COMMIT TO THE FULL MAMMOTH GRAN FONDO
The Mammoth Gran Fondo staff is psyched to partner with Coach Brian at Big Wheel Coaching to provide you all with some insightful articles about how to approach the Mammoth Gran Fondo, your training, and overall spread the psyche for getting in shape and ready for the Mammoth Gran Fondo.
“My training miles are down…”
“It’s been so hot, I’m not ready for a hundred mile ride.”
“6,500’ of elevation is a lot of climbing and I want no part of that!”
Have you uttered anything like this recently?
Is the 70-Mile Medio Route in Mammoth sounding better and better, but you secretly want to do the full Fondo with your friends?
If so, let me give you 3-Reasons why you should “up” your weekly mileage and commit to doing the 102-mile Fondo route in Mammoth.
And on top of that, let me offer a few training suggestions to help you get ready for it with just a few weeks until event-day!
Reason #1: 70% Of The Route Is Closed To Traffic!
Need I say more? When else can you ride with so few cars?
Mountain roads are beautiful, but you know what makes them even more majestic…
The absence of cars!
Put simply, the 102-mile route is made for bike riders by bike riders. It’s awesome!
Reason #2: Loops Are Way Better Than “Out & Back” Routes
OK, the Medio and Piccolo routes has some great scenery, for the record, the Mammoth Scenic Loop is one of my favorite roads, but “out and back” rides always have a little less mystique than “loops” do.
The 102-mile Fondo route is pretty spectacular, not just in scenery, but it feels like an adventure… an awesome adventure with friends on your bike!
Reason #3: Aid Stations Atop Each Climb Are A Reward For Your Hard Work!
From a coaching perspective aid-station placement is something we look at all the time for our Athletes and we’ve not met a rider who leaves a SAG station without that “heavy-leg” feeling that accompanies a mid-ride stop.
And that’s a great part about the Fondo route, with good planning, you can make all your stops atop one of the climbs, meaning that you get a downhill to “spin out” that heavy-leg post-stop sensation!
Have I convinced you yet?
Open roads, no cars, great scenery, and an epic bike ride with well-placed SAG stops, what’s not to love!
Ok, now you are “in”, but you still lack training time, confidence, and the early summer preparation necessary to commit to the 102-mile route?
No problem! Here are a few training tips to help you bridge-the-gap and build some last minute Fondo-Form:
Training Tip #1: Add One Ride To Your Weekly Routine
Are you currently riding 3-4 days a week?
Just adding one more ride per week will help you feel a little more mojo on your bike. It doesn’t have to be long or intense ride either, 1.5-2hrs of endurance riding is plenty. This will do wonders for your base fitness and confidence leading into Mammoth.
Training Tip #2: Extend Your Weekend Long-Ride By 1/2 Hour Each Week
How are those weekend rides going for you?
Can you add some time to your local club ride? How about 30-60min. on the front side of the ride? Or how about doing 30, 60, 90 or even 120min. of Extra Credit riding after your part with the group?
Adding time to your weekly long-ride or club ride is a great way to stack on some extra endurance work to an already fun day on the bike!
Training Tip #3: Add More Climbing To Your Week
An easy way to get more from your current training volume without adding intensity or volume is to add a weekly elevation target.
Put simply, climb more!
Take stock of your current weekly climbing volume and start adding to it. An easy target is to try and get in the same elevation of the Fondo route (6,500’), or more, in your two-day weekend of riding.
Training Tip #4: Add A Climbing Repeats-Style Workout To Your Training Routine
If time is your main constraint and it’s difficult to add volume to your weekly program, consider adding intensity on the trainer as Threshold Repeats, or outdoors as Climbing Repeats.
Start at 6 minutes in duration and build toward 10 minutes at the same power with a recovery fraction that is half the time of your work interval. That is 3 minutes for a 6 minute interval, 4 minutes for an 8 minute interval and so on.
Do this workout once, but preferably twice weekly to boost your climbing velocity and earn the confidence to tackle the full Fondo route.
BONUS FOR FEMALE FONDO RIDERS
Join Coach Joy’s Ladies Mammoth Gran Fondo Prep Zoom Sessions.
Coming off a successful Tour de Big Bear Prep Series, Coach Joy has a special program for ladies looking to conquer the 102-mile route in Mammoth. The program includes discussions about pacing, preparation, altitude, equipment discussions (gearing), and nutrition suggestions to help you conquer the route and enjoy a great day on the bike!
Oh yeah, and that includes one Coach-Led ride, it’s a killer deal and a great option to get you ready to ride!
As a Coach, I love seeing riders challenge themselves and achieve things that they previously thought impossible. So if you are teetering between the 70-miler and the full Fondo route, consider adding one or two of the approaches outlined above.
You will be glad you did!
I want to see you have a great ride in Mammoth and with a little focus and purpose in your riding you can make the jump from Medio to full Fondo, and do so confidently!
At Big Wheel Coaching, our passion is helping you have a great day on the bike! We believe that training should be fun, challenging, and rewarding, kind of like your first ride on a Big Wheel or a two-wheeler without training wheels!
If you want some expert guidance on how to have your best day on the bike, let us help.
We coach Athletes of all ages and abilities, our roster currently includes 13 year-old boys and girls all the way to 70 year old men and women and everything in between.
On that note, you’ve got some training to get to! I hope you have a great ride in Mammoth and look forward to seeing you there!
-Coach Brian