**Cycling Training Thread**

kennyb3

Firstly there are way too many what bike threads and so on threads and not very many (that i can find) on specific training, tips, hints, nutrition, tapering etc. perhaps its just that im coming off the athletics board originally but i find this weird. secondly i know that i can google suggested plans and have done but what im looking to find out is what other people do and get some interaction and find out some of teh more detailed stuff (technical term) not listed in these plans.

perhaps someone can even point me in the way of a good cycling training book. im coming from a position whereby i only started about 8 weeks ago so have missed most of this years racing but would like to do a few backend ones (along with sportives etc) and race proper next year. have joined swords cc, do the half 8 spin on a sat morning (last 2 weeks) and also get out on monday and wednesday.

have done 163 and 164km respectively the last 2 weeks (have a log on the ATR section of boards). i incorporate a few hills where possible and am just generally doing 3 spins at a decent pace (27 - 30kmph depending on legs, hills, distance). im looking for advice of how to get the best out of teh 3 days training i have available to me, what i should be doing over the winter.

how many km's a week do people do here? want to gauge what i need to be doing to race competitively.

Brian

Lumen

Raam

Hi Kenny,
in the pre-season I did lots of intervals on the flat and on hills coupled with endurance spins. I figured this would gear me up to race competitively. I turned up to my first Swords league race full of hope. I got utterly destroyed. It was like this for the first 4 races. Then I found my legs and managed to win the fifth! If you want to race competitvely, my advice is to start racing as soon as you can and supplement it with training.

the only way to get race fit is to compete in races.

P

Quigs Snr

I second the Joe Friel Book, also "Serious Cycling" is quite good too if somewhat less well known, Arnie Bakers "Smart Cycling" is worth a glance too if you see if cheap. (Don't bother with less substantial books like the Lance Armstrong Training Program)

In general its not the miles that matter so much, its what you do with them, theres a big difference between being out on your bike and actually training. This winter you will be just looking at putting in the miles however at a decent pace, long training rides at 70-75% of your max on average will be a good start. Follow that up with speed work in spring, intervals, sprints, threshold sessions, hill repeats etc.... You will see it all in the above books... Another approach is to shadow a good rider in your club. Don't take advice from 20 different people like I once did, it gets you nowhere. Find an experienced old head and see what they do, it might not work exactley for you but it will give you a starting point. In general the most important thing is to have a structured training program, a purpose every single time you go out on the bike, don't go out there with nothing in your head as has often been my downfall.

scottreynolds

Lumen wrote: »

kennyb3............If you run slowly with me again I can lend you this book and some others.

Training is essentially simple. You need a mixture of longer slower spins for endurance and then faster harder ones for speed. A classic intervals sessions is the 2 x 20 min effort. Look up 2x20 on the net. Raam might post another link to his training program.

Most races for Swords CC are between 45-60km. Racing will push your limits and you'll eventually adapt. When I was training during winter I was doing repeats of Howth hil at various intensities which paid off really well. Most of my training was focused on training for one event which was long distance.

thebouldwhacker

The amount of 'what bike' threads is directly in proportion to the amount of boardies who are seeking information on which bike to buy. Therefore while there are a lot of them, there can never be too many of them.

There are plenty of posters here who race but many more who do not, the board serves as a medium for all, I myself do not race but would cycle anywhere between 100 and 300km during the week made up of intense short spin and /or normal pace long spin, some mtb at weekends and if I can get away another long spin during the weekend. My interest is in fitness and health, I have always cycled and so would see it as my hobby and past time as I'm sure many here do too.

Regarding specific tips on training, tips, hints, nutrition, tapering etc, there are plenty of threads regarding these here, on the ART forum (esp triathlon threads) and the fitness forum but ask and you shall receive obviously the more specific the question the better the answer but the majority of people will recommend bananas and cake as the key stone to being a strong competitive cyclist:D:D

My 2 cents is: well done on your cycling to date, joining a club is the best move at this stage, get a turbo trainer for the winter. ENJOY your cycling, there are many threads covering what you have asked already, dont be afraid to jump in and swim around!!:)

Raam

scottreynolds wrote: »

Raam might post another link to his training program.

I was doing this winter program...

There are quite a few others on that site...
12 hours
14 hours
16 hours
18 hours

blorg

I think key to training is that you have a goal and your structure your training around attaining that goal.

Now I don't train at all myself and pick up goals randomly on a whim, that sounds like a good thing to do next week sort of thing. But I do have a good base.

Training is something I intend to start doing properly. At some point.

If your goal is racing, a proper training plan will undoubtedly help but I have heard from many people that the best training for racing is doing races, so throw yourself in as soon as possible. So much of racing (I am just in my first season) is about tactics, riding in a tight bunch (it is very different from a group ride), cornering, you will only get this from actually doing races. The club leagues are a great place to pick this up as they are handicapped and have smaller bunches than open races. I found I went from utterly terrified to reasonably confident about doing it a relatively small number of races.

kennyb3

thanks to all the above. only back in the office and busy for teh afternoon so will sift through all this later.

Brian

thebouldwhacker

Lumen wrote: »

OP, Paddyb just posted that he is selling one of these... buy it or I will

kennyb3

@ Lumen and theboulderwhacker and Quigs Snr- thanks for the book info.

@ RAAM and blorg - thanks, think i ll try race as soon as possible. maybe the swords league race next wednesday. 45k is prob a bit long for a first race at race spped and no doubt i ll get dropped but it will be a start i guess.

@ RAAM thanks for the links.

@ scott - looked that up thanks. might take that book off you alright the next time we are out running (maybe middle of next week?). achilles was bit stiff after last one but after weeks break from running tried again last night and was okay. how is the training going?

blorg

With regard to the racing, the club leagues are handicapped and as a beginner you should get to go in the first group off- you might suprise yourself with how well you manage there. If they are doing a rotation (this can be frustratingly difficult to get people to do although it is in the whole group's interest) just rotate, do your turn, don't spend too long at the front and drop back. Generally you go up on the right, back on the left but it can be done the other way depending on the wind. If you are in a bunch that isn't rotating generally try to stick near but not at the front. If you are hanging off the back you are at risk of being dropped and will find you will have to sprint out of every corner (the front guys take them at full speed and it gets slower as you go back.)

If/when you are caught with the group behind they will probably all storm past which can seem intimidating but just latch on and the pace, while faster, will probably drop off a little from when they were passing you.

kennyb3

blorg wrote: »

With regard to the racing, the club leagues are handicapped and as a beginner you should get to go in the first group off- you might suprise yourself with how well you manage there.

thanks hopefully this will be the case. im pretty sure it is, as it is generally the norm for swords races from what i gather

blorg wrote: »

If they are doing a rotation (this can be frustratingly difficult to get people to do although it is in the whole group's interest) just rotate, do your turn, don't spend too long at the front and drop back. Generally you go up on the right, back on the left but it can be done the other way depending on the wind. .

have done a good bit of this in my last 2 club spins. took plenty of turns on the front last week before a blowout which seen me land in a ditch.

blorg wrote: »

If you are in a bunch that isn't rotating generally try to stick near but not at the front. If you are hanging off the back you are at risk of being dropped and will find you will have to sprint out of every corner (the front guys take them at full speed and it gets slower as you go back.).

i ve only come to realise this and its really good advice its horrible playing catch up at the back

blorg wrote: »

If/when you are caught with the group behind they will probably all storm past which can seem intimidating but just latch on and the pace, while faster, will probably drop off a little from when they were passing you.

will bear this in mind.btw thanks for all the advice. its all the little things that help

blorg

kennyb3 wrote: »

have done a good bit of this in my last 2 club spins. took plenty of turns on the front last week before a blowout which seen me land in a ditch.

It is very different in a race- in a club spin as a rule people will always be doing a rotation and the pace is not crazy, in a race particularly with the beginners groups it is far rarer... The higher seeded groups are far more organised. Part of this is the pace, people feel they just can't get up, but part is that people are just lazy and are trying to avoid being at the front. Given the number of people you see still in the bunch at the end who have not been near the front the whole race (some even having a go in the sprint) I think it is mostly laziness.

Maybe not in your first race but after you have done a few no harm to try to get it organised yourself, best lead by example, move up not too fast (so hopefully you take someone up behind you) and if you are on the front and no-one is coming through either (a) ask- flick of the elbow or a verbal request or if this is not working just (b) sit up and ease off the pace until someone behind comes up (make sure if doing this you are ready to latch on to their wheel.)

kennyb3

some great advice there, im sure i ll refer back to it over the next few weeks as i start to race.