Training & Nutrition - Regime for century and overall fitness

Well lets start with an introduction:D
I am very new to cycling with only a week or so biking. I plan to commute to work 18 miles total(per day).I also plan on longer rides with the wife on say saturdays(if we can get a sitter regulary). I have always been fit and have a very sound understanding of nutrition from when I used to lift weights(regularly) and my background in biochem. I am however lost as to how to best prepare for a century or in a couple years a double century etc. I guess my question while at the gym what should I be doing? Running, cycling at gym, lifting weights? Currently I am cycling at gym and lifting(focusing more on endurance, fast twitch, higher reps and sets). I am pretty comfortable with my nutritional needs but always open to advice or questions on what I am eating.

Get Joe Friel's "Cycling Past 50". You can ignore the 'Past 50' part and it lays out an excellent 25 week plan for a century. There is also tons of great training info in the book. - TF

Thanks greatly! Will look into it

At the gym, you should be working on aerobic exercise. Cycling is all about aerobic exercise. To help you century, doing aerobic exercise that involves the legs is best. If you have any hills, try doing stair climbers or treadmills set on max incline. Of course, if you can do a spinning class, that would help too.

Ultracycling.com also has a good training section for centuries.

Just ride a LOT and extend the distance periodically as explained in the above links. You will discover things that need to be worked out like body soreness here and there. No amount of gym machines will replace saddle time and getting used to actual road conditions like the wind, different hills, vibrations, curves and streetwiseness.

knotty

Thanks alot guys. Looks like I will have to progressively wake up earlier for longer rides too. Time to check out the stairclimbers as well. Wife is getting a road bike soon so hopefully that fun time together in the gym will transcend to the road bikes !!

Here's my article, aimed toward those who are new to century riding, about riding a century:

http://www.machka.net/century.htm

And some links to various sites about long distance cycling, including the Ultramarathon one mentioned in an earlier post:

http://www.machka.net/links.htm

Well lets start with an introduction:D
I am very new to cycling with only a week or so biking. I plan to commute to work 18 miles total(per day).I also plan on longer rides with the wife on say saturdays(if we can get a sitter regulary). I have always been fit and have a very sound understanding of nutrition from when I used to lift weights(regularly) and my background in biochem. I am however lost as to how to best prepare for a century or in a couple years a double century etc. I guess my question while at the gym what should I be doing? Running, cycling at gym, lifting weights? Currently I am cycling at gym and lifting(focusing more on endurance, fast twitch, higher reps and sets). I am pretty comfortable with my nutritional needs but always open to advice or questions on what I am eating.

Develop a fluid and smooth cadence NOW before you get a chance to develop bad habits.

Stretch on a regular basis. And not just the old bread n butter stretches but the ones designed specifically to address cyclists' needs.

Be sure to strengthen the non-glamorous muscles (such as adductors/abductors, psoas, rectus femoris, hamstrings, core, etc.); this will make you a better cyclist overall and lower the risk of injury.

Keep it all in perspective. Any time you find yourself asking "Why am I doing this?" something is off track.

Just ride a LOT and extend the distance periodically as explained in the above links. You will discover things that need to be worked out like body soreness here and there. No amount of gym machines will replace saddle time and getting used to actual road conditions like the wind, different hills, vibrations, curves and streetwiseness.

knotty

Exactly, just ride and ride and you'll find out what works for you. On rides that last for hours and hours you'll have plenty of time to think about what works and what needs improvement. You will need to figure out some kind of food and drink scheme and stay on schedule. But as I've said you'll have what seems like forever with nothing to do but pedal away and think about wether you like this drink or that drink and how much of it you need.