Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Speed or distance?

  • 27-05-2010 1:07pm
    #1
    corblimey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,475 ✭✭✭


    So I've got a nice route that I've done 3 times now (and again tonight), that is a nice loop with some ups and downs and a distance of 16.2km. I did it in just over 42mins on Tuesday. This weekend, I had planned on changing things around a bit, finding another slightly longer route. But maybe I should concentrate on this route and get my time down. My ave speed on Tuesday would be about 20kph, should I be looking to get that up to say 25, ie do the 16.2km in sub 39mins?

    I'm not looking to win the Tour de France (a podium finish would be fine) and am doing this mostly to get some exercise and up my fitness, so I'm thinking no point in pushing myself too much to begin as that will just end up turning me off the whole thing. Once I've got some distance going (I'm hoping to reach the heady heights of 40k at weekends in a month or 2) maybe then I should start looking at ave speed - is there any real point in doing that before I'm doing a 'proper' spin? Maybe with longer distances, I'll find my ave speed going up as I get more into it?

    I took a look at this and it looks reasonable, although it is for the 50k which has been designated as family friendly :D so maybe I'm setting my sights too low? Maybe taking that as a startinh point and working towards this is a way to go? [BTW, I'm placing a lot of faith in Mr Kelly's suggested training programmes, are they actually any use - is this guy Kelly any good on a bicycle ;)]


Comments

  • #2
    Lumen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,222 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    Just remember to start and end the ride nice and gently. Particularly the start. Ideally, don't start the bike computer for 20 minutes, then you'll have no reason to push hard.

    When you are going faster, try and sustain it for 10-20 minutes in a continuous block, as you'll get more benefit that way.

    So for a 50 minute ride:

    20 mins warmup (slow!)
    20 mins @ 25kph
    10 mins cooldown (slow!)
    --
    50 mins

    If you want to go further, break the hard bit into two and add some recovery, e.g.

    20 mins warmup (slow!)
    15 mins @ 25kph
    10 mins @ easy pedalling
    15 mins @ 25kph
    10 mins cooldown (slow!)
    --
    70 mins

    Judge your effort by your breathing. If you can talk properly you're not going hard enough. :pac:

    That's for going faster. For going further, just keep it gentle, "dancing on the pedals". Fast+far=long recovery needed.

    Also, read Joe Friel's 10 commandments, particularly the "train moderately" bit.

    Don't know about this "Kelly" bloke. As Edvald Boasson Hagen said: "Sean Kelly? Sorry, I am not so good with cycling history. I just want to race."

    Enjoy!


Advertisement