Training & Nutrition - Last ditch effort to maximize cardio endurance

I have a 100km race in two weeks that I have spent 2 months training for. My last long distance training ride this weekend was 93 km's and took 4 hours 20 minutes. Part of that was due to taking some heavier hills than the actual course will be over so it took just over 2 hours to finish the first 45 km's (about 30 miles). While I am reasonably happy with how things are going I would really like to break 4 hours on the actual ride. To do this I think I need to increase my overall endurance because I can get over hills without any problem but I'm starting to run out of gas around the 85 km mark (50 miles).

I'm looking for suggestions on what I can do over the next two weeks to try and build the sort of endurance I might need. I would rather not do any rides over 45 km's because while I think some good sprints would do me a lot of good I doubt if staying on the bike much longer than 40 to 60 km's would be of any real benefit this close to race day.

My current plan is to do a local 45 km ride which is mostly flat (only two hills which I shift off the high ring for) and try to make it in under 1.5 hours (my personal record is 1 hour 38 min.) and possibly visit the local velodrome to do some points racing style training. My guess is focusing on short and fast rides will get the best results in a short time.

Do I have the right idea or am I badly misguided as usual?

Thanks,
Andy

if you ask me, you will not build endurance by not riding further than 45kms. You HAVE a base of endurance by doing long rides already. Work on intervals and speed work, try to build your intensity in to the rides, climbing intervals, anything like that so you can add some top end power and hopefully get over some hills a little quicker and have a faster "kick" near the end of your 100kms. Track work or anything else you suggest would help also, I think you are on the right track but I would do 1 or 2 longer endurance rides up to the week before the race and taper in to the day of the race after that.

Personally I don't think heading to the track would help. What you're looking for is the ability to hold a sustained rate for an extended period of time. I would try some adding some intervals such as 3 or 4 repeats holding the pace you want to maintain for 10 minutes. Good luck meeting your goal!

I'm looking for suggestions on what I can do over the next two weeks to try and build the sort of endurance I might need
2 weeks is not enough time to improve your endurance. The week before, taper off so your legs are not tired and your glycogen stores are topped off.

Personally I don't think heading to the track would help. What you're looking for is the ability to hold a sustained rate for an extended period of time. I would try some adding some intervals such as 3 or 4 repeats holding the pace you want to maintain for 10 minutes. Good luck meeting your goal!

points style track racing is endurance work, some races can be 20 or 30km long and include sprints every 5 or 10 laps as well as maintaining endurance so I think that kind of thing would be OK. Plain sprints or Keirens are not the best for endurance but proper endurance track work as Andy is wanting to do can be very hard intervals and TT type efforts, usually at a very high HR, close to AT.

Just to expand on this some, the points racing as climbo pointed out will be a sustained high speed run. I'm thinking of 25 laps on the 250 meter track for 6.25 km's total. Keeping a minimum speed of 35 k's (22mph) and sprinting every 5th lap aiming for 45 kph (28mph) or better is not easy, at least for me. I personally like the flying 200's as well, with one run-up lap and then hold your top speed for 200 meters. Right now I'm working on breaking 15 seconds (p.b. of 15.3). Trackies may have more to say about this, I'm just along for the ride (if you can pardon the pun).

The main issue is whether I will be able to get enough out of trying to work on endurance in the next two weeks. I think any difference will be minimal and as suggested earlier the damage has been done. That is why this last big ride was going to be my last before the race. I would just like to see if I can accomplish anything else between now and then. My feeling is that shorter sprint work won't hurt any but I'm open to suggestions.

Andy

Andy, I think you'll do fine, points races are high intensity killer races, this should improve your top end speed but maybe not in 2 weeks, it may take longer than that to really see any benefits but definitely do some and it will help you, and then taper the week before.

I like the 200 flys too, we do them every month or so at Wed track night on an outdoor track, but these are not really any good for a 100km race, but they are fun !!

I thought I would post a follow-up just in case anyone was interested and because I have noticed a few other threads on last minute training. I did the 45 km (27 mile) ride on the weekend before the big ride and just took it easy otherwise. I finished the ride in 4 hours and 4 minutes which is over 30 minutes faster than last year so I'm happy about that. With that result I would definintely tell anyone else to just do some light riding for the last 2 weeks before a race. Being at all fried before the race is not a good thing.