I Failed - 5 Things I'm Changing For Ultra Cycling Success

[@stilicho7897]

Great content, but I agree with another commenter that reducing the music and making the videos more focused would make them more interesting and enjoyable to watch. Good luck with your future ultra cycling races!

[@andycultracycling]

Hey thanks, what about those sections showing riding through lanes etc, they wouldn’t be biting with just road noise and wind?

[@andreasruther8750]

@@andycultracycling I think he suggest to shorten these section or take them out.

[@gc_s_adventures]

Learning, evolving, not failing. You will find what works for you. I've done 2 ultras so far dnf on 1 and 1 finish. My setup will always be different to others as per what I want to achieve. Like you I need to lose bike weight. I would love to just get on the start line at TCR and that's my ambition but you should be proud of what you have achieved.

[@andycultracycling]

Thankyou buddy you are right, we win or we learn :)

[@brianfisher8449]

Andy, writing from Florida. I’m approaching 69, been riding racing for 35+ years. Began working with a coach about 8 years ago. Don’t really race, but many hard group rides centuries, gravel, etc. best move I made was a coach. I’ve always been coachable and now have a daily challenge to become more fit,survive the hard workouts, etc. the bonus is having someone to talk to and be held “accountable”. You’ll benefit and become a smarter rider. Good luck.

[@andycultracycling]

thankyou mate :)

[@frankmoran167]

Hi Andy, that gearing won't be enough for those offroad steep climbs, GRX 48-31 is a great option. Suggest you do some gravel riding and get used to dragging a heavy bike up gravel hills. Best of luck!

[@andycultracycling]

that is the plan for this winter :)

[@n22pdf]

Great to see you back Andy :) your abilities are amazing.. great to see you positive and ready to take on new challenges :) Smash it dude. Pete

[@andycultracycling]

cheers buddy :)

[@huntos83]

With your goals to get your setup lighter you do really need to consider this with the bike as well. You are talking about moving to a gravel bike, which is a smart move in a lot of ways. But many are quite a lot heavier than road bikes, so you’ll need to be careful what you choose and build. You might be wise to look at “Allroad” bikes rather than gravel as they are somewhere in the middle. Think about the weight of all the components you fit on it, it all adds up and can eventually lead to a bike that’s maybe 1kg lighter for the same function. My current ultra bike is a Vitus Venon Evo which I totally love. It’s a fairly light carbon frame which can take up to 45mm tyres with 1x, or 40mm with 2x. Despite the tyre clearance it definitely still leans towards the road bike feel and performance rather than gravel. If I stick on a set of deep carbon rims and 28mm tyres from my race bike it feels almost as fast. I bought the frameset for £1200 from Wiggle and built it up with a 2nd hand Dura Ace Di2 11 speed groupset (cost £900). Some Hunt 40 CGR wheels with 32mm Pirelli P-Zero Race TLR. I swapped to a longer cage arm and running a 50/34 up front and from an 11-34 cassette up to a whopping 11-40 with a hanger extender depending on the need. I used the 11-40 in the Pan Celtic Race and as a result I was one of the few people that didn’t walk on all the horrors in the Lake District. In my opinion you can’t have low enough gears, a 34-34 is not actually that low when you are exhausted and tackling a 20%+ climb.

[@huntos83]

The other thing I would say is there isn’t always a great cross over between a bike that’s good for gravel ultras, and also good for road ultras. The fastest bike off road is often the one with slacker geometry, bigger tyres, more compliance/suspension. But bikes with these features don’t convert so well into road bikes. At the other end a racy gravel or allroad bike with close to road geometry will work well as a road bike, but it will only really be good for gravel events with fast “proper” gravel tracks. A lot of gravel events are on very tough terrain, especially here in the UK, where a race gravel bike can be a genuine disadvantage

[@andycultracycling]

I’m thinking I’ll have my definition still, but a gravel bike for primary, I have a mtb too so hopefully would be well covered. You’re setup sounds decent too

[@sjjw43]

Andy, thank you again for another great & thought provoking video. I'm 59 & last October started with a coach to improve my fitness towards my events. Having got through the events I've continued with the coaching & planned new events/targets. It's been great having a coach with the knowledge to push me but never allowing fatigue to build up so much that the key performance sessions are adversely affected, therefore ensuring they are quality ones. It's not for everyone but my experience is positive. Good luck with next year, I can't wait to track your progress.

[@andycultracycling]

I think it makes sense I just need to make it work financially

[@WPKSC]

Great to see you back on the bike Andy with a knee that’s behaving in such short time 👍. And now you’ve had time to reflect they’d always be positives and learnings from the experience that you’d then put into action, after all life is about setbacks, learning, adapting and progressing 😊. Look forward to the videos as the changes are made.

[@andycultracycling]

cheers buddy I'm excited to get moving :)

[@Jaqaroo]

That was really interesting Andy. Looking forward to seeing how those changes impact your riding - going to be an interesting autumn and winter. With those big events there must things you can control and things you can't no matter what changes you make. Perhaps in this year's TRC luck just wasn't on your side. But I guess being able to make changes also reminds you that you do have a lot of control, and that's motivating.

[@andycultracycling]

definitely, it keeps it really interesting too, I'd for sure give up by now if it was easy

[@LIFE_ToBeContinued]

Thanks for sharing Andy. I see how you've arrived at each of these and they make sense. Look, you're way more experienced than I am but having tried the Tuscany Trail as my first attempt at Ultra, I've decided Gravel aint for me. Ok so the TCR includes some (long) gravel parcours but I don't think of it as a gravel event. I'm sticking with road!!!

[@andycultracycling]

Thanks mate, I love getting off the roads sometimes :)

[@christopherhood9241]

Great to see your recovered & riding again - long may it continue. Totally agree with your contingency plan - grab shelter & food, rest and refocus. Loving the big plans for next year. Take care.

[@andycultracycling]

Let’s see what I can get into :) as b mixture of sizes but I’ll spread across more next year 😁

[@BikepackingAdventures]

If there's a next time for me... I'll start with tyres... * don't change tyre width, gp5000 @ 28s are fine for TCR... instead go tubeless! Take sealant pouch + couple tubes instead of the 5 I took with me. * for sleeping - ditch the sleeping bag... instead take emergency bivvy bag, wrap that around the regular bivvy bag plus I use puffy insulated pants nowadays - enough in warm climates with sleeping bag liner + insulated lightweight sleeved top to complete the setup oh yeah plus snood to cover the eyes. if i do get cold wear rain jacket over the top. Edit: I left out the sleeping pad - absolute essential item. * suspension in the handlebars and/or seat post seems like a good idea worth trying to reduce fatigue - any good? * a stem bag for eating food on the moving / empty bag for unexpected items Good luck with the training, riding off-road certainly improves your bike-handling so always a good thing. Personally wouldn't go with wider tyres, wouldn't suspension help just the same? No first-hand experience. PS. I know a good coach for ultras, you'll probably know who I mean. He'll tell you off the bat, don't worry about weight so much. Some items you cannot get away from taking with you - just in case etc...

[@andycultracycling]

I think I know who you mean bud, thanks for the tips, I have some redshift bits for cushion they're really good. The sleeping stuff especially good, I was to hot in the night even in Germany!

[@A_AAA232]

nice one Andy, good to hear the knee is healing up and you're back smashing it on the s-works - always gotta stop at the roundhouse for a coffee and cake after the Butser climb :) The guys I know who are into ultras and gravel all seem to have moved on to titanium gravel bike frames, 40mm tyres and carbon rims...they seem to have traded the lighter weight of carbon for the comfort of Ti when putting the miles in. Geometry wise gravel frames make sense for comfort over road bikes I find but I'm no ultra rider - I like my g-bike as it's quick enough to keep up with the roadies and running grx gives me sensible chainrings and nice low bail out gears on the climbs, plus going off road is easy on that bike - have fun getting another n+1 :)

[@andycultracycling]

It was a decent cafe stop actually :) I like the look of Ti but its pretty expensive too

[@A_AAA232]

@@andycultracycling yep everything's expensive mate, fingers crossed for a brand sponsorship though :) maybe think about a carbon, short travel full sus xc MTB with drop bars?- get a 42t chainring on, 2.3" 29ers and that'll be one heck of a gravel race machine! like I said, have fun getting another n+1 :)

[@jrm1946]

You did have a significant break in your training schedule/build up which can't have helped but it was a plan you were used to. A good coach may have seen the problem coming sooner or found a better way to get over it, so worth a punt.. Good call to go more gravel oriented in your prep and equipment (in my non participant - just an observer opinion). As you said, it depends on the route, but if there's a surprise like Parcours 4 on the TCR10 you'll be much better prepared. It caught a lot of people out, even the front runners. I'll be interested to see how it all pans out so I will be sticking with you. I tore a meniscus a couple of years ago (weight training, not cycling) and it took 6 months to recover enough to get back to the load I left off at (many years older than you though). Don't ignore the niggles. All the best

[@andycultracycling]

Cheers buddy, and yeah that parcour sounded really rough

[@moobaz8675]

We succeed by learning. Glad the knee is holding up. As for your thoughts, here’s my tuppence worth: - At 57 I took on a cycling coach and S&C coach. Best thing I ever did. - get a good bike fit and look at the Q factor. It had a huge positive impact on my knee pain. - 11-36 with 50/34 and 165mm cranks. Many pros have gone 165 mm and you’re really not slower. - Have a gander at the newly released TIME ADHX. I bought a LOOK 765 but still hanker after a TIME bike.

[@andycultracycling]

Ill check the time out mate, good tips thanks :)

[@hughgrainger3766]

Looking forward to seeing how you set about finding a coach.

[@dave300m7]

With a sleep system it’s got (for me at least) to be a balance between weight and quality of sleep. There’s some incredibly light sleep mats out there, but they aren’t comfortable. I’ve just ditched a super light one in favour of a Thermarest Neo. That’s probably heavy in ultra racing terms, but it’s amazing in terms of sleep comfort. Lack of decent sleep (again for me) always leads other mistakes and a downward spiral.

[@andycultracycling]

I’ll have a look at thermorest then, I know what you mean though sleep deprivation hurts the progress

[@charleslewis1357]

Another excellent video. Your reasoning and thinking is sound! I absolutely agree with @frankoman167 that lower gearing ( compact or sub compact gravel type ratios) is worth looking into! Keep up the good work. Cheers

[@andycultracycling]

cheers buddy :)

[@diaztools]

Something I have found helpful in decreasing weight, is checking out the light weight back packing scene.

[@andycultracycling]

great shout thanks, Ill have a look

[@JamesSmith-ly2ef]

Hi Andy, great video, I would highly recommend a coach for training for your events and any good coach will include a day a week of strength training. As for the new Gravel bike then absolutely, if you want something a bit different that’s comfortable try a Lauf Seigla 👍🏼

[@LeeWright]

Hi Andy. I think the carbon gravel bike is a very good idea. I also like the fact you want to get a coach. Have you checked out Velo Performance? Simon has a youtube channel as well and specialises in masters athletes. I reckon you could get a brand on board easily, have you spoken to Giant? I could see you on a Revolt!

[@andycultracycling]

I subscribe to him actually, I just need to sort my finances out. I did also email Giant and got no response, maybe I'll badger them a bit more, I liked the look of the revolt

[@jaredlash5002]

From your footage and commentary, it seemed like it was the cobbles that really aggravated an unhealed, existing injury. I think with that in mind, a carbon gravel bike would be a great option when switching. I would seek out something that has a lot of vibration dampening to lessen the impact from the cobbles. Ideally you would be able to unweight yourself riding over them, but I know that is almost impossible with cobbled climbs like the Koppenburg. Good luck with your knee rehabilitation, and I hope it comes out more bomb-proof.

[@andycultracycling]

I realised/remembered that earlier in the year I got a very slight knee niggle just before APN and mentioned here, I thought was the fit of my mtb which I ride that week, so hard to say but the saddle drop on the cobbles definitely brought it on I think, but may have been less severe if I did more strength work, hard to say

[@brianmum]

5 really great things to consider doing for next year. The gravel bike set up sounds like a perfect idea for ultra endurance events, but have you thought about steel rather than carbon frame? Definitely a more flexible frame and a comfort ride too.

[@andycultracycling]

I haven’t actually, would that not be quite heavy?

[@brianmum]

@@andycultracycling like everything, it’s a trade off between weight and comfort, esp when you factor in things like slightly stronger wheels, perhaps a dynamo set up, against the comfort when riding 16 hours a day for multiple days.

[@cawoodsob]

Worthy of consideration- I ride a Shand Stoater, it’s years old, the Reynolds 853 frame not the newer Columbus frames… it’s one of the best (the best!?) bike I have owned. It’s on a Rohloff IGH and Carbon Gates Belt Drive - so not ideal for speed, but so damn comfortable! Due to the speed issue, IGH weight and slightly less efficient than a derailleur setup, at the beginning of this year I too added a carbon gravel bike the GT Grade. I tricked out the GRX gearing (installed a 11-42 XT cassette) on GRX 30/46 chainrings - with my Conti 30mm on Zipp 303’s it flys on the club road runs … I personally swap out the 303 wheelset for 650b XPLR wheelset (same cassette on waxed chains) with a Paneracer 48mm semi slick (in hindsight I would choose a 700c with a 45mm gravel wheelset - anyway, the GT Grade what a bike - I have come to love it BUT I have this niggle… I just cannot help wondering what the Shand Stoater would be like with the same GRX/XT cassette group set on it. I love both bikes but what I know with certainty is when the carbon GT Grade is ready for the landfill (and again, it’s an awesome bike) I know the steel Shand Stoater will still be delivering the goods and it’s about 10years old already! Probably not helpful and confusing but just some personal observations from 2 fantastic bikes. BTW, I consider my 2021 GT Grade Gravel bike to be a modern day 2024 ‘all road’ bike - the bike industry are just messing us about IMHO in order to extract our hard earned coin….

[@Enigmavelo]

Hi Andy is that lovely spesh finished in fireball flip paint? Glad you are back on form🎉 Andy W

[@andycultracycling]

It is mate yeah, with copper leaf logos 😁

[@wilfwilliams]

Andy I was a volunteer at CP3, I saw 170+ riders. From custom design Ti full aero to Miles on a bike frame that he pulled out of a skip. Middle to up the pointy end carbon and Ti gravel for sure were well represented . Wondering if there’s a “rigs of the TCR page”

[@andycultracycling]

Hey, I think the dotwatcher website has a bike of tcr page?

[@globaljobber]

Andy I find supplementing with MSM is very helpful for joints, especially knees. It helps with inflammation and keeps joints well oiled imo. Go research it. I also have an Aloe Vera MSM cream which I rub onto my knees if they play up. Always helps big time. Can I also recommend Dave Scott as a coach. He just won the Pan Celtic and is my coach too. He not only talks the talk, but walks the walk! Actually quite interesting, he had bad knee problems in last year's PCR, still came in second I think though. This year he rode without aerobars as he thought that was the issue last year, and no knee problems this year. So it seems a lot of it is to do with position on the bike. Of course, can be all sorts of issues though. Re lighter kit. I had same mistake on my first ultra this year. 23kg! Without water lol. So am down weighting! Listening to others, next time is half sleeping bag from OMM, while top half will be my Patagonia micro puff hoody, all inside an Alpkit lightweight Bivvy. I do also have a Lofoten 1 man tent which weighs around 550grams which I might take on some rides depending. Bike: Scott Addict Gravel yeh!

[@andycultracycling]

Hey, I spoke to him actually, depending on how I can deal with other costs then he does seem decent, I’m just leaking a lot of cash lately so haven’t pulled the trigger on any coach just yet

[@globaljobber]

@@andycultracycling Ha, I know the feeling of leaking lots of cash very well. Expensive hobby this. Good luck. :0)

[@davidmurphy9151]

Ultralight backpacking quilts are about 600 Grams / Neoair Xlight 370 Grams / MLD Bivy 200 Grams.

[@ShawnIsBatman]

That Tarmac is a weapon!!

[@andycultracycling]

just a bit mate I love it

[@gmivisualsjason3729]

I've no idea what top end speed you would like on such epic adventures however up where I live it's rather hilly and at 43 years young I do appreciate some damned good climbing gears over top end speed. So on my Trek Domane I put a grx 2x groupset on and absolutely love it. 11/36 rear and 46/30 front. Top end I can pedal 23-25mph+ without feeling my legs spinning too fast so I'm happy with that but for climbing that ratio is brilliant. I notice as well that you specifically mentioned "Carbon" gravel bike. Great if you get a sponsorship but I'd say a Aluminium frame set up correctly should be considered especially if your having to pay for it yourself. I put a redshift suspension stem and seat post on my alloy frame and then offset the extra weight with some carbon handlebars and some tpu innertubes. Now I swear it rides just as nice as my carbon bike. Bit heavier but so damned comfortable and smooth with no road chatter into me ass and hands. Combined obviously with some wider tyres... 32mm perhaps at the correct pressure and it's like riding on silk! Anyway.... Just my thoughts

[@andycultracycling]

I have some redshift bits too, lets see what happens frame wise, it really depends what I can afford

[@TheMadrac]

I think in getting home most of Europe is a relative pain free way just to use the train system. Buses generally not equipped to carry bicycles and planes are expensive.

[@graywake2226]

Have a look at PHD sleep systems.

[@thewanderer5269]

One thing to make your videos more interesting and appealing is to reduce the amount of music, content is there but it is overwhelmed by music.

[@puseidon52]

Hi, I dont think 1:1 gear ratio is easy enough. I finished tcr#9 in the gc with that last year, but ended up with quite a bit of walking. This year I did The Bright Midnight gravel race in Norway. I changed to 46/32 in the front and 11/46 in the rear. That is a much better solution also for the tcr. You dont need the top speed of the road groupsets, save the energy for later if you can coast in 40km/h. About comfort; you will be fastest on the most comfortable bike. If that's the SL7 then thats also the right bike😊

[@andycultracycling]

interesting, do you not just end up riding slower than walking pace anyway with those ratios?

[@puseidon52]

@@andycultracycling Sorry, a typing mistake. It was 11/40 in the rear. 32-40 was my easiest gear. For gravel I could prefer an 11 42 rear cassette. Remember, you stopped i Munich. So you never tested the climbs of the Alps and the Balkans after many days of riding.

[@gazthefez8677]

'Instantly I ride this bike, I'm in a good mood'....what dos that tell you? One thing I was thinking about, and this may come across as a tad negative, but it most certainly is not supposed to be - what's more important, being a KZbinr or completing the event? How many of the top riders in the TCR were messing about with cameras? Of course you can do both......but why not concentrate exclusively on the ride, and direct all your resources to that aim? leaving your camera at home is one less thing to think about. Just a thought. I watch all your vids btw!! :-)

[@andycultracycling]

Hey, I enjoy recording the videos so will do that, there are probably more people doing it than you might think, Josh, Sherry. Thanks for watching :)

[@JeanFrancoisDesrosiers]

Don't get a gravel bike. Get an all-road with propre clearance (40mm). (Or endurance bike) Gravel bikes are generally too bulky. I have one, and prefer my all-road with 38mm tyres when doing mixed rides.

[@andycultracycling]

Thuis is interesting, might not be a bad idea if I keep my MTB too

[@martin_emrich]

If you currently use a sleeping bag, the obvious next step could be an topquilt. Basically leaves out the bottom portion that you push flat anyways.

[@COYSMike]

But then you need something under the quilt like a pad. That could add the weight back that a quilt will save

[@martin_emrich]

@@COYSMike you need that anyways. A sleeping bag does not insulate from below either.

[@COYSMike]

@@martin_emrich Yeah but do the ultra light racing guys bring one? I honestly have no idea

[@martin_emrich]

@@COYSMike bare ground would suck out your body heat very quickly. At least some .8mm EVA foam pad or a minimal air pad has to be there even during summer. I use an Exped SynMat (around 550g) for example, there are pads under 400g available if you sacrifice some R-Value and/or comfort.

[@andycultracycling]

Hey, I’m thinking probably a silk liner and smaller air mattress for the tcr next time, just a bit more compact, I was pretty warm

[@biking261]

I found using a gravel bike also added options with routes, where I can join up road sections with a bridleway and it adds some variety.

[@andycultracycling]

That’s exactly what I want mate :)

[@p49N]

What is most impressive, is your emotional buoyancy. Where does that come from?

[@andycultracycling]

I think from depression, I was depressed for about 8 years and when I got past that I learned a lot about my emotions. Especially knowing when my mood is suffering and when to turn it around. Depression is very hard but when you get through it you learn a lot actually

[@sarahdisco-dolly1150]

Get out in the winter Andy, ride your bike.

[@mikelegg-pi2sb]

Nowhere near you level Andy, but I can't recommend a coach enough. Trained for an event this year, I could have probably muddled through a training plan, but got a coach instead. I was surprised at how good the outcome was in terms of being in the right shape to meet the goal, as opposed to increases in FTP blah blah blah. And cost me about as much as a set of entry level carbon wheels.

[@andycultracycling]

thanks mate, I need to sort my finances out before I can do it but makes so much sesne

[@ivarbrouwer197]

I did see London Edinburgh London is next year, quite fancy it, but why is it so damned expensive?

[@andycultracycling]

I did it once and that’s enough for me personally, you do get free meals in the controls and beds, but I think the food situation may have changed? Not sure, I’ll do PBP over and over, but LEL once is enough for me

[@ivarbrouwer197]

@@andycultracycling rode Badlands as a Holiday last spring with Hiroads nl - great if you want to try badlands without the racing aspect.

[@chrisjoyce5539]

You 5 change's seem good to me. I think you got this but a coach is must have to teach your body and mind. Looking back on it you should have finish all pionts north that was mental issue which only you can address. Tcr was out of control to a point but you have to make changes to move forward. You should a good support network around you, most events are a team effort not utube. I hope i have not upset you.😢

[@andycultracycling]

course not mate all good :) I like filming the events, and there's a lot of knowledgeful people in here so its really useful

[@ivarbrouwer197]

The knee problem is purely a result of of poor set up, changes after travel, wonky angles. I don’t think any strength training will prevent knee problems. Having consistent, dialed in set up is.

[@andycultracycling]

I’d say yeah although I remembered having a close call before APN. I rode my mtb and then had a niggle but very minor, I just think a rounded plan will help me

[@ivarbrouwer197]

@@andycultracycling not saying strength training isn’t good, definitely do it. It will help with other issues like back problems and overall posture. But wrongly used knee tendons aren’t trainable like muscles. And take a long time to recover. (I had One day on, one day of for months before I was able to do back to back days)

[@flhfd1703]

Ah, yes, gear porn! The time-honoured solution of real men for all problems: if it doesn't work, just throw more expensive kit at it!

[@Mike-rn6pj]

I’ve just pickup a (old as of a few weeks ago, brand new but now the old model) Giant Revolt, basically because of the 40/33 11/36, as the roads in the UK as so bad, plus I want to do some serious climbing. Very worried about the 40mm tires, but wow, does it feel comfortable. Sadly broke my collar bone after just 8km, so can’t give you a very rounded report, but seemed great till then!!!!! Hopefully back on the road soon 🤞🤞🤞

[@andycultracycling]

What a nightmare! Hopefully won’t be too long to heal?

[@hectorkidds9840]

I agree with you, GRX is a great long distance group set. I've got a 46:30 up front and 11:40 out back, that 30-40 bottom gear is just the job for steep roads when tired. Big tires help the old backside too.

[@brianmum]

@@Mike-rn6pj GRX is definitely the way to go. Am going 48/31 with an 11/36 cassette, am currently on 50/34 with an 11/34 and looking forward to an even easier gear for those long steep climbs.

[@gmivisualsjason3729]

Regarding your video and plans......... Wasn't the whole reason you got a poorly knee because your saddle dropped without you realising on the cobbles? So maybe their was nothing wrong with your fitness.... Just unlucky

[@andycultracycling]

Hey, yeah that’s got to be what brought the injury on, I realised/remembered that also, just before APN I got a very slight knee niggle and managed to be fine for the race so I think it’s a couple of things possibly. At the time I mentioned it on here as being probably due to riding my mtb at the time and a different fit etc. Hard to be 100% but most likely the drop brought it on, but may not have come on so easily if I strengthened stuff up too.

[@blaze1148]

....all points North there was no saddle drop.

[@Gac72]

What you need to do is stop waffling and get to the point. Take note of you tip 1 don’t waste time

[@andycultracycling]

You should watch something else mate