How to train for the second edition of the Valencia Epic Race
In collaboration with PSYCLING COACH
From PSYCLING COACH we want to contribute our bit to all those cyclists who don't know where to start when preparing for a race like the Valencia Epic Race.
I'm Javier Requeni Guillem, and the first piece of advice I'm going to give you is "believe in yourselves." We never know what we're capable of unless we try many times; we're all capable if we believe in ourselves. Don't set limits for yourselves, and don't let others set them for you either; have confidence in yourselves.
The Valencia Epic Race is a race to reward yourselves, one of those gifts that will stay in your memory, that will remind you of how happy you were, one of those gifts you would give to the person you love the most because you know they wouldn't disappoint.
But before anything else, we need to know how to approach the race, and for that, we need to consider our goal within the Valencia Epic Race. Is our goal simply to finish? Or is it to be in the top half of the field or better? Depending on our objective, we will have to focus our training in one way or another.
Explaining very generally how our body works, comparing it to a hybrid car when we're driving calmly in the city, the predominant engine is the electric one; something similar happens with our bodies. When we're calm, our predominant fuel would be fats as it's our most efficient substrate. Now imagine we hit the road and want to pick up the pace; in the hybrid car, both the electric motor and the gasoline engine would start to be involved since the electric motor alone doesn't reach the desired power. Making the comparison with our bodies, when we increase our pace, both fat and carbohydrate metabolism start to be involved because fat metabolism alone doesn't cover the energy needs necessary to maintain that pace. Now, if we really want to push it and take our hybrid car to a racetrack, wanting to get the most out of it, at this point, it will be the gasoline engine that takes the lead, considering that the energy expenditure, in this case, gasoline, will increase considerably, and soon we'll have to stop to refuel or slow down. Making the analogy with our bodies, when we go to a short-distance race and want to give our best, and we give it all, it will be in this part where the use of carbohydrates as the main part for energy production will take greater importance, as well as the use of energy stored in the muscle itself.
Once this part is clarified, we will draw two key points: the moment when our car and our body switch from predominantly using the electric motor and fats to incorporating the gasoline engine and carbohydrate metabolism for energy production. This moment would correspond to our threshold one. Now, the next moment to consider would be when the car switches from using both engines to predominantly using the gasoline engine, just like our body when it switches from using both fat and carbohydrate metabolism to mainly using carbohydrate metabolism. This second key point would correspond to our threshold two.
Now, having these concepts clear, if our main goal is to finish the race, we will have to focus on the first inflection point, where we switch from mainly using fats as fuel to using both fats and carbohydrates for energy production. On the other hand, if our goal is to be in the top half of the field or better, it will be important to train the first inflection point, but we will also have to focus our training on the second point, especially as we get closer to the Valencia Epic Race.
And how do we know which are those key moments? Well, we'll determine those points through a 20-minute test at the highest sustainable pace we can maintain. It will be important to consider the terrain when performing the test, as if we do it on a terrain with constant ups and downs, our pace won't remain stable, and the test will be less reliable; therefore, we'll choose a flat or gently rolling terrain.
The test requires a specific warm-up protocol; if we don't perform it correctly, our obtained result may not be entirely reliable. The warm-up and test protocol will be as follows:
TEST PHASES TIME DESCRIPTION
It will be crucial to perform the 5-minute all-out effort before the test to deplete the high-energy metabolic pathways and bring our test results as close as possible to threshold two.
Once we have the data from the 20 minutes, we will proceed to approximate our training zones. First, we will multiply the test result, both the average power and the average heart rate, by 0.95 in the case of power measured in watts and by 0.97 in the case of heart rate measured. For example, if we obtained an average power of 250 watts, (250×0.95=237.5), and if we obtained an average heart rate of 170 bpm (170×0.97=164.9), taking these values as 100%, we will obtain the training zones corresponding to FTP (Functional Threshold Power) for one hour using a rule of three.
Note: We will always take the integer values without decimals.
Once we have obtained the test result and the rest of the zones, we will proceed to develop our training plan. As we were saying, if our goal is solely to be a FINISHER, we will focus on training our zone two to achieve maximum efficiency in optimizing fat utilization. However, if our aim is to finish in the upper half of the field, in addition to working on our zone two, it will be important to dedicate time to zones three, four, and five to build the capacity to sustain intense efforts.
In the right-hand side of the table, we have the optimal times for training each zone. On the other hand, the number of intervals and rest times will vary greatly depending on each individual's level and experience. For this reason, I advise seeking guidance from a qualified coach to maximize the effectiveness of our time on the bike.
From PSYCLING COACH we encourage all cyclists to participate in a race like the Valencia Epic Race, a race for everyone, without exception.
Everything will be possible as long as you believe it is possible; it's time to show yourself what you're capable of.
Don't hesitate and sign up for the Second Edition of the La Valencia Epic Race!
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