point - if you aren’t accustomed to running, you can do muscle damage in the first 60 seconds of the race that will haunt you the rest of the race.

Most solo riders take the run nice and easy.  The exception would be the contenders.  Even then, the race is not won in the first 400 yards
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Next up:  pacing, then training.

Update 3/22/06:  Pivvay (Chris) has done a great write-up on DIY LED lighting.  It’s a bit of work and no guarantees you will have light out in the boonies, but check it out:  http://slipangles.blogspot.com/2006/03/geek-this.html.

Part 1 of this series addressed nutrition and supplements for 24 hour solo efforts, geared towards an experienced racer who is doing their first solo event.  Picking up where I left off, here’s another bit of Q&A from Yuri.

Yuri: How many lighting systems should I have and, do you wear a system on your helmet as well?

Dave:  Great question.  24’s can be won and lost in the dark, trust me on this one.  For starters, there’s a lot of info at MTBR on lights.  Another great review of LED light systems is at gearreview.com.  There are so many choices out there…I encourage anyone reading this with different experiences to post a comment of favorite setups. 

It depends on the style of riding and the course demands…but I generally prefer two light systems.  On the bars I’ll have a bright (HID) wider beam light, and on my helmet a narrower spot beam.  The helmet light doesn’t have to be quite as powerful as the bar light - it is simply a spot to fill in the gaps, especially in twisty single-track so you can see where you are going as opposed to where your bars are pointed.  I also like the helmet mounted light to be narrow and bright enough that it can throw light farther than the bar light.  This is especially helpful if there are high speed sections on the course.  At Moab, for instance, there are some straight shot gradual descents that are rippin fast - if you have enough light, anyway (unless of course you just use the force). 

Also, some types of lights seem better for certain types of terrain.  For example, if it’s dark terrain, like high-country in the woods stuff, I prefer brighter light, like an HID.  If it’s desert terrain, like Moab, I like yellower halogen light possibly mixed with HID light.  I’ve only used one LED system to date, and this is an area of keen interest as the systems generally last longer and are lighter.  Experiment as much as you can before the race to determine what works best.

I wouldn’t consider any light system that I didn’t trust to run for 2 laps, about 3 hours.  Also, the batteries must be able to charge up within the same time frame - 2 laps.  This way, you can get by with 2 light systems and 4 batteries.  This is what I’d consider the bare minimum - if you can beg, borrow or steal a couple of backup systems and/or batteries you’ll have more piece of mind.  24 hour events require a backup light source of some sort, and this requirement is satisfied by a second light.  That is a great argument for two light systems.  You can get the charging done by neutral support probably, depending on the type of systems and support offered, or you could do it yourself with a power inverter and your car battery.  I’ve been doing the latter for the last 3 years.  The inverter can be found at Radio Shack.  I can charge multiple batteries and run a low wattage shop light through the night, works a charm. 

Here’s my setup:

Before the race, you’ll want to make sure you have it all dialed in.  If you need a connecting wire from the bike mounted battery to the bar-mounted light, zip tie it in place…if you need an extension from the helmet mounted light to the battery, make sure you’ve got that worked out and it works.  Sometimes long cords develop shorts at the worst possible times.  I find that the routing of the wire from the helmet to battery is non-trivial, in particular.  Good to have it figured out so it isn’t in the way on race day (night).

As a final note on night riding, take good care of your eyes.  I can’t stress this one enough…  Always wear eye protection, no matter how much it might feel good to go without (initially).  The colder the temps, the more critical this becomes.  Evolution, for example, has set up some deep water fish with mechanisms that keep the eyeballs at a constant 20-25C.  It turns out that the “speed” of sight is greatly determined by eye temperature.  I can tell you from personal experience, if you scratch your eyes with dust or whatever, then it gets cold, you are going to be so pissed as you crawl in your sleeping bag listening to the race carry on despite your temporary blindness.

So there you have it.  Stay tuned for more rants and secrets.

A long time racing bud shot me an email the other day with a great set of questions on how to make his first 24 hour solo attempt a success.  It seemed like a great thing to share here…so here we go.  Don’t worry Yuri, I’ll send you a few top secret details off-line

First of all, Yuri has been racing a long time at a very high level.  He’s already a hammer, and that’s a great place from which to launch your first 24 hour attempt.  I’ve read that Eatough doesn’t do any specific training for 24’s except maybe one 6-7 hour ride before the race…maybe Yuri is the next E?  The following responses are geared towards a rider who is already fit, fast, and has a good bit of racing under their belt.

Yuri:  I am going to be doing Laguna Seca on my single speed….just for a little more pain, and have a number of questions. First of all, I’ve only done a 24 hour event as part of a four man team, so I’ve never suffered for 24 hours straight by myself and I’m wondering if you have any nutritional secrets that will help me out? What is your favorite/most effective replenishing food? How were you feeding…did you take it on the run, or did you stop?

Dave:  Do I have secrets…hell yea!  I’m a blabber mouth though, so here we go.

Support:  You didn’t ask about this…but your support at a 24 solo is the single largest factor for consideration.  My teammate Lynda did her first 24 totally unsupported (SITS last year, the sicko finished 3rd), and for her second 24 did OP this year with a killer support crew.  She thinks support make a difference of about 3 laps in a race.  3 laps!  Start dialing it in now.

On a SS, you might get by without a mechanic, but it’s still risky.  A lot can happen in 24 hours.  At the very least, you’ll want one dedicated, very patient individual.  I’d suggest more because it is very hard on that one person to do it all.  At OP Lynda and I shared pit; we had a professional mechanic and 4 support staff, 2 kids, and one dog.  Dogs not needed…

Feeding:   my normal feeding routine is pretty simple, and perhaps gross…in one back pocket I carry bananas already peeled and cut into 3 or 4 chunks.  Easy to grab and I don’t tire of them.  In another pocket is an eGel flask.  Fluids are almost always eFuel and water.  I’ve used other drinks in the past, but can’t tolerate anything else for long periods.  eFuel/eGel is high in electrolytes so you won’t need additional supplementation unless it is really hot, or you are a heavy/salty sweater.  As a general goal, I aim for 350-400 calories each hour.  Eating that much is a challenge if your pace is too high - use that as one of your pacing gauges.  No matter how fast you go, you’re still going in circles for 24 hours. 

As the race progresses, the need for solid foods with a bit of fat becomes apparent.  My favorite is tortilla, almond butter, and honey wraps again cut into chunks.  At OP, Tinker was in the next pit - we saw him going for bite size snickers & oreos.  You’ll probably want some variety in there - my taste buds were all over the map at the first couple of 24’s I did, and at one of them I was eating enormous amounts - most of it what Anna (my support guru) had brought for herself.  Some riders need a lot more salt that can be obtained from drinks and will eat soups in the night.  Ever look at the sodium content of a can of soup?  It’s like eating 20 endurolytes. 

For your first 24, I’d strongly recommend sitting down to eat at least twice during the race, once about 6-8 pm, and once about 4-7am.  Not too much, and easy on the fats/proteins, something easily digested, but you’ll thank yourself later if you do.  I never planned these breaks in my first attempts, but they became mandatory anyway.  Planning them in will give you something to look forward to, and keep energy levels up.  It should only take 10-15 minutes. One of my favorites is instant oatmeal (maple & brown sugar, oh yea), I can down one of those in 30 seconds at lap transitions…In Steamboat last year, I cracked so hard I darn near threw in the towel.  3 instant oatmeals, 4 advils, and a jug of coffee later I was a new man and soldiered on (at the coaxing of one very persistent crew member, Jen Murphy.  She about kicked my a$$).

Most of the time, all this eating happens on the bike.  I’ll have a table set up with some easily grabbed items in the pit to fill pockets and mouth. 

There are some essential supplements in my 24 hour kit.  I make sure to take in a little protein each lap.  The research I’ve seen suggests that additional protein can mitigate muscle damage and also prevent/delay mental fatigue.  If the temps are cool I’ll mix whey protein with OJ. If it’s hot I’ll mix it with V8 juice (the V8 provides a ton of electrolytes for the heat).  If this secret gets out there is going to be a lot more competition this year… Advil was the big revelation for me last year.  I honestly had never used it before.  You will probably reach a point where everything starts to hurt - back, neck, shoulders, and of course legs - every little thing seems painful.  That’s your body telling you it’s time to shut it down.  You can silence your body with Advil.  I go to a prevention mode with Advil at the 8 hour mark - 2 every 4 hours - then more if needed.  I’ve heard talk this interferes with proper hydration, so make sure that isn’t an issue.  It hasn’t been an issue for me.  I use something with some zip in the night to help stay alert and keep the bike handling sharp.  Things that have worked are coffee, yerba mate, and EnduroFX.  If you use enduro, though, don’t get carried away - you can easily bonk on that stuff!  The idea is just to keep bike handling sharp, not necessarily to hammer.  More on that in pacing…

If it’s a really tight race and you want to drill the finish, you might try defizzed pepsi or coke, either watered down or full strength if you have water as well.  That works well for me, and sometimes pepsi in the night will settle an unruly stomach.  Not sure how something that can eat pennies settles a stomach, one of the great mysteries in life…

I find a small, 50 oz water filled camelback to be the trick for 24’s.  30 oz would probably be plenty big. I’ll also carry the eFuel water bottle.  Except for the first lap where I don’t have a camelback, I use that combo for the duration.

Dang, this got long!  Let’s call this the end of part 1 of ?  Stay tuned for the rest to include pacing, chammies, lights, and the big one:  training.

Don’t ask me why, though