honey_monster said:Hi,
I intend to hopefully start racing my road bike in the future as i used to use my mountain bike loads and miss cycling. Having had my road bike for awhile i have some questions that i would like answered....
1. How much and what kind of training should i be doing?
2. Eating, Should i eat some sugary sweets before i go for a ride/training session to give me the energy to train hard?
3. At 27 will i always be finishing behind the physical fit 21 year olds? (bearing in mind i am not very fit and at the bottom of the training ladder and will take me awhile to get fit making me older still)
4. Should i buy a cycle computer to help me work out my perfomance or just cycle like a nutter for an hour and hope for the best?
Anyother tips would also be usefull as i dont know much at all...
My $.02:
1. I would start out doing about 15-20 miles a day, just to get back into the sport. Start by timing yourself for how long it takes you to complete a set route, and then track your times each day or week. Don't necessarily force yourself to improve at first, but it is really helpful to track your progress. I recommend buying a training journal, something like the velonews one, so that you can look back and see what worked and what didn't. Then once you feel that the shorter rides are getting too easy step it up to a longer ride (35-45 miles) and ride daily. Work on improving times. Eventually, yes, you will be putting in 6 hour saturdays if you are serious about racing. Expect to be logging more than 300 miles a week by the end of the summer.
2. Your necessary ammount of calories will go up the more you ride (duh). Make sure that you get enough in the general nutrition area all week long. Then consume at least about 80g of carbs after you finish riding, while you are worn out. That's about 2-3 energy bars. You should also drink at least a bottle of water an hour if not more while you are riding. See more in the Road racing tips in the articles section of the site.
3. Realistically, yes. At your level you will be catapulted in with people that ride 50 miles every day, rain or shine, and do it in under 2 hours. It will take time and effort for you to get up to their level and you will need to work harder than they will. After you have trained a lot and gotten the feel of racing you will finish higher up with the younger guys. Also you will probably start out in the lowest catagory, cat 5, so you will be with other newb racers. So there is hope!
4. I would suggest getting a computer for your bike. THey are like $20 and make it a lot easier to track your progress. Like snaps said, don't get obsessed with average speed or [censored] like that, focus on distance. The odometer and ride timer are two very nice features. Also it can be fun to compare fastest achieved speeds and stuff like that.
My last piece of advice is not to get caugh up in the work aspects of training. Remember that you are riding your bike because it is healthy, fun, and spandex is hot. Don't forget to enjoy the different scenery as you ride and don't let yourself get discouraged. If possible, try training with a friend or two as drafting can make it easier, and it's nice to be able to chat. Also, way if you decided to enter a race as a single you at least have someone else there that you know.
Hope that helped!
