New - Considering taking up road cycling.

[Stuart Kendall]

So I am considering taking up road cycling as a hobby,

My dad road cycles purely for fitness and absolutely loves it so it has inspired me to think about taking it up, so i have a few questions.

Firstly, i am 23, 5ft 8, and weigh roughly 140lbs.

I don't do much physical exercise so don't consider myself to be all that fit, I have literally just this week began using the exercise bike at the gym.

The first day i just got on and rode for an hour, managed 22km
Day two the same and did 25km
Day three i did an hour beginners hill climb at 20km
Day four and five a preset intermediate hill climb and did 18km.

Im not sure if this information is useful or not, but basically my questions are.

My plan was, to keep doing an hour a day on the gym bike for 5 weeks, until i go on holiday then come back and get a road bike and get out there!

So my questions are?

Is what I am doing a good base to start or is it useless, or too little/much? If so what could I improve?

And I had a little read and found many people saying that the Trek 1.2 would be a good basis as a beginners bike, is this also a wise option?


Sorry if this is covered elsewhere, I'm just eager for helpful advice

Thanks

 

[alienator]

To poorly quote McCartney and the Beatles, "Why don't you do it in the road?" Why not get the road bike now? Riding in place, as in a gym, is ever so boring.

 

[limerickman]

Originally Posted by Stuart Kendall .

So I am considering taking up road cycling as a hobby,

My dad road cycles purely for fitness and absolutely loves it so it has inspired me to think about taking it up, so i have a few questions.

Firstly, i am 23, 5ft 8, and weigh roughly 140lbs.

I don't do much physical exercise so don't consider myself to be all that fit, I have literally just this week began using the exercise bike at the gym.

The first day i just got on and rode for an hour, managed 22km
Day two the same and did 25km
Day three i did an hour beginners hill climb at 20km
Day four and five a preset intermediate hill climb and did 18km.

Im not sure if this information is useful or not, but basically my questions are.

My plan was, to keep doing an hour a day on the gym bike for 5 weeks, until i go on holiday then come back and get a road bike and get out there!

So my questions are?

Is what I am doing a good base to start or is it useless, or too little/much? If so what could I improve?

And I had a little read and found many people saying that the Trek 1.2 would be a good basis as a beginners bike, is this also a wise option?


Sorry if this is covered elsewhere, I'm just eager for helpful advice

Thanks

I'd get out on the road now if I were you.

You don't need to do hours in a gym before starting road cycling. You can reach cycling fitness out on the road rather than in a gym.

The points I would make are :

1.Outdoor cycling is far more interesting and visually stimulating than cycling in a gym on a stationery bike.
2.Your bike handling skills will improve as you cycle more outdoor.
3.I know gym rats will argue this but I think outdoor cycling is a far quicker means of getting fit for cycling compared to gyms.
4.If you want to ultimately cycle outdoors, you need to get used to cycling in the elements (rain/wind/sun/hills) regardless.

 

[Stuart Kendall]

Thanks for the replies. The main reason I guess I'm not on the road is I don't have the cash to hand right away. As soon as I do I'm going to get straight out there and put the miles in!

 

[Stuart Kendall]

Thanks for the replies. The main reason I guess I'm not on the road is I don't have the cash to hand right away. As soon as I do I'm going to get straight out there and put the miles in!

 

[alienator]

What you're doing will help certainly. You might consider taking some spin classes at your local gym or where ever they're offered in your area. While spin classes don't necessarily replicate cycling on the road (IMHO, they rarely do), they do provide an excellent aerobic exercise that also offers some anaerobic exercise. Since the classes are popular and are done as a group, some find that group aspect adds motivation to push harder. No matter what form the cycling takes at your gym, it will help to develop a base for when you do get on the road. Have fun.

 

[Stuart Kendall]

Thankyou again for the reply! Yes my gym does spinning classes every day of the week. So I will throw a couple of these in a week then keep doing the gym until I can get on the road. Is going everyday too much or am I ok?

 

[limerickman]

Originally Posted by Stuart Kendall .

Thankyou again for the reply!
Yes my gym does spinning classes every day of the week. So I will throw a couple of these in a week then keep doing the gym until I can get on the road. Is going everyday too much or am I ok?

Listen to your body is the answer.

Regardless of your fitness levels, your body needs time to recover after training/competing.
So depending on how tired you're feeling, you will know if you need to take a rest or to persist with more training.

There is no "right answer" - except to listen to your system