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looking back on the training year

So 2015 is my first year cycling, I started in may or so to try to lose weight, I've done ~1100 miles since then. When I first started I was on a 38lb Wal-Mart mountain bike (size 24"wheels) and I was able to do about one mile until my knee's started killing me. Today while I was eating Christmas candy I decided to go try a climb that I haven't done in a month or two and record it to track progress. As I was going up I kept checking off places that I had stopped for breaks the last time I went up, after I got to the top I compared my two strava efforts for the climb and noticed in 2 months I had knocked off almost 10 minutes on my time for the hill, and this time I had a headwind the entire way. 3.8 miles 1112ft of elevation gain 7.8% avg gradiant 8.0mph average. in this year alone I went from covering 1 mile max on flats to doing 60-70 mile rides and climbing 4 miles of hill. Can't wait to see what the 2016 season has in store for me.

Has anyone else noticed any extreme changes in their ability in the 2015 season?

I have, but that ain't sayin' much. Somewhat serious cyclist back in the day but just back on a bike this past spring after almost 20 years away. My first ride was barely a mile. Older bikes tuned up and tweaked and two new, 21st Century, added to the stable. With two x three week off periods this spring/summer due to travel I have mebbe 700 miles on the whole bunch this season. Took me a bit to get back in the groove. Looking to triple that in 2016.

This is my first 4 months cycling and I have seen huge changes. Huge increases in power, endurance and speed. I'm very pleased with each passing ave mph or hill climbed that I didn't think I could make. Very much interested to see how my goals for the next 8 months work out as well as seeing others make big improvements.

I used to be a fairly strong long distance cyclist ... but that kind of died off a bit in recent years. This year, 2015, I decided to make an effort to lose weight and get back to cycling long distances again. And also to be able to handle the hills in the area where we live now a little bit better.

So I lost 26 kg (57 lbs).
And we rode two centuries (100 miles in one day) ... plus several 100 km rides, one of which we completed about 45 min faster than we did last year.
And I'm almost scampering up hills now. I attribute that to all the stair climbing I do ... and not hauling 26 km (57 lbs) around with me anymore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericmerg1 (Post 18412735)

So 2015 is my first year cycling, I started in may or so to try to lose weight, I've done ~1100 miles since then… Can't wait to see what the 2016 season has in store for me.

Has anyone else noticed any extreme changes in their ability in the 2015 season?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 18375635)

I’m a 40+ year cyclist and I ride mainly for fitness… after about 10 years of training by (time-consuming) miles I finally came around to emphasizing intensity (speed) more, and for me the effects seem even more beneficial...

I use the semi-quantitative, standardized, but personally relavant system of (Borg’s) Relative Perceived Exertion (RPE), with my own particular adaptation.
My training tool is the Relative Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale, and I use cadence to chose gears to maintain my desired exertion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 17916631)

The RPE scale ranges from 6 to 17, with descriptions of the intensity. Multiply the RPE by 10 is the approximate heart rate. Jim's scale is the equivalent on a 0 to 100 scale, easier to think about:

RPE = 6, resting... Jim's scale = 10 to 20

RPE = 7, very, very light... Jim's scale = 20 to 30

RPE = 9, very light... Jim's scale = 30 to 40

11, fairly light...50 (my usual happy-go-lucky pace without thinking about it)

13, somewhat hard...60 (I have to focus to maintain)

15, hard...70 (I start breathing hard at about 30 seconds)

17, very hard (lactate threshold; breakpoint between hard but steady
breathing and labored with gasping)...80 (my predicted max HR)

19, very, very hard...90 to 100.

My basic training is to ride at my RPE of 50% for six miles to warm up, then cruise at an RPE of 60%, and do intervals (on hills) at 70%. I try to change gears to maintain a cadence of about 85-90 rpm on flats and rolling hills, and about 60 to 80 rpm on harder hills, to maintain my RPE. Shift up to higher gears as the cadence rises, and shift down as the RPE increases.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Machka (Post 18414726)

I used to be a fairly strong long distance cyclist ... but that kind of died off a bit in recent years. This year, 2015, I decided to make an effort to lose weight and get back to cycling long distances again. And also to be able to handle the hills in the area where we live now a little bit better.

So I lost 26 kg (57 lbs).

And we rode two centuries (100 miles in one day) ... plus several 100 km rides, one of which we completed about 45 min faster than we did last year.
And I'm almost scampering up hills now. I attribute that to all the stair climbing I do ... and not hauling 26 km (57 lbs) around with me anymore.

Congratulatioins [MENTION=4588]Machka[/MENTION]. Weight loss is a perennial goal for me. Iwas doing well until Daylight Savings Time. To paraphrase the famous quote by Robert Oppenheimer, from the Bhagavad-Gita at the first test of the A-bomb. ”I am DST, Destroyer of Cyclists ‘Dreams.” (“I am Death, Destroyer of Worlds.”).