Hello all,

My friend and I are planning on riding America's Most Beautiful Ride, the 100 mile ride in Tahoe, June 1. My question is this...how do we train for high alltitude if we live in flat Yolo County? The Tahoe ride starts at over 6300 ft. and peaks out at over 7100 ft., all with 100 miles of riding and numerous assorted climbs.

Has anybody done this ride? What did you think? Any training ideas would be much appreciated. FYI, we are both experienced bike riders having done centuries in Napa and the Foxy in Davis, among other rides.

Thanx for your time.

Eric

Hi Eric! I posted a response for you in the racing forum.

Lorri

Hi Eric

It is difficult to race at altitude if you havent prepared at altitude as it requires time to adapt.literature suggests either going and trying to adapt over time, or go in late ie the day before and give it your best.

If there was an altitude tent available in your area I would recommend you hire it for a few weeks.

I have trained and coached athletes for international competition on many occasions, and you really should try and spend some time at altitude.

Terry Gyde
Champion Training Systems
www.cyclecoaching.co.nz

hi gygey,

I won't be racing in Tahoe though. It is a century ride that I would like to finish in six hours (or less). I can't believe that an altitude tent would be necessary for that kind of one day event. From other responses posted in the "training" forum I believe that by going to Tahoe a couple of days ahead of the event and doing some riding should be enough for getting some acclaimation to the higher altitude. What are your thoughts preperation for a one day, non-competitve event?

Well I have prepared athletes to compete at the highest level and what I have advocated is what competitors do.

If you are going to ride sub max then you may survive, however you will get a huge elevation in hr and respiratory response. Any altitude over 1000m will start to alter your physiology, but as I say, if you are cruising then it shouldnt as much of an issue as if you were racing.

Good luck

Viagra is reputed to help with high altitude CYCLING performence (not a joke) but check with your doctor

The military has done many studies to determine how the body adapts and how long it takes.
First and foremost it can take approximately 2 weeks to 5 weeks to fully adapt to the altitude change (assuming that you stay in that area for this length of time. The body will excrete water as much as possible to thicken the blood, hence you feel sluggish and dehydrated. So drink as much fluid as you can.
Secondly, within 48-72 hours the body begins to spill out immature forms of RBC's called reticulcytes to compensate for the lack of atmospheric oxygen. An additional iron supplement is not a bad idea (but if you already take a vitamin supplement don't bother).
It takes an additional 7 - 10 days to gear up additional production of RBC's to meet the needs of the body at altitude.
Keep in mind that this goes into overdrive the higher you go (i.e. Denver or Albuquerque at 5,000 feet vs. say a mountain peak like Sandia Peak at approximately 11,000 feet).
Some symptoms folks seem to exhibit are fatigue, heart palpitations, difficulty breathing and dehydration as they adjust to the new altitude.
The nice thing about all this is that the body is highly adaptable and does so in relatively quick order. Some folks adapt quicker than others.:thumbsup:

I've done Leadville CO's 100 mile mtn bike race (8900 - 13800ft).while training at <500ft, among a number of other high altitude road bike races/rides.

Since it doesn't sound like your ride is a race, I wouldn't worry about the altitude as few people have issues with 5000ft, and you're likely spending only brief times up to 7000ft. Drink, drink drink and take in the scenery and enjoy. You'll likely feel winded quickly, which will serve as a bit of a hill climbing governor.

If you are concerned none the less, you have two approaches - shock the system or allow your body to adjust. The shock the system approach generally requires you to be in and out of high altitudes within 24hrs (low altitude is usualy considered as 5000ft or lower - I know, it's all relative). Otherwise, you need to be keeping yourself well hydrated and keeping up on your complex carbs. It takes days/weeks for your body to truley adjust to altitude, so what you are really dealing with is your body fighting the effects of altitude, which include slower recovery. When it's a race, I personally prefer to ride at the altitudes for as much as a week beforehand, but I get my base at low altitude.