Backpacking for a month, how to keep form?

beison said:

From June 17th-July 16th, I'm going to be in wyoming, backpacking in the wind rivers, taking a NOLS course. ...

I wouldn't worry about your cycling fitness at this point, I'd concentrate on surviving your NOLS course. I'm very familiar with NOLS, their curriculum and what their courses are like. You will have a great time, but expect a very rude shock to your system that your bike racing hasn't prepared you for. Especially get out and do some walking or running to get your legs used to eccentric muscular contractions if you've been spending all your time on the bike. If you don't you'll pay big time on day two or three of your NOLS course.

As for the racing, your core fitness will stay sound and you'll get time at altitude, but don't expect to return ready to jump into a hard crit. You'll need some time to recover and then to get back on the bike and open up and get your race speed back. Your fitness may improve during the trip, but it won't be cycling specific so that may cost you in the short term. If you do the NOLS course in June I'd expect you could be back to full race fitness by late August to mid September, but that's just a swag.

The Winds are an amazing range where you can get deep inside and away from folks, there's fantastic backpacking, mountaineering, rock climbing as well as fantastic fly fishing on a countless number of high mountain lakes. We've got an awful lot of amazing terrain in Western Wyoming, have a great time exploring it. And as you drive around Lander and get to trailheads consider the training potential of some of our long steady climbs and open roads. The racing scene isn't great here and I end up going to Idaho, Utah or Montana for most of my races but the riding and training venues are amazing.

-Dave

daveryanwyoming said:

As for the racing, your core fitness will stay sound and you'll get time at altitude, but don't expect to return ready to jump into a hard crit. You'll need some time to recover and then to get back on the bike and open up and get your race speed back.

Hmmm, this could be a problem--I'm getting back to chicago around July 18thish, and had planned on doing the last week of the superweek crits. Perhaps I'm gunna be in for a world of hurt. Oh well, mental toughness training, right?😄

daveryanwyoming said:

And as you drive around Lander and get to trailheads consider the training potential of some of our long steady climbs and open roads. The racing scene isn't great here and I end up going to Idaho, Utah or Montana for most of my races but the riding and training venues are amazing.

-Dave

I couldn't agree more. I spent last summer out in Bozeman doing a research internship at Montana State University. I raced for GAS/Intrinsik (Orange and white kit, if you're familiar with the team). I did the tour of the bitterroot omnium, and the cow country classic, and was all set to do some more stuff that summer, but then the old collarbone snapped. But hey, no big deal--it's the rockies! I took up fly fishing instead 🙂.

beison said:

Got any suggestions for trying to limit the damage? Perhaps an overload week the week before I go?

Bring a pair of running shoes instead of (or, in addition to) sandals for your "camp" shoes ... and, do wind sprints & laddered "intervals" (10 yard sprint, walk back, 20 yard sprint, walk back, 30 yard sprint, walk back, etc, ... up to 50 yards ... then, 40 yard sprint, walk back, 30 yard sprint, walk back, etc.).

Tought ruequest. Best to work to a late August/September goal.

I bet you won't finish a superweek event. Have fun anyways.

Spunout said:

I bet you won't finish a superweek event. Have fun anyways.

Haha, well since you put it that way, now I definitely will!😄

(I respond best to low expectations--looots of room to totally prove them wrong!)

Hmmm... perhaps I'm just gonna have to get to the 2's before June 17th! I mean, it can't be that hard to get 25 points in 3's racing...in a month!🙄