Newbie cyclist goals

drogdub

Hi all,
I need a bit of advice. And from reading this board over the last while this seems to be the place to go. Road cycling is what I want to do. I want to eventually get into the different styles of training, but first want to concentrate on doing it regularly and get used to gearing. I want to make 50k trips my minimum and work from there. My medium goal is to do the wicklow 100/200 next year. I have done two trips 25k and 37k ( the last 5 were a killer). Is this the right starting strategy and what should I being doing as someone new to the sport. My trips were Drogheda to Newgrange and back and Drogheda to Slane and back. Also can anyone recommend good trips around Drogheda. All advice welcome

Victor

Rather than necessarily going on long trips regularly, just make sure that every trip you do is on the bike - don't use the car / bus for anything. Get that under you belt and you can clock up quite a few km during the week, rather than doing long trips only a few times during the week.

Raam

You could sign up for this which is running on August 24th
http://www.waterfordcoco.ie/en/tourism/seankellytour/

There is a 50km option which sounds like it might be in your bracket.

And just to follow on from Victor, if commuting to work by bike is an option, go for it. That's how I started. Now I can't stop, but that's another issue altogether.

Raam

Good trips around Drogheda are to head out the coast towards Bettystown out as far as Julianstown.
You can also head out the Naul road, that's very popular with cyclists. It's a quiet road with a decent surface.

I haven't done anything north of Drogheda.
FYI: the best time to go is early in the morning before the roads get busy.

blorg

Just get out on the bike as often as you can and ramp up the mileage gradually each week, being careful not to overdo it. 50k, even 25 or 37k is quite a bit if you haven't cycled before.

cantalach

• Don't add more than 10% per week to your training load. This might sound conservative, but will take your weekly total from 60 km to 150 km in just 10 weeks.
• If you don't naturally pedal with a high cadence (90-100 rpm), train yourself to do so - 'mashing' a high gear will wear out those leg muscles very quickly. So don't be lazy about shifting!
• Get a professional bike fit if you haven't already. I didn't do this until I was cycling for well over 2 years - one of my biggest regrets. It would have saved me a fortune in physio.
• Try to make stretching before and after an integral part of each spin. Again, this will save you physio bills down the line.
• Get a heart rate monitor to ensure that you're staying in the right zone and not pushing unnecessarily hard. Try to keep it to just 70-80% (cardio zone) over a medium distance and 60-70% (fat zone) over a long distance. Those are the numbers that work for me anyway - others may differ.
• Don't forget to drink and nibble while you're out, and try to get some quality carbs and protein into you within 30 minutes of finishing.

blorg

cantalach- where did you get your bike fit done, as this is something I am considering myself (15 years or so in to my cycling ;-) Cyclesuperstore was where I was planning on going, although I believe they don't have a jig, just do the measurements.

cantalach

blorg wrote: »

cantalach- where did you get your bike fit done, as this is something I am considering myself (15 years or so in to my cycling ;-) Cyclesuperstore was where I was planning on going, although I believe they don't have a jig, just do the measurements.

I'm in Cork so probably not relevant to you. But for what it's worth, mine was done by a guy who's a former team mechanic, turned sports massage practitioner, and now back in college studying PE. He really knows his stuff and seems to have built up a very loyal client base amongst the local roadies and triathletes.

blorg

I think I may have heard of this guy- is he based in UCC? I am down in Cork with my bike often enough (last cycled down for the long weekend) so would not be out of the question. Any indication of cost?

cantalach

blorg wrote: »

I think I may have heard of this guy- is he based in UCC? I am down in Cork with my bike often enough (last cycled down for the long weekend) so would not be out of the question. Any indication of cost?

I have private messaged you with details - I'm not comfortable posting his name and contact details to a forum.

drogdub

Thanks for that lads. Much appreciated