"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Training

I went on my first training ride ever today on a road bike. I rode 10 miles in 33:36. I am just wondering if that is decent? I have little idea. I am a 29 y/o male. I was an all american runner for 8k in junior college when I was 18 and 19 years old. I am 5'11" 175 lbs. Still in decent running shape able to run a 5k in under 18 min. I ran a half marathon earlier in 1:30. I am just trying to give as much info so I can get some honest answers. My legs today felt pretty good. I did not stand up any because I wasnt real comfortable with riding yet. The course was kinda rolling hills, nothing to sig either way. I am going to get my Cat 5 license soon so I can get in some races (after lots more training). Please feel free to comment and give advice or tell me I suck or am doing ok. Thanks

Matt

is this an out and back course? in other words did u start at the same point you finished.

yes I started and finished at my house, it is a course that I normally run, so i have gps'd it on the distance,

what difference would that make?

that comes out to about a 17.98mph average speed. the reason i ask if it is an out and back course is to determine if wind was a factor. since it's out and back we can (mostly) negate wind advantages/disadvantages.

honestly it's not a bad start, but it's just a start. what u need are more miles. the shortest road race ive seen was 20 miles. work on being able to keep that pace for like 30-40 miles. then you'll be ready for the real training which will allow u to hang with a pack during a race. cycling is all about building. once again tho a good start. keep it up.

cool man thanks.. i see you are from Champaign, IL... i went to juco at Danville (DACC).. I am down in marion, IL... If you know any races coming up let me know.. there is one in june down here at metropolis.. i think the shortes is 14 miles.. then like a 30, and a 60..I was thinking of doing the 14.. thanks again

what are all of the links in your sig for?

Just for people to check out. I am a rep for acidzapper, american classic, and my uncle is a rep for blue. Tamer Lab is the parent company for acidzapper. Some good stuff there on Ph Sciences. The bike surgeon is the local bike shop, and big shark is the big bike shop up in st louis. Should I remove them? I thought people might like to check them out.

Don't worry about the links.

I came from a running background too. I want to encourage you to race... but at the same time, a sub 18:00 5k, in my mind, would be equivalent to about a 25 MPH ten mile on a flat course at hardest effort. Hills kill overall speed, so it's tough to say how fast you probably can go.

Let's put it this way - at the best shape in my life, I was as good as you are running. I could probably do a 24-25 MPH ten miler tomorrow if I had to, and I'm not in my best shape.

I'm not trying to discourage you - rather, I'm trying to encourage you; I'm betting you'll be able to kill that course in a couple of months.

Good Luck!

Oh, and my 'stock' answer to your question is "The Cyclist's Training Bible", although there are other, similar books. Buy one and train.

you're obviously no stranger to training so now it's just a different focus. Build some base miles and then work on intervals. Get your bike fit properly and that will help eliminate a lot of odd position trial and error. Start riding with a group when you're comfortable so you can get some work with others and maybe find a riding partner.

Racing for some is an addicion just as running is. Good luck and you'll have to let us know how training goes.

I think I could have pressed the pace quite a bit more really. I was just feeling out my bike. It is a Rc5 Blue Competition. I am planning on just building my riding base. There is a 14 mile race next month that I plan to get in. It is a loop course. My uncle said to just stick to the back of the pack and ride it out. Wait until the last mile and see how I can finish. There is a small group of riders that I am going to start riding with on Wednesdays.

I think I could have pressed the pace quite a bit more really. I was just feeling out my bike. It is a Rc5 Blue Competition. I am planning on just building my riding base. There is a 14 mile race next month that I plan to get in. It is a loop course. My uncle said to just stick to the back of the pack and ride it out. Wait until the last mile and see how I can finish. There is a small group of riders that I am going to start riding with on Wednesdays.

If you can run a sub 18 min. 5K you have the aerobic chops for bike racing. Now you have to learn how to do INTERVALS and get some race experience. Don't worry so much about 'more training' before you start racing. Jump in. When you start, the best training IS racing. You may get dropped a few times, but that is part of it.

Good luck. You will 'crush souls' (that's a popular phrase around here).

Hey matt, if you get more serious and want to get a coach, send me an email miked976@hotmail.com. I am a pro roadie and i coach some guys. The running background is a great start, there are a number of really fast guys who were runners and were able to improve really fast on the bike.

I'd suggest finding a cycling club or team in your area and seeing if you can hop in some group rides with them. They should be able to teach you how to ride a bike in a group, which should be your first priority if you want to race. Of course, while you are learning this, you will be getting in some more miles and improving your fitness as well. You are off to a good start. Let us know how you progress and have fun.

Matt, I grew up in Carbondale, did a lot of riding, touring and a few years of racing down there. You have some great training rides available to you. The loop around Crab Orchard, and down by Little Grassy is nice. You have good aerobic capacity from running, but everything else is a bit of starting over. You need to develop bike capacity. Start with some longer distances, then after you get up to 50 miles or so comfortably, start doing intervals a couple of times a week. You cannot race without a good base of interval training to get your speed up. Good Luck.

Hey matt, if you get more serious and want to get a coach, send me an email miked976@hotmail.com. I am a pro roadie and i coach some guys. The running background is a great start, there are a number of really fast guys who were runners and were able to improve really fast on the bike.
+1 Ned Overend and Mike Engleman, notably

If you can run a sub 18 min. 5K you have the aerobic chops for bike racing. Now you have to learn how to do INTERVALS and get some race experience. Don't worry so much about 'more training' before you start racing. Jump in. When you start, the best training IS racing. You may get dropped a few times, but that is part of it.

Good luck. You will 'crush souls' (that's a popular phrase around here).

+1

EXCEPT.....you'll want to work on bike handling and group riding skills preferably BEFORE you enter your first race :). And....you'll still want to get a (minimum) few months in of riding to build up those cycling muscles a bit, as the motion is a bit different than running. Being a runner, I'm sure you're probably accustomed to stretching and core exercises and the like, and it will be beneficial to continue to do so with cycling.

Start at 12. go up by twos to 30. that wil show your position relative to beginner and a uci pro.
12-14-16-18-20-22-24-26-28-30. By the way its a lot harder to get from 18 to 22 than it is to get from 12 to 18. 18 is very respectable for a recreational rider.

There are way too many variable to make any meaningful judgement about your average speed. Before you race you need to do some group rides with the fast group to start to develop the bike riding skills necessary for racing.

How well you hold up in competitve group rides will tell you more about where you're at and what you need to work on, than we can hope to on line.

That said, my bet is that you've got some work to do before you'll be able to hang, but that you'll improve quickly.