Cycling like a pro for a week: hundreds of miles, lots of pain

While professional cycling has become increasingly tainted by the constant news of athletes doping, the hard work and hundreds of miles that the sport requires are worthy of awe.

Although I’ve only been truly invested in cycling as a solution to repeated stress fractures from running cross country, the hundreds of miles I put into riding a road bike for the last two years have made me consider taking the sport up as a serious endeavor. 

However, the training commitment was far more than what I anticipated.

By following multi-discipline UCI [global governing body for cycling] World Tour rider, gold medal Olympian Tom Pidcock on Strava, I discovered that in a heavier week, he rides 700 miles and climbs up 50,000 feet in elevation in a week. While I was somewhat motivated to attempt such a feat, I already had to balance school, cycling and a part-time job; achieving such a mileage was practically impossible. Instead, I attempted to mimic some of his mid-range mileage weeks, which were still far out of my comfort zone.

After acquiring cleats, bib shorts and other items for proper cycling gear, I set my goal on acquiring approximately 400 miles in the next week, with a gain of 15-18,000 feet of elevation.

 

Day 1: 50 miles, 3,252 feet elevation

Waking up at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, I realized that not only was my bike light out of battery, but it would be pitch-black until 6:30 a.m. I delayed my start, shortening this day’s ride, and decided to finish up the rest of the mileage later in the day.

The first ride was relatively smooth: Cycling through Stevens Canyon and up Redwood Gulch to reach Highway 9, I hit two exceedingly difficult climbs that were exhausting in the cold. However, I finished on time without being late to school. Despite finishing my ride on a high note, I started feeling sore around fourth period.

With soreness kicking in, I was unprepared to take on the full 30 miles of the second ride later that afternoon. Despite starting out energetically, I ended up pushing through on an empty tank for the last 10 miles of the ride.

The recovery that took place later that night set the standard for how the rest of the week would feel. Protein and creatine were essential for muscle recovery, but it was clear that it was going to take more than supplements to get through the week.

 

Day 2: 35 miles, 3,856 feet elevation

Leading up to this ride, I felt rested enough to attempt a challenge. While I did notice some fatigue from yesterday, the concern I felt was pushed aside by my motivation to grind some miles to record.

The route I took went down Highway 9 to Boulder Creek before making an arduous climb up Bear Creek Road and Skyline Boulevard. 

This ride proved to be the first time that my endurance actually bottomed out. The bulk of my effort was used climbing, and, by the end, my quadriceps were exhausted. 

 

Day 3: 50 miles, 1,054 feet elevation

This morning I made sure I actually ate breakfast for the ride ahead later that day — fueling up for a ride early in the day made a considerable difference.

I was planning to reach Morgan Hill through Santa Teresa boulevard and return before sunset, so I made sure to embark early for this ride; a ridiculously strong headwind hindered my plans, delaying my ride’s end by almost 45 minutes.

I averaged 19 mph for the entire 50 miles, a pace that should have been a fairly impressive accomplishment considering the unforgiving cold and relentless wind, but I was beat. 

Yerba Mate can’t solve every athlete’s woes.

Managing my time and physical state for this training regimen was a challenge in itself. Unlike pro riders, amateur riders often don’t have the focus or time set aside for training.

However, I still noticed progress when compared to my routine before I started this challenge. Previously, I was riding a measly 30-50 miles a week on a mountain bike. I was now covering that mileage in a single day, in a transition that felt not only abrupt, but potentially risk-worthy for injury.

 

Day 4: 41.6 miles, 2,335 feet elevation

The cold symptoms I had been suffering through for the past two days  faded, but it greatly impacted my VO^2 max (amount of oxygen utilized during physical activity).

After waking up at 6 a.m., I rode 25 miles. After three days of heavy riding, I was able to feel small changes that would affect my performance, from my chain’s cleanliness to my tire pressure. Any burning feeling in my quads is more intense and every joint in my body aches with considerable soreness. 

I haven’t even made it to 200 miles yet. 

 

Day 5: 50 miles, 1,761 feet elevation

A mainly uneventful ride took place today — a direct route to Morgan Hill in one ride. Although I was still feeling under the weather, no complications were felt on the saddle.

Soreness didn’t feel as bad on this day, although it felt like I almost strained one of my calves.

 

Day 6: 60 miles, 2,178 feet elevation

Today had to be split into two rides to maximize mileage without feeling sore. I made sure to choose the flattest route I could possibly map out.

I rode at an easy pace knowing the next day was going to be rough.

 

Day 7: 112.9 mi, 5,513 feet elevation

After debating which route to take for the day, I settled on biking to Carmel-by-the-Sea by traveling through Morgan Hill, Watsonville and Moss Landing, for what seemed like a fairly easy course with the wind direction in my favor. Neither of those assumptions held up.

By midday, I had passed Morgan Hill and many of the routes I had previously done earlier in the week. Unfortunately, I wasn’t even halfway through the ride yet.

After passing Watsonville, a harsh headwind would accompany me as I continued further toward Castroville and Pacific Grove, before reaching the finish line in Carmel. Just before sunset, my watch finally pinged 110 miles, and after 2 more miles of looping around suburban neighborhoods, the ride was finished.

A second later, I uploaded the final ride to my phone: 400.4 miles total for the week.

 

I began this week with a goal that seemed unattainable and unthinkable. I’d read that a century ride takes weeks of training, and given my erratic training schedule and poor preparations, I’m honestly surprised I was able to make it to the end.

By the end of this week, I had strained my large toe’s ligaments, resulting in turf toe. I had to rest and recover before attempting to cycle again.

My diet proved to be key in allowing me to finish this week. At the very minimum, I was intaking 4,000 calories a day,  finishing every ride with a protein shake mixed with creatine, which was crucial to my muscle recovery.

To say every aspect of this week’s training was applicable to a professional rider’s regiment would be misleading. A professional rider such as Pidcock would be pushing for a faster pace, roughly 2-10 mph faster than anything I managed to do over the course of the last week.

Riding like a pro cyclist is difficult, time-consuming and hard to sustain. Those wanting to enter the sport should beware that this isn’t for the faint of heart.