Gareth Downey is a Canberra-based cyclist and Classics Events legend. Gareth is also one of our amazing ambassadors. If you check out his Instagram, you will see ‘Big-G’ and his mates always tackling beautiful and difficult rides. We caught up with him last week to get his advice on how to train effectively for the Snowy Classic!
How have you been preparing for the Snowy Classic?
At the moment I’m not doing any specific training for the Snowy Classic. I’m in the middle of Crit season so the high-intensity training is a priority but most weeks I manage a 100km + ride and plenty of endurance riding.
How do you recommend preparing for the elevation on the course?
Being a big fella, I’ve never really loved the hills but since I moved to Canberra I’ve learned to embrace them. I’ve actually found Zwift to be a good way to mentally prepare for big climbs. Tackling the virtual versions of Ventoux and Alpe D’Huez are long and if you can pace yourself up those, then you should be fine on the big hills in the Snowies.
I’ve also found that being able to monitor myself closely on the climbs translates into better performances in the real world. Closer to the Snowy Classic I will take in some more of the big local climbs and add in some repeats too which will help. But it’s important to start training on those hills as soon as you can.
What are your top 5 tips for training?
1 – Start building to some long, hilly endurance rides early. Don’t wait till a week or two before!
2 – Not all your training needs to be long rides. Mix it up with some higher intensity workouts.
3 – Riding with fatigue in the legs is character building but will also give you confidence that you can keep going when you are tired at the end of the Classic.
4 – Don’t forget to dial in your hydration and nutrition strategies. You can ruin your experience if you’re not fuelled enough.
5 – Consider getting some coaching. Is not just for pros and a targeted program can help you make big improvements quickly.
Do you have any dietary/ nutrition tips?
Find out what works for you by trying different strategies over the next few months. There’s lots of advice out there but we all respond slightly differently so don’t try something radical on the days of the Classic.
Final comments from Gareth.. It will be a challenging course but don’t forget to look up from your stem and enjoy the scenery!
