The Cycling Thread

[Luckypants]

Looks pretty reasonable to me (not a serious cyclist though). I would concentrate on building aerobic fitness first by doing your rides to work and weekends at an easy/moderate pace and build up the miles. 50 miles is relatively easy to achieve. Time in the saddle will give a good a base and build from there. Aim to go over the 50 mile distance when you have built up to it, then start looking to go faster.

Hills can be a sufferfest, but to try to avoid that make sure you use your gears so that you keep the legs spinning rather than trying to horse it up the climb in a big gear. Climbing seated is actually more efficient than standing. If you find that hills are not getting easier with the training you are doing, look into doing a spin class, it made a massive difference to my climbing ability.

[fizzwheel]

I've done a few sportives now. Longest was 106 miles last year.

Your plan is a good one.

Ramp up the milleage by no more than 10% per week. Till you can do roughly 80% of the total distance. If you can do that much you'll do the entire lot.

I like to a week or so before do a practice run that involves doing the entire distance, just so that in my head I know I can do it, but thats a personal thing.

Your plan for hill climbing is correct, the more you ride up hills, the better you'll be at climbing them. I have a route that involves two big climbs in them that I was riding every day in the two months or so before I did my sportive.

Basically it was

Monday to Friday - Ride to work, then cycle long way home in the evenings 25 miles or so each night.

Then big ride on a Saturday, i.e 60 miles then I'd increase that gradually till I was doing 80 or 90 miles. In a day at a good pace for me.

Then I'd take Sunday as a rest day.

I'd vary the tempo of my rides so one day I would spin along at a gentle pace, and then on other days I'd push myself along hard.

Remember taking a rest is just as important as doing the actual training, you'll need to build in recovery / rest time to your schedule. As in your diet and hydration. All this is important when training just as it is during the ride itself.

With regard to climbing. Get yourself into a gear at the bottom that you can use all the way up the climb. Also make sure you bike is geared suitably, if you are pushing a big gear you may find your hurt / damage your knees. Not good. Dont attack the bottom of the climb hard, you will run out of puff halfway up and then you'll be suffering, set a steady pace and maintain it.

On the sportive itself, dont get sucked into riding at your limit right at the start. Remember there will be fitter people than you in the field and if you push to hard to early, you'll suffer for it later. Trust me I know because I've made that mistake myself.

HTH

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

This is porn...



Also a very good price, but still out of my league

Looks like the Pino is out I had a sit and basically the riding position is too sporty for me. This is a race frame geometry and too extreme for the social rides / sportives (possibly!) I'll be doing.

So I'm off up to Ribble cycles on Saturday to get measured and have a sit on their New Sportive and Gran Fondo bikes. Think the order is going in then, I have my spec written out ready!

[maviczap]

Your base miles look a bit low at the moment, just build them up gradually, maybe have a longer ride at the weekend to build up your base. You don't neccessarily have to reach 50miles in training, but it'll teach you body how to suffer if you can.

I rarely managed 50 miles in my training, when I was racing, but I still manage to do a 50 mile TT (once!).

To build up your climbing ability do the climb on your route home more than once, but only once you've built up some fitness. If you feel good do it three times!

Don't forget rest is also good, so if you've done a hard session, then have an easy session the day after, or even a day off.

I know there's some steep climbs on the London to Brighton, so when you do the ride, just set your own pace, don't follow the fast guys, as you'll only suffer on the next climb.

[maviczap]

Oh and thanks to Fizz, because I had to go and buy a Garmin after one of his posts, here's todays ride. No HR info, as I'd forgotten to put a new battery in the HR chest strap.

It wasn't a good day, as I did most of the ride using one leg, thanks to a tight hamstring in my left leg, and I found my seatpost had slipped. I knew it had once I got going, but distracted by my leg I carried on.

Still spring is nearly here as the snowdrops are out already, as are a few flies!

Nice aroma of 'land luft' as well

[fizzwheel]

Sign up for the Garmin Connect website and upload the data off your garmin to that, its much much better in terms of info than the Training Centre software that the garmin comes with in the box.

[maviczap]

Thanks Fizz, mine didn't come with the software, I downloaded the TC software from the site.

Still its facinating stuff.

Hopefully I'll upload a training ride up Alpe d'Huez, its one of my ambitions to do

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by maviczap

Hopefully I'll upload a training ride up Alpe d'Huez, its one of my ambitions to do

Jeez, us mere mortals train just to ride up Alpe d'Huez!

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Jeez, us mere mortals train just to ride up Alpe d'Huez!

Well thats what I meant, just ride up it.

The climb isn't as tough as some of the others. The first bit is steep, then levels out a bit.
My neighbour did it with his son, when he was 65, and he's quite chunky compared to me. So if he can, anyone should be able to do it.

Might need a triple front to do it though

[Luckypants]

My brother rode up the Col de la Croix de Fer at 4mph average. Was on a compact then I think, but might have been a triple.