Nicola Rutzou
The fifth Mudgee Classic will run on the weekend of 3 and 4 May in the picturesque Central West town and we can’t wait.
Mudgee is an excellent location for a country bike ride. It has incredible scenery, lots of rolling hills, and plenty to do when you’re not on the bike.
If you start your training program now, you’ll have plenty of time to prepare for the 65km Rouleurs Classic, 120km Challenge Classic or the 170km Maxi Classic, or you could take it easy and enjoy the 35-kilometre Social Classic. And if you want to challenge yourself further, sign up for Saturday’s Dirty Mudgee 55km gravel ride.
Your preferred option will dictate your training requirements, but some principles apply no matter your choice.
The Mudgee Classic is a Gran Fondo, which overlaps participatory and competitive cycling. Gran Fondos have become popular in Australia in the past few years because they provide a challenge for many riders without committing to road racing. It’s a ride rather than a race, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have specific goals around times, and to reach those goals, you’ll need to train.
Here are our preparation tips for Mudgee Classic riders:
Design your training plan
Committing to a training plan is a great way to ensure you undertake enough training to ride the 120km or 170km ride. Depending on your level of commitment and your budget, you could compile your own training plan or follow the free 12-week plan for Mudgee Classic participants provided by Geoff Nash from CoLab Coaching.
Using the CoLab plan as a basis, you can adapt the plan to suit your lifestyle. There are also many paid online training programs where you record all your efforts in a program like the popular Training Peaks and track your progress using your bike computer and Strava.
Start short and increase over time
It’s important to build up the distance and intensity of your rides over time. This is particularly important if you’ve just returned to riding or have never ridden a long-distance ride previously. Don’t head out and ride the full event distance on your first weekend! Instead, build up over time. For example, if you are signed up to ride the 120km Challenge Classic, start riding 50km in the first week, 60km, 70km, 80km, 90km, 100km, and so on.
Most experts say you don’t need to ride the full distance of the event in training as long as you get close and do it consistently.
You should also include recovery time in your training schedule. Include non-riding recovery days in your training plan, and don’t ride every day. Many coaches recommend that you make every fourth week a lighter one to allow your body to recover.
In addition to rest days from the bike, you should also build in easier rides. Not every ride has to be 100 per cent effort. Recovery rides are just as important as challenging ones for building your fitness.
Find a similar course in your local area
There’s no point in doing all your training rides on flat terrain because it’s easier for you. You’ll be completely unprepared on the day to ride the undulating country roads.
The Mudgee area is known for its rolling hills, so look for similar terrain in your area. On the Mudgee Classic website, you’ll find detailed maps and downloadable files for each course so you can fully prepare.
Get plenty of ‘Ks’ in your legs
More experienced riders will tell you there’s no substitute for riding enough kilometres to prepare you for a long ride. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula as to how many kilometres you need to ride, but you can’t go wrong if you ride regularly.
In addition to riding plenty of distance, you need to focus on pedalling efficiently. If you go out hard on a long ride, you’ll be fatigued. Opt for a slightly easier gear with a higher cadence versus one that’s lower because the pedals are harder to turn over. Practice this in your training sessions and then follow it on the day of the ride.
The experts also agree that you need to taper before an event ride. A week or two before the event you should back off your training a little. If you’ve done enough training in the weeks leading up, you should be ready and rested before the big day.
Supplement your training indoors
For those days when you can’t get outside, it’s a great idea to have an indoor trainer as an alternative to getting out on the bike. It will never completely replace training on the road, but it will help you get those ‘Ks’ in your legs when you can’t get outside. But don’t shirk poor weather altogether because you may experience bad weather during your event ride.
Be kind to yourself
Every effective training program should also incorporate eating well, getting enough sleep, and resting when needed. If you’re feeling very tired while you’re undertaking a training program, it’s a sure sign that you’re overdoing it. Don’t use it as an excuse to give up, just back it off a little, and reset.
Training rides are also an excellent way to test out eating and drinking during your rides. Try different foods, energy bars and gels, plus energy drinks as well. For any ride over 100km, take two drink bottles – one with water and the other with an energy drink.
Check your equipment
Well before the Mudgee Classic, you need to check your bike and other equipment. Book your bike in for service at your local bike shop at least a few weeks before you head to Mudgee. There will be mechanics roaming the course, but they are there for emergency repairs only.
Make sure your other essentials are working well. Is your saddle comfortable? Are your knicks doing their job? Do your helmet and shoes fit correctly? And always carry essential repair equipment with you for training and event rides. For the Mudgee Classic, you should carry two spare tubes and the equipment to change them.
See the Mudgee district
Mudgee and its surrounding region are great for a weekend away, so make sure you take the time to explore before or after the ride.
There are plenty of accommodation options, from holiday parks and campsites to super-luxury boutique hotels or the tranquillity of a farm stay. Visit Mudgee Region Tourism for some great options.
Mudgee is an attractive and sophisticated country town of fine old buildings located in the broad, picturesque, and fertile Cudgegong River Valley. Surrounded by gently undulating hills, it is noted primarily for more than 35 vineyards and providores, with cafes and restaurants accompanying the vineyards and cellar doors. The area is also known for its fine wool, beef, fat lambs, cereal crops, lucerne, vegetables, and honey.
Mudgee also has its own microbrewery, housed in a 100-year-old former wool store on one of the town’s main streets.
For those who enjoy a little history, follow the Henry Lawson Heritage Trail, which covers 15 sites associated with Lawson and his writing. Lawson had very strong ties to the Mudgee-Gulgong district. He famously told stories at Mudgee’s Miner’s Arms Hotel and wrote much of his work while living in the area.
