timmyquest

I suck, like...really, i'm bad, i mean...the farthest i've ever gone was 43 miles at the end of last summer. Typically i ride about 20-30 miles and average 18mph...and i live in a pretty flat state. My body wasn't built for aerobic activity, i'm convinced of it. In fact, i'm not much of an athlete at all. I played football and was rarely the first up the hill, the first to cross the line in sprints, the one to push the sled the furthest and i was unable to bench a lot of weight. But i mean, i held my own...i started on the line and played some OLB (MLB 2nd string my Jr year ).

So what? I am not a sprinter, i'm not strong, and i can't run 10 miles without dieing...i'd say i'm pretty average. But i want to get into racing at some point. Like many people i started cycling mostly to lose some weight that i allowed to accumulate on my body, i've accomplished that and i still enjoy riding...so what now.

Like Ryanf, i've never really gone on a group ride, so even if i was in top shape i don't think it would very intelligent to get into a race. So i would imagine that would be a first step. One of my LBS's has group rides on Friday nights during the summer, so i'll try and hook up with them this summer.

But aside from that, what can one do other then the obviously put in the time, to get into some sort of "racing form".

ElJamoquio

Buy 'The Cyclist's Training Bible' or equivalent. Get on a plan, with intervals, etcetera. Go race.

grahny

Rudy? Is that you?




and you answered your own question I think... more time in the saddle and I'm sure group rides couldn't hurt either. I don't race, but I'm a decently strong rider and I owe it to climbing hills. I hate them with a passion, but they make you stronger.

Ryanf

do this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66iXTQio7wk

timmyquest

I like the idea of a plan actually. It wasn't until i started following somewhat of a plan in the gym that i actually started getting stronger and i could see the usefulness on a bike. You gave a suggestion...anyone else have any others to look at?

chipcom 

Training is fine, but if you want to get into racing form...you gotta race.

ElJamoquio

FYI, the majority of that book focuses on designing your plan.

CrimsonKarter21

How often are you riding? Go out as much as possible, stop drinking pop/eating fat foods, and ride just for the hell of it. Don't try to match Ryanf in stats, but you'll probably be doing that in a few months if you keep trying. Ryanf isn't even fast enough to hold my fart.

timmyquest

My Sr. Year i felt like him...i actually quit my Jr. year (one of the biggest regrets in my life thus far...just as one of my coaches predicted). When i returned my Sr. year i was out of shape, undersized and not deserving of anything. I tore that sheet up on Saturday in the B games but rarely saw the field on Friday night. In the playoffs i was making strides on the 2nd squad kickoff team...busting my balls because i knew my favorite thing in the world IE football...was nearing an abrupt and permanent end. I'm convinced that if we made it just one more round in the playoffs i would have started the next game on the kickoff team.

In an odd twist of fate, my current roommate was the starting center for the team that beat us. He likes to rub it in, then i remind him of his teams 2nd place finish in the playoffs and tell him that perhaps he should move on from high school football...that usually gets him pretty quiet .

timmyquest

I know Ryan isn't that fast. I was hitting his stats at the end of last summer. Last summer was my breakthrough year and one of the better summers i've had in a long while and oddly most of my free time i was by myself, on my bike. By the end of July i was going out every day for an hour or two...i lost 30lbs in the process and went from "liking cycling" to "loving cycling".

I'm gonna be working a ton this summer but i'm planning on riding as much if not more, only in the mornings...which is better since i prefer to watch the sun come up while i'm on my bike.

DrPete 

Group rides are a great first step, but those are maybe 1-2 a week in most places.

The rest of the week, you should focus on INTERVALS. The simplest and most effective (watterrockets, where ya at?) are the 1-minute intervals. Lots of races have hard, short efforts that flick guys OTB, and you need to be able to react to those. So practice by going 1 minute as hard as you can go. Not a full sprint, but an effort that you can sustain for 1 minute. Recover for 3-5 minutes starting out, and as you get stronger you can shorten the recovery. Do 6-8 of those in one ride.

Group rides, intervals, and don't forget to take it easy after a hard day with a very easy/short recovery ride.

Other faster, more successful racers will have some more for you, I'm sure.

wvxc

Does the anti-Ryanf have to hate Jan?

timmyquest

Interesting...that creates a problem because i kinda like Jan. But, if i must make sacrifices then i can not discriminate.

Reynolds 

'Ride a lot'

wfrogge

Cocane?

timmyquest

It might make me faster

patentcad

+1 on the intervals. But I'd say you need to get into intervals that are a bit longer, even at the outset. That's how I went from off the back every race to in the peloton every race in my early 30's. You can try pyramid intervals like: 2 x 1 minute, 2 x 2 minutes, 2 x 3 minutes, 2 x 2 minutes, 2 x 1 minute. But I'd agree with Dr. Pete that the short bursts of intense speed are what you'll need most intially. ANY interval workout pursued consistently WILL make you faster. Get a HR monitor and discipline yourself to GO as soon as you recover below 125-130bpm. Then it becomes like weight lifting with your cardiovascular system.

Sprints too. It doesn't matter if you're the worst sprinter on the planet, sprint workouts make you faster and give you SNAP, which is part of what you'll need to respond to sudden accellerations, gaps that open up in the pack, etc.

It does work. I'm the slowest guy on the planet and I got MUCH faster doing this kind of training. You will too.

C-R700

Timmy, I would assume you reside in the iowa city area?

timmyquest

Yes and no. I go to school here, but in a couple weeks i'll be going back to Illinois. I'll return in mid-august

fryan

its not my falt that you arnt any good

DrPete 

^^^ Countdown to the ban of fryan starts.... now.

fryan

Why wood anywone want to bann me

DrPete 

You disappointed ongoB.

blonduathlongrl

5...4....3....
not smart enough to know you can't copie the original, he mispelled his mispellings

timmyquest

Wait a sec, did Ryanf get banned?