rookie!! start with 5k, 10k,15k or 20k????

[mareng]

i would like some expirenced riders to help me get started.
i have an hour each night and sat morning and a good few hrs on a sunday.

im 2 weeks into riding, im 31 and doing week 1- 5km week 2 started to do 10km each night.
on the sat i do easy spin for 30-45 mins, then sunday i hit it for 45-90mins.

should i keep incresaing the distance as after each week????
will this type of riding improve my endurance levels and build more leg power???

im hoping to try and get up to a half decent pace so i can join a club and not be left behind.

please help me reach my targets

 

[Felt_Rider]

You could increase the distance if you have the available time. If you do not have time (there are a lot of us that fall in the time crunched category) you could increase the intensity. You will have to be the judge on your progression rate for how much you can handle for training load and recovery time. We are all a bit different on that aspect. We have a new guy in our club rides that just started cycling a year ago and I bet he could give a Cat 3 a run for their money. He is actually too strong for most of us already.

A lot of people have enjoyed learning from the its killing me thread. Even without a power meter you can still learn to apply the same training principles.

As far as joining in with a club. A lot of metro areas will probably have club that cater to various riding levels. You will see some list rides as a "no drop ride" that you can learn group ride etiquette as well as a lot of other things if you fall in with the right group. Over a period of a few years I progressed up a few levels and started leading rides of those that mentored me. Progressing up those levels I did get dropped quite a few times because the higher levels did not have sweep riders. You either survived and progressed or you had a good idea how to get back. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

camp out and read the its killing me thread. It is about a cyclist (older gentleman) that really progressed from a low level to pretty respectable power output from the advice on that thread.

Best wishes

 

[swampy1970]

For the first couple of months I'd just go out and ride. Have fun. If fun to you is sitting up and riding fairly hard then great. If you find riding as hard as you can between stop signs on the way out of town and then smashing your brains in when outside the city limits then that's great too. Go out and try different route - flat, hilly etc...

The key is to have fun and get fit in the process.

 

[Dr Lodge]

Originally Posted by swampy1970 .

For the first couple of months I'd just go out and ride. Have fun. If fun to you is sitting up and riding fairly hard then great. If you find riding as hard as you can between stop signs on the way out of town and then smashing your brains in when outside the city limits then that's great too. Go out and try different route - flat, hilly etc...

The key is to have fun and get fit in the process.

+1 well said that man. My suggestion would be - if you feel you want to ride longer/harder and can do so, then extend your ride.

I try and get in a couple of 2 hour rides evenings during the week, since that is the maximum time I have available (7pm-9pm), and do 30-35 miles typically. Good weather helps. Sundays is when I want to do longer rides, up to 60 miles so far with the local club but now I have the urge to do a century. But that's because I am enjoying the cycling and have built up a decent level of fitness. If I'd pushed myself too soon then who knows, I may have packed it in already!

 

[An old Guy]

Originally Posted by mareng .

i would like some expirenced riders to help me get started.
i have an hour each night and sat morning and a good few hrs on a sunday.

im 2 weeks into riding, im 31 and doing week 1- 5km week 2 started to do 10km each night.
on the sat i do easy spin for 30-45 mins, then sunday i hit it for 45-90mins.

should i keep incresaing the distance as after each week????
will this type of riding improve my endurance levels and build more leg power???

im hoping to try and get up to a half decent pace so i can join a club and not be left behind.

please help me reach my targets

No need to join a club. Most group rides allow anyone who shows up to ride. Stop by a group ride and ask how far and how long the ride is. If the length and effort don't suit you, ask if there is a ride that is in line with your desires.

If you can hit it hard for 90 minutes once a week, you should be able to ride at a more modest pace for 90 minutes most every day, or ride at a more modest pace for longer once a week. No need to increase you mileage so slowly. (I understand you have time constraints.)

Go out and have fun. See what type of efforts make you want to continue riding. Being strong does no good if you don't want to ride.

 

[mareng]

thank you all for your advice

i think i will keep doin 8-16km per evening rest friday, as easy 8km sat moving onto maybe a 24-32km on the sunday as i enjoy my route i do, it has a bit of everything in it and like pushing myself to keep increasing my ave speed and beating my previous times.