Been Riding For 2 Months - Time To Increase Distance and Speed



neonninja

New Member
Oct 2, 2014
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Hello everyone,

My name is Kevin. I'm quite a newbie to all this and slowly being essentials for my road bike. It's a cheap $250 Vilano road bike, but I've spent probably $200+ in accessories already. Looking to spend probably another $150-$200 soon.

I just got into road cycling 2 months ago. I've been riding just once a week (so 8 rides to date), but only so because I thought running would get me more strength and power for riding. Unfortunately, due to time restraints, food poisoning and other health issues, I wasn't running much at all. Once a week would be considered LUCKY, but haven't been able to. So within the past 2 months, I've run maybe 4 times.

I've recently started riding 16-21 mile distances. At first my average speed was about 14.4 MPH. That was just 2 weeks ago. I rode again earlier in the week after recovering from food poisoning and now able to do 16.8 MPH for 16 miles. I know, that's not very far, so I intend to double it soon. I just don't want to move too quickly. I guess it's a fair increase in just 2 weeks and just 2 rides, but I wanted to get some advice from those more experienced.

SHOULD I be trying to run twice a week and ride once a week to increase my stamina and speed on the bike or should I just be riding more? Sounds strange, but from my readings, a strong runner can be a good cyclists while a strong cyclist may not necessarily be a good runner.

I was going to write more but we have excessive winds and warnings of a huge hail storm. I better submit and shut down computer before I lose everything. Freaky winds...
 
Okay, so I've been pondering about something... 1) no one really comes to this forum, 2) no one gives a damn or 3) no one knows any better to say anything. I'm leaning towards all of the above. I'll move on and do my own thing. Seems to be working anyway. I'm already doing 20 mph avs anyway. I'll increase what I'm doing.. who knows, might see 25+ mph by next summer.
 
I'm not a regular here but I still like to pop in from time to time..... but unfortunately I fall into the 3rd category. I have a bad knee and could only run a 1/4 mile on the best of days. However, if stamina on your bike is your main goal, I'd focus on getting more hours on the bike. If more speed over short distances is your main goal, then I'd probably focus on intervals on the bike. If overall fitness or a combination of cycling and running speed is your goal, then just do both.

If you have a good fit to your bike, distance will come naturally with seat time and speed will either come naturally or with interval training.

My disclaimer is that I've only been cycling since last March and I'm more of a recreational endurance cyclist. I haven't trained for anything since way back before I quit soccer in high school. :-/
 
Hehe, I was only teasing. Figured someone would get mad enough to say something. This forum does seem a bit empty though. Anyway, sorry about your bad knee. I've been lucky to run and ride without any pain yet. I'm doing 40 mile rides now as of this week, but that is my max distance at this time. I only have a 2 hour window to ride, which is my son's nap time. And as soon as I get back and cool off, I'm already making dinner. So unfortunately, long distance riding is just not going to happen. Maybe when I'm faster, I'll see 50 miles in that window LOL. If it's up to my wife, I'd only ride an hour! More reason why I'm able to ride only once a week at this time. Figured if I got some advice from more experienced riders, I could use that to argue my case with her LOL. Anyway, I will continue with my plan for now and then switch it up to biking twice and running once. Not trying to do this professionally, but will want to compete at some point next year.
 
I only saw your comment today, otherwise I would have commented earlier. It's great that you've chosen cycling as a hobby and a way to stay fit and healthy. I also commend you for not spending too much money at this early stage. Riding once a week is just fine for newbies, and besides you've already mentioned that your time is limited. Yes, it's a smart idea to increase your range and speed and it's good to hear that you're doing so gradually.
 
What I can say is for you to listen to your body. If you feel that you can ride longer, do it. If you think you should ride more often, do it. And when your body is giving you signals that you are past the moderate stage then just give it a respite. Strength and stamina is on a case to case basis, that means what works for me may not work for you. So the best thing is to observe your body, know your capabilities and always be on the lookout for undue fatigue.
 

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