I've started cycling in January of this year. Mostly to loose some weight and because I love to be outside. My plan was to only ride as a commute to work and back (19 mile round trip) of which I am doing 4 times a week. I have an old Italian Steel road bike called a Bertoni.

Fast forward to today. I've lost 20lbs or so (279 to 258 as of last night) and in doing so have totally become addicted to cycling. I know I am still a beginner but I have put some good miles on my bike (albeit the same route everyday).

What I want to do... I would like to be able to work toward a century. The town I live in has an organized century twice a year (March and October). I know I have a long way to go and weight to loose, but this is something that I would like to do. My goal is to be ready to ride the event in March of 2010 as the October ride seems a bit out of reach.

Why I am posting this... I don't have anyone in my circle of life that has anything to do with cycling. So besides the people down and the local bike shop, I don't know anyone else that rides. In order to complete my goal I think I would like to purchase a new bike (thinking about a Specialized Allez), as my existing bike, while fabulous at getting me to work and back, is not something I want to be on for hours at a time. I am sure It does not fit as it should. I am thinking I need to have my weight down to the 220 range by then.

My question is: Currently I am not doing anything outside of my daily commute as far as training. I am not willing to stop commuting and replace it with an after work riding program as that cuts into my family time in which I am not willing to do. However, I would like to start riding on Saturday (early) mornings. What sort of program would you recommend? Is it doable within the March 2010 time frame?

As a side note, I am very thankful for this board as it is a wealth of knowledge to beginners.

Do some good 4.5 to 5 hours rides on Saturday and Sunday.
Do a big loop, and make sure you have a good 5 mile climb in there somewhere.
Have two sections in your loop of really nice stretches, the road flat, or with a slight false flat where you can do about 15-20min "Time Trial" or "breakaway effort". This and the 5 mile climb.
Should be a 80-90 mile loop. Dont worry about "building up to it". Just ride it nice and easy first few times. Take lots and lots of food. But dont worry about that either, you can just stop at 7-11s as you go and buy stuff. Drink lots and lots.
Once you can do the loop without collapsing, introduce the 2 efforts I mentioned.
Once you are able to do this, you might as well go join a few races. You should be good to go.

Basically, ride your bike. Do nice big loops that include a few climbs, and flat sections to do efforts on.
thats all u need. Cycling doesnt really have a "program". People like Lance and sports trainers like to say this, but thats just to sell book, and training diaries. Lance himself just rides his bike. All that heart rate, zone, power watts crap is just pros being endorsed advertisers.

Take the long way to work, or the long way home twice a week. You can add miles without cutting into your time as much as a pure training ride.

Please keep in mind that all advice here is relative(hint above).

If you want to ride a century in March then I would continue your commute and ride for fun this summer. Take some time off of the bike end of September early October to freshen up and focus on the goals ahead. In October start to focus on your March goal. I would continue to commute and then also start getting in one ride per week of 2hrs(usually on weekend) and increase for 3 weeks by half an hour then go back to 2-3 hrs on the fourth week(2 rest days per week). (oct)2,2.5,3,2 then (nov)3,3.5,4,2 then(dec) 4,4.5,5,2 (jan)5,5.5,6,2 etc.(get the idea). The idea is to work in increasing blocks and use that 4th week as kind of a rest week. Set this up so that your longest ride say 6-7 hrs is 2 wks out from your century. This way you will gradually increase your miles to be ready for the century and allow your body to adapt to being on the bike for extended periods. Do not be intimidated by a century!!! It is not as hard as you may think. Hope this helps. P.S. I am not a coach giving free advice but rather a regular guy who has worked with a coach and read countless books on the subject.

Make sure you don't add too much too soon. 80-90 miles on the first saturday, even at a slow pace, could increase your chance of injury. The first week start with maybe a 20-25 mile ride and add no more than 10% every week. This will have you hitting 100 miles way before March and it will give you plenty of time to adapt to spending that much time in the saddle.

Make sure you have lots to drink. On a hot day, try to drink one bottle an hour. This could mean stopping along the way to buy water or stuffing extra bottles in your jersey. Also, make sure you pack food. Cookies, sandwiches, whatever you want.

This is a good book about century (and beyond) training:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-.../dp/1579541992

The 10% rule is a good one. So is is taking a "rest" week (not required to be totally off the bike) every 3-4 weeks. It's ok to fit rest weeks in to your life, like when relatives are visiting or it's busy at work.

Don't make getting down to 220 a requirement to do the century. If you keep riding, the weight will come off.

Here's my perennial century training post, FWIW: