Been lurking a while. Questions about starting to train

[lifelesslived17]

This new direction all started because my wife's employer's insurance forced me to lose weight or give up 3 grand a year.
6 months later I have lost about 28 lbs and I feel great. Money though is not enough motivation, so I decided to enter a charity race called "Pedal to the point". Setting goals is something I need to do to push myself.

It is a 2 day, 150 mile trip in August of Next year. I think I have time to prepare, But I need to know how.
My cycling experience is limited at best. I have an ok bike that I've been trying to get some miles on, a exercise bike in the house and a gym membership.

About me -
5' 6.5" 170lbs Id still like to lose a few or at least burn off some belly fat, lol. Way better that a fem months ago at 200!

About my bike - Giant OCR3, Small, Shimano Sora - unsure of model year

My Questions are for training only, not equipment. Get to that later.

Where should I start?

 

[daveryanwyoming]

Start with the basics:

- Try to ride frequently as in four or more days a week indoors or outside if possible. Consistency is the first thing to work on and if you can five days per week is ideal but many folks work up to that after a while. But try to ride more days than you don't ride so if you want to really improve fitness four days per week, spread out a bit so you don't rest three days in a row is a good start.

- Work up to longer outdoor rides when you can. Whatever your longest ride is now, see if you can add a bit week by week or month by month till three to four hour rides feel pretty good on your longer days. Even longer over time can be good but try to get to the point where a few hours on the bike isn't a big deal.

- Learn to fuel yourself and stay hydrated on those longer rides to avoid the dreaded bonk and to prepare for the even longer days in the saddle for your goal ride.

- Learn the basics of bike maintenance like changing wheels and roadside repairs of flat tires and carry the appropriate tools and repair kit to stay largely self sufficient on longer rides.

- Over time start challenging yourself occasionally to ride extended sections a bit quicker, climb hills a bit faster and see if you can increase your average pace while you ride. Focus on sustained efforts that are ten to fifteen minutes or longer and roll them steady but quicker than your current comfort zone instead of short gut busting efforts followed by slow riding. You don't have to, nor should attempt to do this on each and every ride but challenge yourself occasionally on days you feel good to ride the open stretches of road a bit quicker, to get your breathing up till the point where it's deep and steady but not ragged or gasping and ride with some focus on those quicker days. Other days can be mellower but some steady sustained effort can really help in terms of both speed on the bike and in terms of developing overall fitness and endurance.

Bottom line, ride a lot, ride quicker sometimes when you feel good, learn to take care of yourself and your bike so that you can handle longer rides further from home.

Good luck,
-Dave

 

[An old Guy]

Your event is not a race. Your goal is to be able to ride 75 miles in one day and still get up the next day to do it again. The 75 miles need not be done without stopping. You can do 20-25 miles and take a break and then repeat.

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Go out and ride your bike. Further/longer as you get more comfortable on your bike.

A lot of people get in good enough shape to do your event in 7 weeks by riding 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, then 60 miles on successive weekends (both Saturday and Sunday). Not the best idea but at least reasonable. But riding more often is always better.

 

[swampy1970]

Daves reply got pretty much all of it but I think there's a place for just going as hard as you can for certain sections of shorter rides, just because you can... and because it's fun!

Once you get to about 2 hours then I'd concentrate a little more on going faster rather than longer. I wouldn't go so hard that a 5 minute effort brings you to a grinding halt but there's nothing wrong with doing some efforts that require a minute or so of easy pedaling, especially if you find that effort fun. Ride fairly steady for about an hour and then get a bit adventurous with the pacing

I know you stated that you wanted to keep equipment out of this but if you're riding solo then a set of tri-bars are pretty much the cheapest and best performance enhancer there is.

 

[An old Guy]

Don't use tri-bars at a charity event.

Likewise there is no reason to ride hard at a 2 day charity event.

No one there will appreciate it.

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It is a charity event. Your goal is to not cause anyone any problems and to make everyone feel welcome and appreciated.

 

[lifelesslived17]

thans for the advice guys, it is much appreciated. Ive started trying to get to the gym every other day or so and been spending the bulk of my time on spin bikes, treadmills and the like. Its kicking my ****, but I feel like a million dollars when I leave. I fear we are in for a Long hard winter so I want to come out of it as ready as possible. I do have a meeting next week with a personal trainer just to go over a routine that will work for me. Ill be lurking around some more and hope to chat again!