Author Topic: [LEL17] Tapering?  (Read 6597 times)

[LEL17] Tapering?
« on: 15 May, 2017, 02:10:09 pm »
The opposite of the Recovery Time thread. I'd be interested to know what experienced folk think is a sensible time off the bike before LEL.  I'm planning to do the Buzzard on 8/9 July but now wonder if it's too close and also when/whether in advance it would be sensible to stop my 40K daily (non strenuous urban) commutes. Thanks.
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Smeth

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #1 on: 15 May, 2017, 02:25:36 pm »
I honestly wouldn't bother other than a rest or low effort rides for a few days before so you are fresh. Three weeks should be enough after the Buzzard. It's not an easy ride but not the sort that kills your Achilles or knees. If you do too little you'll lose fitness.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Tapering?
« Reply #2 on: 15 May, 2017, 02:32:21 pm »
Make a real effort to sleep lots in the last week or so before the event. Don't drop your current brevet plans, you have lots of time to freshen up from the last long one. Mostly concentrate on speed, rather than distance in the last month. Cut your distance down even more in the last fortnight but your commute is a good length. Do the last couple of days commuting mostly at conversational pace.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

jiberjaber

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #3 on: 15 May, 2017, 06:32:44 pm »
I've got a 200km in Suffolk the weekend before LEL and a couple of 35km local loops in the week leading up to it, might cycle to and from the sign on also, though I am only in Essex so shouldn't be too far...
Regards,

Joergen

Re: Tapering?
« Reply #4 on: 15 May, 2017, 06:56:56 pm »
I'm planning to do the Buzzard on 8/9 July but now wonder if it's too close

We did our last 300km 2 weeks before LEL in 2013, a 100 km on the last sunday  before the event, and two 50ish km at a very relaxed pace on the last week.  It seems to have worked well since we didn't feel tired on the start line.

Redlight

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #5 on: 15 May, 2017, 07:34:42 pm »
We're off on holiday the week before. I may take a bike but if I do it will be only for tootling around with the family. Any loss of fitness will be offset by the benefits of resting the legs, IMHO.
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αdαmsκι

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #6 on: 15 May, 2017, 08:09:13 pm »
In 2015 I rode The Rural South 300 seven weeks before PBP. After that I did a weekend tour in East Anglia and spent three weeks on holiday in Sri Lanka. I don't even cycle to work. That was possibly a bit extreme in terms of tapering.

In 2010 I rode Cambrian 3A perm less than ten days before the start of Lowlands 1200, and was doing a different job so was commuting ~20 km one way by bike as well. 

Make from that what you want.
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rogerzilla

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #7 on: 15 May, 2017, 08:37:52 pm »
This reminds me of 2009, when I rode to London one night, accompanied by mattc and Dr Bru for the Swindon-Oxford leg.  Normally I imagine they are much faster and fitter than me, but they objected strongly to being towed along the A420 at 22mph* because they were tapering for LEL.  That was also the year I volunteered at Alston (I happened to be up there on holiday the following week), but I didn't see them there.

*tailwind, obv
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

LMT

Re: Tapering?
« Reply #8 on: 15 May, 2017, 09:15:13 pm »
I'd say providing you have no aches or pains that you need to address, then the week before is the week to taper. If on the trainer look to do some easy sessions spinning the gears or commute by bike but being careful not to overdo it should see you right.

Goes without saying that you should be getting maximum rest, no sleep dep at all going into the ride.

Re: Tapering?
« Reply #9 on: 15 May, 2017, 09:57:25 pm »
I'm planning to do

Apart from sleep, which I think most people would agree is pretty much a given [like, get as much as you can] I'd say be prepared to change plans on account of listening to body and mind. See how it goes. We're all different [and we're all the same!] and what goes for one is not the right path for another. You'll know what you'll want to be doing nearer the time. Be honest about it. There are no prizes for doing long rides nearer the event just because you 'think' it might stand you you in good  stead. Conversely, you might be in the zone and think 'what the hell'.

Play it by ear, I'd say. And your body we be telling you regardless. Don't ignore it.

Me, I tend to taper down about 3 months before something like this, but that's mainly because of other distractions! Then I crawl round the event howling like a wounded animal, saying 'never again, it's all insane, next time I'm going to prepare properly....blah, blah!'
Yeah, right.
Garry Broad

LMT

Re: Tapering?
« Reply #10 on: 15 May, 2017, 10:06:32 pm »
I'm planning to do

Apart from sleep, which I think most people would agree is pretty much a given [like, get as much as you can] I'd say be prepared to change plans on account of listening to body and mind. See how it goes. We're all different [and we're all the same!] and what goes for one is not the right path for another. You'll know what you'll want to be doing nearer the time. Be honest about it. There are no prizes for doing long rides nearer the event just because you 'think' it might stand you you in good  stead. Conversely, you might be in the zone and think 'what the hell'.

Play it by ear, I'd say. And your body we be telling you regardless. Don't ignore it.

Me, I tend to taper down about 3 months before something like this, but that's mainly because of other distractions! Then I crawl round the event howling like a wounded animal, saying 'never again, it's all insane, next time I'm going to prepare properly....blah, blah!'
Yeah, right.

<Remembers with a smile a post PBP chat on a shared cycle path close to the velodrome arrivee.> ;D

Re: Tapering?
« Reply #11 on: 15 May, 2017, 10:26:44 pm »
I am hoping our sports therapist will be back at work post baby the week before.

hellymedic

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #12 on: 16 May, 2017, 12:52:43 am »
Make sure you EAT & SLEEP adequately in the week before the ride. Don't start with a sleep or food deficit!

Salvatore

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #13 on: 17 May, 2017, 04:29:14 pm »
Me, I tend to taper down about 3 months before something like this, but that's mainly because of other distractions! Then I crawl round the event howling like a wounded animal, saying 'never again, it's all insane, next time I'm going to prepare properly....blah, blah!'
Yeah, right.

Quote from: garryb59 (aka Von Broad) on December 10 2005
Sure did, albeit a tad bleary-eyed and sleep deprived, but I was
there. But I have to admit, it was a wake up call. One thing is
abundanly clear: the ideal preparation for a ride is definitely not
two nights on the beer with little sleep.
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

bhoot

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #14 on: 17 May, 2017, 05:59:31 pm »
I just checked our records for 2013 and they reveal that we "tapered" by riding the Dunwich Dynamo and return to London (just under 400km) the weekend before :) The previous outing, three weeks before LEL, was a 300+200km weekend.... so I think we were still trying to convince ourselves we could do it!  Maybe it just helped to get really tired and so sleep better?

wilkyboy

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #15 on: 17 May, 2017, 07:01:39 pm »
I started tapering two weeks ago.  Too soon?  ??? ::-)
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

Re: Tapering?
« Reply #16 on: 17 May, 2017, 08:32:32 pm »
I started tapering two weeks ago.  Too soon?  ??? ::-)

Nick, there you were happily performing your own preparation rituals, then along came the internet, much kerfuffle, now you're doubting yourself. NO! You're doing good man.
Too much internet ain't good for a person. You've got PBP behind you as your biggest teacher how you respond to these things ;)

And as for you Salvatore, on a glorious summers day like today, I would have expected you to be out on a DIY 400 as part of your own preparation for LEL,  instead of trawling the internet for dodgy files and conjuring fake news to frame a person :-) [But I will admit to be a slow learner. Always have been :facepalm: ].
Garry Broad

Salvatore

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #17 on: 17 May, 2017, 09:44:32 pm »

And as for you Salvatore, on a glorious summers day like today, I would have expected you to be out on a DIY 400 as part of your own preparation for LEL,  instead of trawling the internet for dodgy files and conjuring fake news to frame a person :-) [But I will admit to be a slow learner. Always have been :facepalm: ].

It was actually because of the final paragraph of that post that I squirrelled it away. Given your palmares subsequent to that Denmead 100, I wonder if you are still of that opinion.

I'll be riding 400km tomorrow, as it happens. But not a DIY, just to get from A to B.
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

Re: Tapering?
« Reply #18 on: 17 May, 2017, 10:29:11 pm »
I'll be riding 400km tomorrow, as it happens. But not a DIY, just to get from A to B.

Well, there you go, respect to you good sir. That would be 400km more than me.
I take it you will be riding LEL? If so, maybe see you at St Ives.

I remember that Denmead 100 very well. Two conversations come to mind: talking to Dave Pilbeam about getting through bad patches on a ride and some other bloke about sleeping in phone boxes, making use of a willing and cooperative operator as a convenient alarm call :-)
Garry Broad

Re: Tapering?
« Reply #19 on: 19 May, 2017, 08:40:08 pm »
Still trying to start building up. Wishing I was young like Von Broad and Salvatore. Tapering will happen if there is time. Or is it best to start at once?

simonp

Re: Tapering?
« Reply #20 on: 21 May, 2017, 11:25:06 pm »
Tapering is in principle about maintaining the fitness you have whilst shedding fatigue. Maintenance can be achieved on a lot less volume than it took to gain the fitness.

In 2010 for the Mille Cymru I rode a 600k (last of 4) 3 weeks beforehand and then did nothing but commuting. Was fine. It would have been better to have done some shorter rides in-between but I was knackered as I'd done 4x600k and several 300k rides during the spring/summer.


hellymedic

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #21 on: 22 May, 2017, 05:28:14 am »
Indeed. The main kinds/causes of fatigue should all be addressed:
Mental fatigue -- get enough sleep
Glycogen & other depletion - eat well though not excessively. Remember alcohol inhibits glycogen formation.
Muscle fatigue - rest/avoid heavy exertion but stretch/put joints and muscles through a full range of motion.

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #22 on: 22 May, 2017, 05:57:37 pm »
I started tapering two weeks ago.  Too soon?  ??? ::-)

Nick, there you were happily performing your own preparation rituals, then along came the internet, much kerfuffle, now you're doubting yourself. NO! You're doing good man.
Too much internet ain't good for a person. You've got PBP behind you as your biggest teacher how you respond to these things ;)

And as for you Salvatore, on a glorious summers day like today, I would have expected you to be out on a DIY 400 as part of your own preparation for LEL,  instead of trawling the internet for dodgy files and conjuring fake news to frame a person :-) [But I will admit to be a slow learner. Always have been :facepalm: ].

Thanks, Garry, but not quite — unfortunately, RL took over for a while and I was forced off the bike, so it felt like I was losing everything I'd worked to maintain over the winter.  I rode a 200 over the weekend and my pace wasn't too far away from where I thought it should be, so happy to feel I was merely in maintenance mode.  Now to sort out a training plan ... :thumbsup:
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

vorsprung

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Re: Tapering?
« Reply #23 on: 23 May, 2017, 09:58:07 pm »
Make a real effort to sleep lots in the last week or so before the event. Don't drop your current brevet plans, you have lots of time to freshen up from the last long one. Mostly concentrate on speed, rather than distance in the last month. Cut your distance down even more in the last fortnight but your commute is a good length. Do the last couple of days commuting mostly at conversational pace.

I would agree with this but maybe not commuting at all for the last few days before LEL.  If you can take the bus or get a lift that would be good

simonp

Re: Tapering?
« Reply #24 on: 24 May, 2017, 01:14:01 pm »
Well, I might be racing in a rowing regatta a week before LEL.