Originally Posted by
goingmissing
Okay, so my plan then is to do regular rides, trying to maintain a natural cadence while i'm just starting. And i'll work on increasing distance I ride. Once i've got up to doing 10-20 miles a day easy, then I'll work on integrating intervals of just charging hills or working in a higher gear to parts of my ride.
I would wait until you've ridden at least 1000-2000 miles. If you're trying to get reasonably fit in a year there's no point in starting out with intervals too early. Cyclists who ride competitively train in cycles and will spend 3-4 months building a base with just endurance rides and no intervals. Once you're able to ride comfortably every day then you're ready to start building a base.
The problem with starting out with intervals now is you risk burnout or a lessening of your motivation. Just ride for now and have fun. Find a group to ride with if you can. That will increase the intensity of your rides with less pain than intervals.