Training

[Redpath]

I've seen several references lately to 'training' in the hill climbing discussions and others and am wondering what this means to the tandem teams out there. What constitutes training? Given that most teams are middle aged (40-50+) and almost always M/F I'm thinking it's mostly 'ride yourself (ourselves) fit' as opposed to a more structured approach with indoor sessions, strength/weight training, heart rate monitors, training logs etc? How much 'training' and what type do you all do?

[Ginny]

I'm great on flat roads, can hold a steady 15-18mph for an hour or so.
On the hills, on my solo, I suck wind.
I'll be doing a training of my own, using the hills right in my neighborhood.
I'll go down the hill, then up, then down. Wait 5 minutes rest.
The up, then down, 6 minutes rest.
Up, down, 7 minutes. Lather, Rinse, Repeat until all I have in my legs is just enough to get
home. Next day is a slow flat ride. Day after is hill training again.
It's all in my legs, or rather, it's NOT in my legs yet.

hen when we get the tandem, my legs will be in better (not perfect) shape and we will
do the same thing together on the same hill.

There is also a training video from Carmicheal on Climbing. It's a B@tch though!

[Hermes]

Very structured and focused with the goal of doing a flat 40 K time trial in June under one hour.

Both of us weigh in every day and record weight which is posted next to the fridge.

Stoker

Mon through Fri 45 minutes on stationary trainer before work
Tues and Thurs ride after work, with one day 4 X 15 minute intervals at Lactate Threshold with complete recovery between intervals.
Saturday and Sunday long training and or club rides – fast pace
125 – 150 miles plus trainer
6 days in the gym strength training some stretching
50/50 on road bike and tandem

Captain

Tues and Thurs ride after work, with one day 4 X 15 minute intervals at LT with complete recovery between intervals.
Saturday and Sunday long training and or club rides – fast pace.
125 – 150 miles
6 days in the gym strength training, pilates, stretching (improve TT position flexibility on the aerobars) and foam roller work
50/50 on road bike and tandem

Progress…Saturday’s tandem ride: 40 miles broken into two sections (coffee stop), 2700 feet of climbing averaged 20 mph; no drafting. Did a recovery ride on Sunday and feel great on Monday. Tomorrow may be interval day. I think the stationary Cycleops fluid trainer is really helping the stoker increase her power. 45 minutes is a tough workout on the trainer.

[merlinextraligh]

I do a very structured program with a CTS coach. My stoker runs a little bit, rides with me solo on recovery rides, and we ride the tandem together when it works for both of us. The disparity is the principal reason we have a tandem.

[TandemGeek]

How much 'training' and what type do you all do?

Been there, done that, but not any more.... The training log book, the rollers and Cyclops Fluid II trainer sit in the workout room with the Nordic Trak, Debbie's Jane Fonda work-out tape in the VCR, the free weights, and weight machine hoping that one day inspiration will bring us back.

Therefore, it's mostly junk mileage for us these days. Debbie logs about 28 miles after work each day which yields about 1,800' of elevation per ride. I would characterize it as "fitness riding" since the goals are modest, i.e., mostly LSD riding without any intervals, etc... Mind you, Debbie didn't start riding bikes as an adult until we got the tandem back in '96 and didn't start riding her own bike until about 4 years ago. I would LIKE to get out every day, but I'm a 1099 slave who gets into work around 6:00am and doesn't get home until around 7:00pm, sometimes later and occasionally earlier. Therefore, I will occasionally get out for a predawn 20 mile loop on my fixed gear bike, which is more of a total body work-out give that we have the aforementioned hilly terrain. I'm lucky if I can work myself down to the 16t cog by the end of winter and really prefer the 18t now that I no longer try to impress anyone other than myself. If I grow weary of work I will try to get home early enough for a late afternoon ride which delights Debbie. However, when she asks how far I went or what my average speed was I usually disappoint her as it's rare that I'll move the HAC4 from the tandem to which ever solo bike I decide to ride. We do get out for ~35 - ~60 mile rides on Saturdays and Sundays, with 4 - 5 tandem rally weekends thrown in, several metric charity rides, the occasional century, and a few other weekend get-aways with friends. We'll also occasionally take our off-road tandem out into the woods to see how many times we can crash, but that too is done primarily for recreation, fun, and the unavoidable fitness that accomanpies physical activity.

In sum, we're good for about 3,500 - 5,000 miles a year of road riding and, again, most of it is junk miles: long-steady-distance (LSD) with a few spirited outings thrown in. We'll play with the A-team riders for a while at tandem rallies -- these are the folks who do train and/or who ride several times a week with the "racer boys & girls" which clearly lifts their performance to Cat 3/4 levels -- but will usually encourage the A-Teams to go off the front and see who can make who barf first while we cruise along at a more friendly but brisk pace and enjoy the sag stops or some of the scenic vistas. Once everyone is off the bikes, life returns to normal. The fast teams that discovered there were faster teams work on their excuses, the teams who really aren't that fast inflate their average speeds, and folks like us readily admit that we simply suck and make no excuses about it. In fact, every year that we don't train we find we suck just a little more. But, hey, AARP is sending us information now that we're at that 1/2 century mark and with three grandkids running around we've got lots of excuses as to why we suck.

Oh yeah, Margaritas on Friday nights and home-make hot wings on Sunday while sipping Corona beer and watching Cyclism Sunday rounds out the regime. But, hey, our bikes look fabulous, I can change a flat tire in about 3 minutes, carry spare chain bits and a spare tire, and I always have my tool box and work stand in my car at rallies so even the teams that don't suck don't mind having us around.

Heart rate monitor? You bet. I use it scare friends.... Even though my resting HR is in the low 50's, my average HR when cycling is around 150 bpm perhaps 165 bpm when things get frisky and I redline at about 195 bpm. Debbie has one to, but her HR is a bit more normal...

[DBC Steve]

Been there, done that, but not any more.... The training log book, the rollers and Cyclops Fluid II trainer sit in the workout room with the Nordic Trak, Debbie's Jane Fonda work-out tape in the VCR, the free weights, and weight machine hoping that one day inspiration will bring us back.
This all sounds sooooooooo familiar, except that the Jane Fonda tape is no longer in the VCR.

[TandemGeek]

This all sounds sooooooooo familiar, except that the Jane Fonda tape is no longer in the VCR.

Bless her heart, when the weather turns foul Debbie still does "Jane" along with her daily strength training exercises. She's far more disciplined than I am of late... clearly hoping that I'll take her cues.

[just me]

...folks like us readily admit that we simply suck ...

Don't believe him, Kelly and I have been behind TandemGeek and his better half at a couple of TTR's. If they suck, we are a lot worse than I thought.

Jack