Training

Doki said:

I want to go faster and further on my bike. I know the obvious answer is to
do a lot of riding. Has anyone got any pointers on interval training or
other ways to get more out of my time on the bike?

Find your local club and go out with other people wanting the same
thing. Being in a pack pushing one another not only helps fitness and
speed but makes your cycling better on a meter to meter basis as well.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Doki said:

I want to go faster and further on my bike. I know the obvious
answer is to do a lot of riding. Has anyone got any pointers on
interval training or other ways to get more out of my time on the
bike?

Find your local club and go out with other people wanting the same
thing. Being in a pack pushing one another not only helps fitness and
speed but makes your cycling better on a meter to meter basis as well.

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't keep up. Though if I did, I'd be very pleased as
I'd be on a mountain bike and they'd all most likely be roadies 🙂.

Doki said:

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't keep up.

You'd be surprised! I only did my rirst group riding this year, and it is
amazing how much difference the group makes; not just in terms of
aerodynamics, but also the motivation.

Quoted message said:

Though if I did, I'd be very
pleased as I'd be on a mountain bike and they'd all most likely be
roadies 🙂.

This could be an issue -- get a road bike. ;-) Seriously though, as long as
there's no mad sprinting going on, you should be fine. If a little
weird-looking.

Doki <[email hidden]> wrote:

: I'm pretty sure I wouldn't keep up. Though if I did, I'd be very pleased as
: I'd be on a mountain bike and they'd all most likely be roadies 🙂.

Ah. The usual advice about how to get fit for MTB'ing is "buy a road bike". And
with good reason. Not only is it possible to exercise at a consistent effort level
but (as Pete says) you can ride with others, and this makes you much faster quickly

The full works on the subject is "The Cyclists Training Manual" by Joe Friel,
available at a bookshop near you.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

Quoted message said:

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't keep up. Though if I did, I'd be very pleased as
I'd be on a mountain bike and they'd all most likely be roadies 🙂.

Suggestions.

CTC - local groups often have group rides organised. There may be something to
suit your style & pace of cycling, that is lots of cyclists out together.

British Cycling/CTT web sites to look up lists of clubs in your area. Find some
- make phone calls - ask what sort of rides they do where a "beginner" to club
riding would be welcome. Some clubs have serious training rides for the fast
sorts and also easier paced rides for the less fit, slower, more leisurely
types.

If you can't afford a road bike right now - how about some semi-slicks on your
MTB, if you haven't alredy done this, as these tyres will make it a bit easier
on road?

Audaxes - you don't *have* to have a road bike and there are off-road ones as
well as the traditional on-road ones. Start off on short audaxes & gradually
work upwards?

Hope this helps a bit.

Cheers, helen s

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Arthur Clune said:

Doki said:

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't keep up. Though if I did, I'd be very
pleased as I'd be on a mountain bike and they'd all most likely be
roadies 🙂.

Ah. The usual advice about how to get fit for MTB'ing is "buy a road
bike". And with good reason.

Should happen some time this summer after I've spent money on holidays and
so on, and have some sort of commute I could do on a bike.

Quoted message said:

Not only is it possible to exercise at a
consistent effort level but (as Pete says) you can ride with others,
and this makes you much faster quickly

Not round here it's not. Perhaps I should move to Norfolk or Lincolnshire
and enjoy mile after mile of perfectly level road...

Quoted message said:

The full works on the subject is "The Cyclists Training Manual" by
Joe Friel, available at a bookshop near you.

I'll look it up.

Doki said:

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't keep up.

Would depend on the club in question. Some have lower powered rides for
lower powered people.

Quoted message said:

Though if I did, I'd be very pleased as
I'd be on a mountain bike and they'd all most likely be roadies 🙂.

But bottom line is you don't know until you try, and you might be okay
if you put some fast tyres on.
It's also entirely possible someone on your friendly neighbourhood chain
gang will have a pretty reasonable winter hack they'd be happy to lend
you for a few rides (perhaps for a small regular payment in pint form)
until you get your own (or decide it's not for you...). Get in touch
with the local clubs and see what they have to say for themselves on the
matter.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In article <[email hidden]>,

Arthur Clune said:

Ah. The usual advice about how to get fit for MTB'ing is "buy a road bike". And
with good reason. Not only is it possible to exercise at a consistent effort level

A mountain bike with slicks and, perhaps, suspension lockout [*] isn't
_that_ far from a flat-barred road bike. It's heavier, and it's lacking
a bunch of long gear ratios, but you get some very low gear ratios to
make up for both of those problems.

ian

[*] Although that may or may not be a good thing. I weigh about 16
stone, and if I lock the rear suspension on my bike it appears that I
can flex something, probably the seat post, as I pedal. The effect is
horrible, and indeed both similar to and of larger magnitude to the
worst things the rear suspension can do when it is unlocked. Tall
people on mountain bikes of a ``compact frame'' layout, like the Marin,
will tend to have a lot of seat post exposed, so it's a candidate for
flex. I'm tempted to try a more rigid seatpost.

Doki <[email hidden]> wrote:

:> I said:
:> Not only is it possible to exercise at a
:> consistent effort level but (as Pete says) you can ride with others,
:> and this makes you much faster quickly

: Not round here it's not. Perhaps I should move to Norfolk or Lincolnshire
: and enjoy mile after mile of perfectly level road...

You can do constant level training in the hills, but it takes displine. It means
going *very* slowly up to keep the effort down and then pushing on more on
the descents than you would normally. And maybe adjusting routes slightly.

You could try a local road club ona hardtail with 1" slicks and see how you
go.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

Quoted message said:

Not round here it's not. Perhaps I should move to Norfolk or Lincolnshire
and enjoy mile after mile of perfectly level road...

Don't include Norfolk in your choice if that's your priority then. It may not
be mountainous, but it *is* undulating - very little is perfectly level - the
Broads (a flat bit) only cover a small proportion of the county. The fens
(flat) are Cambs/Lincs and a *tiny* bit in Norfolk.

Cheers, helen s

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Doki said:

I want to go faster and further on my bike. I know the obvious answer is to
do a lot of riding. Has anyone got any pointers on interval training or
other ways to get more out of my time on the bike?

Join the local club and do some evening "10"s. They won't mind if you
use an MTB, although slick tyres are recommended for a half-decent time.

in message <[email hidden]>,

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers (') said:

Quoted message said:

Not round here it's not. Perhaps I should move to Norfolk or
Lincolnshire and enjoy mile after mile of perfectly level road...

Don't include Norfolk in your choice if that's your priority then. It
may not be mountainous, but it *is* undulating - very little is
perfectly level - the Broads (a flat bit) only cover a small
proportion of the county. The fens (flat) are Cambs/Lincs and a *tiny*
bit in Norfolk.

H'mmmmph! We rate one of our regular twelve mile loops as 'flat' because
it involves only about 100 metres of climb. Hills are relative.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; I'll have a proper rant later, when I get the time.

in message <[email hidden]>, Ian G Batten

(') said:

Although that may or may not be a good thing. I weigh about 16
stone, and if I lock the rear suspension on my bike it appears that I
can flex something, probably the seat post, as I pedal. The effect is
horrible, and indeed both similar to and of larger magnitude to the
worst things the rear suspension can do when it is unlocked. Tall
people on mountain bikes of a ``compact frame'' layout, like the
Marin, will tend to have a lot of seat post exposed, so it's a
candidate for flex. I'm tempted to try a more rigid seatpost.

Interestingly my Klein, which has a great length of exposed seatpost,
has a great length of exposed seatpost of enormous girth - a whacking
31.6mm diameter, like a young scaffolding pole. It Does Not Flex. Not
of course that this is a feature you can retro-fit onto just any old
bike, of course.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

There are no messages. The above is just a random stream of
bytes. Any opinion or meaning you find in it is your own creation.

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers said:

Quoted message said:

Not round here it's not. Perhaps I should move to Norfolk or
Lincolnshire and enjoy mile after mile of perfectly level road...

Don't include Norfolk in your choice if that's your priority then. It
may not be mountainous, but it *is* undulating - very little is
perfectly level - the Broads (a flat bit) only cover a small
proportion of the county. The fens (flat) are Cambs/Lincs and a
*tiny* bit in Norfolk.

I'd driven around Norfolk a fair bit, and it's very very flat compared to
around here (Derbyshire).

Doki said:

Peter Clinch said:

Doki said:

I want to go faster and further on my bike. I know the obvious
answer is to do a lot of riding. Has anyone got any pointers on
interval training or other ways to get more out of my time on the
bike?

Find your local club and go out with other people wanting the same
thing. Being in a pack pushing one another not only helps fitness and
speed but makes your cycling better on a meter to meter basis as well.

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't keep up. Though if I did, I'd be very pleased as
I'd be on a mountain bike and they'd all most likely be roadies 🙂.

Until it was pinched in December, I used a MTB with guards and slicks on
club runs. Heavy; yes, but I'm the captain so they'd have to wait for me
:-)
But they didn't need to...

Now I have a hybrid road bike with flat bars for winter-training/work.

If you're in the Wirral area, come with us. We acommodate all.

Quoted message said:

H'mmmmph! We rate one of our regular twelve mile loops as 'flat' because
it involves only about 100 metres of climb. Hills are relative.

Of course hills are relative. But flat is flat - and Norfolk *isn't* flat. It
is indeed less hilly than many a place, but flat, it isn't. As when I was doing
that charity cycle ride a couple of weeks or so ago, going up a long drag
between a couple of villages, the non-Norfolk cyclist next to me said, "Whoever
said Norfolk was flat was a liar!" :-)

Cheers, helen s

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Quoted message said:

I'd driven around Norfolk a fair bit, and it's very very flat compared to
around here (Derbyshire).

Of course Norfolk isn't as hilly as Derbyshire, I don't claim it is - but it
*isn't* flat.

Cheers, helen s

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dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers said:

Quoted message said:

I'd driven around Norfolk a fair bit, and it's very very flat
compared to around here (Derbyshire).

Of course Norfolk isn't as hilly as Derbyshire, I don't claim it is -
but it *isn't* flat.

It's as near to flat as you're likely to get. Unless you go to that place in
America that scientists calculated was actually flatter than a pancake...

Quoted message said:

It's as near to flat as you're likely to get. Unless you go to that place in
America that scientists calculated was actually flatter than a pancake...

Whatever. Obviously the slopes around where I live are a figment of the
imagination.

Cheers, helen s

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