By now you can smell the entry form out there. Talks are in place with friends, family, strangers, just anyone who you can persuade to take part as a team...or you’ll just have to ride solo....

Thoughts are now turning to important things, like team names, the beer of choice, whether it’ll rain or not and debates will be raging all round the country as to whether there’ll be any hills...

Oh and maybe you’ll think about a few extra rides, maybe some at night, just to look keen...maybe...but there’s no rush..

But just in case you fancy some of this new fangled training malarky, here’s  a few quick tips:

PREPARATION:

Look, just because you’ve entered a 24 hr race either as a soloist or a team rider, you don’t have to go out every weekend and ride for 24 hrs solidly. Build up your fitness gradually. If you start from the beginning of March, you’ll have at least 16 weeks to hone your body into a temple of speed and technique. Break the weeks down into stepping stones and plan to do a few more rides than usual. Vary the intensity and remember to rest! More importantly remember it’s all about having fun and the fitter you are the more enjoyable the Mayhem Experience will be! If you want some buddies to train with why not check out EVERYDAY CYCLING’S buddy forum, where you’ll be able to discuss your rides and pass on tips and ideas...

Yikes, your entry’s in and you know you’ve got a place, cos that 250 mile round trip to hand deliver the form was well worth it. Forums are a light with ‘did you? didn’t you?’ get a ticket to the UK’s hottest enduro event. Some of you managed to cajole a few mates into having a laugh while for others it’s the solo path again. But there’s still plenty of time to get fit/fitter, give up the fags/ the beer/ the take aways, so maybe you won’t have to do it this month. Though a few more miles tacked onto those weekend rides plus plenty of sleeping will be a good start to your preparations... Oh and why not enter ENDURO 6 it’ll give you an idea of what you’re letting yourself into and how fit you are at the moment.

FREQUENCY:

The idea now is to make sure you get out and do some frequent rides, they don’t have to be epic. Make sure you use what time you have out on the bike wisely. If you’re new to the sport you’ll find doing around 2-3 rides a week will dramatically improve your fitness, while more experienced riders should aim for between 3-6 workouts; time, effort and family permitting of course! The idea of training is that you go for quality and not just quantity, use what time you have wisely and you’ll reap the benefits not only for Mayhem but for all your riding. Have a look at a few back issues of SINGLETRACK, there may be a few articles on training to inspire you...

It’s still only April, plenty of time to even think about pumping up the tyres. Plus with all those Easter eggs around you can’t possibly give up chocolate just yet...

There’s weeks yet. Um those MOUNTAIN MAYHEM TRAINING WEEKENDS are sounding awfully tempting...

DURATION:

So you might not fancy a weekend away with CycleActive, which is a shame cos it’ll be loads of fun and a real eye opener... Anyway you’re doing more rides alone or with your mates, but how long should they be?

Well the idea is to boost your endurance. You should by now be riding regularly, if you’re a newbie, doing 30 - 60 mins per ride should be sufficient to make major inroads to your fitness and endurance. As you get closer to the event make those rides longer so that you can at least sustain a 2-3 hr ride comfortably. No, a lap at Mayhem shouldn’t take you any more than an hour, but by being able to ride for up to 3 hrs will condition your body and enable you to recover ready for your next lap. If you’re a more competent rider why not use some sessions for speed, so your laps will be that bit faster... Or you could pop over and have a crack at EARLY DAWES, that’ll clear the cobwebs for you!

MAY

Ummm spring is in the air, hay fever is starting to rear it’s ugly head with the heady scent of all that cut grass. Still not started training? Why start now... it’s only a few laps around a field after all, isn’t? Isn't??

NUTRITION:

Not long to go now. You should be bristling with excitement and rippling with new muscle.... Hopefully. Now’s the time to try out your nutrition. There’s no point turning up for Mayhem with a bar of chocolate and a can of fizzy pop, it might get you up that first climb but bonking out half way round your first lap will be both embarrassing and painful. Ask around, see who’s using what and why and then try it for yourself. What one person thinks is manna from heaven might make the next person puke...

Check out SCIENCE IN SPORT  for top tips and loads of info on sports nutrition.

The grass is cut, the singletrack has been rediscovered. Hot weather looms expectantly, but who trusts the weather forecasts any longer than 24 hrs? Still the forums are alight with what tyres, what lycra, what beer. No time for training now, best just get out there and do it...

BIKE WORKOUT:

The event is now nearly on, you’ve buffed and polished yourself and with a fine spritz of baby oil you very nearly look quite dashing in lycra... So why jeopardise all that training by your bike failing you at the last mo? Get it down to your local bike shop and book it in for a good service, treat it with the respect it deserves and you’ll get the ride of your life. Go on it’ll be worth it!

...THE FUN HAS BEGUN!

JULY

Phew you don’t know what all the fuss was about. Those 2 laps you did were a doddle. So what if the rest of your team stopped speaking to you mid race and you ran out of beer by 11.00pm. It’s all about the experience. Thousands of photos flood the internet and there’s not one of you... Maybe next year you’ll aim for 3 laps, or maybe you’ll have to ride it solo... Just take it easy, make sure those tender bits get plenty of ice and remember to buy some better shorts next year!

REST:

Make sure you have a good rest, you deserve it! But that doesn’t mean not riding your bike again until your legs stop hurting and the pain in your rear subsides...  No, bite the bullet and make sure you go out for a gentle leg spinning ride a couple of days after the event just to help you get over the supreme effort you put your body (and probably your team mates...) through.

The Mayhem Experience is still a slight tingle in your legs. You could train/ride a bit harder in preparation for next year. The sun is hot and those trails look awfully tempting... Um perhaps you’ve now got the enduro bug, why not have a blast at SLEEPLESS IN THE SADDLE? Be a shame to waste all that lovely fitness.

RECOVER:

You may still be recovering, especially if you are new to Mayhem. Make sure though that you’re still out there riding just ensure the intensity and volume are reduced which will aid greatly in your recovery. Learn to listen to your body. If you are feeling overly tired still take an extra rest day. Don’t try to ride through the tiredness as more than likely you will over train your body preventing any further improvements in your fitness for a considerable time and all your hard work will be undone.

SEPTEMBER

By this time next year you could be fitter than a fit thing on a fit day out, with another Mayhem under your belt and this time it was a real blast...Think about booking a holiday to capitalise on your form at the mo. Why not check out our

MAYHEM PARTNERS section where you may find the holiday of your dreams!

SUSTAIN:

Hopefully we’ll be experiencing an Indian summer, in which case it’s not so hard to get out there and keep on enjoying those dusty trails. The idea now is just to keep your fitness levels ticking over and then you’ll find it’s not such an effort to get out there and keep riding.

There’s a chill in the air and the bikes in the garage oh and it’s got a puncture... maybe I’ll wait till next week, the weather will be better then. Pass those choccie digestives...

TECHNIQUE:

Now’s the time to start investing in some good winter gear and get out on those trails and start practising some techniques. How smooth’s your pedalling? Not even thought about it? Well see if you can improve that aspect of your ride. It’ll help you in the long run, cos a poor technique can tire you more than you think and can even lead to injury. Book yourself on a training skills day which will cover all the basics and make you think and practise stuff you thought you already knew. You’ll be surprised the difference it’ll make.

It’s pretty manky out there now. Those dusty trails are now quagmires, you ain’t stepping out of this house unless you’ve decided to enter the Bog Snorkelling World Champs...

XTRAIN:

Okay, how about we start thinking about some other muscle groups? Xtraining in the winter can take some of the drudgery out of keeping fit during those bleak couple of months. Take yourself down to your local pool and get a good work out, swimming some lengths. You never know your freestyle stroke may come in handy at Mayhem one year...

How about running a few of your trails instead? It’ll give you a fresh look at your regular haunts and maybe a fresh enthusiasm for getting out there and nailing those lines... There’s plenty you can do to keep your fitness going and to complement your bike work, just make sure it’s fun!

The trails are cold and crispy, but it’s much warmer indoors under the duvet. Just one more cuppa and then maybe you’ll pop out and give the legs a spin. Mayhem? What’s that? That’s months away...

TURBO:

If the worse comes to the worse and you really can’t get outside to do any riding or any other activity... think about getting yourself a turbo trainer. There’s nothing better than one of these to fire up your enthusiasm for getting out on those trails. Yep they’re boring, but used in the right way, they can help you keep your edge and motivation all year long! Honest! Now would we lie to you...

When did they say those entry forms would be out? 28th February? Oh heck here we go again! Better start that training regime again, now where did I put those lights?

DO IT AGAIN:

Memories of last year’s Mayhem should just be a warm fuzzy glow at the back of your mind. Thoughts now turn to this year’s Mayhem. It wasn’t all that bad. It wasn’t at all hard and yeah, why not have another go ‘cos it was brilliant.... a challenging course coupled with hundreds of like minded souls all having a great time doing what they love best.... When are those entry forms out again??

Just to make sure you’re committed, start telling people your doing it again, maybe this year as a soloist ... go on you know you want to, it’ll be something to tell the grandchildren... they’ll never believe you!