Newbie training advice- I need direction.

[Burrito Eater]

This is my first post in this forum and I know nothing about training. I am 6'4 225 pounds at about 15-18% body fat. I ride about 3-5 days a week with no direction on both road and mountian. I eat fairly well but could lose some weight. I was down to 205 last year but looked very thin, almost to the point where my head looked too big. I have always been an athlete. I played football in college and surf a lot now. I would like to get some direction because I finally have a goal and that is to participate in the Wolfpack ride in LA which is a 35-40 mile ride through the city at a very fast pace. (I would point you to the website but its slllllloooooooow) I know that I would get dropped like a rock if I tried it now. I can ride 2 hours about 4 times a week and live at the base of a 3/4 mile straight uphill. I have three bikes: a SS mountian bike which I use once a week on the trails, a geared cross bike which I ride as a road bike, and a fixed gear road bike which is my favorite. A good loop for me in my area is about 15 miles of varied terrian, on bike baths and streets I can make that a 20 mile loop pretty easily. Any help would be very much appreciated. :D

[Carbonfiberboy]

The simplest thing I can say is: buy the book. The Cyclist's Training Bible by Friel. 75% of it may be meaningless to you, but it will give you a good idea of the training tools and procedures. Read the book, practice it, and then come back here when it doesn't work like you think it should.

It's good to have a goal. That's the first thing. And 205 is not too light.

[ericgu]

If you played football in college, you are likely carrying considerably more upper-body weight than most cyclists. I'm a couple of inches shorter than you, but I'm perhaps at 9% body fat at 162 pounds.

I agree that Friel's book is a good place to start. I would also suggest that you find a local cycling club that hosts rides of different speeds and find a group to ride with.