training

Well i just purchased well put money down on my first road bike. Its an 05 Specialized Allez Elite double($800). And im gonna do this race/ride in june, it is the MS150 from cranberry, Pa to Erie, Pa. What training should i do for this race...

and is anyone a member on here that rides road bikes in the Pittsburgh, Pa area. That could ride with me... and train with me for this race??

 

nice bike! i don't live in PA but the best advice I can give you is just get out there and ride everyday. I don't know if you've rode before this...but the best thing to do is to do a lot of miles, especially if you've never rode before.

With that said, some fine tuning training would be doing hill repeats and sprints. Find a hill and just keep going up and down it. Time yourself, try doing up in different gears, standing, sitting, and see how your body reacts. Also, on flats, one thing I do is I will do 10 seconds standing sprint, 10 seconds rest, 3 times. then take a 30 second rest and repeat.

 

It sounds like you are really new to the sport and really what you probably should focus on to start is just getting out and getting used to being on your bike. I don't know what your starting fitness is, you may find that 5 miles is a lot your first time out, you may find that you can do 20 with ease. Each week add some mileage until you work up to something near your ride distance (its 150 miles over two days right - so about 75 miles per day)

Unless it gets boring to just get out and ride, I wouldn't worry about getting fancy and doing any sprint work or hill repeats... MS 50 isn't a race and it doesn't matter how fast you go. Concentrate on just enjoying your first event and don't worry about how fast you complete it. If later you find you really want to increase your speed, then look into a training program that is more specific to that.

 

yeah thanks swimmer ill try that

noo im not new i just used a novice iron horse warrior sport mtb, and used it on road. i racked up about 3500 miles in 2 years.. the farthest i rode was 60 miles in one day with a max speed of 48.5mph!!!

it sucks cuz its just too cold here to start riding with the crappy weather...

thanks guys for the information ill try it out

 

sorry for double post

but is the MS rides like a race or is it like a joy ride....

 

Either, depending on the rider. There will be local racers out there who want to do a fun ride for a cause -- it will look like they're racing as they fly by. There will be strong club riders out there wanting to beat their best time or the folks that beat them last year -- they might be racing. There will also be people that aren't fit to wear spandex, parents with kids in trailers, folks with disabilities, etc. -- they're just trying to finish.

MS 150 riders come in all shapes and sizes. There will be people to race with if you are so inclined, but the vast majority will be recreational riders looking to make a difference.

 

An organized ride is what you make it. You can do it as fast or as slow as you want to, and you'll find others of all sorts of paces there. It's unlikely you'll be either the fastest or slowest rider at the event. If you are faster and you want to get involved with some higher level riding (like pacelines) don't use an event to learn how.... Get involved with a cycling club and learn how to ride properly in a group before hand.
A few niceites for event rides:
Be polite to those slower than you - always indicate that you are passing by calling out "on your left" and always check over your shoulder for traffic (cars and other riders) before pulling out to pass. (oh yeah - and always pass on the left - if you try to pass on the right no one will be expecting you to be there...)
Always indicate that you are stopping or slowing by signalling and by calling out "slowing" or "stopping".
If you are in a paceline (intentionally or not) point out and call out obstacles, glass - things that riders would not want to run over.
If you can't already do it, learn how to drink from your water bottle and look over your shoulder without wobbling or swerving.

 

I don't ride in Pittsburgh, but know the terrain well, I would just concentrate on getting in the miles and your rump used to your new ride. I did the MS150 last year here in SW Ohio and just enjoyed it and met a lot of great people along the way. I also joined a team which helped getting the training in while meeting some new people.
Look on the MS Society web site and you can probably locate a team or group that rides together. Also try your local LBS, they may even be a sponser.
Good luck and have fun.

 

While I agree with the general spirit of the first paragraph, I have real problems with the advice in the second.

For the original poster - You don't need to work on your sprinting for a charity ride; you're not going to sprint at all on this thing and if you do, you're missing the point. Hill repeats?...maybe....pick some longer hills (ideally 15 minutes or longer to climb) and if you want to, ride up as many times as you can handle. This will have big benefits on your riding. However, it's not crucial to do hill repeats. At the level you are riding at, any time in the saddle will be very beneficial, almost regardless of content.