Recently Paul got in touch with us after completing his fourth Biking Across Kansas (BAK), an 8-day, 550+ mile ride from one side of Kansas in the USA to the other.
To help him prepare for the event, Paul did 1400 miles on the bike, incredibly he did 1350 of these miles inside on FulGaz!
We caught up with him to get his perspective on the 12-week training programs and find out how he used FulGaz to help him prepare.
ABOUT THE ROUTE
The route changes each year but always starts near the Colorado border in the west and finishes at the Missouri border in the east.
This year there were over 500 riders. It is not a race, but each day you have to finish the predesignated route, regardless of the weather. Each night you’ll stay overnight at a school, typically in smaller towns. Various school and civic groups in the overnight towns have fundraiser meals to feed all the riders.
The average daily ride was 65 miles (104km), but the days ranged from 50 to 79 miles. My total mileage for the event was 563 miles (906km).
There is a common misconception that Kansas is flat, but anyone who has biked across it knows otherwise. The terrain on this route started off with long gradual hills and transitioned to increasingly steeper and shorter hills in far eastern Kansas. The scenery also changes from nearly treeless plains in the west to forested hills in the far east.
WHY TRAIN ON FULGAZ?
Weather in Kansas is frequently less than optimal for riding outdoors. Summers are hot and windy and winters are cold and windy. Road biking near my house is not really an option, and it is about 30 minutes to get to my favourite outdoor (and mostly flat) route. I purchased a smart trainer [Tacx Neo2] last fall so I can ride anytime. With FulGaz and the trainer, in a few minutes, I can be riding anywhere in the world with nice weather and on any terrain.
This was my fourth BAK since 2005. Previously, training was a mix of time on rollers (boring) and outdoors when weather and time permitted. On the prior BAKs, it was often a challenge just to complete each day’s ride and I would feel wiped out at the end of the day. This year my goals were to be in good enough shape to not worry about finishing each day and to not struggle on the hills.
I believe the FulGaz training made a significant difference on this year’s ride.
For example, the longest day (79 miles) featured an optional extension of 100 miles. The turn-off for the extension was 43 miles into the ride. My buddy and I were feeling good and the weather was quite nice, so we opted to do the century. At the end of the ride, I was amazed that I still had some gas left in my tank.
The last day featured a few seven percent climbs, some of them a bit long. While I will never be King of the Mountain, I was able to climb them without being wiped out at the top.
Additionally, after each of my three previous BAKs, I was quite sore for a couple of days. This time, I was completely shocked I wasn’t sore at all. I attribute most of that to the approximately 1400 miles (2253km) of FulGaz training preparing for the ride.
WHAT ARE YOUR PREFERRED FULGAZ WORKOUTS?
The FulGaz 12-week beginner FTP program was a great way to start the year, and it provided a good foundation for the rest of my training. Afterwards, I did rides with progressively harder climbs to keep building strength. In retrospect, I should have done longer and less steep rides during the last month of training.
My favourite FulGaz ride so far is probably Ebertswil to Zurich. While not a particularly difficult ride, the scenery is amazing. The colour and scenery in Zion National Park West Tunnel is also spectacular.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FULGAZ TRAINING TO OTHERS?
Absolutely do it. FulGaz indoor sessions were a game-changer for me. Of the 1400 miles I rode in preparation for BAK, only 43 miles were outdoors. The ability to easily jump on a bike and ride exotic places is a great source of motivation.
Being able to train on routes that are more difficult than what is available outdoors is extremely helpful. And as I have told several folks, the FulGaz rides remind me of the fun I had as a kid on a bike.
However, in future, I would start the FTP program a month earlier and do longer distance and duration rides the month prior to the event.