The key to becoming a better mountain rider? Riding uphill! It's actually easier to conquer mountains than to ride on the flat - if you're aiming for the same pedalling power. There are two main reasons for this: Pedalling uphill is easier to control, and a mountain always provides natural motivation to pedal powerfully. Because if you let up, you become a snail or stop.
Being able to pedal continuously and without a break makes riding uphill challenging. The muscles are challenged, but so is the mind. Because knowing that there is still a long way to the summit and that there may be more to come is also a mental challenge. You should therefore train both. Long intervals challenge the legs, but also the psyche; the athlete must learn (and accept) what pace they can sustain.
Road bike training: Mountain marathon plans
The two marathon plans offer plenty of opportunity for this. Plan A, with an average of eight hours of sport per week, focuses on developing endurance performance for medium marathon distances. Plan B adds a good three hours a week and also sets a faster pace in the actual preparation for the competition - for athletes with more years of training under their belt and particularly ambitious goals.
The intervals are all completed uphill, with the focus on sweet spot and threshold training. The intensity is easy to manage, but increases significantly over time. Pedalling powerfully for 30 or 45 minutes feels very different to only briefly testing the training zone. It is particularly important to eat enough during this workout. It is therefore very suitable for testing the competition food in advance.
Marathon training plan level 1
Road bike training: Marathon training plan level 2
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Robert Kühnen
Editor
