When lock down came into effect for most people on March 23rd, I decided to use this time effectively and look at staying fit and healthy while working from home. At the time we didn’t know how long the lock down would last and I wanted to focus on a goal, so decided on following a 12-week training plan from the WATTbike hub.
We purchased the WATTbike Atom in November 2019, a few months before lock down and life as we know it now. The main reason for the purchase was that we both wanted to train over the winter, and we found that having to swap the bikes and wheels over each time we wanted to train was a bit of a faff.
We also looked at the option of joining a local WATTbike training facility but ruled that out, due to the monthly cost for both of us to join and would we get the most out of our membership!
We decided on purchasing our own bike and taking advantage of the interest free credit from WATTbike.
The WATTbike hub come with a few different plans to follow and I decided on the 12-week 100 mile training plan. This was the best one which fitted in around my work/life balance and with 61 days of workouts and 23 rest days, perfect for the time crunched athlete!
The plan is designed to get you bike fit and achieve your goal of riding your first 100-mile bike ride or aiming for a specific time.
The workouts followed a polarised training model, incorporating a strength, threshold and endurance phase to progress fitness and training, ensuring you are ready for the demands of riding 100 miles.
The workouts were progressive and each week they would increase in intensity and duration. Most weeks you would complete 5 workouts and the biggest training load would see you training for 7 – 8 hours in weeks 9 and 10 then a 2 week taper ready for you event/race.
Overall, I found this plan worked very well for me.
It kept me focused on the goal and the workouts fitted in with my daily work/life, even if it meant an early start some days due to sharing the bike.
The biggest thing about the plan was it gave me consistency in my training, and this was important to me. While I could have gone on Zwift or other training platforms this plan worked for me, and that’s the important take home message here. Find a plan that works for you and stick with it. This plan hasn’t worked for everyone, we are all different, and you’ll know if its right for you after a couple of weeks.
I’ve been very happy with the outcome of this plan. I completed the ride with a good mate of mine, Jeff and together we rode the 100-mile bike route over a hilly course with some 5,000ft of elevation going through the Brecon Beacons National Park and the famous Black Mountain.
We didn’t hammer the bike and spun up the hills easily. Average speed was 14.3 mph with an estimated power of 126 watts.
Towards the end of the ride, we followed a cycle track back to the seafront and headed towards Mumbles at a more leisurely pace for the last 12 miles.
At the end of the ride, I felt good and could have carried on for another 10 or 20 miles. No stiffness in the legs or other parts of the body and wasn’t feeling fatigued or hungry.
Nutrition plays a big part in endurance events and I choose foods that I’m use too; Flapjacks, Bakewell slices, jelly babies, Lucozade sport (Isotonic drink) which gives a good balance of carbs and electrolytes and a coffee and cake stop at mile 60, for the social element of the ride. Took 2 gels with me but didn’t need them.
Before starting this plan, the last time I rode any distance was in January with a 40-mile and 54-mile ride, with Ride 100 London back in August being the longest ride that year with 91 miles.
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Start of Black Mountain climb -
Climbing up the Black Mountain -
Socially distanced pic with Jeff
What I liked about this plan was that there was no big training mileage leading up to the event, also the enforced restrictions on exercise during lockdown had something to do with it too!
Typically training for an endurance event like this, you would build mileage with some 60 – 80-mile rides before a short taper off and the event. I was unsure how I’d feel during the ride whether I’d done enough in training and would I complete the distance. But those worries soon went after 60 miles in and still feeling strong.
While non of us are training for any races this year (all been cancelled due to Covid19), its always nice to stop off on route for a coffee and cake. If your are ever near Llandeilo, pop into The Hangout, great cakes and good coffee. It also gave us the opportunity to have a socially distanced chat with some other riders from Swansea and Llanelli.
Getting back to Swansea we took it easy along the cycle track and went towards Mumbles to make up the distance just before the Garmin battery run out!
I’ve really enjoyed training again and getting some consistency back in my life. The bike is a great form of exercise and just being out exploring the countryside with a mate has done wonders for my mental health too. Just seeing someone in person and having a chat with someone other than your partner, wife, husband is very good for the soul. Thanks, Jeff for the company, always great riding with you and look forward to the next one.
Stay safe everyone, and trust in your training plan.