SurgTech1956,

I turned 55 in December and have been riding for one year. I was a distance runner in high school, and I have found many of the same training concepts carry over to cycling.

How should you train? It depends upon your goals. If you want to ride long distances, you should go on long training rides. If you want to improve your speed, you should get in some interval training. Intervals are short distance rides of high intensity, followed by a brief rest period. They are usually done in sets.

I saw a huge increase in my cycling fitness over this past winter by riding indoors on a trainer. I typically rode four or five days a week on the trainer, and the other two days I did an exercise program (http://www.bicycling.com/training-nu.../core?page=0,1) to strengthen my core muscles.

As several others have noted, it is important to take a rest day after a really hard training ride. You will experience greater gains than if you don't take rest days. I typically did my core exercise program the day after my hardest training ride.

I intend to buy the book, Fitness Cycling (see the Amazon entry at
http://tinyurl.com/6vyszeo ) for more information on this area of cycling fitness, which I find fascinating.

Good luck and have fun!