bsherman

Hey everyone,

I woke up one day in April and decided to buy a sweet ultegra bike with my tax refund and get involved in racing. I joined a local racing club and have been going on many training rides. I go every tuesday and thursday on a 25 mile training ride with the A group. I last about 10 minutes at 20-23 mph average then die and fall back to the B group at 16-18 mph average. I've been going for about a month now. On the weekends I do some relatively long hill rides. I'll be doing a century this weekend.

My question is what can I expect to achieve by the end of the summer? Basically I feel like I'm not improving at all. I always seem to die at the same point on the training ride and cannot get any faster. Does anyone out there know what to expect in their very first few months of training. This might be too broad of a question but its worth a shot. I havent met anyone in the same boat as me. Either the people I meet dont race and just ride or they've been racing for years.

Before this I biked across the country two years ago, then took a 1.5 year hiatus.

Thanks.

yonderboy

Congratulations on getting involved in racing. Other people will probably have better training tips for you.

My advice is just go out and have fun. Your first season of racing should be for getting comfortable racing and comfortable with your body's limits. Try to get as much experience as possible, then work on a solid training plan and goals for the next season with your coach (or whomever). You'll be able to attack the season better, knowing that your own racing strategies are figured out.

And remember the racing doesn't stop in the fall. Look up local cyclocross races in your area, if you can't shake the racing bug.

Good luck and stay safe.

my58vw

Wow late start in the season... oh well, you can start any time...

This is my first year racing too... but I actually started with periodization and am in the middle of full season racing at this point. If you just got a bike and started riding it I think your biggest factor is lack of base milage. You need to just get used to actually mechanically building aerobic endurance and then start the kind of training rides you are doing. But then you are in the middle of the season.

I would try and get in at least one ride each week of 50+ miles (sounds like you have that squared away) and maybe add an interval session or so. I have been on a bike 10 months now and I lead the A ride when I go out. I am a cat 5, soon to be 4 rider, but have certain issues also with force and power.

Just have fun this season. Personally I have to admit, I am too having trouble with a very strict training schedule right now, I am lucky to get in 4 rides in a week, usually just Tuesday - Thurs and Sunday... that will change soon though.

Good Luck!

Oh and what to expect for the end of summer? It all depends on how dedicated you are and how hard you want to work. You can make big gains in 3 months. I am the best example, in 3 months I went from off the back in the first turn to with the back, pulling, off the front, etc. Big things can happen if you are willing to work at them!

NZLcyclist

Just note that if you train hard, rest hard. If you are going hard it twice a week for 25mi (40k), as a newer rider you may have to go easy every couple of weeks and start with the B group, dare I say it. As you get more "base milege" (just getting miles in at a moderate, easy pace) your body will adapt to the effects of training and be more able to recovery and adapt, therefore increasing performance over time.

I hope this made sense?

sm266

Yep! You need to build a base to pull the speed from. Spend some time getting miles under your legs and working on you aerobic system. 3 months can bring a lot of gains, but you should probably make a visit to your local bookstore for Joe Friel's The cyclists training bible.

alison_in_oh

Let's see. Around February I started attending spin classes 3 times per week. Around March I was able to get on the bike a little, and a little more in April. In May I started training with purpose, riding regularly (at least 4 times per week and 100+ miles, working up to 6 times per week and 200+ miles) and starting to incorporate some distance rides and some intervals as well as recovery rides. I joined some group rides occasionally. At the end of May I entered my first races, and while my performance kind of sucked I didn't feel too outclassed or under-conditioned, just unexperienced for the most part.

My goals for the end of the season are to ride a century and to be competitive in racing. I'm noticing continual improvement.

Here's my training log: https://www.livejournal.com/users/smiley_bikes/

I think that in your case, the group rides are counterproductive. Maybe go just once a week with the B group for pack riding skills, and the rest of the time tailor your own workout so that you can get the most benefit from it.