Training & Nutrition - I need a plan to get my wife up to speed...

Well, my wife just bought her first road bike on Sunday, and after a quick 10 mile ride, I think she really likes it. She's not very fast though... I think we averaged around 12 mph for the ride.. but we kinda dawdled in places... I'd like her to ride on my club rides, but I know she needs some more work... Does anyone have a plan to help get her going a little faster... I really think she needs to average around 15 mph to keep up with the group, and I don;t want to push her harder than she wants to go (I occasionally have a habit of this, and I don't want her to get frustrated, and quit, ya know ?! :))

My thinking is, for now, just getting some base miles in, and slowly working on speed, and distance.. does this sound about right ?

Let me know your thoughts

Thanks

Jeff

Does she want to ride on your club rides?

That would be the very, very last thing my wife would want to do. She would quit if I put any pressure on her. So, check with your wife first about this goal, and if she does not share it, back off.

Lots and lots of fun riding. I find that with my wife, I need to lay back, take off the pressure, and ride for her enjoyment. We generally have a lunch packed for a picnic or a stop at a neat restaurant.

So, I guess it pretty much depends on your wife and HER goals. In my case, as soon as I might substitute MY goals for her's, then we are going to be in a lot of trouble, if you know what I mean. We males are known for doing things like that.

Anyway, both of you plan on having fun. Good luck

How long has she had the bike...like ONE DAY??

Cut her some slack, boyfriend. At least let her get used to riding her new bike! And then tell her to do what I do and RIDE NEKKID!

Now, gimme a smooch!

:love:

Originally posted by A.troll
And then tell her to do what I do and RIDE NEKKID!
[/B]

Ah, A.troll, ya sez the cutest things.

Can you convince my hubby to ride nekkid. . .
or at least sit on his bike for me that way? Hubba
hubby!

--an ardent admirer,

--foehn

A. troll... you tell everyone to ride nekkid, but i don't think any of us have yet seen a picture of YOU riding YOUR bike nekkid. Practice what you preach! show us the pics!!! :)

Originally posted by deliriou5
A. troll... you tell everyone to ride nekkid, but i don't think any of us have yet seen a picture of YOU riding YOUR bike nekkid. Practice what you preach! show us the pics!!! :)


Oh, boyfriend, I thought you would never ask! I will have one of my other boyfriends take a picture of me on my bike tomorrow and post it.

Gimme a smooch!

:love:

Take this gently, Jeff. It *is*, after all, a seduction process here.

Lots of praise and build up about her efforts. But don't overdo it. She looks great, style is great, etc, etc.

12mph average, eh? That works out to 19.2km/h. Gee, I have trouble maintaining a real-time average of 20km/h, and a wheel average of 23km/h. But we do have a few hills here and there. Still, you're expecting her to maintain 15mph (24km/h) right off the top?

You've already your own good formula... base miles and work on distance first, then speed. And throw a few hills in, if you've got 'em!

Jeff,

First off congrats on the new purchase for her. What did you guys get for her to ride?

Second, let her know that when you two go and ride that you will ride at her pace and never drop her, yada, yada, yada. Tell her this over and over until it sinks in. It wasn't until Donna was sobbing by the side of the road on one our rides that it finally sunk in that when we ride together we ride at her speed. She was worried she was holding me back from enjoying the ride, etc, etc.

Third, do you know if she wants to go on the club rides? You might want to take her out on some shorter organized rides so she can see what it's like riding with a group of people.

Have fun!

Zack

i'd make sure that she is pedaling in the right gear. spin more than not.

but above all, i'll echo what others here have said: make sure she is mentally in it (i.e. having fun)

4 years ago, my husband would ask me to ride 8 miles at the local metropark on the bike trails. I grudgenly did so. After 1 ONE WHOLE YEAR, I decided I wanted to go on a century ride that I did when I was 16 years old in the 70's. That is what did it for me. For the last 3 years my husband cannot keep up with me. I am very competitive, he is a musician. So he started the ball rolling, but when the Cycling Bug hit, I was a goner. Now, I ride sprints or hard rides by myself doing 20-30 miles before my husband joins me. Then we both enjoy the ride. He doesn't feel like he is holding me back and I am tired so we are at the same level. Cherish the time you have together.

Originally posted by DnvrFox
Does she want to ride on your club rides?



Well She says she wants to... if anything so that she isn't home alone until 1pm on most saturdays, and to help lose some weight that she needs to get rid of... the club I ride with has slower groups that she could easily fit into.. usually a Saturday ride for them would be about 25 miles-- mostly flat with a break at a coffee/sticky bun place in the middle... I have no noubts that she could do this... I just want her to be confident and enjoy it, and if anyone had any tips on an easy, no pressure way to get her speed up a little so that she does not get discouraged when she does ride with the group...

Jeff

Originally posted by A.troll
How long has she had the bike...like ONE DAY??

Cut her some slack, boyfriend. At least let her get used to riding her new bike! And then tell her to do what I do and RIDE NEKKID!

Now, gimme a smooch!

:love:

Nice one troll... at this point I'm letting her decide when and where she wants to ride... as to put little or no pressure on her... she really likes the way her bike fits and feels, and even after a couple small rides now.. she does seem more confident...

oh and she does do some riding Nekkid... but that's another story :D

Jeff

Well, as some people said, cut her a bit of slack. She did great going that far and that fast on the first day.

I would humbly suggest the following:

1) You want to keep the experience fun and positive or she might give up. So I would emphasize pleasant rides and try to entice her to longer distances by finding rides of that length that are scenic or interesting.

2) Remember this, women have a disadvantage over men in cycling. Men just have more aerobic power. So for a man to get up to 15 mph average is pretty easy. It is harder for a woman and will take a bit more time and conditioning.

3) Another thing about women is they tend to weigh less. I weigh 190 at a pretty lean riding weight. I ride a 20 lb bike (about 10.5% of my weight). Weight isn't critical to me. It is odd that a lot of people put a 120 lb woman on a 28 lb bike (or 23% of her weight) and then are surprised when she can't keep up!!

But 15 mph is something that she should be able to get to without too much time if she does aerobic conditioning most days.

Originally posted by Rowan
Take this gently, Jeff. It *is*, after all, a seduction process here.

Lots of praise and build up about her efforts. But don't overdo it. She looks great, style is great, etc, etc.

12mph average, eh? That works out to 19.2km/h. Gee, I have trouble maintaining a real-time average of 20km/h, and a wheel average of 23km/h. But we do have a few hills here and there. Still, you're expecting her to maintain 15mph (24km/h) right off the top?

You've already your own good formula... base miles and work on distance first, then speed. And throw a few hills in, if you've got 'em!

Thanks Rowan,

i'm not expecting her to do 15 mph right off... but I think it would be a feasible goal, and if she could get to 15mph, then if, and when she wanted to ride in the club that I do, she definitely would not be the slowest one out there...

So far i've only taken her to mainly flat places.. although she surprised me last night and decided to charge up the 6-8% hill by our house.. at least for a couple blocks... so we'll see... but I figured base and distance was a good start... we are gonna ride tonite.. i'm hoping she can get about 15 miles in... we did about 8 or 9 the other night... she has done 27 on her heavy MTB, and was wrecked by then end... so I'm gonna take it easy :-)

Jeff

Originally posted by ZackJones
Jeff,

First off congrats on the new purchase for her. What did you guys get for her to ride?

Second, let her know that when you two go and ride that you will ride at her pace and never drop her, yada, yada, yada. Tell her this over and over until it sinks in. It wasn't until Donna was sobbing by the side of the road on one our rides that it finally sunk in that when we ride together we ride at her speed. She was worried she was holding me back from enjoying the ride, etc, etc.

Third, do you know if she wants to go on the club rides? You might want to take her out on some shorter organized rides so she can see what it's like riding with a group of people.

Have fun!

Zack

Hey Zack,

yeah we got Dana a Specialized Sequoia Sport... it's more of a touring bike.. built for comfort, but has road frame geometry and looks... she liked it because it has regular brakes in the drops, and also brakes on top of the bars, like her MTB... suspension seatpost, cushy seat, padded gell inserts under the bar tape, and a carbon fiber fork... I rode it a bit last night adjusting the derailleurs and stuff (it kept popping out of gear) and it is super smooth...

I agree with riding at her speed... usually I keep it there, or I tell her i'm gonna head up for a 1/4 mile or so, then turn around and head back to her... if anything I used our little ride the other day as a recovery ride from the 40 miles I put in in the morning... but I always try and make sure she is having fun, and enjoying it... try to find places that she thinks are pretty to look at, like the Newport Back Bay trail that heads down to the beach... kind of a marshland area, but pretty near sunset...

She does say she would like to try riding in my club... the way my club works is that it breaks up into 3 rides usually, and long, med, and short ride... and within those ride, they break up into fast and slow... their big thing is "nobody gets dropped" as they have regroup points every 5 or 6 miles, and the people are super friendly, and encouraging... I have yet to see any snobbery even with the racer types... that I have seen in other clubs i've checked out

Jeff

p.s. I'd post pics, but I think the battery in my parents digicam is dead.. it won't hold a charge... if I can sneak out the camera here at work, i'll get it done :-)

Jeff

Originally posted by outashape
4 years ago, my husband would ask me to ride 8 miles at the local metropark on the bike trails. I grudgenly did so. After 1 ONE WHOLE YEAR, I decided I wanted to go on a century ride that I did when I was 16 years old in the 70's. That is what did it for me. For the last 3 years my husband cannot keep up with me. I am very competitive, he is a musician. So he started the ball rolling, but when the Cycling Bug hit, I was a goner. Now, I ride sprints or hard rides by myself doing 20-30 miles before my husband joins me. Then we both enjoy the ride. He doesn't feel like he is holding me back and I am tired so we are at the same level. Cherish the time you have together.

Wow, that is great ! That's the thing, I don;t want to push her into this... so far I'm letting her make all the decisions on where to go, and how fast and far... if you are not having fun, you'll stop doing it... she reaizes that she needs exercise, and needs to lose some weight, and the plus is that she gets to spend a little more time with me on the weekends... I want her to find out how much fun cycling is for her

Jeff

Originally posted by deliriou5
A. troll... you tell everyone to ride nekkid, but i don't think any of us have yet seen a picture of YOU riding YOUR bike nekkid. Practice what you preach! show us the pics!!! :)

OK, boyfriend, here ya go! This photo was taken during a ride in Moab. I know Joe likes to keep these boards family friendly. I hope that this picture doesn't violate community standards.

Now, take your finger out of your nose and smooch me you big old hunk of burnin' love.

:love: :love: :love:

Hey A. Troll, talk about a well placed crank! No guidelines violated with that pic, but very very close. I'll let it slide!

And Snipper. I would suggest getting and reading Lance Armstrong's 7 weeks to the perfect ride.

Initially, I wouldn't follow the program, but there is a lot of information that a new cyclist can learn from. You might as well.

For beginners, a higher cadence is better. It's easier for pedaling, and will increase stamina faster.

The book also has some tips on maintenance and bike handling that are valuable.

Good Luck
L8R

thanks 2psykle... actually picked that up a couple months ago.. it seems to have a good basic plan for getting better, and a bit faster....

yeah I basically told my wife not to touch the front rings for now, and to just hang out in the middle ring, unless you hit a big hill, then drop to the little one... I think my first 6 months back into cycling last year, I never once got into the big ring, and barely could get down to the small cogs in the back... I know it just takes time....

Jeff

SipperPhoto -- Spin classes and Flight Deck

See if she would want to try spin classes. Instead of sticking to exactly what the instructor says have her stay in the saddle. She will get used to biking for a longer time (usually classes are 45 minutes to an hour) plus the increased intensity(while staying in the saddle) will help her get through hilly areas.

Plus, you can't get dropped in a spin class! Depending on her personality-- being dropped could be detrimental to her want to ride again.

Also, really emphasize cadence. Cadence will teach her when she needs to switch gears and will ensure she doesn't burn out her legs. You might want to invest in a flight deck for her (wired one costs about $100). The flight deck will help her with learning her gears, maintaining her cadence, and will allow her to see her current and average speed.

In fact, a flight deck could save your relationship. Instead of you being the one to "push" for a higher speed-- you will find she will self impose that want. Well-- if she is at all competitive. The flight deck will show her how she measured on her ride and I am sure she will use that as the time to beat on her next. Before you know it she is going to be striving for way over 15mph.

Good luck.

Originally posted by A.troll
OK, boyfriend, here ya go! This photo was taken during a ride in Moab. I know Joe likes to keep these boards family friendly. I hope that this picture doesn't violate community standards.

Now, take your finger out of your nose and smooch me you big old hunk of burnin' love.

:love: :love: :love:

wow you are HOT! can i have your number??

motion to add this picture to the "any pictures of fit female cyclists" thread!

All the technical stuff is good but it's gotta happen 'upstairs' too. Get her information, photos etc about other women bikers (triathletes too). Not that she can't be inspired by men but seeing another women rider or competitor was a big motivator for me. Bicycling magazine, though a bit simplistic, is always very balanced too.

She must be inspired. She HAS to come to it by freewill because biking is like religion.

OK, maybe not exactly like, but kinda.

Get her on this forum, we women'll set her right.

Maybe I should jsut show her the "Bicycle Smile" thread huh ? :-)

She seems to be motivated... I just need to balance my time riding with her, and riding with the club I ride with, at least until she gets more confident... she seemed a bit disappointed this morning when I told her that I was gonna ride with them tonite... I like riding with her, but I don;t feel like I am getting much of a workout when I ride with her, and a couple times a week, I feel I need to go out and tear it up... the rest of the week I'm more than happy to ride with her

I do get the bicyclign magazine... and have for a few years... she usually gets it for me for xmas every year... it is a bit simpistic, but usually has some decent tips in it...

Jeff

Jeff -

I am basically in the same position. WHat I have done: I ride with the club on Saturdays, ride solo 4 other days of the week. I get my ride in (weather Solo or club) and the do an additional ride with her. That way I dont decrease my stamina, but still get a good workout in for her. Additionally, I am usually very willing to take a slower ride AFTER my workout at good speed.

Matt

Well,

My wife just got a new bike, and she went on her first club ride last weekend.

All I can say is that she is definately hooked. There were a couple of other girls there, they talked and stuff.

My wife had a tri-bike before, I got her to trade on a good road bike and she really likes this bike. It fits her well, is very comfortable and I would say just as fast.

Prior to the Club ride, it was just me and her. We would got on 20+ mile rides at about 16-18 pace. This club ride was 18-20+ miles per hour and she kept up better than me.

My advice is to find a C-B pace club ride that won't drop riders. The ride that we do stops about every 5-8 miles to regroup. Then they take off. If it was a non-stop ride, would be definately an A pace ride. So that encourages riders to develop good skills, drafting, pacing and passing. Good stuff.

My advice is to find a good group in your area, let her find some other riders and you can both have a good time.

The best thing would be to find a club ride that has all paces, so you could take off for a while and she can stay back and ride with others of her pace, then regroup, chitchat and so forth.

Social rides are great!!

Originally posted by deliriou5
wow you are HOT! can i have your number??

motion to add this picture to the "any pictures of fit female cyclists" thread!

I do believe that at least one picture of me may already be on that thread. :love:


And SipperPhoto, get her a saddle like my new saddle, and your wife will want to be on her bike 24/7!

:p

Whoa Troll ! ahhh yeah !

Jeff

Originally posted by msparks
Well,

My wife just got a new bike, and she went on her first club ride last weekend.

All I can say is that she is definately hooked. There were a couple of other girls there, they talked and stuff.

My wife had a tri-bike before, I got her to trade on a good road bike and she really likes this bike. It fits her well, is very comfortable and I would say just as fast.

Prior to the Club ride, it was just me and her. We would got on 20+ mile rides at about 16-18 pace. This club ride was 18-20+ miles per hour and she kept up better than me.

My advice is to find a C-B pace club ride that won't drop riders. The ride that we do stops about every 5-8 miles to regroup. Then they take off. If it was a non-stop ride, would be definately an A pace ride. So that encourages riders to develop good skills, drafting, pacing and passing. Good stuff.

My advice is to find a good group in your area, let her find some other riders and you can both have a good time.

The best thing would be to find a club ride that has all paces, so you could take off for a while and she can stay back and ride with others of her pace, then regroup, chitchat and so forth.

Social rides are great!!

Msparks... the club I ride with does have a B and C group, and they do regroup every few miles... I think on a 15 mile Weekday night ride, there is probably 2 regroup points... nobody gets dropped... yer wife sounds ;like she is pretty fast.... great ! my wife needs a little more work.. more base miles, more confidence (although this is coming real fast) and then get her up to 13-15 mph on a regular basis... that way she should have no problem with the slower group.... I have told her this... but I still think she is a bit intimidated.. which is understandable... she thinks we are all a bunch of racer types... even though about 80% of the club is definitely not... just a little faster than her... She was excited the other day when we figured out about how many calories she burned in about an hour of riding... so there is incentive there !

Jeff

Originally posted by pcsanity1
Jeff -

I am basically in the same position. WHat I have done: I ride with the club on Saturdays, ride solo 4 other days of the week. I get my ride in (weather Solo or club) and the do an additional ride with her. That way I dont decrease my stamina, but still get a good workout in for her. Additionally, I am usually very willing to take a slower ride AFTER my workout at good speed.

Matt

That is pretty much what I told her... I would ride with the club either Tuesday or Thursday, and either Saturday or Sunday... I figured that if I could ride with the club Tuesday and Saturday then I could ride with her wednesday, thursday, and Sunday... I could use the rides with her as recovery type rides... miles are miles, and if I can get 2 longer, faster rides a week, and then 2 or 3 slower-medium speed rides the rest of the week, my stamina should stay up there...

Jeff

Maybe I should jsut show her the "Bicycle Smile" thread huh ? :-)

Please don't. I thought you said you wanted to get her INTO riding, not vice-versa...

Sounds like the club could be the perfect solution. Is she getting into riding to spend more time with you, or is she getting into riding because she likes to cycle?

The only reason why I ask is because you said she was disappointed when you went out for your club ride. If she's riding because she wants to spend more time with you, then it may not be as much that she needs a club ride, but she just needs some riding time alone with you- forget the club rides, except for her to build up her speed asap so you can get back to riding quicker speeds when you're out there with her.

Spinning classes? Maybe. I teach a lot of spinning classes, and although I find it enjoyable at times, I look around at the participants, and I just don't see the improvements that I'd see if they were on their bikes. I think it's great to use for building base and working on consistent cadence, as well as working with anaerobic efforts, but other than that, there's not a lot a cyclist can get from it, regardless of who's teaching the class. The feel of the spin bike is just not at all like the feel of a real bike, which can mess you up if you use that spin bike as your primary means of riding. Seriously, I did not really start feeling like I made improvements on my riding until I got off the spin bike and out on my real bike- and my speed went up, my cadence was a lot smoother, my legs got stronger, and my confidence level went way up. And don't even talk about the experience you need dealing with traffic! Spinning is great for building up overall conditioning, but I would definitely encourage her to stick with the bike.

If anything, that pic of A. Troll should be enough for your wife to see the real benefits of cycling. That babe is one hot mama! Whooooooo! I even want to get with A. Troll! ;) Well... almost....

Koffee

Koffee,,

Thanks for the reply... I think part of it is to spend more time with me, part of it is the exercise of it, part of it is she is really starting to enjoy riding... so that's where the disappointment lies today... I honestly have no doubts she could do the shorter, usually slower route tonite.. it's usually only around 14-15 miles, and usually around 12-14 mph average... I just think she needs a little more confidence.. riding with a group is a big change, than riding alone...

She just got the bike on Sunday, and has put about 30 miles on it.. I think she is still feeling out how far she can go out, and still make it back in one piece... I'm hoping to get her to about a 20-30 mile ride this weekend... I jsut have to route something out, and hope it isn't too hot...
A spinning class would probably be a good thing.. at least for base aerobics... but at this point it was either a new bike, or a gym membership... so that may have to wait... I do have a stationery trainer for the winter months.. and although boring.. really seemd to help keep my fitness up last year... just did about 45 minutes 3 times a week, and try for a longer ride on the weekend

I do feel riding with a club would be a great long term solution... even if she rode the shorter slower routes on the weekends which are usually 22-28 miles with a break in the middle somewhere, and I rode the 35-40 miles medium ride... we'd still meet up in at the break, and could ride back to the park we start from together...

Thanks :-)

Jeff

Originally posted by SipperPhoto
I like riding with her, but I don;t feel like I am getting much of a workout when I ride with her, and a couple times a week, I feel I need to go out and tear it up... the rest of the week I'm more than happy to ride with her


Go hammer at lunch and use your evening rides with her as recovery rides. There's been a few days when I'd ride to work, hammer at lunch, ride home and then go ride with Donna. I got my fill of riding that day :)

Zack

Zack,

Might be a good idea... other than no shower here, and the fact there is no A/C either in my photo studio either... hmmm but I probably could... just have to feel nasty sweaty in the afternoon... mmm I'll have to give this serious thought...

All the surfers and MTBer's here in the building would definitely laugh at me in my spandex though... maybe I'll have to wear my baggy's :D

Jeff

A healthy diet too is something to remember. She's going to need all the right protiens, carbs, healthy fats to keep her energy up and for effective weight loss. If you said she was a little "cushy" before hand, I think that says something about her diet as well as her activity level.

Shannon,

This is true... she's been kinda "cushy" her whole life.. and is slowly coming aroudn to the idea that she needs to do something about it... she probably needs to lose about 50 lbs. or so... I've been trying to get her to change her eating habits to eat a little healthier, and it has gotten better... she's a bit of a snacker though... so she jsut has to watch what she eats... I've always thought that weight loss is about 80% mental, and once you get it into your head that you want (or need) to lose weight, then you are good to go, just have to make a life change, and stick with it !

She knows she needs to lose weight, jsut has never fully convinced herself to do something about it...

Jeff

Maybe a magazine subscription about healthy eating and exercise can be an informational, monthly lesson for her. Sometimes people need to read it rather than having their loved ones tell them how it should be. I like Fitness magazine. I recently lost 15 pounds just by making small lifestyle changes I've learned. I haven't tried many other magazines, or biking magazines for that matter.