Evening all. I am planning to enter TCR number 7 (hopeful of a good chance of getting in after being a CP1 volunteer this year) and am beginning to turn my attention to the training required.
I've got a pretty solid 'endurance' level base fitness, but obviously want to seriously up my game. (For context, I did a 200 mile ride on Thursday last week over rolling terrain, with some pretty blustery weather, with a moving average of 14mph and a total time of 17 hours.) A 'quick win' for me will be to drop the excess weight I'm carrying. Currently I'm 15.5 stone at 6' bang on, so clearly have flab to lose, despite my naturally large frame.
I've invested in a power meter for the bike I'll be riding in the race and a smart trainer for some winter Zwifting. Clearly, my first step will be to accurately establish my current FTP, but from there, I'm a bit stuck as to how to proceed.
I've been looking at the Zwift training plans online, which look good (although I've no clue which plan would suit me best), but I'd like to ride outdoors as much as possible too, giving myself options dependant on the weather and time available.
I have given some thought to coaching, but obviously its another expense and I'd quite like to get a good enough understanding to be able to measure my own progress and build and adjust my own training plan as required.
I suppose what I'm asking for are links to resources that take me through building up my own plan, step by step, tailored to the requirements of ultra endurance racing.
Many thanks in advance!