First of all, let me say to all the regulars, thanks for reading and advice on my various questions so far. These forums are great.
OK... so the end of my first biking season is approaching; I had been in spinning classes at the gym for a long time, and since several people at work bike a lot, I got a road bike last April. I've gone from from almost dying on my first 30 mile ride to doing a 20+ mile ride about four times a week and riding in two centuries and a metric century over the last four weeks. At the end of the season, I've bumped up my average speed by several mph on the various loops that I do.
Now that winter's approaching, I want to make use of the time off the bike (I'm not one for riding in the dark, much less the cold) in order to try and become more competitive next year. My questions relate to this idea- can I effectively ride on weekends and several nights a week on a trainer in order to get ready for some sort of racing next season?
I don't even know what the various Categories mean, but I don't imagine that I'd be up to that level anyway, but I'd still like to get into racing.
My goal for this season was to ride a century. I've done that, and now I want a goal for the winter. Can I get better over the off season, or am I just treading water, so to speak, until I can get out on the bike more often in the spring?
Also, does anyone have books and/or Web sites that they recommend for 1) winter training, and 2) newbies interested in racing?
Thanks again to all.
OK... so the end of my first biking season is approaching; I had been in spinning classes at the gym for a long time, and since several people at work bike a lot, I got a road bike last April. I've gone from from almost dying on my first 30 mile ride to doing a 20+ mile ride about four times a week and riding in two centuries and a metric century over the last four weeks. At the end of the season, I've bumped up my average speed by several mph on the various loops that I do.
Now that winter's approaching, I want to make use of the time off the bike (I'm not one for riding in the dark, much less the cold) in order to try and become more competitive next year. My questions relate to this idea- can I effectively ride on weekends and several nights a week on a trainer in order to get ready for some sort of racing next season?
I don't even know what the various Categories mean, but I don't imagine that I'd be up to that level anyway, but I'd still like to get into racing.
My goal for this season was to ride a century. I've done that, and now I want a goal for the winter. Can I get better over the off season, or am I just treading water, so to speak, until I can get out on the bike more often in the spring?
Also, does anyone have books and/or Web sites that they recommend for 1) winter training, and 2) newbies interested in racing?
Thanks again to all.