Why ultra racing?

It’s been more than four months since I decided I wanted to race The trans continental race (TCR). Since then, I have been asking myself WHY. All I know is that I want adventures without sacrificing my current life.

I am one of those people who dream about going on big adventures, but when I finally do, I always end up racing to get back home. I always feel bad for rushing home, so I figured ultra racing might be the balance for me.

My goal is to race TCR < 12 days. That is what I’m training for. It might be too ambitious, but for me, there is no motivation in chasing a goal that I know I can already do. This goal definitely scares me.

Many would advise to do some shorter events first. That sounds smart. But that is not my way. I want the TCR experience because that’s what ignited my ultra spark. So I’m not going to wait until I feel ready. Because I don’t think I will ever feel ready.

This is how I have always done it. I raced my first DH national championship one month after I got my first DH bike. I spent most of my training runs standing around being scared. I was mostly by myself, and I did not feel ready at all. I had to learn while I was racing. All I know is that there is no way I would have progressed as fast if I waited until I felt ready. I believe racing is the fastest way to improve, as it forces you out of your comfort zone.

It is time to take training seriously.

TCR is more than a physical challenge. That’s what makes it an adventure. There will be challenges I can’t control and train for. What I can control is how well I prepare. At least I can train hard.

So how do you train for a race like TCR?

The first thing I did was to gather as much info as possible about the physical demands of the race. Then I wrote down my current physical profile and compared it with the physical demands of the race. This gave me a good idea of what I need to work on.

Physical race demands

• Duration: Multiple days, 18-20 hours a day on the bike
• Intensity: Mostly below LT1 (aerobic threshold).
• Energy use: 8,000 - 10,000 kcal per day.
• Rest: Sleep deprivation. Stop as little as possible. Night riding.
• Climate: From high heat to below zero.
• Terrain: Mostly pavement with some off-road. Lots of climbing, some very steep.
• Some hike-a-bike.
• A lot of riding in aero bars (I hope).

My current physical profile

• I always loved cycling and always had a bike.
• My main sport growing up was soccer.
• I have been MTBing since 2021, raced DH and Enduro.
• I started Zwifting at the end of 2020.
• I got my first road bike in May 2022 and my first gravel bike in May 2019.
• I have done little strength training.
• I have been rock climbing for a few years, on and off. Level = 6b-6c.
• I have always suffered from bad mobility and flexibility.
• My longest solo ride is 300 km (Total time: 12h 25min).
• My longest bikepacking trip is 1500 km (13 days).
• I have only done one night ride - with 2 hours of darkness (Norwegian summer).
• I have no experience with riding in aero bars.
• Peak power = 996 W (should be lower now).
• Peak 30s power = 633 W (Zwift racing).
• Max 5-minute power = 270-280 W (Zwift racing).
• FTP (ramp test) = 235 W (always overestimates my FTP).
• Lactate threshold (LT2) - about 215-220 W. Will test more specifically soon.
• Aerobic threshold (LT1) - 170w
• VO2 max = 50 ml/kg/min.
• Utilization of VO2 max = 90% - average during 30-min time trial.
• Oxygen extraction at VO2 max = 94%
• Vlmax = 0.65 (this is not 100% accurate, as I need more practice testing)

Some of these numbers are 1-2 years old, while others are recent. I took part in a research study about two years ago where I tested things like VO2 max, utilization of VO2 max, and oxygen extraction at VO2 max (x 4 tests). The results showed that my muscles are very efficient at turning oxygen into energy while cycling. Almost no oxygen is wasted. This means that my VO2 max (my heart’s capacity to deliver oxygen to my muscles) is one of my main limiters. I think These results make sense with my training history. I have done mostly zone 2/3 (with high cadence) and some sprints in the last two years. An injury has made it hard for me to do intervals, so I have done very little HIIT training.

What I need to improve

I recently stumbled upon HIGHNORT’s book Cycling Physiology of Training Science, which I highly recommend. I took a table from this book and modified it to show the desired physical profile (race demand) vs. my current physical profile.

Let’s look at my strengths and weaknesses compared to the demands of TCR.

• Blue = Avoid training.
• Green = Good enough. Focus on maintenance.
• Red = Priority 1 to improve.
• Purple = Good enough, but an opportunity for easy gains.

Looking at this table, there are some clear areas I need to focus on. Let me go a bit more into detail on how I ended up with this conclusion.

Aerobic capacity and fractional utilization

This is your VO2max, which is simply your heart’s capacity to deliver oxygen to your muscles, and your muscles’ efficiency at turning that oxygen into energy. VO2 max is the main limiter of your aerobic capacity, and it’s also genetic. You can improve it, some say even up to 25% or more, but most of us will never reach the same levels as the world’s best no matter how hard we train.

Some studies, including the one I took part in, are researching if women have a higher efficiency than men at extracting oxygen during exercise. In the study I took part in, one guy had 97-98% oxygen extraction at VO2 max. This is the highest ever recorded. So no, guys can be just as efficient as females when it comes to oxygen extraction, at least when highly trained. You really can’t beat 97-98%.

VO2max is really important in races where you are close to your VO2max during the whole race. Like a 5-10km run, or even a marathon. In ultras, however, we are never close to our VO2max. Usually, we ride at 60-80% of VO2 max. In other words, anyone can be great at ultras. You don’t need to be aerobically gifted with a super high VO2max, as long as you have a good fractional utilization of VO2max at long durations.

In general, having a high VO2 max is always good, as it sets the ceiling for your FTP. However, those who have a really high VO2max usually have a lower utilization. Your fractional utilization goes down as duration goes up. This is highly trainable.

My ranking of myself is based on my high fractional utilization and a decent, but not great VO2max. I have done very few VO2max workouts in the last few years (or ever), which has made VO2max my limiter.There is definitely room for improvement here, and some should be relatively easy gains.

Fat oxidation

There are several studies showing that women naturally seem to be more efficient at using fat as fuel, and that this might be the reason why we are competitive with men in ultra-long endurance events.

There is no need for a big engine you cannot fuel. The difference between 150w vs. 200w average for 18 hours is around 3500 kcal burned. That again is a 42,000 kcal difference over 12 days.

In ultra racing, we want to ride as fast as possible with the lowest lactate value possible. This is called the baseline (below LT1). Your fat oxidation is highest while riding at baseline. The more your lactate values increase above this line, the more your metabolism shifts over to burning carbohydrates.

LT1 (aerobic threshold) is at the point where you see your first little bump in lactate values. So as long as you stay below your LT1, you are likely maximizing your fat metabolism.

In ultra racing, we want a high LT1, and we want it as close to our LT2 as possible. Some say a good LT1 is one that is less than 10% of your LT2. This sounds crazy high to me. Currently, I’m at 20-25%.

TCR has a lot of climbing. I know that I can climb most climbs at around 200w. So I want an LT1 around that number.

LT1 is limited by LT2 (anaerobic threshold), so you still need a good LT2.

Vlamax

This is the maximum production rate of lactate in your muscles. Some call this your glycolytic capacity, or better: glycolytic power. The Vlamax in endurance sports is in the range of 0.2 to 0.9 mmol/l/s. How high the Vlamax should be depends on the requirements of your discipline. A high Vlamax enables high intensities over a short period of time, such as sprinting. However, a high glycolytic energy supply also means that more carbohydrates and fewer fatty acids are burned. A low Vlamax, on the other hand, means improved fat metabolism and increased endurance performance. In ultra-cycling, it’s all about getting that number as low as possible.

With an individual training program, the first measurable changes in Vlamax can be achieved after 6 to 8 weeks. However, to reach the full potential of Vlamax training, several months of effective training are required.

The problem is that there are no standard tests for Vlamax. This means that the measured value is heavily influenced by the protocol and the exercise itself, something I have noticed. I have tested this twice and quickly learned that I need to dial in a strict protocol to make it comparable. All I know is that my Vlamax is too high (around 0.5-0.7), and that this affects my fat metabolism and also my power profile.

I found this graph posted by tofel on theTrainerroad Forum. It shows the relationship between Vlamax, V02 max and your FTP.

Endurance

This is about muscular endurance, fatigue resistance, and work economy.

It is not enough to have a high LT1. You also need to be able to sustain that power for a long time, and you want to use as little energy as possible to do this. Endurance takes time to train, especially work economy, which is highly sport-specific. Considering I have ridden a bike for a long time, I assume my work economy is good.

My muscular endurance is, however, bad. I have a natural high cadence (90), and the more power I push down the pedal, the higher the cadence. I am used to easy MTB gear and like to spin to save my legs.

Strength/mobility

Spending 18-20 hours on the bike, day in and day out is fatiguing for the whole body, not just the legs. For me, this is about comfort on the bike and injury prevention.

I have an injury which I believe is caused by muscle imbalance. I have also always struggled with comfort on the bike, even after several bike fits. I know know it’s not the bikefit I need to change, it’s me.

I believe that true strength requires great mobility. Rock climbing has really shown me the power of great mobility and how much it can limit you.

Milestones on the road to TCR

Based on my gap assessment, I have written down asometraining goals to work towards. Some small and some bigger milestones along the way to TCR. This will help me monitor my progress while also keeping me motivated. By reaching these milestones, I believe I will be well prepared to reach my goal of < 12 hours.

Some of these goals might not make sense to you, but they all serve a purpose. Squatting more than my body weight won’t automatically make me an ultra goddess, but it will motivate me to go to the gym. I am highly motivated by numbers, and the only thing that really motivates me is progress and adventure.

My biggest strength is probably my ability to notice and celebrate even the smallest gains. There is always something to learn from every workout. There is always motivation to be found if you look for it.

• Do a virtual everesting < 12 hours.
• Lt1 < 10% of LT2
• Lt1 > 3 w/kg
• 300km < 12 hours and 600km < 24 hours
• CLT > 120 at race start with no fatigue.
• Vlamax < 0.4
• Squat 1.2x my body weight x 5 rep.
• Deadlift x2 my body weight x 5 rep.
• Max out the leg press machine(260kg)
• 10 pullups.

My big plan

The big question still remains: How will I train to achieve my goals?

This will require trial and error, but I believe I have a good enough plan to get me started.

All I know is that sometimes you have to get worse at one thing to improve another. I know that I have to sacrifice my sprint and anaerobic power to reach my goal. I can’t be good at both.

I also have to be patient and disciplined, and not try everything at once. It can take me years to fully figure out what works for me. Some data is better than none. I just have to start collecting data and learn from it.

Phase 1: Increase muscular endurance, start strenght traiing and lower Vlamax

I see muscular endurance as my biggest weakness. This is also closely linked to strength training and VLaMax.

This means that I will use a pyramidal training approach in this phase. Most of the training will be below LT2. My interval sessions will be between LT1 and LT2, so lots of tempo and sweet spot (SS) intervals. The main focus will be to increase time in the zone, and not power. Some do it the other way around. Increase power first, then work on increasing duration at their new power. I have tried this, and for me, this is a great way to burn out. Maybe this works if you already have good muscular endurance, something I do not.

I also plan to do a lot of these intervals at a lower cadence. This will help with muscular endurance, but also lower my VlaMax. When training to lower your VLaMax, you want to convert your fast-twitch muscles to be more slow-twitch muscles (which have higher fatigue resistance). To achieve this, you have to recruit them while training, which won’t happen if you ride below LT1 (unless you are fatigued). Instead, you have to ride at a higher power or at a higher torque. Doing both at the same time will recruit even more fast-twitch muscles.

I also plan to do a lot of max strength training in the gym. This will hopefully improve my muscular endurance and comfort on the bike. Strength training also complements the pyramidal training approach well. Especially when combining two sessions a day. You can, for example, do one gym session in the morning, then low cadence work in the evening to really recruit as many muscle fibers as possible. You can also combine a gym session with an easy below LT1 session to simulate the fatigue you get from a longer ride.

The issue with strength training is that it could also increase my VLaMax, something I do not want. Some say that max strength training with few reps won’t affect VLaMax as much. There is only one way to find out, and that is to test and monitor progress.

Most importantly, I need to find out how I can efficiently lower VLaMax, and how long it will take. It is okay to have a high VLaMax in periods, as long as it’s low when I need it to.

So what about VO2 max? This is probably my main aerobic limiter, and most likely something I can see quick improvements in. However, it is not that important in ultra cycling. It is not uncommon to get a lower v02max from only focusing on ultra cycliing training. However, as I have done so little V02max training already, I don’t think it will go down, but probably also not increase much, even with a higher training volume.

The problem is that this type of training will increase VLaMax, so I need to be smart about how I do it.

I have not yet decided if I want to focus on VO2 max during this phase. It is tempting, and it feels risky to not do it, as I know that I can see quick gains from it. I already know

as it’s you can see gains easily and feel fit, but that fitness also goes away quickly and creates alot of fatigue to train.

My priority 1 is to find out how to lower VLaMax while improving muscular endurance and strength.

Phase 2: Fatigue resistance, V02max and some test racing.

This phase might change based on what I learn from phase 1.

The focus now is to build up mileage. I want to feel good during all-day rides when this phase is over.

Basically, more of this, but with less weight:

At this point, my VLaMax will hopefully be lower. Which means that the training now gets a bit more polarized, at least in periods. I will probably train polarized during the weeks I want to do big weekend rides and adventures, and more pyramidal when that is not the case.

I will reduce my strength training in the gym to 1-2 sessions a week.

I will probably also try to increase my LT1 as high as possible. Which most likely means more VO2 max training, especially during the periods I am using a more polarized approach. Again, this depends on what my results are after phase 1.

There will also hopefully be lots of weekend adventures to test my gear and just enjoy bikepacking. These adventures will be good for fatigue resistance and mental training, but I won’t do any intervals or any structured training during these rides. I will just try and ride them at ultra pace and enjoy being on my bike.

Race around Denmark in May will be my first bikepacking ultra race experience. I plan to do this race this event full-on, and not just as a training ride.

I picked this race because of the timing, easy logistics, and because it’s a lot like home. I wanted an early season race to test my setup and progress. It is also one of the easier races to enter logistically for me. I can take my car and a ferry, and it starts and stops at the same place. I also feel safe in Denmark. I understand the language (kinda) and it’s known to be a great place for cyclists. When you grow up in Norway, you do grow up in a very protected environment (even with a crappy childhood). This makes the world outside feel dangerous, probably more than it is. I don’t want to be afraid, but at the same time, I don’t have to push myself out of my comfort zone on everything at once. Just doing my first ultra race will be a big enough challenge on its own.

These races take a lot of time and logistics, so I probably won’t do too many. If I am to race TCR, that will take up most of my vacation days. And it’s not like you need to enter a race to test yourself anyway. I can easily create my own race to get the practice I need. That sure is one big upside of doing unsupported racing, and why I think many love it. It’s a personal challenge above anything else.

I also plan to do some local brevets, hopefully with friends. I don’t see this as racing though. More like a challenge ride.

Phase 3: Peaking for the big race

I have not yet done any research on how to peak for something like this, but I definitely want to be fresh at the start. Both physically and mentally. Especially mentally.

I plan to do a little peak before Race Around Denmark, as it will be a nice learning experience on peaking. Hopefully, I can use what I learned from that process going into this phase.

In general, when peaking, you want to lower the volume but increase or maintain intensity. So maybe I will do some VO2 max efforts to get a little peak.

I definitely don’t want to be fatigued at the start.