Steve Halsall, Performance Director at Fitness12retreats
After not managing to get out on my bike for two weekends in a row due to bad weather, I thought I'd check whether I’m doing the right things at the gym to train for my July London to Paris bike ride - and where I could improve.
I had a chat with celebrity personal trainer Steve Halsall, who gave me some tips for getting the most out of my training time, whatever the weather:
- Build strength. Steve says I should be building my strength, especially in my core, and suggests I perform squats etc using adjustable pulley machines and a Bosu ball to do so. He also advises me not to forget my upper body (which sometimes aches on long rides) - but warns me not to go too mad, as I don't want extra weight to carry!
- Spin! Spinning bikes are more similar to road bikes than standard exercise bikes, so better for training. A Wattbike is also good, as it measures how well you're doing. There are two ways of working on the bikes – either cycle at a steady pace for a long period or interval train by incorporating some hill climbs.
- Prep. As long as the bike is fitted correctly, and you're well hydrated and fed, the training shouldn't be too arduous and you'll be able to increase your duration gradually with each ride.
- Have regular goals. Steve reckons I should aim to be able to go the full distance of the longest day – in my case, 85miles – at around six weeks before I leave (the end of May). If I do this it will provide me with the confidence that I can do the distance, and will then help with the mental preparation for the four-day ride. He says, I should go out the day after, too – so I know what it feels like to get back on a bike after a long ride the previous day.
- Taste the adrenalin. He suggests I get out on a couple of sportives – around 50 miles in May, and 70 miles in June – to get used to sharing the road with other riders, as well as experiencing the stress or anxiety that comes with starting a big ride.
- Vary the routes to keep things interesting. 'You don’t have to go far. Perhaps one day you repeat a short route a number of times, taking in a couple of hills. Other days, you could take your bike on a train to get somewhere new,' says Steve.
- Build up gradually. The easiest way to calculate by how much you should increase your mileage on each ride is to take the number of miles you need to increase by, and divide by the number of weeks you have left. For example, at the moment my longest ride is 30 miles and I need to get to 85, which means I need to increase by 55 miles over the next 22 weeks – which means adding 2.5 miles a week.
- Beat the bonk. You should be consistently topping up your glycogen stores on a ride to ensure you don’t 'bonk' (no, I'm not being smutty. Bonking is the cycling equivalent of ‘hitting the wall’ – when your blood sugars are depleted). Glycogen stores usually run out after about two hours. The amount you need depends on numerous things, including your body weight – an average woman of around 60kg should be ingesting around 60-70g carb every hour. Steve suggests trying out different types of energy bars and drinks to see which suits you best.
- Stock up on arnica to stop trauma and bruising.
- Stay safe.
Steve Halsall is Performance Director for fitness12retreats
For more information on the Women's Only London to Paris Ride, call 0870 333 1662, visit Action Medical Research or contact londontoparis@action.org.uk
Erica is riding a 2011 Ridgeback Radium road bike (RRP £799.99) For more information, visit www.ridgeback.co.uk or join the facebook page, facebook.com/ridgebackbikes
