Starting

[Danielk]

Hello,
I'm 19 years old and I've always cycled a little bit but only in the summer holidays. Now I've decided that I want to start cycling a lot more fanatical so that maybe I can start road racing (at a low level) in a few months. I've always done a lot of sports so my condition is rather good. I did a few trainigs this week, trying to ride one tempo the whole race, and I can now do about 60 kilometers (37.5 miles) averaging about 28-30 Km/H (18 MPH) without being very tired.
My question is: Is it possible to get in a shape in a few months that is good enough to ride some races with guys of my age or should I train for a year and join a amateur-team next year?
And how should I train? Is my condition good enough to train very intensive or shoud I build it up very slow? I've a Tacx Swing (for spinning inside the house) and saw that there are a lot of training possibilities like extensive/intensive interval training, tempotraining and power training. Can I already start doing those trainings?

Thanks,
Daniel

 

[melanie610]

This is not really a response, but a continuation with a related post.

I myself am 21 and just bought my first road bike. I don't know anything about cycling aside from what I've seen on TV and a little reading. I want to know how I should start. What is a good training regiment for starting out...riding and at-home exercise? I can't afford to buy any special equipment, so natural exercises and stretches are what I'm looking for. How long, hard, far should I ride-- and how often? Any suggestions are very appreciated.

 

[MY02_STi]

There are a number of very qualified coaches on this forum that will no doubt give you some very good advice but I'll jump in first and give some general advice based on personal experience.

One of the basic principals of cycle training is consistency coupled with adequate recovery to allow your body to adapt and grow stronger. Consistency is the key You also need to work out what you can realistically achieve training wise during a typical week and try and repeat that over a period of time (say 3 months or so).

If you're just starting out, then enjoy your riding, without worrying about too much 'specific' training but regularly challenge yourself (ride a bit further, faster).

Danielk - if it was me, I would wait a while before racing as the demands on your body will be a lot different to just riding. Join a local club and gradually ease into racing. At 19 you've got lots of time ahead of you

Melanie610 - As for how long, hard, fast etc, that really depends on you but if this is your first road bike the take time to get familiar with it, what it can do and what you can do with it. Enjoy your time on the bike. If you can say ride comfortably for 30 minutes, then next week try for an hour. You determine the pace.

There a a LOT of books on training. Some good, some not so good. Based on personal experience (others will no doubt disagree ), The Cyclists Training Bible by Joe Friel has some very good information although it can be a little 'in depth' at times.

 

[frenchyge]

For both of you, I'd recommend getting in touch with the cycling clubs in your area and joining in some of their group rides. IMO, that's the easiest way to gain fitness, talk to experienced cyclists, see how you stack up against others, and learn some things about the sport -- all while having more fun than trying to sort through forum advice.

 

[K50]

You cannot train to your max in your first 2 years of cycling. If you do, you will probably overtrain and injure yourself. You need to get enough muscle memory to make sure you're conditioned properly, and have very large base training periods before you begin increasing the intensity. I have only been training for a few years as well. This is what I was told by a few ex-pros.

 

[frenchyge]

You cannot train to your max in your first 2 years of cycling. If you do, you will probably overtrain and injure yourself.

Fortunately, most people knock-out those first 2 years before the age of 10, so no worries, right?

 

[velomanct]

I started riding when i was 14, over 6 years ago. I sucked as a junior. I think I am finally seeing some better results. Although I think that is mostly because I now know how to train properly. experience is the best.

Race as soon as you like. Ride with more experienced riders. that's all you need to know.

 

[K50]

Fortunately, most people knock-out those first 2 years before the age of 10, so no worries, right?

lol! Yeah that's right. And handling skills, too. That's why no one's wiped out and skinned their knees since they were 6, right?

 

[RapDaddyo]

My question is: Is it possible to get in a shape in a few months that is good enough to ride some races with guys of my age or should I train for a year and join a amateur-team next year?

The short answer is a qualified yes, depending on how many hours/week you can train, how you train and who you train with. I rode my first race within 3 months of getting on a bike and was finishing races with the lead group within 6 months. But, it didn't hurt that I was riding 60 miles/day x 5 days/week plus at least one race per weekend and that I was training with the then-current state champion.

And how should I train? Is my condition good enough to train very intensive or shoud I build it up very slow? I've a Tacx Swing (for spinning inside the house) and saw that there are a lot of training possibilities like extensive/intensive interval training, tempotraining and power training. Can I already start doing those trainings?

You need to accomplish three things to race and be competitive. First, you need to build up some endurance for at least the duration of the races you are interested in. I don't know what the typical Cat5 race distances are in Holland, but here in the states they are typically not longer than a couple of hours. Building up your endurance is a function of time in the saddle, the more the better. Unless you have some medical condition, you shouldn't have much trouble getting up to a couple of hours a day (if your schedule permits), and I don't think you need to creep up the duration curve if you are riding at a moderate pace (e.g., you can easily carry on a conversation). Some people will advise you to increase your duration by 10% a month or such. I think that's a lot of bull unless you've got some sort of medical condition or you're seriously overweight or something. Second, you need to increase your sustainable power. This is where the right approach is not necessarily the logical approach. If you want to ride for 2 hours at the highest power, you don't go out and ride 2 hours a day as fast as you can. The reason is that you're not going to be stimulating the physiological adaptations that result in more power. Better to do intervals, especially Lactate Threshold and VO2MAX intervals. These are in the 3-30 minute range, with the intensity corresponding to the duration. A very good read on interval training is free and it's here http://www.midweekclub.ca/articles/coggan.pdf. If you're very, very fortunate, you have a long, steady-grade hill nearby, one that will take you 20-30 minutes to climb. You want to wear a groove in the pavement up that hill. Andy's paper will tell you how to determine the right pace for L4 or L5 intervals, but a quick and dirty way is to buy an $80 speedometer and ride the hill about as fast as you can, then take 90% of that speed for your normal, weekly intervals. You'll know when it is time to increase your speed because it won't feel as hard as it used to. You won't notice any difference from one day to the next, but after several months you'll be flying up that hill. Third, once you get some fitness and power, you can start developing race skills, the most important of which is to avoid causing crashes. Race skills are a lifetime learning experience, but you can get a big jump by riding in a fast group. As frenchy said, ask around and try to find a group to ride with that rides fairly quickly. Good luck! This should be a sticky!

 

[Danielk]

The short answer is a qualified yes, depending on how many hours/week you can train, how you train and who you train with. I rode my first race within 3 months of getting on a bike and was finishing races with the lead group within 6 months. But, it didn't hurt that I was riding 60 miles/day x 5 days/week plus at least one race per weekend and that I was training with the then-current state champion.[/font][/color]

You need to accomplish three things to race and be competitive. First, you need to build up some endurance for at least the duration of the races you are interested in. I don't know what the typical Cat5 race distances are in Holland, but here in the states they are typically not longer than a couple of hours. Building up your endurance is a function of time in the saddle, the more the better. Unless you have some medical condition, you shouldn't have much trouble getting up to a couple of hours a day (if your schedule permits), and I don't think you need to creep up the duration curve if you are riding at a moderate pace (e.g., you can easily carry on a conversation). Some people will advise you to increase your duration by 10% a month or such. I think that's a lot of bull unless you've got some sort of medical condition or you're seriously overweight or something. Second, you need to increase your sustainable power. This is where the right approach is not necessarily the logical approach. If you want to ride for 2 hours at the highest power, you don't go out and ride 2 hours a day as fast as you can. The reason is that you're not going to be stimulating the physiological adaptations that result in more power. Better to do intervals, especially Lactate Threshold and VO2MAX intervals. These are in the 3-30 minute range, with the intensity corresponding to the duration. A very good read on interval training is free and it's here http://www.midweekclub.ca/articles/coggan.pdf. If you're very, very fortunate, you have a long, steady-grade hill nearby, one that will take you 20-30 minutes to climb. You want to wear a groove in the pavement up that hill. Andy's paper will tell you how to determine the right pace for L4 or L5 intervals, but a quick and dirty way is to buy an $80 speedometer and ride the hill about as fast as you can, then take 90% of that speed for your normal, weekly intervals. You'll know when it is time to increase your speed because it won't feel as hard as it used to. You won't notice any difference from one day to the next, but after several months you'll be flying up that hill. Third, once you get some fitness and power, you can start developing race skills, the most important of which is to avoid causing crashes. Race skills are a lifetime learning experience, but you can get a big jump by riding in a fast group. As frenchy said, ask around and try to find a group to ride with that rides fairly quickly. Good luck! This should be a sticky!

Thank you very much!
I'm on my bike almost every day now and I'll join a group soon so I hope I'll be making some progress.
One last question: I notice that on some days, when I had a long or intensive ride the day before, my legs are quite tired. What should I do in that case? Take a day off or have a short ride at a low speed for exemple?
Daniel

 

[RapDaddyo]

Thank you very much!
I'm on my bike almost every day now and I'll join a group soon so I hope I'll be making some progress.
One last question: I notice that on some days, when I had a long or intensive ride the day before, my legs are quite tired. What should I do in that case? Take a day off or have a short ride at a low speed for exemple?
Daniel

That's normal. You can do either -- day off or easy recovery ride. The recovery time is when your body is actually building capacity and is very important to the whole process. So, to get maximum advantage out of a hard day, you need an easy day or day off.

 

[Las Montanas]

That's normal. You can do either -- day off or easy recovery ride. The recovery time is when your body is actually building capacity and is very important to the whole process. So, to get maximum advantage out of a hard day, you need an easy day or day off.

However, let it be noted that for every individual's unique physiology, they have a certain level that constitutes a "recovery" day. A day off, unless you have completely killed yourself through work, school, riding and other activities, is usually not merited. Your body is capable of a hard day followed by a 3 hour moderate ride the next day, day after day, as long as you get a good amount of sleep and eat well. That, I think, is the most neglected part of a good training plan. As long as you sleep and eat well, you can ride every day.

 

[RapDaddyo]

However, let it be noted that for every individual's unique physiology, they have a certain level that constitutes a "recovery" day. A day off, unless you have completely killed yourself through work, school, riding and other activities, is usually not merited. Your body is capable of a hard day followed by a 3 hour moderate ride the next day, day after day, as long as you get a good amount of sleep and eat well. That, I think, is the most neglected part of a good training plan. As long as you sleep and eat well, you can ride every day.

I don't think the criterion is what the body is capable of. I think the relevant question is whether the desired adaptation is enhanced by the "moderate" day. Everybody is no doubt somewhat different. Having done both, I find that I can do more on my hard days when I take a complete day off the next day rather than an easy ride at recovery pace. But, I'm sure there are those who prefer a recovery ride to a day off. As I told the OP, he can do either.