The secrets to success on a cycle tour

Spring is approaching and with it the road march season begins. Many cycling tourists now put away their bikes because they have a ride in April or May and have already started their preparations.

How many hours of training should you do per week? At what intensity? What is the sweet spot? And taper? Is it important to train food too? From Mussara, the organization company of Mussara Donostia – San Sebastián, the Mussara Salou and the Mussara 24H, they contacted Eduardo Talavera to resolve these doubts.

Talavera has competed on the road, including several Spanish championships and the Gravel World Championships held in 2023. He is currently a professional coach. Furthermore, on the occasion of Mussara’s tenth anniversary, it designed special plans to prepare for the trials.

What do you most need to do as a beginner cyclist?

Most of my clients, whether they are cyclists or professionals, mainly seek to make the most of their time. It doesn’t matter if they are people cycling during the week, with their group on the weekend or preparing a bikepacking trip, everyone wants to optimize their time to get the most out of their excursions.

This year you are planning for Mussara on its tenth anniversary. What does it consist of?

The idea is that athletes who go to Mussara can have a training guide. Especially those people who are just starting out or haven’t done many marches yet. There are 8 and 12 week plans, based on the preparation you wish to undertake.

These are very flexible plans. Each athlete can adapt it to their needs. For example, someone who trains on their bike outside, without a trainer, averages 12 to 14 hours a week. Not everyone can do this, so they put in at least 7 to 8 hours a week, trying to adjust the loads.

April 21, for example, is Mussara Donostia – San Sebastián. What would a person following this plan do now?

In about two months, the important thing is to get the body used to these sustained efforts over a long period of time. That is the basis. In the end, Mussara Donostia is 148 kilometers, so you have to get your body used to what it means to spend 4 or 5 hours on the bike, for example.

One key thing is to also work on finding sweet spot of each runner.

What exactly is the sweet spot?

This is what we call the average speed at which a cyclist typically climbs, whether in watts or pulses. Ultimately, the climbs are the biggest attraction of a ride and where you should focus the most: the average speed of the cyclist on the climb. Find it and learn how to maintain it.

Of course many other things are trained, balancing the training as much as possible. You need to work in sprints or in areas with greater effort than that sweet spot. All have their own physiological benefits.

Mussara 24H, for example, is very different. Ultra resistance to equipment. Has the practice changed significantly?

The training will be different, but not as much as you might think. For example, in Mussara 24H you work in relays, so they are shorter efforts, maybe you have to work more in intensity, for those efforts one or two hours will be given in the test.

In general, the intensity is higher than the person doing a more classic road cycling tour, but the type of training is highly adapted to the person’s availability and time. That defines everything.

There is a concept that is widely used among cycling tourists: tapering. Can you tell us what it is and how to do it?

He tapering This is a controlled taper when a day of intense effort is approaching. There are many theories about this and it also depends, obviously, on the physical condition of the athlete himself. I think, as a general rule, one week is enough. Reduce the volume a bit that week on your own, but try to keep the intensity up.

And does it work? Is it effective?

Let’s see, I have a rule that I always tell people who hire me: “The main thing is not to screw up” (laughs).

The week after the event you come to what you did before. Tapering does the same thing you’ve done up until now, but lowers the volume a little and the intensity a little.

In the end, we can call it tapering, but it usually uses common sense. It makes no sense for you to arrive exhausted or start experiencing the final week. It’s about trying to land as relaxed as possible, but maintaining a certain pace.

And you also put a lot of focus on nutrition during exams. Is it so important?

Definitely. This is something that many of us insist on because there is great ignorance. People who buy a training program for Mussara Donosti, for example, have their own ‘Abdominal Training’ section.

You need to add a little more carbohydrates to your diet before a march. We’re used to it. In many groups, you will hear someone next to you who has never eaten anything or someone who went on a 4-hour tour with nothing but bananas.

And what recommendations would you make in this regard?

Ultimately, we’re trying to teach people to eat small meals every 30 minutes, for example, and it’s not unhealthy and you don’t have to stop because you feel bad.

The issue of nutrition is one of the things that can be controlled when you are cycling. Maybe you didn’t get a good night’s rest the night before or maybe you had a bad day and you’re not feeling well. It can’t be controlled. But feeding well and reducing the chance of having a “bird” due to indigestion can do that.

There are people who will experience their first march this year. What advice would you give someone training for a march for the first time?

When training, the key is to have fun. Exercise and walking should be good for you. Don’t think about beating the next guy. Adapt the exercises to what you want: if it’s 6 hours, great, and if it’s 4 too.

That and managing expectations. Don’t expect to train 3 hours a week and be top 10 in a Mussara Salou of almost 3,000 people, for example. Be realistic and this way you will avoid disappointments.

And what advice would you give them for the day of the march?

Most important of all is knowing how to regulate. For the first hour and a half we all felt Luisle, but after two and a half hours maybe not so much. As a rule, I don’t leave the rhythm where I know I’m going well even until the middle of the march.