231 Matt’s Journey to the Haute Route Alps – A Case Study of a Challenge for a Multi-Day Bike Race
Purple Patch Podcast
Matt Dixon
4.8 • 647 Ratings
🗓️ 10 August 2022
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, Ironman Master Coach Matt Dixon frames his preparation and training path as he sets his sights on the Haute Route Alps, a 7-day cycling challenge through the heart of the Alps.
The Haute Route Alps is thought of as one of the toughest endurance cycling events in the world and is the original version of the Haute Route Series of events now spanning the globe.
Matt and his team, consisting of his two brothers and a group of friends, will traverse some of the most challenging uphill climbs in cycling.
(47:16) "We have eight folks, all time-starved, all middle-aged men...that are going to do this thing on a very similar program."
The course spans from Nice, in the Côte d'Azur, to Megève, in the Mont Blanc massif and features 6 mountain stages of the Tour de France along with a hill-based time trial.
With the Haute Route only weeks away, Matt outlines his approach to the event, giving us a classic example of a time-starved athlete balancing training for a major challenge and the demands of life.
(21:51) “The truth is that when I looked at my priorities around family and Purple Patch, I didn't really have capacity to train for this event, at least in the way that I would if I didn't have those responsibilities. And so what I've had to do is think outside of the box, I've had to apply much of the Purple Patch methodology to myself. And I had to maintain throughout the journey, this within context, my priority number one, family. Number two, Purple Patch, and then the Haute Route."
Matt also provides an overview of what we can expect along the way as he documents the experience here on the Purple Patch Podcast from August 20th through the 27th.
In this episode Matt will cover:
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(10:16) The Haute Route Alps: Course Profile and stage descriptions.
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(17:20) A Preview of our coverage and daily field reports.
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(23:41) The profile of a time-starved athlete: Matt’s training approach.
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(40:16) An overview of Matt’s daily nutrition, hydration, and fueling.
This episode not only previews Matt’s pursuit of a personal goal as he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime, but it also highlights the distinct challenges of a multi-day event and offers individual lessons on the layers of preparation and performance in broader sport and life.
Episode Timestamps
0:00 - 03:03 Welcome and Episode Introduction
3:10 - 06:49 Matt's News-ings
6:55 - The Meat and Potatoes - Episode 231: Matt’s Journey to The Haute Route Alps: A case study of a challenge for a multi-day bike race
Purple Patch Video Podcast and More
Training Camp - 2022 St.George Triathlon Camp
Training Camp - 2023 Kona Triathlon Camp
Learn More About The Haute Route
Learn More About Precision Fuel and Hydration
Purple Patch Coaching Consultation
The Purple Patch Center is Open - Learn More and Schedule a Visit
Purple Patch and Episode Resources
This episode is sponsored by our collaboration with INSIDE TRACKER. Inside Tracker and Purple Patch - Receive 20% off their services with code: PURPLEPATCHPRO20
Ask Matt Anything - Leave a voicemail question for Matt
Learn more about Purple Patch Squad High-Performance Training Program
Join Bike Squad - Don’t just exercise and work out; learn to train with our structured online cycling program
Join Run Squad - Increase your running performance through our progressive, multi-sport approach to running
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm Matt Dixon and welcome to the Purple Patch podcast. The mission of Purple Patch is to empower and |
| 0:05.8 | educate every human being to reach their athletic potential. Through the lens of athletic potential, |
| 0:11.2 | you reach your human potential. The purpose of this podcast is to help time-starved people everywhere |
| 0:17.2 | integrate sport into life. Hey folks, just we get going today's show focuses on my preparation and training |
| 0:25.6 | for the upcoming seven-day alt-route riding challenge all the way through the Alps in France. |
| 0:31.6 | Now throughout my training journey as time staffed as I am, I utilize the insights |
| 0:35.6 | recommendations from the team Inside Tracker. |
| 0:39.4 | It was three assessments over nine months. |
| 0:42.3 | And over the course of that journey, I gained insights into areas that can improve both my health and performance. |
| 0:47.7 | These included my iron, ferretin levels, vitamin D, B12, even my LDL cholesterol. |
| 0:56.6 | And most of these, I was blissfully unaware that they are actually holding me back. Over seven months of training, I improved my body composition, |
| 1:01.2 | I stayed healthy, and on top of it all, I had trackable, measurable improvements across my |
| 1:06.6 | biometrics. And no matter what your goals are, you can leverage too. You don't need to be a |
| 1:12.3 | purple patch athlete to do so. All you need to do is head to insidetracker.com slash purple patch |
| 1:18.1 | and use this code, Purple Patch Pro 20. That's Purple Patch Pro 20 and you get 20% of everything |
| 1:26.7 | at the store. All right. I hope you enjoy the show. It's a fun one today. |
| 1:34.7 | And welcome to the Purple Patch podcast, as ever, your host Matt Dixon. And in today's show, well, we're going to have |
| 1:45.3 | a little bit of fun. We are going to do a preview of the upcoming Altruid Alps, the seven-day |
| 1:51.8 | 800-kilometer challenge that takes riders from Nice to Meijev in France. It is labeled as one of the |
| 1:58.9 | toughest cycling challenges in the world. |
| 2:01.6 | But why are we doing this? |
| 2:03.6 | Well, me, along with my brothers, |
... |
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