Training advice for 2 minute KOM event

[aolariu]

@Chris_Wright

Do you have a distance or better, a gpx profile, of the climb?

Here is the Strava segment used for selecting the winner each year: TBT Race - KOM | Strava Ride Segment in Județul Brașov, Romania

@Chris_Wright

When you do low cadence, high torque climbing, do you drop your heels in order to engage the glutes and hamstrings?

I… don’t know. Should I keep my heels dropped throught the whole motion or go from a dropped heel to an extended toes position as I push on the pedals? I wasn’t aware of this, will research some more.

@Chris_Wright

Again, you have some time to be able to see if one or two higher intensity sessions per week is giving you the power gain you are looking to achieve. It is highly individualized.

Indeed, I will experiment with this ratio and see how my body responds.

@Chris_Wright

Going to 68kg (dropping 3% of your body weight) may not be as beneficial

That may be true. I will not do a hard effort at losing weight, I’ll just try to cut the sweets (fingers crossed). That should account for 1000-2000 kcal a week.

@Chris_Wright

That is one reason I like to have a recovery day prior to a hard workout (to fuel up) and a Zone 2 after (to help re-fuel without using a lot of energy).

Good idea, thanks.

@Chris_Wright

I know you asked about training plans… would the gravel 100 mile plan work as a foundation? Longer miles on the weekend, and in general, 3 workouts during the week?

I would really like some longer rides, but unless there’s a holiday, I simply don’t have the time. Will check out the gravel plan. I was thinking about using the criterium plan as a foundation, but I just end up replacing most of the rides anyway, in line with the plan described in my previous post and with whatever Suff videos match my training focus for the day.

[aolariu]

Also, if anybody is interested in visiting Transylvania (Romania), checking out medieval villages, fortified churches and citadels, while also taking part in a cool MTB event, you should check this out. There’s a lot of easy singletrail, you get to pass through several medieval churches, as well as through a barn-turned-restaurant (photo below). Also, the Fagaras mountains are nearby, with some epic and remote all-mountain trails (along with bears and European bison).

[aolariu]

Finished the race. I didn’t win the KOM… I destroyed it! I improved the KOM from a couple years ago by 4 seconds. That record was set by the 3 time national XCM champion. Thank you everybody for the tips and suggestions!

Things I did and I know they helped:

• lose 3-4 kg compared to last year, going down to under 8% body fat, while not losing on my power numbers
• lose any unneeded weight from my bike or kit: no tools, no spare tube, no food or water on me at the KOM point

Things I did and probably helped, but I don’t know exactly/ can’t quantify:

• ate more during the race
• was slower outside the KOM part
• bike set up at a 10% incline on the trainer
• 2 hard workouts a week (something like Half is Easy or Omnium, intervals in the 15s-2minute range) and 4 endurance
• wider rear tyre (44mm from 40mm) for better grip on the steep section while out of saddle

[JSampson]

@aolariu

2 hard workouts a week (something like Half is Easy or Omnium, intervals in the 15s-2minute range) and 4 endurance

@aolariu Congrats! Which distance did you race and for your hard workouts were you also doing a warmup and cooldown and what was the length of your typical endurance rides?

I just did a Vermont gravel event and had a similar training schedule with long rides - 3 to 4 hours - on the weekends and a mix of HIIT and endurance during the week generally limited to 1.5 hours per session.

I like your approach to fixing a 10% incline. I think I may do that for my next race which is in about 5 weeks.

The race terrain looks great and I like how they stage it through the town before heading off into the hills. That is a very unique course.

[sbrault]

Are you doing the VT 50 ?

[JSampson]

@sbrault Yes - are you signed up as well?

[sbrault]

Yes I am, did it last year for the first time. It is a hard race

[JSampson]

@sbrault Awesome! It is a great event. This will be my 10th year.

I posted this on the TR forum last year and you may find it helpful.

Vermont 50 MTB race

[emacdoug]

@aolariu

Finished the race. I didn’t win the KOM… I destroyed it!

That is awesome!

Way to crush it!

[aolariu]

@JSampson

Which distance did you race and for your hard workouts were you also doing a warmup and cooldown and what was the length of your typical endurance rides?

The race was 77 km, did it in 5h30’ at an easy pace, somewhere half endurance (on the climbs), half recovery (flats and descends). The hard workouts were between 30’-1h15’, with no extra warmup or cooldown on top of what was included in the workout. The endurance rides (3-4 a week) were 1h30’-2h. I normally don’t have time for more, not even in weekends.

@JSampson

The race terrain looks great and I like how they stage it through the town before heading off into the hills. That is a very unique course.

Yeah, I’m also a big fan of the course. I like the mix of easy gravel-friendly singletrack through the forest, the summer meadows and the historic villages with fortified churches that are a staple of this part of Romania. I don’t usually repeat races, but I enjoyed coming here for a third time in a row and camping a few days in the area.