1st mtn. bike race, clydesdale class, how to train

gt3413

Ok, I've decided that my 1st race is going to be the tour de Lizard the 2nd weekend of September in Arkansas city, Kansas. I've only had my bike about a month and have been doing mostly road riding. What should I be concentrating on? I currently weigh 225 and would like to lose down as close to 200 as possible before the race. Thats not a problem. Riding is what I'm most concerned about. I ride my mtn. bike mostly on roads during the week and am considering going to turkey mountain in Tulsa most weekends between now and the race to get some more offroad experience. Does this sound reasonable? If not, please give me some specifics that I can adhere to. I think the 1 lap distance is around 9 miles. Thanks for your help. Greg

gt3413

I rode 9.9 miles tonight in about 45 minutes (mountain bike, on the road). There was a continuous, fairly steep 6/10 mile climb right at the 5 mile point. There were about 3 other fairly steep but short climbs during the ride. I plan on doing this ride 4 evenings per week for now then doing an approximate 20 mile ride on a weekend day if I'm not trail riding. I will gradually increase my distances. Does this sound reasonable to get ready for a 1 lap (approx. 9 mile) mountain bike race the 2nd weekend of September?

Also, please give me tips on tools/equipment etc. to take with me for the race. I'm considering shimano clipless pedals, tire changing tools, CO2 cartridge tire pump, camelback(thoughts?) etc. I want to have what I need but not anything extra.

One more thing. Are there magazines, videos etc. where I could see how its supposed to be done? If so, let me know which ones you feel are most valuable. Thanks, Greg

cojosurfer

I'm thinking about clydesdale myself and have a similar weight. I believe endurance riding will do wonders. I plan to go with a double century triaining plan like here:

http://www.diablocyclists.com/Rider...ningProgram.htm

I believe this will cover alot of endurance we will need. Ride various terrain or choose some days to get in the dirt as a mental break/rest. This can be a personalized plan, but the amount of mileage is priority here.

Intervals while climbing. Maybe a 30 second or 1 minute burst of sprinting with a 1 minute rest. You get the idea.

Mountains if you can get in them (road not dirt)

I plan to use 125psi slicks for about 80% of my training and about 20% doing technical rides in the dirt.

Just some thoughts.

gt3413

I rode almost 14.5 miles tonight in about an hour and 10 minutes. I included some offroad, mostly loose gravel roads but the majority was on pavement. I keep gradually moving up on my mileage to build endurance. I'm also planning on incorporating more offroad very soon. I can't wait for the race. The diet and training are going well. At this rate I think I'll be ready by September. Any ideas on what else I could be doing to prepare? Thanks, Greg

cojosurfer

Look at Chris Carmichael training and dieting systems. I am a firm believer in the 4 part protein/1 part carbohydrate while going on endurance rides and just trying to lose weight. Try to stay close to this diet until you get at your ideal weight.

After your ideal weight go to a 4 part carbohydrate/1 part protein when you are at your ideal weight.

Long and slow endurance rides between 4-6 hours at 65% of your maximum heart rate. This is a very slow pace and probablly some real boring time riding, but you will build endurance. If you do not have the time for these rides in the middle of the week (who does?) we can do these on the weekends).

You can do other activities to burn calories and lose weight during the week. It's more important to lose weight during this time. When you burn more calories than you take in your body will begin to use stored energy (fat) for use and you lose weight. It's the only 100% secret to dieting I know that works. Because you are becoming a competitive athlete it's more beneficial to you to use protein instead of carbohydrate as stored energy. You might feel a bit sluggish at times, but a multivitamin with antioxidants will help you stay healthy and less prone to getting colds because of changes in your diet.

Equipment- I suggest 32 spoke wheels with cartridge bearings. Leave plenty of float to get out of your clipless pedals, but enough to stand and hammer. Camelback for training rides and perhaps multivitamin water for races in water bottles.

I'm not an expert I am just recalling proven facts and information from a variety of sources.

If we lose weight our power to weight ratio will improve. My first focus is losing weight through daily caloric intake and saddle time. I'm trying for 2-3 pounds per week.

In summary, from my point of view, my goals are to do century rides, century rides alone for training, burn more calories that I take in, and time in mountains/hills. I train on the same roads Discovery Channel uses for the winter training camp in Solvang, California.

epictrailrider.

We don't have a cysdale class up here in Canada!! I'm stuck against the 150lb guys with 1% body fat.

Biggest thing is ride like hell. I usually ride 3-4 times a week. Climb lots, I will go up to a harder gear or 2 and crank for a couple of minutes then back down to rest for a minute. Repeat this cycle. But just get on the bike and ride as much as you can and the fitness level will follow!

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Epictrailrider.com