A friend recently asked my advice for how to prepare for the longest ride he’d ever done. My approach is somewhat unorthodox when it comes to this sort of thing; I like to train to ride a lot farther than the event itself, and whenever possible, throw in a handful of sessions with my old friend, The Man with the Hammer. I suggested he do the same, just to make sure he understands the alchemy of combining total exhaustion with the reality of still having a long way to ride. Based on his response suggesting the idea somehow contained a bad taste, I assume he didn’t take my advice.
I didn’t invent this technique. De Vlaeminck was known for his marathon training sessions involving a diabolical mixture of V:00 am starts and distances of 400km in preparation for his favorite race, Paris-Roubaix. Fignon was known to head out for day-long rides with little or no food in his pockets with the express intent of meeting the Man with the Hammer.
The Man with the Hammer holds a special place in the mythology of Cycling; ruthless and unpredictable, he lurks about in the shadows, ready to strike at any time. Most fear him, but I have been bopped on the head by him so many times, I start to feel lonely for his visits after a few months. I sense him in the nape of my neck long before he draws his hammer down with his judgement. On long solo rides, when the mind retreats into The Tunnel, I often find myself carrying silent conversations. Perhaps it is he to whom I speak in those dark hours.
His presence as a constant companion may not be as insane as it sounds. Explorers have often spoken of feeling that another presence was traveling with them; the early teams who attempted to scale Mount Everest had difficulty reconciling the numbers in their party due to the convincing sensation that another had been with them. All three men in Shackleton’s party who crossed the island of South Georgia independently confided in their captain that they believed a fourth to be traveling with them. This, I am certain, is the great spirit of the Man with the Hammer. We must not fear him; though he may be ready to strike, he is a benevolent spirit.
There is something purifying in being completely depleted and still having to carry on; it flushes your transgressions from you in a cleansing flood. Don’t avoid this; seek it out; every rider should endeavor to experience his visits at least a few times per year. They remind you that you can push beyond your limits, that the only thing bridging the chasm to a goal is having the will to act.
Whenever I find myself weighed down and questioning myself, I head out on my bicycle with no food in the pockets and with the express intent of meeting my old friend, the Man with the Hammer.
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Great article. Met the man more than once over the years. Funny thing happened on Sunday though. The goal this year was to get to the point where 160kms rides were not difficult. Not easy, but just not difficult. This has seen a few 200kms rides done without too much anguish. Sunday was gorgeous here in SE Wisconsin. Warm, but not hot, dry, sunny with fluffy clouds and little wind. I'd done 80kms on Thursday and Friday each and rested Saturday, psyching myself for long one on Sunday. I find that long rides are as much mental as physical, especially solo.
Anyway, I hit 200kms and realized that 250 was on the cards - the longest ever. I ate my last gel about this time. Over the ride I'd had three gels, a Clif bar, an oatmeal-to-go and two Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies and about 8 bottles. I was waiting for he Man with the hammer. He never showed.In fact, I was damn near flying the last 20kmns. I felt great. Where was he? I should have been on my knees begging for mercy. Was I tapping into fat reserves? Was I just on a special day?
Of course, not I want to go longer, knowing I can do it. However, I'll always keep looking over my shoulder for the Man with the Hammer.
@Puffy Interesting points and these, with @Frank 's article, bring up the question of what training really is. Some would argue that if you haven't pushed yourself to the ragged edge then you haven't actually been training but just going for a bike ride. I think that's what Frank's getting at rather than exhibiting latent masochistic tendencies.
Frank is also bang on about training to or beyond the distance. The psychological aspect of cycling is as important as the physical and unless you've been there (man) then you just don't know.
Nice one frank. While I wouldn't call the companion my best friend, I'm quite happy to give him a piggyback home some days. The feeling one has once you've arrived, shattered and either sitting or laying down in the immediate minutes afterwards are an almost out of body (or mind) experience. I then find myself with a satisfied smile wondering when next we will meet. I also find Ms. Medio looking at me like I'm a complete fool. Shaking her head. Poor thing just doesn't get it......
@G'rilla
quoting Buck 65? Very tasteful
@Jonny
In a race is when you push to the edge, not in training. Go longer than you'll need to so you know you can endure the pace and distance, yes, but don't induce chronic fatigue in order to get faster. It sounds counter-intuitive because it's backwards.
Per Joe Friel: "An athlete should do the least amount of properly timed, specific training that brings continual improvement."
I've met the Man, and I respect him more than most. But I don't seek him out on training rides, because it is counter to actually getting fitter ad faster. During races, events, and non-season long rides, I take the long road and expect to meet him sometimes, and am the better for it, knowing how to handle the fatigue. But that's a long way from a training philosophy or regimen.
@Chris
I also believe I met The Man on the Tourmalet last year and it felt like for the first time I understood the meaning of the phrase "pedaling squares", but I was peaking in two months and too fat to climb.
This year, after 6 months of training properly I veritably danced up Mont Ventoux the day before the summit finish, even managing to ride away from a riding buddy in the final 200m who had last year dropped me by over 12 minutes on the Tourmalet. Now don't get me wrong, Ventoux hurt like hell the entire way up, but 6 months of training properly and catching fleeting glimpses of Him on rides, meant that I was able to go the distance when I briefly encountered him 5km from the summit but on this occasion he didn't seem interested and spared me his worst.
The next day we did the climb again in order to watch the stage finish, this time carrying food and extra water to last the day and this time, as I emerged out onto the barren moon-scape He was waiting for me and He swung at leg height...
When I was a competitive marathoner, I'd do what I called "depletion runs", which were hard, long sessions such as a 9 mile run followed by a half marathon race with no food or drink. I don't know if, physiologically speaking, this was actually a great training plan; in fact, I suspect that it was not. But I liked to experiment on different training methods using myself as the Guinea pig and I certainly got familiar with The Man with the Hammer. I would get really anxious for every one of those runs, and it was very fulfilling when they were over.
@V-olcano Joe Friel is a triathlete.
My personal view (more from a past life of running than my limited bike racing) is that unless you are racing a lot then you need to train out of your comfort zone to be able to know just how far and hard you can go in a race. You might not put every element of of a race into a training session - you tend to break it down to concentrate on different aspects in different sessions but you still need to address each one at some point.
@V-inden I suspect the man with the hammer has a holiday home on the Tourmalet.
Speaking of Fignon - I think you might like this, Frank: 5 Reasons Why He Was Laurent Fignon And You Couldn't Have Been
We all need to respect the Man with the Hammer, I have made his aquaintance on a number of occasions and am sure, and strangely live in hope, that I will on a number more.
Those who are new to him; you do not need to ask if you have met him or for anybody to confirm your meeting, you will know and will forever more have one eye looking for him, only time will mean you will sense his presence just before he welcomes you, but even then there will be nothing you can do other than enjoy the sensation.