Road Cycling - training moving along

Hi all,

I'm a first-time poster, this is a great forum, I've been enjoying it since I bought a bike in early July after a 10-year no-riding hiatus. My spin instructor nagged me into submission.

So I'm mid-30's and pretty athletic, joggin was really starting to bother my hips so I figured cycling would be an ideal changeover, which it was. I hadn't really even thought about the cardio benefits, with rides going 1-2 hours where I would never run for that long.

So here's a question/general observation: I've been riding hard when I go, 20-40 miles depending on how much time I have. My rides aren't that sophisticated, I go as fast as I can for as long as I can, concentrating on keeping rpm over 90 as much as possible.

I've been pleased to see regular, continual improvements in my average speed. What I've noticed over my past 2 rides on the same route, is that over the course of the ride I feel like I'm riding terribly - tired, out of breath, can't seem to get in a groove. But twice in a row now, I've finished the ride and checked my computer to find that I'd just beaten my personal best. Today I was up to 18.4mph avg over a 30mi rolling hill route with one really big hill to climb.

Is that common? Feeling worse as you do better? Also, is it worth pursuing the interval training I've read you folks talk about now that I've got a pretty good cycling base. I'm planning to tackle one or two Centuries by the end of Sept.

Joe

I have yto admit... I am a new roadie and have been experianceing the same thing you are. But the wierd part is I have no computer. ;) I just know that I am getting faster and more efficient in my rides even when I don't exactly feel 'unstopable'. And even though I am taking longer breaks at the top of my route I am doing the ride in a little less time as I go.

You know... the only thing to be careful about is overtraining. Make sure that you get enough recovery in. This means both REST and light rides.

cAPS

you know i do remember when i began cycling for fitness, i'd push myself as hard as i could, and i wasn't really pushing very hard.... i struggled to get my heart rate over 130. now i can ride all the way up to max HR (~212)

I know how you feel about thinking it was a bad ride only to find out it was great. Your pushing yourself, and becomming more tired by the end of the ride. I no longer judge my rides on speed or distance, i judge them on how i feel, and i must say that the days i dont give a ride my all i feel terrible, like something is missing. Just stick with it and soon you look back and say WOW!

-Ross

Keep up the good work!!!!!

Well, I would suggest not going all out all the time. I am a big fan of varying the intensity of workouts. Do some long slow rides, some short fast ones, some intervals etc. Or better yet, get on the bike and if you feel like going like all get out, have at it! If you feel a bit beat up, go easy. No one is paying you after all. This is supposed to be fun.

The more fun you make it, the more likely you are to stick to it.

I was riding with a friend on Friday. We usually ride with a fast group and we were slowing down especially in the scenic areas. She made a comment on how nice it was to slow down and gawk at the scenery.

Another time, I was riding with some friends and we went by this rural airport. They had a constellation (old 4 engined airliner) out at the end of the runway. Barry asked me "when did that get here?". We did this as a club ride at least 5 times a year and Barry made nearly all the club rides. I looked at Barry and said "4 years Barry". Guess you don't see much at 23 mph with your wheel 12" from the guy in front of you.

Thing is that by changing your pace, you can really change the experience.

don't do your program too long. i did that same thing for a few years. all it will do is burn you out and increase your potential to get hurt. you can't make gains riding at/near your AT (anaerobic threshold) -either get a HRM or take your pulse manually to be in your 65%-80% range for 1/2 your rides a week. it will make the fast days faster. you can't set a new PR every ride. mentally or physically.

monday:off
tuesday: fast/hard ride.
wednesday: interval
thursday:tempo
friday: easy day
saturday: hard day
sunday: hard long ride.

(just a sample of my schedule)

I usually take the day on either side of a long ride off. I also try to vary the intensity of my rides during the week. Usually medium, medium, easy, hard. I have a heart rate monitor that keeps me at a steady exercise level and I try to keep a steady cadence. I've actually increased my performance much quicker this way. My legs have plenty of time to rest and I get to enjoy some of the rides. I changed to this method a month ago and I've gone from 14.5mph @ 72rpm to 15.8 @ 90rpm... If you're gonna do a century, you should be sure to take some rides that focus on time on the bike to the exclusion of everything else. Remember, even at 15mph, a century means almost 7 hours in the saddle. You may find that your Achilles' Heel will be your Achilles' Butt if you're not careful! :D

The 1 main thing I learned in my year of steady riding is you gotta have slow easy days. I might not enjoy them as much as a hard traing day but you have to incorporate them into your training schedule. I used to be the guy who would start out on a recovery ride and turn it into a hard day real quick.

Hey, thanks for all the advice. I'm going to try to mix in some slow rides as recommended. An update on my initial post - tonight I did 40 mi on a flat/rolling hills route, and was able to avg 20.8! I really have to get a HRM, because I have no idea where my pulse is. I think I'm going to try a slower but longer ride this weekend and see how that goes.

The MOST important thing to remember when doing a recovery/easy ride is to not get caught racing other riders that go past. Let them past and let them go. Do not chase them down and start a hammerfest. Just sit up, look at the scenery, and keep a good spin going. You will get passed a lot but don't let it get you down, just stay focussed on keeping the pace slow. Keep the hard efforts for days when you feel invincible. If you try to set a personal best every time you ride after a year or so you will plateau and feel burnt out. I have done this and it is not good. The only days I go maximum flat-out now is Saturdays races, with 2 hard (but not maximum) days mixed with easy days.

Sound like you are doing well.


CHEERS.

Mark

Dutchy & others,
on your easy/recovery rides.. how much slower do you go to..as far as mph, hr and cadence?

how much slower do you go to..as far as mph, hr and cadence?
a bit late with the answer, better late than never.

On easy/recovery days I just set my speedo to Time of day, so I can't see the kph readout and ride at a specified heart rate. It is hard to do as it feels like I am crawling but well worth it. I rode to work this morning at an easy pace and averaged 24kph/15mph which is 4kph slower than my normal speed. Not a lot slower but enough to keep my HR under 75% of maximum. It is very hilly terrain and this makes it difficult to keep my HR any lower. On flat terrain I try to keep my HR to 65% of it's max.

I find that sticking to a designated HR range is the only way to ride at a slow enough recovery pace.

CHEERS.

Mark