- Design an 11.2 mile course with 7% steady grade.
- Warm up for 10 - 15 minutes by just spinning without engaging the course.
- Start with 3 mins of 170 watts, then 2 mins of 200 - 215 watts.
- Do that for an hour.
Why?
First, builds leg strength.
Second, prepares rider for emotional / psychological impact of climbing challenges on RAW / RAAM. Just when you think you've topped an incline you discover it is a false flat and you've got another tough incline to climb. And this goes on and on and on (e.g., Skull Valley to Prescott). Less hard on the legs and lungs than the lobes (brain lobes, that is).
Third, Stage One includes a several mile long 7% grade. Again, prepares one psychologically for the grind.
Fourth, most of us can mount a long set of hills by shifting down and just taking our time. In a Race one must be cognizant of doing this as well as possible without blowing up and DNF'ing later.
By training with programmed adversity we can build physical capacity and psychological tough-mindedness.
