Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Training & Nutrition
Reload this Page >

beginner... need advice

Notices
Training & Nutrition Learn how to develop a training schedule that's good for you. What should you eat and drink on your ride? Learn everything you need to know about training and nutrition here.

beginner... need advice

Old 09-20-03, 10:29 PM
  #1  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 8
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
beginner... need advice

Hi, I just started riding recently, and I was skimming through the posts here and you all seem to be riding A LOT more than me

The most I've done so far is 14 miles.. and i'm going to do the 50 miles from rosarito to ensenda in april...

i'm very out of shape, and i'm having so much fun riding the bike that for once i'm actually into excercising.. it would help me out a lot to see a guideline to kinda follow of how much i should do as i'm starting out and how often. if i have a goal amount of miles i should be doing, it'd be easier for me cause i'd push myself to get there, rather than just judging it by feeling tired and stopping

also, are there other excercises i should incorporate in as well that would help with the cycling...

50 miles seems like a lot to me right now and that ride has a fair amount of uphill riding so i know i'm going to need a lot more endurance than i'm capable of right now.

thanks for your help!
caroline is offline  
Old 09-21-03, 03:55 AM
  #2  
Pat
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 2,794

Bikes: litespeed, cannondale

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Well Caroline, you have plenty of time to get in shape for your ride.

50 miles is not that hard, unless there is a great deal of climbing of course.

1) In order to get in shape, you need to do aerobic exercise as many days out of the week as you can. For example, if you ride on weekends, try to get an hour on several of the weekdays. Bicycling is best but windtraining or spinning works too. Even fast walking will work pretty well. But basing your conditioning on exercising only on weekends is pretty tough.

2) Another thing to do is keep a rough total of your weekly mileage and try to increase it by no more then 10% per week.

3) Work on various aspects of cycling: pedal stroke (rpm) many rookies have a very low cadence and need to get it up over 80 rpm. Cornering, braking and other bike handling - doesn't have to be anything extreme. Riding in traffic - learn how to ride in traffic safely - Forester's book "Effective Cycling" is still the best treatment. Learn basic road repair - like fixing a flat. It can come in mighty handy.

4) Winter is coming up so depending on where you are you might have trouble training. You can get involved in spinning, windtraining, walking etc rather then losing your conditioning ove the winter.

5) Now do other exercises help bicycling performance? Well, the best way to improve cycling performance seems to be cycling.

Once you can average 15 mph, 50 miles should not be too hard. It is just 3 hours. You stop every hour, take a pit stop, eat a snack and relax your contact points and that is about it.

You have a very good sign by the way. You like cycling! Go out and enjoy yourself. Just go out and have fun and most of the conditioning will come naturally.

I have seen people of the "no pain no gain" go out and grimly try to get better very fast. That is a big mistake. It is a good way to injure yourself. Plus, if every time you get on a bike it hurts and all the time afterawhile, you will probably stop. I am not saying not to go out and push things every now and then to see what you can do. A little pain can be fun. But to turn it into work and drudgery is a big mistake.
Pat is offline  
Old 09-21-03, 05:43 AM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
oldillini's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Sullivan, IN
Posts: 148
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Pat had some very good advice. Assuming you live in warmer region of country then 50 by April is definitely possible.

I might add that you may want to vary your routine. If you are doing 14 now, do a day at 12 and then the next push the max distance up to 15 or 16. But, just as Pat says, don't increase more than 10% total. It is hard on your body yo make drastic increases.

As you you feel more comfortable and the miles start increasing you will be able to push a longer ride ever now and then. That will help get your back side used to longer minutes/hours in the saddle.

Good luck and glad to have you in the Forum!!
oldillini is offline  
Old 09-21-03, 06:09 AM
  #4  
Banned.
 
DnvrFox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 20,917
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 12 Times in 10 Posts
You have lots of time to get in shape.

At age 58, I bought my bike in early April of 1998, and by June 20th I rode a 350 mile 7 day ride over Colorado mountain passes.

The advice you have been given is excellent.

You will find yourself progressing far faster than you think you can.

Be sure to take time for rest. Your body needs to recover. I would not necessarily do intensive aerobic every day. Let your body do the talking, keep a log to demonstrate to yourself your progress.

One day it will all come together, and you will say "Wow, I can really do this."

Be sure to have fun. Don't make it a chore. Make it a pleasure.

Welcome to Bike Forums.
DnvrFox is offline  
Old 09-21-03, 01:49 PM
  #5  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 8
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Wow.. you guys are so encouraging Thanks for the advice ... I live in LA, so the weather thing never even occurred to me.

My friend and I went to an event at Santa Monica beach yesterday.. we decided to ride down from a little up the coast to beat the traffic and the, most likely, horrible parking situation... When we got to the event, we were just about to look for a place to tie up our bikes when a LA county Bike Coalition booth told us they'd hang onto our bikes and helmets for free (watched!) and we got a free red bull! It made my day.. they were so friendly, and it was so unexpected. You guys here are no different. Thank you (i joined the coalition btw, if anything to help fund their great campaign, and hopefully to find some people ro ride with around here)

lol... i woke up grumpy and reading all these posts really cheered me up

caroline
caroline is offline  
Old 09-21-03, 08:12 PM
  #6  
Just ride.
 
roadbuzz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: C-ville, Va
Posts: 3,259
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Welcome, Caroline!

Lots of good advice. For a beginner, I'd re-iterate two, no three, points already made above.

Pat said "aerobic exercise as many days out of the week as you can." Put a different way, be consistant. It doesn't have to hurt or make you out-of-breath, just get out there. Easy ways are to integrate it into daily activities... a trip to the post office for stamps, corner store for bread, whatever.

And, like dnvr said, be sure to have fun... if it stops being fun, rest, recover, and listen to your body.

Finally, stick around! Keep asking questions as they come up!
roadbuzz is offline  
Old 09-22-03, 03:00 PM
  #7  
Too Cheap To Meter.
 
rippo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SoCal, USA
Posts: 216
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally posted by caroline
Wow.. you guys are so encouraging Thanks for the advice ... I live in LA, so the weather thing never even occurred to me.

My friend and I went to an event at Santa Monica beach yesterday.. we decided to ride down from a little up the coast to beat the traffic and the, most likely, horrible parking situation... When we got to the event, we were just about to look for a place to tie up our bikes when a LA county Bike Coalition booth told us they'd hang onto our bikes and helmets for free (watched!) and we got a free red bull! It made my day.. they were so friendly, and it was so unexpected. You guys here are no different. Thank you (i joined the coalition btw, if anything to help fund their great campaign, and hopefully to find some people ro ride with around here)

lol... i woke up grumpy and reading all these posts really cheered me up

caroline
heh. i'm in los angeles too, just been riding three months. was thinking about doing a metric century (60 miles) in october, and so set out on saturday to see how i felt about 40 miles...my furthest so far. ride was fine, but i went from torrance to north of santa monica...and ran right into that Red Bull Flugtag thing. that and the Heal the Bay litter clean-up event really brought out the 'pedestrian obstructions' and made for a slow ride. but i support both events, just not when i'm riding.

anyway, you'll be able to do 50 i would think. and unlike the rest of the country, we don't have to hang up our bikes in winter.
rippo is offline  
Old 09-22-03, 03:22 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
heresy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Santee, CA
Posts: 343

Bikes: Argon 18 Gallium, Orbea Orca SLT, Orbea Mitis, Specialized Allez SE

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Do not worry about increasing your mileage. If you enjoy riding your bike, the miles will add up on their own. You will naturaly be on your bike more frequently, for longer rides. If you do not feel well, take off a day. It is no biggie. As long as you have fun, it will work out. Next thing you know, you will be throwing back beers in Baja.
heresy is offline  
Old 09-23-03, 01:44 PM
  #9  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Rippo: Yeah! Caroline and I were at the Flutag thing this weekend too! Hey, what bike do you ride?

BTW, I've been mooching off of this thread thanks to Caroline's inquiry. Thanks for all of your valuable advice everyone!
wrath is offline  
Old 09-23-03, 09:34 PM
  #10  
Too Cheap To Meter.
 
rippo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SoCal, USA
Posts: 216
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally posted by wrath
Rippo: Yeah! Caroline and I were at the Flutag thing this weekend too! Hey, what bike do you ride?
i ride a 2002 Specialized Allez (the 'base' version), which i've owned for three months. it's blue and white. why, did you see me ride by?
rippo is offline  
Old 09-24-03, 06:04 AM
  #11  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: England
Posts: 12,948
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times in 7 Posts
Keep well motivated. For some people that means a rigorous regime and close monitoring of all bodily functions carefully plotted on spreadsheets. For others is means ride when you feel happy. Ride when to feel down, to get happy. Ride to work and to the shops. Get a map and explore all the quiter local routes. Ride with buddies who ride at your pace.
I find that most of my leisure rides are 15-30 miles , if do this regularly, you can easily double that distance for an event. You dont need to ride fast or had to get in shape for a 50, just get some decent saddle time. I tend to guage myself by time rather than distance or speed.
Do make sure that your bike fits you well, is reliable and properly geared for your terrain. Dress for the weather. In S Cal that should be easy. Winter is a more comfortable season than summer. Learn ro ride safely on the road, and take any food and water you need. Learn some simple roadside repairs and carry enough toolkit to get yourself out of trouble.
MichaelW is offline  
Old 10-09-03, 11:45 AM
  #12  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Ventura County, SOCAL
Posts: 15

Bikes: specialized...

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Rosarito Ride

Hi caroline,
I've been riding for 8 months now and just finished the Rosarito Ride two weekends ago. If you keep on training I'm sure you will do fine. If you have ANY questions on the course please don't hesitate to ask. 50 Miles isn't that hard to do, it's the hills you need the endurance for. I'm going to be do the spring ride too. And to let you know, I'm not a pro at this sport by any means, just love the freedom of the ride. I trained myself and before I went, the longest ride I did was 45 miles.

Everyone here has been giving you great advice!!! You can do it!!! And remember, this ride isn't a race, it's a FUN ride...

Linda
louvigilante is offline  
Old 10-22-03, 03:18 PM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,941
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
A couple of thoughts:

1) Good bike shorts, if you don't already have them, are worth their weight in gold. Ditto for a good seat.

2) You might consider getting some bicycle shoes, and perhaps clipless pedals. The bicycle shoes will save you energy, and it's nice not to have to hold your feet on the pedals for hours. You do have to learn how to unclip before you stop.
ericgu is offline  
Old 10-25-03, 05:02 PM
  #14  
Member
 
hacker44240's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Princeton, NJ
Posts: 41

Bikes: Harley

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Don't forget to eat...

Hi Caroline,

I just went through the same journey you are embarking on. The biggest advice I can ad is that when you get up to around the 40 or 50 mile distance, you'll definitely want to eat during the ride. Take power bars or whatever you like, but it is a must over a certain distance. I was able to ride 58 miles after about 4 months of progressive improvements. And I was a total couch potato.
hacker44240 is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.