10 Weeks to a 6-Day Multitour

The Tour de Kota starts June 6 and covers about 478 miles in 6 days, including the optional century on the last day. The 6th Annual TdK begins in 9 weeks and training miles really become important. The miles you ride now allow the TdK to be pleasureable, not burdensome. But you have to do your homework. Otherwise, when the final exam occurs you might not pass with flying colors.

Endurance training guru and author, Joe Friel dispels the myths frequently associated with aging and shows the right way to train for your first 6-day multitour in his book Cycling Past 50. Available in most public libraries you might want to purchase your own copy of this incomparable treatise for future reference. Friel illustrates the proper way to train for long multiday tours and based on my experience his advice works extremely well.

A few years ago, following hip re-surfacing surgery, road biking became my preferred rehabilitation exercise. Within a few months I discovered Friel's "how to" book for senior cyclists and put his advice to the test. The results stunned me. My first multiday tour, the 2007 Tour de Kota, traversed 475 miles of Eastern South Dakota and I have the badges to prove it! That tour channeled an exhilirating physical and mental rejuvenation breathing new life into my arthritic-ridden joints.

Now, training for my 3rd TdK -- while my wife trains for her second -- we both subscribe to Friel's sage suggestions contained in Cycling Past 50. If you're searching for a tried and true training approach to a 6-day multitour get yourself a copy of Friel's outstanding book and start doing your homework.