Originally Posted by
bbuffalo
I am a former competitive swimmer, having trained for 10 years at 20 hours a week, but I recently transitioned to cycling about four months ago. I bought my first road bike, a Trek Domane AL2 Gen 4, and have invested in all the necessary gear such as jerseys, bibs, shoes, etc. I raced in two triathlons, one the day after I bought the bike, and another in which I placed second in the U19 age group and 35th overall out of about 300 men. I’m also running on my high school cross-country team. I enjoy tri but I specifically have a passion for cycling.
According to my family’s Peloton stationary bike, my FTP is around 240 watts. While maintaining a zone 2 heart rate, I can average around 20-21 MPH on flat routes for 40-70 miles. I’m curious about the realistic future I might have in cycling, especially with a strong interest in crit racing. I would also love to compete in stage races and tours. Also, any general tips or training advice to help me improve would be greatly appreciated.
Given all you've noted above.- you should move as quickly as possible to becoming integrated into the competitive community of cycling (if that is what you want to give at try at.
1. Join a Racing club - not any club, a racing club
if you're not familiar with those in your area, go to a highend bike shop, and ask. Ask around until you get references
For us to give good references to what you're asking, we need to know where you are. The more specific you can get as to Town/City, the better we can help get you pointed in a good direction.
Here in the Santa Barbara area, my club has a junior development program - most areas with strong cycling competition and clubs will have that.
2. You will need to join
USA Cycling - the governing body for most cycle racing in the US .... I recommend waiting to join until you settle onto a club you wish to affiliate with.
But do go to their website to become familiar with their resources.
3. There are 'Teams' also, outside of the club structure, but that's harder, more time consuming to get acquainted with, start with a strong racing club.
4. Training - no one on here is going to be able to give you a good training program - fragmented 'Tips' are not helpful... Best is initial in-person work.
5. don;t worry about equipment until you do all of the above.
Maybe ask the Moderators here at Bike forums to move this/your thread to the Racing Sub-forum of Road forum - or post the same message there, if you want to have comments from both areas.
It's REALLY important to know where you are. At 19 you should move as quickly as possible to do the above and become strongly integrated into the bike racing community.
Bike Racing is a wonderful thing, for some of us... and can be a lifelong thing... You never know how far you can go with it (or anything) until you try...
I, and I'm sure others here, will be very interested in your progress, so please don;t be a stranger, drop by and let us know how things are going!
Ride On
Yuri
EDIT: Haven't been on
USA Cycling for some time - They have a lot of resources - Finding an affiliated club, getting started, etc - definitely worth working through the site. But direct contact in your area is very important.