New to road cycling

[Uptown]

I am 17 and I just recently took up cycling (this summer) and in the past month i did 800+ miles. anyways next year I am entering a relay triathlon with a couple of friends (a swimmer and a runner) and would like to do good with that but would also like to start racing. I currently ride the triathlon cycling length (24.8 miles) in 1:06.35 which seems pretty decent for just starting cycling 2 or so months ago. Anyways I guess the point of this thread would be to ask for some sort of (weekly) training plan for me to follow to get my time down and get me ready to be racing in a year(beginning leagues). My only time restraint is school but can ride for about 4 hours every weekday and as long as needed on weekends. Any help is greatly appreciated and sorry for the jumbled nature of this thread. Thanks

 

[Smartt/RST]

I am 17 and I just recently took up cycling (this summer) and in the past month i did 800+ miles. anyways next year I am entering a relay triathlon with a couple of friends (a swimmer and a runner) and would like to do good with that but would also like to start racing. I currently ride the triathlon cycling length (24.8 miles) in 1:06.35 which seems pretty decent for just starting cycling 2 or so months ago. Anyways I guess the point of this thread would be to ask for some sort of (weekly) training plan for me to follow to get my time down and get me ready to be racing in a year(beginning leagues). My only time restraint is school but can ride for about 4 hours every weekday and as long as needed on weekends. Any help is greatly appreciated and sorry for the jumbled nature of this thread. Thanks

Uptown - first off, welcome to cycling. I hope the two wheels treat you as well as they have me.
I don't know your training background, but if you are serious about racing, I would encourage you to seek some personal guidance/coaching from someone with experience coaching junior cyclists. You sound very motivated, which is good of course, but it also sounds like you might be diving into the deep end a bit. There are templete training programs available out there, but they do not account for your individuality, your life schedule, your training goals, your strengths/weaknesses, etc.

 

[heheheha]

For my first year, I just rode. Lots. You are young, and that gives you an AMAZING edge. I think to be getting a coach to give racing a shot is a bit overboard, and I personally wouldn't recommend it until you have raced for a while and are sure you want to keep racing.

So just ride - this was more than adequete to get me going. Hills, descents, flats, wind, everything. And keep an eye on the forums

 

[gruppo]

... I think to be getting a coach to give racing a shot is a bit overboard, and I personally wouldn't recommend it

Disagree completely. A good trainer, even if it just someone to help develop your training plan and consult with every month or so, is worth their weight in gold. Even if racing doesn't become a serious pursuit, the benefits will be useful in any form of cycling.

I think it is particularly important in this case where there is adequate forethought on the coming season with some reasonable goals.

I have participated in a number of sports over the years, and there has never been a time when I did not benefit substantially from personal training or coaching. Ask anyone who has used a coach or trainer, and chances are that their only regret is that they didn't do it sooner.

 

[closesupport]

Disagree completely. A good trainer, even if it just someone to help develop your training plan and consult with every month or so, is worth their weight in gold. Even if racing doesn't become a serious pursuit, the benefits will be useful in any form of cycling.

I think it is particularly important in this case where there is adequate forethought on the coming season with some reasonable goals.

I have participated in a number of sports over the years, and there has never been a time when I did not benefit substantially from personal training or coaching. Ask anyone who has used a coach or trainer, and chances are that their only regret is that they didn't do it sooner.

if you didn't want to get a coach straight away, you could always purchase a book with training programs in them, for instance The Lance Armstrong Performance Program Seven Weeks to the perfect ride.

this book offers several training programs covering 7 weeks for those from beginner to advanced cyclists. Try locating it at a local library first before rush out and buy it, maybe there are more books out there that are similar, others may know of more... but at the minute i'm stuck in this one.

 

[philhudson]

does anyone have a website with traning programs on it?

im 13 and have done a lot of cycling and am going to start racing next summer and need some traning. (i am in a club, we do quite a lot of mileage!)

 

[closesupport]

does anyone have a website with traning programs on it?

im 13 and have done a lot of cycling and am going to start racing next summer and need some traning. (i am in a club, we do quite a lot of mileage!)

Give this a butchers http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/cycling.htm ,if it ain't what you mean let me know and i'll see what else i can find for you.

 

[philhudson]

Thanks but its not really, just something like a standard traning program would be a start for now! thanks though!

 

[closesupport]

Thanks but its not really, just something like a standard traning program would be a start for now! thanks though!

http://www.roadcycling.com/training/

 

[philhudson]

cheers for that thats the sorta thing!

 

[closesupport]

does anyone have a website with traning programs on it?

im 13 and have done a lot of cycling and am going to start racing next summer and need some traning. (i am in a club, we do quite a lot of mileage!)

how long have you been riding?

 

[philhudson]

on the road about 4 weeks, i do 40 - 50 miles every saturday with the club im in, my bike comes next saturday! (yay) cannondale r500. (ive been borrowing one)

i was on my first bike at about 5, and have rode alot ever since!

 

[closesupport]

how long have you been riding?

Training zones



Zone %MHR Description

1 60-65 easy riding, recovery training

2 65-70 endurance based training



Tempo



Goal: raise your aerobic capacity

How: cadence should be relatively low- try a range of 70 to 85rpm whilst remaining I the correct training intensity. This increases pedal resistance and helps strengthen your leg muscles.

Stay in the saddle when you hit hills during your tempo workouts to bolster the connective tissues and supporting muscle groups. Soon your training will develop into a more explosive workout that can put undue stress on unprepared joints.



The entire length of the tempo workout with as few interpretations as possible to strengthen and bolster joints



FastPedal



Goal: improving your pedal efficiency

How: find a relatively flat road. Gearing should be light and pedal resistance low. Slowly increase your cadence, starting out with 15/18 revolutions over 10 seconds (90/108RPM).

Increase cadence whilst remaining in the saddle. Try to keep your hips smooth, don’t allow them to rock from side to side, try to concentrate on pulling through the bottom of the pedal stroke and over the top, your fastest cadence should be 108/120rpm.



Flat sprints



Goal: Boost your jump speed

How: sprints are always performed at 100% maximum output, on flat terrain, roll along at a moderate speed(15/22mph) depending on the level of your development in an easy gear. Jump out of the saddle, accelerating the entire time. Return to the saddle after a few seconds and maintain a high pedal speed and try to focus on a smooth efficient form for the rest of the sprint.

Sprints should last for 10-12 all out seconds, with 5-10 minutes for recovery between each sprint,

something like that? check out the attachement!

 

[cdaler]

Speaking as the parent of a junior racer going into his second season:

Have fun on your bike. Enjoy riding and don't overdo it if you want to still be racing 10 years from now. My son (15) won two state championships in his first season, on a heavy touring bike, and 3 other races including a Cat. 4/5 race.

He does cross training (running) in the off season and takes time off from riding at the end of the season for about 3 weeks. During that time he runs, stretches, enjoys time off from training, plans and sets goals for the next season, etc.

Find a good club and some helpful adults within that club to nuture your development. Adults that have trained juniors before would be great, but may not happen. Do a lot of reading and educate yourself. An excellent book: Joe Friel's "Cyclist's Training Bible". Bike racing is a long term sport; pace yourself so you don't "burnout" early.

Good luck and have fun.