New to cycling, a few fitness type questions!

GoWan

Hi

I'm back cycling ( started with the bike to work) have a Giant Defy 2. 1st time training in years. Must say I'm loving it, great to be out of the car and out in the air, makes you feel alive, and feeling 100% fitter already.

I'm cycling the last 2 months and have lost 1.5 stone. Am still 15 st so want to lose another 2. I put on 3 stone after giving up the fags.

Here's the question. I'm cycling 5/6 days per week. About 40k for 3 days and then about 15 or 16k the other 2. Legs are starting to feel sore through. Was out walking tonight and felt like I had shin splints. Should I be resting more. On a weekly basis I'm doing anything from 100 to 140k.

Also down the road a bit I would like to join a club to do group cycling, for fun, not competitive. I wear a back pack ( change of clothes etc..) And normally average 21/22k over the journey. I see on some sites average speeds for spins would be 25k. So is it just a case of put the miles in and you get faster or, train to get faster? or are starter groups slower. I know as I knock off the other 2 stone it will help :-) lol.

Thanks for the info.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Most clubs have intermediate groups and some of the bigger clubs have beginner groups but saying that your solo 21/22kmh is the equivalent of 25/26kmph in a group and obce you get more miles in your speed will increase too.

Winter speeds are generally 5/6kmh slower than summer speeds so don't get too hung up on speed just join a club and you'll soon fit in with the group.

nilhg

GoWan wrote: »

Hi

I'm back cycling ( started with the bike to work) have a Giant Defy 2. 1st time training in years. Must say I'm loving it, great to be out of the car and out in the air, makes you feel alive, and feeling 100% fitter already.

I'm cycling the last 2 months and have lost 1.5 stone. Am still 15 st so want to lose another 2. I put on 3 stone after giving up the fags.

Here's the question. I'm cycling 5/6 days per week. About 40k for 3 days and then about 15 or 16k the other 2. Legs are starting to feel sore through. Was out walking tonight and felt like I had shin splints. Should I be resting more. On a weekly basis I'm doing anything from 100 to 140k.

Also down the road a bit I would like to join a club to do group cycling, for fun, not competitive. I wear a back pack ( change of clothes etc..) And normally average 21/22k over the journey. I see on some sites average speeds for spins would be 25k. So is it just a case of put the miles in and you get faster or, train to get faster? or are starter groups slower. I know as I knock off the other 2 stone it will help :-) lol.

Thanks for the info.

It seems you've gone from doing very little into a fairly full on training regime over a short enough space of time and to me it looks as if while you've got the balance fairly right maybe the amount of work is slightly out of tune with the amount of recovery.

I'm no expert on this so I'll point you to an article from one,

http://www.stickybottle.com/coaching/coaching-training-recovery-getting-the-balance-right-at-this-crucial-time-of-year/

That's probably too technical but you'll bet the general idea, recovery and rest days are important.

Lumen

Try and do one long, slow cycle of up to three hours once a week.

If it feels too hard you're going too fast.

GoWan

Thanks for that info guys!

As you said from Zero to a lot (in my eyes anyway!) may be a bit too much, Ill try for more recovery time maybe a day during the week. that link was very interesting. I was 2.5 score at the end, so in the middle.

Over the last 2 weeks I was trying to get in a longer cycle, (Sat or Sunday morning), but was going for it most of the time, so Ill drop the speed a little on this. ( I did 55K last week on the Sunday, was absolutely shattered when I got home).

Thanks again for the info.

Cheers!