Entries Tagged 'training' ↓
January 30th, 2010 — tejvan, training
not me, but a couple on a tandem in Oxford
After 2-3 months of long base mile training, I have started thinking about the start of the racing season. I’m tempted to begin racing in mid February which is quite early.
On Thursday, I did the first really hard session since the end of October. I just raced around a 12 mile circuit averaging about 22 mph. You always feel slow at this time of the year, the weight of winter clothing doesn’t seem to help either. But, ignoring the time, it’s good to regain the feeling of racing after such a long break.
At this time of the year, I might do one or two hard sessions a week. Also, it doesn’t have to be at a maximal effort. Just enough to prevent the first race being a real shock to the system.
I don’t really have a strict training plan, I find a lot is determined by weather conditions. For example, the week of really cold weather led to a very quiet week in terms of hours spent training. But, this kind of light training weeks is good to have every four weeks or so. I think it’s a mistake to do the same intensity and duration every week. A heavy week followed by a shorter mileage week helps recovery.
Generally, I train depending on how I feel. If I don’t feel tired after a couple of 2 hour rides, I know that is a good sign to be able to lift the intensity of the training.
Any athlete always has a difficult balance between undertraining and overtraining, and depending on who you ask you will get very different answers. It is certainly a very individual issue depending on
- general health
- base aerobic fitness
- age.
- ability to recover.
December 22nd, 2009 — training
Usually when the temperature dips below 0, I take it as a good excuse to have a rest. But, looking at this weeks long range forecast, this would have entailed a long layoff. Usually, it is January and February which are the coldest months so it’s bad news when it’s already this cold in December.
Tips for Cycling in The Cold
1. Avoiding the Ice.
The worst feature of cycling in a frost is the danger of hitting some ice. If you hit any ice, at the slightest of angle, you will be nursing a sore knee before you can even start saying ‘ I wish they had gritted the roads.’ To avoid ice, I have been:
- Sticking to main roads – A and B roads – bus routes are usually a safe bet.
- I walk my bike to the end of our quiet road before getting on.
- Be particularly careful about going from a road to a pavement / cycle path
- Personally, I avoid cycle paths like the plague, they invariably haven’t been gritted like roads
- When cycling on A roads, you have to keep your eyes peeled for unexpected blocks of ice, e.g. where someone washed their car the night before.
- Don’t ride in the Gutter, but keep a good distance into the road. This can be difficult on busy A roads.
Keeping Warm
- Yesterday, I had several layers on, including thermal layers, but, was still cold on returning after a three hour ride. Somehow it just seeps into your body after a while.
- With poor circulation, I couldn’t manage without my hot pads. I’ve been putting a pair in my socks and also a pair between a glover liner and the bigger ski gloves. At this rate I will be going through a box of 40 pads pretty quick. But, I feel it’s the best money I’ve spent over Christmas.
- Ear warmers. A thin hat which covers forehead and ears is essential.
- Keep Wind out. Some material to keep out the winter is essential. Be wary about heavy duty Goretex layers, they claim they are breathable, but, that is dubious, I find I end up sweating like anything, which can make you susceptible to cold.
- Being prepared for a brakedown. For winter rides, the last thing you want to have to do is to mend a puncture. But, it could happen, I carry another layer to put on. The hotpads would be useful if I had to take gloves off to mend a puncture.
- Going out at 11am – 12am is probably best time
Looking After Bike.
With all the salt on the road, I used a custom heavy duty winter chain lubricant. It is specially designed to protect components from the corrosive effect of salt.
Is It Enjoyable Riding in Freezing conditions?
When I went out on Saturday, the air temperature was probably just creeping above 0 degrees because the water bottle didn’t freeze. It was a beautiful day because the sky was clear. In that sense I enjoyed it very much, though I’ve never concentrated so hard on the road ahead looking out for ice.
I’m trying to ride on alternative days. Even just a couple of 2-3 hour rides a week is a good way of ticking over during these difficult weeks. You do feel pretty virtuous if you manage 50 miles in this kind of weather. Ironically, these rides were very quick averagin 20mph, because I stuck to the flat, fast A roads. Hardly, the most enjoyable roads, but nice and fast anyway.
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December 16th, 2009 — training
It’s not the best time of the year to be cycling. It’s dark, wet and cold. In addition to the usual difficulties of cycling on British roads we have to cope with the additional challenges of the weather.
These are some of the best ways to stay motivated in Winter
Flexible Training
It’s bad training in the wet, it’s bad training in the cold. But, training in the cold and wet is too much. At the moment, it’s pretty difficult, but, if you do have some flexibility in training it’s a big boon to be able to miss the worst of the weather. Weather forecasts are fairly reliable for next 24 hours (Met Check is quite good for chance of rain). It helps to pick the best part of the day. At this time of the year, there is no harm in cutting a training session short because the weather turns bad. Similarly, if I get good weather on a usual ‘rest day’ I take the opportunity to ride.
Difference Between Tiredness and Laziness
There is a big difference between a genuine tiredness and a lethargic laziness. In winter it becomes easier to sit in front of an electric fire, watching a 5th repeat of some James Bond film. If we are genuinely physically run down and tired, the winter is a good time to take a break. And if we take a break, we should not feel guilty. There is nothing to be gained from forcing ourselves to plod along for 100s of miles when we are already run down. (in fact it will make it worse). But, if we are doing no cycling because we don’t fancy having to wash our bike or its a bit cold, that is just laziness. If we are honest we can tell the difference between the two.
Keeps Weight Down
It’s easy to eat more mince pies over Christmas, many hours on the bike will help burn off those calories – more fun that watching what you eat.
Cross Training
Some people like to keep fit by taking the opportunity to do different types of activities. – running, swimming, weights e.t.c. If you enjoy doing these other sports, then a few sessions a week in winter may well be very good. Personally, I hate going to the local swimming pool and sharing a chlorine infested swimming pool, with a lot of snotty nosed, irritating teenagers – but, that’s just me 
I think I’d rather spend 30 minutes on an indoor turbo.
Be Well Prepared.
I was training last week. At about 4pm I had a mechanical problems (front changer was not properly set so chain came off and got caught). I had to take my gloves off to fix problem. It was just about the time when the temperature started to plummet and it got dark pretty quick. I never warmed up from the 10 minutes stop. I was rather grateful not to get another puncture. I’m not the best at bike maintenance. But, it’s best to sort out any minor problems before finding them out on the road.
Think of the Long Term Benefits.
There is a huge difference to getting on the bike, with 3,000 winter miles in your legs and getting on your bike with 300 miles in your legs. I know because I’ve experienced both. The winter is the best time to build up endurance and aerobic capacity. It will improve any aspect of cycling you wish to enjoy in the summer. You will never regret training well over winter.
Ignore Weather
Sometimes, the weather can act as a psychological barrier more than anything. The cold and grey sky can give us an excuse to stay indoors. But, once you actually get on the bike, in the proper kit, it’s not such a big deal. Once you get into a rhythm of cycling, the temperature and mirky conditions are very much secondary.
Take Weather as a motivating Factor.
The Great Olympian Emil Zatopek said, bad weather is good for training. If we can train in bad weather, it makes us a stronger athlete.
Make Training Fun.
Whatever cycling we are doing, we want to be enjoying it. If we don’t enjoy the cycling but see it as something to be done another training session ticked off. It becomes like a daily job. You can train with others, or seek out new routes.
Training Log
In winter, I became careful about logging miles. It is one of the main targets I have. I’m trying to target 200 miles a week. It is something to aim for. I get a certain joy from writing down the miles completed, it gives a sense of accomplishment. I don’t want to miss a week’s training as I will have a big gap in my training log.
More on
December 10th, 2009 — training
winter training - roads are permanently damp.
After a gap of over 2 years, I finally managed a 100 mile cycle ride. It took 5 hrs 20 mins. It was fairly quick until the last 10 miles home into a headwind, which felt very sluggish.
The first 40 miles I cycled towards Cirencester on fairly flat roads. Probably the highlight was taking a wrong turning and ending up on busy dual carriageway for the last 5 miles to Cirencester. There was a slight tailwind and the draft of the cars made my speed shoot up. From 18-19mph I was comfortably flying along at 25-27mph. After being on very quiet back roads, it’s such a difference cycling on a dual carriageway. The noise of the cars flying past, the speed, exhilaration and intimidation. Despite being a bit of a speed junky I was actually glad to turn off and regain the peace of the winding Cotswolds lanes.
I ate about 8 cereal bars and two bananas on the ride.
I think if you are cycling 100 miles, it is good to have a few 60 mile rides under in your legs. Also, If you do make a big jump in mileage take it at a steady pace for first 50 miles.
But, when cycling 100 miles in winter, I don’t like the idea of hanging around at slow speeds. I’m sure cycling 100 miles is much more fun in summer than December and the wettest month on record…
December 8th, 2009 — training
Winter Training
Hot Pads for Cold Feet – pack of 40 for £21
Hand Warmers – pack of 10 for £12
I have poor circulation in both hands and feet. I feel the cold more in the feet because the toes are mostly immobile whilst cycling. When the temperature drops below 7 degrees, my feet can’t survive for more than an hour without extra heat.
I have had electric socks, but last year they broke and so stick to these hot pads. (at Amazon.co.uk)
Basically, when you take them out of a plastic wrapping some chemical reaction creates heat which lasts for seven hours. I put them in my cycling shoes just above a pair of socks. They are great for long rides.
They can be expensive if bought individually, you can pay up to £2 for a pair. But, buying them in bulk means I can get them for 50p a pair. They are disposable, so its a little extravagant but before I found these I really used to suffer. I used to wear about three pairs of socks and overshoes and go from cafe to cafe warming up my icey feet (which actually puts you at risk of chillblains)
My philosophy is that winter cycling is tough enough. I always try to do anything to make the ride more comfortable, enjoyable. Hot pads are my saviour for winter riding.
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October 20th, 2009 — tejvan, timetrials, training
My last race of the year is on Sunday at Stocksbridge in the National Hill Climb. Just 0.75 miles long, but averaging about 15% and likely to be very painful, if I have any chance of getting in top 10.
The good thing is this week of training can be very light. I did one hill interval today, and will do another one on Thursday. But, apart from that, I will do little cycling this week, save a reconnaitre of the course on the Saturday before the race. The principle of tapering for a race, is well known these days. Usually, you are racing without giving your muscles full time to recover, but, hopefully by resting this week, I will be fresher for Sunday.
I won my penultimate race of year, this Sunday at Burrington Combe, organised by Bristol South. I finished 1st in 7.20, 15 secs ahead of local Bristol rider Luke Dunbar. But, unfortunately, this weekends race is a lot steeper and a lot shorter. – Just an explosion of power for 3 and half minutes, no time to get into a rhythm, just a fight against gravity!
O well, next week will be end of interval sessions up hills for quite a while!
August 12th, 2009 — training
Cycling in Yorkshire Dales
Often overlooked in cycle training is the benefit of some kind of weight training. I have heard different opinions, but, I know quite a few coaches recommend weight training to increase strength.
Yesterday, I was riding on a particularly hilly route around Otley, Ilkey and Keighley. In these Yorkshire valleys, which ever way you turn there is usually a big hill. I’ve found a route which takes in 8 big climbs which have a height gain of over 150 metres. These climbs are also quite steep – between 7% and 20%, so for most of the climbs I was out of the saddle. The distance was 44 miles, but these climbs really take something out of you. Since the climbs often took 10 minutes or more – that is a lot of time out of the saddle. This morning, I was stiff – not in the legs but in the arms and upper body!
Out of Saddle
This is what got me thinking about weight training. If we are riding comfortably on the flat, we hardly use our upper body. But, when were struggling up 20% climbs you use a range of muscles I have not really developed.
Traditionally the best time for weight training is in the Winter months, when you spend less time on your bike. Then during the season you can scale back and just maintain a minimum weight training schedule or just focus on cycling..
Realistically, I will never go to a gym, but, you can work the major muscle groups just through following simple exercises such as
- Sit ups – good for strenghtening lower back. muscles used in cycling.
- Press ups. – good for developing muscles used when riding out of saddle on the handlebars.
- squats. – with thighs parallel to the ground – good for building quad strength.
- Crunches for abs and lower back
- You can also do strength training on the bike, by going into a lower gear and pushing a lower cadence of 50-60rpm. Concentrate on pushing down and pulling up.
Benefits of Weight Training
- Improves bone Strength
- Stronger upper body helps in longer rides
- greater protection from falls.
Limits of Weight Training
- You are not weight training to become a body builder that would defeat the whole purpose. Light weights can make the biggest difference.
- It does not really increase aerobic capacity.
- It is not a substitute for training on the bike, it is a small complement.
Personally, I will be doing a few more simple exercises like sit ups and push up, just to improve the upper body strength for the hill climb season. During the winter, I might look into weight training in more detail and start a short simple programme.
July 9th, 2009 — training
Training
If you are looking for some easy improvements to your general fitness and speed, these tips may be worth trying. Of course, there is no such thing as a real short cut. If you want to get fitter, you will probably have to spend more time training. But, still there are some simple ways to get fitter on the bike.
Train at a Higher Intensity. If you have only seven hours a week for training for a cyclo sportive, don’t just go out and ride a bike for seven hours. At least three or four hours of this training should be at a higher intensity. If you just ride in your comfort zone, you will improve your aerobic capacity, but, by training at a higher intensity, you will gain more power which will make riding long distances easier. This is the advantage of power meter training – your training can become more focused and targetted.
Hydration and Proper Food. Many newcomers and (even experienced cyclists) can make mistakes in becoming dehydrated or lacking in energy. Make sure you are fully hydrated before a ride and eat enough during the ride to maintain reasonable energy supplies. Be careful of not drinking or eating just because you don’t feel like it. Once you reach a certain level of fitness, it is said, the only limit to the distance you can cycle is your food supplies.
Finding extra Time. We all live busy lives, finding time to train can be quite difficult. But, if you really try hard, there are probably ways to incorporate cycling into your daily life. Try commuting to work (or just part of the commute). Try doing your shopping on your bike or go out for a ride during your lunch hour. If we are inventive we can find more time to cycle in the week.
Short Rides are good. Don’t think a good training ride has to be two hours plus. Even a focused 30 minute ride can help maintain fitness. It is great to develop a regularity of training even if it is short.
One Long Ride every two weeks. If you are training for a long ride, then you may get away with doing a longer training ride just every fortnight.
Ride With Other People. Riding on our own we can easily slip into a comfort zone where there is little incentive to stretch ourselves and improve. A little bit of competition / company can be good for spurring us on. Find a local club or like minded cyclist. This will also help to beat the boredom of long rides.
Lose a Few Pounds. Cycling can be a great way to lose weight. If you lose a few pounds you will notice the difference.
Spin a Bigger Cadence. Many beginners get into the habit of churning a big gear. This seems the most powerful, but these kinds of muscles can tire easily. Learning to spin a lower gear and higher cadence develops the use of your aerobic muscle fibres which help to increase stamina and ability to ride long distance. After learning to spin low gears you can then work on increasing muscle strength as well.
Identify Your Aims. Sometimes our riding lacks a clear purpose and goal. We just go out when we it’s a nice day. If we have a clear goal to work towards, it definitely helps. If we know we have a 200km cycle sportive in two months time – it certainly focuses the mind!
Going Faster with same Fitness
Pump Up Your Tyres. On my time trial bike, I pump my tyres to 150-160psi, it’s not exactly comfortable on a bumpy road, but, it is faster. Many people ride on tyres too flat. Try pumping up your tyres from 70psi to 100psi, it will make a big difference.
Change Your Chain regularly. If you’ve spent £1,000 on a brand new bike, don’t neglect to change your chain at regular intervals, a worn chain soon loses its most efficient transmission mechanism.
Find a Better Position. If comfortable try a slightly more aerodynamic position. It will be worth more than saving kilos of weight from your bike.
see also: tips to increase efficiency of cycling
June 26th, 2009 — training
A slow recovery ride
After a 50 mile TT on Saturday my legs have felt heavy this week. Usually after a long ride I like to go out the next day to spin the legs. Light exercise is one of the best ways to aid recovery and avoid getting too stiff. Because I was staying near the Yorkshire Dales with my parents I ended up riding 40 miles to Burnsall and Grassington. It was more of a tourist ride than a training ride, averaging 17mph and taking time to take a few photos e.t.c. After racing yourself into the ground it’s nice to ride a bike just for the sake of enjoying it. 40 miles is quite a long recovery ride. But, just going out for an hour can help.
View from Wharfe Valley
A short ride is particularly helpful if you have been racing and have accumulated lactic acid in the legs. A steady ride can help to get rid of the lactic acid. But, even if you have just ridden a long ride, a short ride the next day can help.
Post Ride Recovery Drinks
During a long ride, you may have become dehydrated and depleted your carbohydrate stores. You may not feel like eating and drinking but your body may need it. In this case recovery drinks can definitely aid recovery. Typically, they have a mixture of protein and carbohydrate. Most people think about food and drink before a ride, but, neglect proper rehydration and nutrition after a ride. But, this time period is important for helping the muscles to recover. We should always think we are eating for the next day. The problem with recovery drinks is that they may not taste too good and it can be a hassle to mix the powder and drink. But, to aid the fastest recovery they will help. It is also good to just eat sensibly. After a long ride, I often start eating easy to digest fruit like melon, apple. If it has been very hot and sweaty, I will make sure I take something salty.
Recovery Drinks at Evans Cycles
Stretching and Recovery.
After a long ride and tired muscles, stretching seems the natural thing to do and try and relieve the tired muscles. Stretching exercises
Massage and Recovery.
Massage is very effective for aiding recovery. Every professional team will have a professional masseur. See if you can persuade a close friend / partner to learn the art of massage.
Principles of training – stress and recovery
May 29th, 2009 — training
Cyclist on Road
Readers Question: After many years out of the saddle I have decided to get back into cycling and have entered the London to Southend Charity Bike Ride (100Km). I started training at the end of March and now do 3 x 10 miles rides in the week and I’m upto 30 miles at the weekend (adding 4 miles every 2 weeks to the weekend ride).
What do you suggest is the mileage I need to get to so that I can achieve the 100km ride on 19th July, am I doing enough training and what would you suggest for a training schedule in the last 2 weeks before the ride and what type of diet should I follow in the week preceeding the ride?
It sounds quite a sensible training plan. With 2-3 months training under your legs 100km won’t seem so bad. Ideally, for a 100Km ride you would have done a distance 60-70% of final distance. Two weeks before ride might be a good time to do a longer ride than usual. If you are reasonably comfortable riding 60-70km, the jump to 100Km won’t seem that much.
I don’t think you need a special diet in the weeks leading up to the ride. However, people often underestimate how much food they need to take on when cycling. For a 100km ride you will want to be taking on food during the ride. A good breakfast and then a couple of bananas and cereal bars during the ride are ideal. Often when people run out of energy on long rides, it is lack of food / water as much as lack of training. (cycling and food)
When you reach a certain level of fitness the distance you can cycle is only really limited by the amount of food you can take on.
For example, someone training for a 12 hour or 24 hour time trial aiming to do 250 or 400 miles, may do a weekly ride of 100 miles. But, it is not necessary to have ridden full distance.
If I was training for a 100 mile time trial, I would be more concerned at developing speed for riding 25-50 miles quick than I would in riding lots of 100 mile rides.
Riding 100 Km Unprepared
Some people may find they are down for a 100km ride and despite best intentions have done little training. I think if you have done no cycling, 100KM would really not be advised. You could probably just about crawl around and cycle 100Km, but your legs would feel painful for the next 3-4 days and I doubt whether it would be enjoyable.
If you have been doing training of 50-100Km a week, you will probably be fine in completing a 100km. Just take it steady, especially in opening miles. There is a huge difference between riding 100km fast and riding 100km slow.
Sometimes I ride 70 – 80 KM and it is effectively a recovery ride because I am just riding at a gentle pace and not doing any intervals.
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