Cycling programme for beginner

breadmonkey

Hi all,

I've bought a bike and am hoping to cycle the 25km round trip to and from work 5 days a week, starting 4 weeks from now. Google maps estimates the trip as about 45 minutes each way.

I've been far too sedentary for the last number of years so I'm starting from a very low level of fitness. Could anyone recommend a programme to get me at (or as close as possible to) the required level of fitness in that time frame?

I'm sort of looking for something in an equivalent format to Hal Higdon's running programmes (assuming the same type of regime can be translated to cycling) e.g. http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51137/Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

Any suggestions?

Thanks

07Lapierre

The first thing you should do is join your local cycling club and go out with them once or twice a week. You'll get lots of advise from them and your fitness level will increase much quicker than training on your own.

desertcircus

breadmonkey wrote: »

Hi all,

I've bought a bike and am hoping to cycle the 25km round trip to and from work 5 days a week, starting 4 weeks from now. Google maps estimates the trip as about 45 minutes each way.

I've been far too sedentary for the last number of years so I'm starting from a very low level of fitness. Could anyone recommend a programme to get me at (or as close as possible to) the required level of fitness in that time frame?

I'm sort of looking for something in an equivalent format to Hal Higdon's running programmes (assuming the same type of regime can be translated to cycling) e.g. http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51137/Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

Any suggestions?

Thanks

If it's feasible, I'd start by doing the cycle once a day and using another means of transport for the other leg. Drive in Monday morning with the bike in the back, cycle home Monday evening, cycle into work Tuesday morning, drive home with the bike in the back. This allows you to control how frequently you do the route, and you can increase the number easily - cycle out and back one day a week, then add more as time goes on.

So for week one, you could cycle home Monday and out Tuesday, take a break from the bike Wednesday, cycle home Thursday and out Friday, for four repeats. Week two, same again, except this time you cycle out and back on Wednesday, which gives six repeats. Week three, cycle out and home four days, and take a day off if you find yourself fatiguing - so if you're exhausted on Wednesday night, take Thursday off and wait till Friday for the fourth set. Week four, do the four days in a row and see how you feel on Friday morning.

nilhg

OP I don't know if you'll find a regimented program to build you up to the 25km and also being fit enough to do it 10 times a week in all weathers, but here are some basic ideas that will point you in the right direction I hope.

Build up slowly, like you I was at a low level of fitness when I started (got quite a shock really when I realised how low), I could manage 10km reasonably comfortably so I took that as my base and tried to increase the distances by 1 or 2 km, not on every ride, every third or fourth one was an increase and inbetween was maintainence.

Apart from lack of fitness you're going to have to accustom your backside to being on the saddle, my experience with this was that loads of small rides apart foem your "training" spins helped, so if you have 5 or 10 minutes spare hop on the bike in civvies and do a lap of the carpark/up and down the local street, try and do that everyday, even rest days from proper training.

Get decent gear, and enough of it, if you're going to commute regularly you'll need it.

Train in the rain, again if you're going to commute regularly you'll have to go no matter what the weather so training for it is no different.

Beasty

Just on the cycling club point. I think it's far too early to be thinking about that (and would also need you to consider joining either Cycling Ireland or the IVCA either of which provides insurance cover)

It's much more a matter of starting off, building up and then perhaps thinking of something a bit more organised if that takes your fancy.

Undercover Elephant

Don't over think it. Just get out on the bike now and do what you're comfortable with, then build it up from there. You don't get fit in order to ride a bike. You ride a bike and get fit as a result.

If you aren't able to start with one way trips, as suggested above, then take it easy on the way in so you aren't dreading the return. You'll be doing it in under 30 min before you realise.

Macy0161

I was unfit and knocking 20 stone when I started doing a similar distanced commute. I built it up by doing equivalent spins around home, before chancing it. Then I did every other day for a while. First full week I was knackered by the Wednesday, but you do get used to it.

It may depend on the route, but mine was/ is predominantly downhill in, so every other day worked better than in one day, out the next.

Carawaystick

Just to point out 25 km in 45 mins is 33kmh average speed, which is very fast for a beginner. Have you clicked the cycling icon in maps?
Starting off you'ld be looking at taking an hour each way.

WhatsGoingOn2

Carawaystick wrote: »

Just to point out 25 km in 45 mins is 33kmh average speed, which is very fast for a beginner. Have you clicked the cycling icon in maps?
Starting off you'ld be looking at taking an hour each way.

Is it nor 25k in total? i.e 12.5k in each direction.

Carawaystick

WhatsGoingOn2 wrote: »

Is it nor 25k in total? i.e 12.5k in each direction.

Ah. That makes more sense with the time. Google cycling times are for a very leisurely cycle speed.

That's a much more comfortable commute 5 days a week

schemingbohemia

I'm incredibly unfit but manage to cycle home 14km, it's fairly flat though. I think you'll be surprised at how you find yourself able to do the 12.5km cycle.
I tend to bring my bike into work on the DART (illegally before 10am) and cycle home, hoping to build up to going both ways.

breadmonkey

Thanks everyone, some good advice in there. I guess I'll just get to it! As someone mentioned above, it's my ass that has been in agony so far rather than my legs or lungs!

MagicMarker

Do yourself a favour and do a test run on a day you're not working, just to make sure you're able. You don't want to be doing it for the first time on a Monday morning and realising half way that you're on the verge of passing out, and have to walk the rest of the way.

If you're unfit then you might find any sort of prolonged incline to be an absolute killer!

breadmonkey

Haha yeah will do. I've actually just moved to a new country and won't be starting the job until second week in September so have a lot of time to prepare and do a few test runs.

HivemindXX

As others have said there isn't really the same requirement to build up to it that other activities, like running, might have.

Couple of tips though:

Psychology is important. You are a cycle commuter now! You don't take the car! As soon as you start thinking, it's a bit wet today maybe I'll take the car or I'm a bit tired from last week maybe I'll take the car you may as well give up. The bike is for every day, using something motorised is for truly exceptional circumstances!

Give yourself way more time than the estimate until you know for a fact how long it will take you.

Absolutely minimise how much you carry with you. Every k you carry on your back is making your cycle harder than you realise. Leave a cache of supplies in work so you carry less. Restocking this is an acceptable reason to use the car!

Learn how to fix a puncture. Sorry but it may happen and sucks a lot less when you know how to deal with it.

You will improve noticeably over a fairly short time. Keeping track of how long it takes you and weight loss if that's a factor for you will really encourage you to keep it up. If you search around in this forum you will find tons of justifiably smug people talking about how cycling revolutionised their fitness.

Appropriate clothing helps a lot too. Get padded shorts (or tights, they are more macho than they sound...not by a lot mind), a cycling jacket and a jersey or base layer. Chafing will be a problem on a cycle of that length when you are not used to it.

Try different routes. You will probably find that the route you first picked won't be the one you end up preferring. A slightly longer route with quieter roads might be better for you, or an alternate that avoids that hill you dislike or bad road surface that shakes your bones.

Carawaystick

If you don't have a garmin or gps speedo, download the strava app for your phone. Record the spins, and by the end of the second week you'll see evidence of improvement.

If there are gaps between segments, fill them in, and watch yourself improve your times over the weeks.

Bloggsie

breadmonkey wrote: »

Hi all,

I've bought a bike and am hoping to cycle the 25km round trip to and from work 5 days a week, starting 4 weeks from now. Google maps estimates the trip as about 45 minutes each way.

I've been far too sedentary for the last number of years so I'm starting from a very low level of fitness. Could anyone recommend a programme to get me at (or as close as possible to) the required level of fitness in that time frame?

I'm sort of looking for something in an equivalent format to Hal Higdon's running programmes (assuming the same type of regime can be translated to cycling) e.g. http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51137/Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

Any suggestions?

Thanks

I commute twice a week 60km (family comitments mean I cant do it every day) when I 1st started I was knackered & that was commuting in & then getting the train home, now I do both journeys, on the days I dont commute I bring clothes in, i leave a pair of shoes under my desk also. Once you have done it a few times tyou will get used to it, I couldnt agree more with doing the route on a non work day to give you an idea of time road conditions/traffic etc & get a couple of pairs of padded shorts.

beauf

I do 14k each way but infrequently. At my best I did it 3 times a week,. I started from Zero fitness, as in being unfit and not having cycled in 10yrs. I start by doing a 20 min cycle then 30, 40 etc. Then I did half the route to work at the weekend. Then the whole way there and back. Testing out routes. The I did one day a week then a rest day then another day etc. I couldn't always cycle due to other issues, needed a car etc. The journey varies between 35 and 60 mins depending on hills, lights, wind, tiredness, luggage etc, route.

I also practised changing a tube front and back, at home but with only the tools I would carry. If you have no health or injury issues and reasonably healthy its not that far really. It does take quite a while finding a route you like, and also getting used to cycling in traffic. Getting geared up for rain, cold and night time. I must get back into it. Kinda fallen out of the habit.

breadmonkey

Strava app seems very good - is it worth paying for the premium version?

xebec

breadmonkey wrote: »

Strava app seems very good - is it worth paying for the premium version?

No, you should have everything you need in the free version.

Bloggsie

breadmonkey wrote: »

Strava app seems very good - is it worth paying for the premium version?

I use mapmyride. I did use strava but had some issues with it so I dropped it, that being said, I know plenty of people who love strava.

irlirishkev

I recently started commuting 18k each way. My previous commute was a 20min walk!

I cycled the one way distance once or twice prior to starting, and didn't find it too hard.

Initially I only did Tuesdays and Wednesdays on the bike. This week was my first time doing Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday, and my legs are quite tired today. I hate driving to work for all the obvious reasons, so I'm aiming for at least 4 days with one driving day for bringing in/home clothes, towels, food etc..

I've been logging all my trips with MapMyRide, and watching the improvement is definitely motivating.

As others have said, fairly quickly you'll be flying in and out without a second thought.

Good excuse for a bike upgrade if you need one. I did, and it's made big difference.

Hexen

I do a similar commute 5 days a week (30 km round trip) and I was 2 and half stone overweight when I started about a year ago.

Didn't start cycling to lose weight - started just to 'walk' the dog actually - and just really enjoyed it. Rather than join a cycle club I'd just take the bike on any short local trips to shops etc and build it up from there. Basically I started by foregoing walking/driving for any outdoor trip over 100 metres and under 10km. Explore your local area by bike whenever you get the chance.

The first time you cycle to work give yourself lots of time - over an hour - and probably best to do it on a day you're not actually working. Get comfortable with a route, traffic, signalling, and road position. Build up confidence if you're cycling in the city - so long as you're alert it's easy enough to stay safe and despite recurrent threads here and some real issues most car drivers are pretty good.

Once you start cycling it regularly you'll notice that you're a bit knackered on the Thursday or Friday. It should be fun, so if it becomes a chore maybe take the car on these days but after six months or so this shouldn't be a problem.

As advised above invest in some clothes to keep you dry so rain ain't a problem and keep a change of clothes in work. Wind is worse than rain actually.

If you're overweight, that will gradually just melt off - it's gradual but continuous, you almost won't notice.

Your arse will be sore for the first couple of months but then you'll probably feel it less and less the more you cycle.

Don't worry about how fast Google maps thinks you should cycle, or whether some geriatric nun on a rusty high Nellie speeds by you, or anything like that. Find your own pace and you'll get faster overtime. After about 3 months you'll notice some difference in travel time and your cycling legs will start to slowly get stronger.

Buy a good u-lock (gold solid secure). Be careful where you lock it. If it's new and will be out in the open consider disguising it (wrap it in electric tape). Register it and, ideally, show registration stamp on bike frame (e.g. with ISR - cyclesure offer this with insurance scheme; it's okay value). If it's worth 800 to 1000 euro consider insuring it against theft (about 70 euro pa and good piece of mind).

Above all have fun. It's a nice, exhilarating, autonomous form of travel. Health and social benefits are secondary.

brocbrocach

I'd agree with all that.
One thing that you'll encounter is sweating, which is good and bad...

For me sweating is much more the enemy than rain. Don't be afraid of rain. You'll be changing all your clothes anyway and they should be of fairly light, quick-drying material. Use a water-proof bag or put stuff in a plastic bag inside it. Sweating on the other hand is smelly, continues even after you're off the bike / possibly when you're in work clothes and can have health effects.

My commute is just about short enough that I don't need a shower at work but you may well do at yours. Even if there's a shower available it can take a bit of time. As others have mentioned baby wipes or a sink wash can do the basics but if you're really pumping it can be a bit messy. I start slowing down when I'm almost at work to get the heartrate down. I obey all lights, don't look for gaps in traffic etc, just cruise in. Keeps me calmer and less sweaty i find. I'd often take the helmet off on the last street or two to get a bit more breeze. You'll adapt as seasons change too.

Base your cycling gear on how warm you'll get rather than how cold at the start. Unless you have high-quality (expensive) gear you're better off feeling a bit cold when you start off. I wore shorts all through the winter but i'm warm blooded. I can safely say I've never been cold at the end. Don't be afraid to stop and remove layers when you start heating up either.