Training and Nutrition for Endurance Cycling

(Especially for Furnace Creek 508 and other Death Valley Cycling Events)

All Articles by Chris Kostman, unless otherwise noted

The 508 Training Camp: CORPScamp Death Valley

CORPScamp Death Valley is our annual cycling lifestyle training camp hosted in Furnace Creek and featuring up to 300 miles (or more) of epic, one-of-a-kind cycling in and around “Mother Nature’s Greatest Sports Arena,” Death Valley National Park. We've been producing events here since 1990 and never tire of sharing one of the world's most dramatic, inspiring, and unusual landscapes. From desert flowers to snow-capped mountains, we'll see it all by bicycle. Come join the folks at AdventureCORPS and fellow athlete-adventurers from around the globe for five fabulous days of cycling and camaraderie in beautiful, one-of-a-kind Death Valley! Includes daily afternoon

CORPSyoga classes. All the Info.

Registration is open now!

The 508 Previews: Death Valley Century & Double Century AND Hell's Gate Hundred

Death Valley Century and Double Century: Spring and Fall Editions! Join us in March and October every year for incredible, one-of-a-kind 100 mile and 200 mile cycling events in Mother Nature's greatest sports arena, Death Valley! The field limit is 300 riders total and it always sells out. The Spring and Fall editions feature greatly varying routes, giving the adventurous cyclist two awesome opportunities to explore and enjoy one of American's greatest National Parks. With full rider support, roving SAG vehicles, killer cycling jerseys for purchase, and impossible-to-get-lost routes with very little traffic, there's no better place to ride a century or double century cycling event! There's also no better way to preview the middle section of the 508 route! All the Info.

Hell's Gate Hundred, to be held on April 3, 2010 was created to include locations and sights that are not visited in any other one-day cycling event in Death Valley National Park, including Artist Drive, Hell's Gate, Daylight Pass, and the ghost town of Rhyolite. This annual 100-mile cycling adventure features 8500 feet of elevation gain, while a 65-mile version is also offered. It features a FANTASTIC, panoramic view of Death Valley from Hell's Gate! It visits a natural, beautiful geologic WONDER: Artist Palette! And it visits a real ghost town: Rhyolite! All the Info.

Registration is open now!

Epic 508 Training: Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic

The April 17, 2010 Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic is the newest AdventureCORPS cycling event, featuring 103 miles with over 10,000 feet of climbing and three different ascents of San Diego County's Mount Laguna! We'll climb San Diego's highest point via Sunrise Hwy from the north, via the fabled and car-free Kitchen Creek from the south-east, and via the little-known and truly epic Pine Creek drainage from the west. There are just three stop signs and NO traffic lights on this incredible route which starts and finishes in Pine Valley, CA! All the Info.

Registration is open now!

508-Specific Insights from Race Veterans

NEW! Nutrition Support for Furnace Creek 508 Competitors by Matt Desert Locust Ruscigno
"A Bird's-Eye View of the 508: Runner-Up, Champ, Crew, and Why/How-To Perspectives" — a compilation
of reports by Janet Osprey Christansen (PDF, 23 pages with lots of photos and excellent insights!)
"Guide to the Furnace Creek 508 for Women Less-Than-Brazenly Self-Confident" — A women's guide to successful preparation and completion of the 508 by Janet Osprey Christiansen, 2nd place solo woman in 2003 and the solo woman champion in 2004.
"Preparing for and Racing in the Furnace Creek 508" — Paul Skilbeck tells of his Furnace Creek 508 win in the two-person team category after only two months on a CompuTrainer. His team (Red Kangaroos) won the two-person category outright and set a new course record in the 40+ age group.
"The Red Kangaroo and the CompuTrainer" by Paul Skilbeck
"Emily O'Brien" — This story by Janet Osprey Christiansen tells the tale of 2005 Furnace Creek 508 fixed-gear rider (and RAAM qualifier) Emily Archaeopteryx O'Brien
"The Scoop on How To Do It" by Steve Beaver Born, 1994 solo champ and 1999 runner-up
Furnace Creek, the story..., by Timothy S. Kinkajou Kinkeade, 1997 finisher, and crew member Pat King with many photos
NOTE: If you read only one story about the 508 and how to do it, read this one!
The Insider's Guide to the 508 by Mike Whale Wilson, two time solo and one time team finisher
Hints on Supporting a Cyclist by John Hawk Marino, race founder
Equipment List by Beth Dingo Dawson, two time solo finisher
SET-UP OF VEHICLE LIGHTS AND INTERIOR: Bill Osborn of Team Onager fame has a really great website with a few diagrams and descriptions for creating amber lights, setting up sound systems, and general vehicle information.Everybody should check that out now! (But don't be intimidated if your support vehicle is not that fancy!)

Nutrition and Hydration for Endurance Sports

"The Pre-Race Meal" by Steve Beaver Born
"The Importance of Protein for Endurance Athletes" by Steve Beaver Born
"Hydration: What You Need To Know" by Steve Beaver Born
"The Hammer Nutrition Fuels: What They Are and How to Use Them" by Steve Beaver Born
"Electrolyte Replenishment" by Steve Beaver Born
"The 10 Biggest Mistakes Endurance Athletes Make and How You Can Avoid Them" by Steve Beaver Born
"Proper Caloric Intake During Endurance Events" by Steve Beaver Born
"Superior Recovery" by Steve Beaver Born

The AdventureCORPS Way of Life

Ten Steps on the Endurance Path
The Endurance Path Revisited: Dumb Things Cyclists and other Ultra Athletes Think and Do
The Seven Pillars of Athletic Performance: Efficiency in Action
In Search of Epic
Pain and Suffering: a Blueprint for Mastery
Planet Ultra: It's Just an Attitude
Fuel for the Finish Line: Eight Lessons to Get You There
A Plea for Eating with a Purpose
The Way of the Outdoor Athlete
A Day in the Life of an Adventure Athlete
A Fitness Warrior's Guide to Daily Life: 70 Things to Do or Know on the Path to Excellence
Super Human Potential: domain of the illuminati or of the common folk?
Pondering Peaceful Warriorship: A Conversation with Dan Millman

Training for Cycling

Training Specificity: Who Needs It?
Century Training for Mere Mortals
Train for a Century in 100 Hours
Bike Set-Up for Century Riding
Endurance Cycling: Five Mistakes to Avoid
Living La Vida Ultra: Five More Steps on the Endurance Path
Training for a Double Century (1988)
Getting Started in Ultra-Marathon Cycling
Coach's Corner: Mixing It Up in the Off-Season
Coach's Corner: Cold and Wet Weather Riding
Coach's Corner: Building Speed and Endurance
Coach's Corner: Improve Time Trialing Technique and Speed
Coach's Corner: Develop Hill Climbing Ability
Coach's Corner: Bike to Run Transition Efficiency
Coach's Corner: Riding in the Heat
Coach's Corner: Improve Pedaling Technique and Efficiency
Riding into the Wind, by Nick Gnu Gerlich

Cycling as Lifestyle

A Warm Welcome to a World on Wheels
Of Dreams and Decisions in the New Year
Ultra Marathon Cycling, Pakistani Style
When Style Was King
Scorching Road and Trail (AKA gears and brakes are a crutch!)
To Live and Race in the Undiscovered Country (i.e., how to become the next Greg Lemond)
Moustaches and Pineapples: Bridgestone's Grant Petersen Speaks Out
Stoked on Tandems
Freds: a Scholarly Treatise

All-Terrain Cycling (some people call it "mountain biking")

Mountain Bikes: Who Needs Them? (Yes! "THAT" article!)
A Rebuttal to Close-Minded Mountain Bikers
Mountain Bikes: We Need 'Em!
Any Bike, Anywhere
Wholistic Cycling: An Off-Road Primer
SCOOP: Darwin Speaks Out on Bicycle Evolution

Indoor Cycling Training Articles

Many More AdventureCORPS Training and Lifestyle Articles