training for a complete novice....

Dick Turnip

Hi,

was hoping i could get some advice from the more experienced folk on this forum. basically, the most cycling i do is around dublin getting from home to work or to go to a mates house - never more than a few miles. Yesterday however a friend asked me would i be interested in doing the maynooth to galway cycle that NUIM students organise.

Now my initial reaction is that i'd love to do it as i'd love the challenge, however i'm wondering is a 2month period until the event a bit too short to prepare for such an event given my complete lack of long distance cycling? i'd be reasonably fit - play football/jog/go to gym for cardio around 3 times a week and obviously if i was to decide to go for it i'd step it up considerably up to the end of march.

so my question is could a cycling novice complete a 126 mile journey (and back again a day later!) with just a couple of months training? any advice would be welcome! just to reiterate - i would give it a proper shot and train accordingly (probably around my football training) as i don't want to run out of steam this side of kinnegad!

any advice is welcome

Captain Havoc

Yes, it's very possible. I'd imagine that ye won't be pushing too hard so just spend as much time on the bike as possible. Maybe try and do a couple of sportives before it.

Dick Turnip

yeah the pace seems to be around the 25 kph mark which doesnt seem too bad. they also have training cycles at weekends of around the 50/60 km mark and you have to do at least two of them beforehand or else you won't be allowed take part.

i think i might go for it alright, and do as many of the training cycles with the group beforehand as i can. will have to trade in the crappy mountain bike i have at the moment for a basic racer.

who knows - it could be the start of a love affair for this sort of thing!

Lumen

Cycling 400km over two days is not easy. However, if you train steadily and don't get injured it's quite possible.

It rather depends on what you can do now.

The normal protocol is not to increase training volume by more than 10% a week. The problem is that 10% over eight weeks is only double, and you need to ramp faster than this.

You're probably not going to go near 200km in training. Hopefully the event will be slow enough that you can avoid the dreaded "double step up" - going much faster and further than you have in training. If that happens you're screwed.

Most importantly, listen to your body. If you get injured you're also screwed.

I'd structure each week around two key rides: one long endurance ride, where the target is to pedal at a comfortable pace for a given distance; one fast ride, where you are targetting a given level of effort for (say) an hour.

Your long ride could start at (say) 40km in week 1 and build 20% a week up to 120km in week 7. The last week is for taper - a couple of easy rides and a bit of a leg stretcher about three days before.

Don't be tempted to extend the fast ride - recovery will take too long and your subsequent training will suffer.

Add some easy rides for recovery. Recovery rides should be as slow as possible, like embarassingly slow, and not long - perhaps half an hour. You are not trying to build endurance on these, just promote blood flow to the muscles.

If you feel you can do more in a week, add in 1-2 hour rides at endurance pace.

Good luck!

Dick Turnip

Thanks lumen!

there is a day's rest before the return journey. I know that's just a side point and not the issue here. the website for the cycle is www.galwaycycle.ie if anyone is interested. it's seems to be well organised

i think i'll get the new bike at the weekend and hit the road on Sunday or Monday and see how i fare out. i bought a speedometer for my commuter bike before for the novelty factor. at least i can put it to good use for once! i think i'll train like something you have suggested and put in extra rides where possible. i'll go to their training cycles and see how i fare out at them also. there will be 200 or so on the day doing the cycle so i better get used to cycling in groups as well as i'm sure it's a completely different dynamic as well.

ROK ON

Hi.
Its possible but you will feel it after you have completed.

The first long cyclethat I did was 112miles and I spent 3 months training for it. The longest training ride that I did beforehand was 60miles.

It was very doable and enjoyable but I was seriously buckles for following few days.
Btw I was 17stone at the time, so if I can do it anyone can, particularly if you are reasonably fit.
Best ofluck and enjoy it.

hinault

Dick Turnip wrote: »

Hi,

was hoping i could get some advice from the more experienced folk on this forum. basically, the most cycling i do is around dublin getting from home to work or to go to a mates house - never more than a few miles. Yesterday however a friend asked me would i be interested in doing the maynooth to galway cycle that NUIM students organise.

Now my initial reaction is that i'd love to do it as i'd love the challenge, however i'm wondering is a 2month period until the event a bit too short to prepare for such an event given my complete lack of long distance cycling? i'd be reasonably fit - play football/jog/go to gym for cardio around 3 times a week and obviously if i was to decide to go for it i'd step it up considerably up to the end of march.

so my question is could a cycling novice complete a 126 mile journey (and back again a day later!) with just a couple of months training? any advice would be welcome! just to reiterate - i would give it a proper shot and train accordingly (probably around my football training) as i don't want to run out of steam this side of kinnegad!

any advice is welcome

All good advice from the various posters.

You can complete this course.
It is important to get as much time on the bike as you can between now and when the ride takes place.

It is important to remember that you need to gradually build up your endurance levels between now and the ride.
I would suggest trying to build progressively toward doing a long distance by doing successively longer riders as you approach your deadline.

You have an advantage that you have a reasonable level of fitness (from football) but you need to remember that cycling is an endurance activity and endurance takes time to develop.

Also doing longer and longer spins on the bike will help make you tougher mentally.
This can be the most difficult part of doing long distance rides : making sure that mentally you can cope with the distance and time involved.

Dick Turnip

thanks rok on.

i really wouldnt care if i was fooked for a week after if it meant i had managed to complete the thing! i think i'll do a training log on this with time, distance, speed and route (dublin area) if people are interested.

Dick Turnip

thanks hinault.

yeah the endurance and lonliness of training will be the biggest factors i think as the football training is in a group theres always someone to tell you keep going or go faster etc. i plan to get a bike sorted this weekend and hit the road straight away.

i think its just the challenge i need to get kick start the year. just hope i didnt bite off more than i can chew.

hinault

Dick Turnip wrote: »

thanks hinault.

yeah the endurance and lonliness of training will be the biggest factors i think as the football training is in a group theres always someone to tell you keep going or go faster etc. i plan to get a bike sorted this weekend and hit the road straight away.

i think its just the challenge i need to get kick start the year. just hope i didnt bite off more than i can chew.

The thing is you need to enjoy it : enjoy might not be the right word but you know what I mean?
You need to try to get satisfaction from training and improving.

Is there a local club close to where you live? They might oblige you by allowing you to accompany them for a training spin.
It might help to break the tedium of training alone.

Look on this as an experience - you're going to get fitter and you're going to succeed in this objective.
Relax, stay positive and try to enjoy the experience.

papac

All good advice above.
I would add to make sure you get in the habit of eating- a little and often- as you build your mileage.
Hunger knock is the no.1 enemy of the long distance cyclist. (Ask Alberto Contador-http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/fuelling-by-numbers)

Lumen

papac wrote: »

All good advice above. I would add to make sure you get in the habit of eating- a little and often- as you build your mileage. Hunger knock is the no.1 enemy of the long distance cyclist

I made these on Saturday morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UiuqIWGe_s

Pretty quick to knock up, tasty and easy on the stomach.