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Riding Stage 15 of the TdF. Givors – Mount Ventoux

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  • February 20, 2013 at 12:02 pm #18022
    GTDan

    First post, so hi all!

    I have been given the chance to ride Stage 15 of the TdF. Givors – Mount Ventoux.

    I deal with company at work and they have invited one person from my company to partake in this.

    All accommodation/flights etc is paid for just need to bring my road bike and kit. Will be for charity too and my company will support in this.

    Get there Friday 12th ride the 150miles Saturday 13th and then watch the TdF on the Sunday come back Monday. Seems like a great thing to tick off the list but……I’ve never ridden a roadie and unsure of fitness required.

    Question is do you think 5 months is enough for me to train for this. Not much gradient around here so I suppose riding longer distances on the roadie and then hill climbs in the gym may help?!

    Will be in a team of 40 potiental riders.

    Canyon Roadlite 2013 is the bike I’m ordering.

    I’m a keen MTB’er but never owned a roadie. So have some questions regarding roadie kit.

    I now need to get myself in gear to train for this. This will be my First roadie so I need to know what kit I need to buy and what to not waste money on.

    Bib shorts
    Jerseys
    Shoes
    Pedals
    Bottle cages and bottles
    Saddle/frame bag – and what to take on my rides. (Normally have a camelbak octane on my mtb with everything I need.)

    Garmin or equivalent GPS tool capable of recording for 10 hours. Do I really need HR monitor/cadence sensor?

    Do I need to shave my legs 😉

    Thanks!

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  • February 20, 2013 at 3:41 pm #717827
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    arrieredupeleton

    In Jersey pocket: Food, ID,
    In Jersey pocket: Food, ID, phone, waterproof, money (nothing that can puncture your kidneys if you fall off)
    In saddle pack: 1 or 2 tubes (depending on size of pack), multi-tool, CO2 canister and chuck, puncture kit, tyre levers, Ladyshave

    I also have a pump on the frame most of the time but you might get away without one if you’re riding with people you know well enough and/or have support at hand.

    Pedals and shoes will be fine.

    Seriously consider a bike fit if you have any issues with knee, neck or back pain. You’ll have to get used to a more aero position than you are used to but if problems persist, consider it – particularly for cleat placement and foot alignment. Varus wedges are cheap and can help with this.

    February 20, 2013 at 3:25 pm #717825
    0
    Leviathan

    andyp wrote:Do I need to

    andyp wrote:
    [i]Do I need to shave my legs [/i]
    yes.

    I shaved my legs once, it was ‘interesting.’ The smoothness felt great and it was good in my shorts; BUT when I was sitting in the office or watching TV at home wearing trousers, every time I moved my legs I felt the material swishing against my legs. The hyper-sensitivity was distracting most of the time and just kept reminding me that I have shaved legs.

    When it grew out a bit the feeling stopped. So now I just use the clippers and have No.1 trim a couple of times in the summer; it very nearly the same but not distracting and saves me having to shave every week as the ladies must have to do.

    Try it, you might like it if you have the patience to get used to the feeling; if not just trim if all you want to do is not look like a hairy monster in the peleton.

    February 20, 2013 at 3:15 pm #717823
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    GTDan

    andyp wrote:Do I need to

    andyp wrote:
    [i]Do I need to shave my legs [/i]
    yes.

    I will crack on with this later then….. 😉

    February 20, 2013 at 3:14 pm #717821
    0
    GTDan

    arrieredupeleton wrote:I

    arrieredupeleton wrote:
    I agree that you’ve got plenty of time but aim to be comfortable doing 2/3rds of the eventual distance i.e. 100 miles by about a month before hand. In the final week, it’s best to taper down and do less mileage.

    For what it’s worth, spend more on contact points such as shoes, gloves and shorts. Temperatures can change quickly on the Ventoux so I would recommend a short sleeve jersey (full length zip), gillet and arm warmers and packable waterproof.

    Finally, if your ride is ‘supported’ you can get away without carrying much. Some people prefer keeping everything in the 3 back pockets. Others a small saddle bag. Don’t let others tell you what you should wear or carry on the bike though. Use whatever you can get on with. Good luck with the training – the speed is addictive when you are used to an MTB!

    Thanks for the reply, the ride is supported to an extent so I can leave some spares on the van. What items do people normally take in their saddle bag? Tube, energy source, phone, multi tool.

    Regarding shoes and pedals. I was going to buy the PD5700 Shimano and then the R087 shoes. I’m size 13 49/50 so no LBS have my size in to try. Will have to order online and trial and error. Thoughts on these?

    February 20, 2013 at 2:17 pm #717819
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    andyp

    Do I need to shave my legs
    [i]Do I need to shave my legs [/i]
    yes.

    February 20, 2013 at 1:21 pm #717817
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    arrieredupeleton

    I agree that you’ve got
    I agree that you’ve got plenty of time but aim to be comfortable doing 2/3rds of the eventual distance i.e. 100 miles by about a month before hand. In the final week, it’s best to taper down and do less mileage.

    For what it’s worth, spend more on contact points such as shoes, gloves and shorts. Temperatures can change quickly on the Ventoux so I would recommend a short sleeve jersey (full length zip), gillet and arm warmers and packable waterproof.

    Finally, if your ride is ‘supported’ you can get away without carrying much. Some people prefer keeping everything in the 3 back pockets. Others a small saddle bag. Don’t let others tell you what you should wear or carry on the bike though. Use whatever you can get on with. Good luck with the training – the speed is addictive when you are used to an MTB!

    February 20, 2013 at 1:01 pm #717815
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    dave atkinson

    GTDan wrote:
    Also the London

    GTDan wrote:

    Also the London to Brighton in June worth doing? At only 53 miles I’m unsure if its worth the experience.

    I wouldn’t bother. you’ll end up walking up the only big hill, probably. It’s a good laugh but it’s too crowded to get much of a head of steam up.

    Look for some long audaxes or sportives if you want a challenge. If you have a GPS with mapping then you can pretty much ride an audax as a sportive, and they only cost about six quid a pop. Sportives are better for honing your group riding skills, provided you can find some people capable of riding in a group 😕

    February 20, 2013 at 12:48 pm #717813
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    GTDan

    Dave Atkinson wrote:Jumping

    Dave Atkinson wrote:
    Jumping in at the deep end then 🙂

    The good news is that it’s *reasonably* flat until the big hill at the end. If you’re up for doing some miles then no reason why you can’t be fit enough in 5 months.

    The one skill I’d suggest you go out of your way to acquire is the skill of sitting on someone’s wheel. If there’s 40 people riding and you can ride well in a group you’ll be able to keep your powder dry for the climb. If you’ve no experience of riding in close formation then you’ll waste loads of energy and you’ll be battered by the time you get to Bedoin.

    Hook up with a local club, do some group rides. If you want to work on the kind of fitness you need for a long climb and it’s not hilly round your way, enter some time trials. Don’t bother with tri bars or anything, just show up on your road bike and give it everything you’ve got. It’s not really about your time, more your ability to go at full gas for as long as possible.

    I’m sure there’ll be lots of kit recommendations. My only one: the Ventoux is a really hard climb. It’s really steep, for a really long time. Make sure you have enough gears. If you’re on a compact, get the widest cassette that’ll fit. Looks like you get an 11-32 on most Roadlites anyway, that’ll be fine. Most of the people I saw walking up the Ventoux when I did it were walking because they didn’t have enough gears, not because they weren’t fit enough to climb it.

    Diving in head first haha! Thanks for the reply Dave. The company is organising rides of 60miles or so bi-weekly leading upto the event so we can get used to riding together and working with different abilities. The Canyon has a compact crankset and the cassette is 11-32like you mention linked to 105 groupset it should be adequate. I’m used to climbing foreroads on my Trek which prob weighs 15kg+ with my camelbak etc. I’m interested to see how far I can cycle now and at what pace before training. Bike should be here next week.

    Also the London to Brighton in June worth doing? At only 53 miles I’m unsure if its worth the experience.

    Thanks

    February 20, 2013 at 12:37 pm #717811
    0
    dave atkinson

    Jumping in at the deep end
    Jumping in at the deep end then 🙂

    The good news is that it’s *reasonably* flat until the big hill at the end. If you’re up for doing some miles then no reason why you can’t be fit enough in 5 months.

    The one skill I’d suggest you go out of your way to acquire is the skill of sitting on someone’s wheel. If there’s 40 people riding and you can ride well in a group you’ll be able to keep your powder dry for the climb. If you’ve no experience of riding in close formation then you’ll waste loads of energy and you’ll be battered by the time you get to Bedoin.

    Hook up with a local club, do some group rides. If you want to work on the kind of fitness you need for a long climb and it’s not hilly round your way, enter some time trials. Don’t bother with tri bars or anything, just show up on your road bike and give it everything you’ve got. It’s not really about your time, more your ability to go at full gas for as long as possible.

    I’m sure there’ll be lots of kit recommendations. My only one: the Ventoux is a really hard climb. It’s really steep, for a really long time. Make sure you have enough gears. If you’re on a compact, get the widest cassette that’ll fit. Looks like you get an 11-32 on most Roadlites anyway, that’ll be fine. Most of the people I saw walking up the Ventoux when I did it were walking because they didn’t have enough gears, not because they weren’t fit enough to climb it.

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