I’m thinking Outlaw 2022 but live on Tenerife, renowned for its hills, what flat specific training do you recommend when you have no flat routes?
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Assume no turbo either? As that’s probably best initial option even just a cheap make do one.
Otherwise hard thing will be getting used to constantly pedaling. First instinct assumes flat will be easier but it’s just a different kind of hard being able to constantly churn it out, not just for legs but for back, shoulders, neck holding same position.
PS - Welcome to the forum 
Will be lots of others on here discussiong Outlaw closer to the time. Good to see you planning ahead!
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Hi and what a fantastic place to live. Very jealous of your year-round heat, incredibly scenery and choice of rides.
Don’t know the answer to your question but if you are regularly riding up and down thousands of meters of volcano, I reckon you’ll be fit as. Don’t the pro teams go there to train?
And I believe one year the Outlaw was hotter than Hell itself, someone who was there might tell you more. But if you get another year like that, training in Tenerife sounds ideal 
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The year was 2013…I was there. I went swimming in an active volcano to cool down afterwards 
Whilst it is flat, there is some rolling bits, some draggy bits. So there is some relief. Think it was sundowner, I got off that bike route broken with how pan flat that was.
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I know the original Outlaw course wasn’t exactly Wales but it hardly what I’d call flat. Just how much has that course changed? (IIRC, the original course went through 3 counties?)
It’s flat, I’d say.
There’s a slow drag out from HPP to East Bridgford, then you drop down, do a loop, head to the top loop, do that, flat, then another south loop.
There’s then a climb and descent back to HPP.
It’s a good course for the UK.
I was also there in 2013, but supporting (drinking cider on the course!) it wasn’t that hot.
I cycled 140km that day, too.
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Great race.
Small lake .
Personally big difference in 70.3 and full distance bike “ comfort “
I was fine yesterday till about 3:30 then my neck and arms? Started to really ache.
I’m pretty sure I’d find a pan flat bike ok, but then again I’m the self appointed, open to competition 2020 tri talk turbo king!
Boom!!
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1000m of climbing in 180km, only one proper hill with the rest just mildly rolling.
So yes not pan flat but probably quite difficult to make a much flatter real world course without making it more multi-lap or out and back.
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You did the 2010 version. My memory is fading with age but I remember it being pretty grippy?
Problem with courses like that, is when you hit “the hill” you really feel it 
I rode 163km with 900m yesterday, with one hill.
And my legs were complaining (7% for 500m )
But, back to the OP, if you can train on the TT bike in Tenerife, you should be okay for Outlaw; personally, I’d just do a few 2-2.5hr indoor sessions on the TT bars and you’ll be fine 
I’d say fitness wise, if you’re constantly climbing, the ability to finish a flat course is easy. What can take people by surprise on a flat course though is the constant position you have to stay in. No changing gear, no natural shift around break point, just the same cranking.
I’ve never done a course like that but I know a lot of folks go to IMWA thinking it will be easy and find that they hurt a lot more than they thought. A good case for more Strength training I guess?
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Time in position.
On one tt bike I can hold that position … forever, but because I listen to music and don’t zwift, I invariably look down on the static.
Get neck ache out on the road, working on that over the next few weeks.
With three tt bikes all set with the same measurements it amazes me how “ different “ each one feels especially after a few hours.
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As @Mungo2 has said it’s the time on your aero bars in your tucked position that’s key.
This is true for most courses though right? How many folks do you see on their base bars in the latter stages of the bike?
Long time trials 50/100s would sort you out. That doesn’t really help out in the Canary’s though. So long turbo sessions would do the trick
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A turbo hadn’t even occurred to me! I have one in england somewhere.- no easy way to get it over here, Perhaps I can find one for the last few long rides.
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Hi, Thanks- it is a great place to live ( I don’t think much of it half way through my long run though). Our estate has a pool and the sea is only a 5 minute walk away.- Makes it a no brainer for another stab at an Ironman Distance…- Just need to see if i can really face all the training again.- There are so many cyclists over here that I’m hoping to do some social cycling up and down the mountain for a few months.
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Yep amazing scenery over here.-You can still wander around in shorts and Tee even when there’s snow on the mountain…
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… so. With this lovely scenery and weather, you’re not popping over to do Lanza, but heading to Nottingham?!
I’m having the same problem at the mo. Not as extreme as where you are of course. But i’m in East devon and i’m struggling to find roads that i can spend a significant time on the tt bars. It’s either constantly up and down, or twisty, shit surfaced back roads. Don’t fancy the main roads as drivers are d**ks around here. After i found a ten mile section yesterday on my ride i realised how much practise i’m going to need to stay down in that position. My back, shoulders and elbows were not happy.
I’m going to be using the turbo in tt position as much as poss, then supplement it with a fortnightly trip to that section of road if i can. Then use the hills to just get strong for the other rides that i do. We’ll see how it turns out!
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Lanza… I know, maybe one day, but it’s actually quicker to get back to the UK than ferry to Lanza and cheaper to go to friends and family than to ship them all out here. Who knows, Perhaps I’ll do both? The drivers over here are all really patient so far.
Good luck with the training!
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Strava link. activites5162013167 Certainly not flat .- But a lot more climbing to do ( This is about the height of the line of white houses in the other photo). I think the photo @fruit_thief posted is the peak directly under the mountain top between two chimneys! on the other photo
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