Re: Training program

[Lindsay Rowlands]

gravelmuncher > wrote:
: Is there a downloadable program available for a road rider who works 5
: days per week? I've recently put the mountainbike in the shed and bought
: a new Trek, so i'd like to get started.

To do what exactly? Do you want to train to race, ride to lose weight,
ride to develop aerobic fitness, ride to develop endurance or just
generally ride to be faster than you are now? Answering this will
identify a goal which you can work towards.

If you go over to Coach Carl Cantrell's website you can spend many hours
reading useful information and ultimately work out a program that
suits your needs: http://coachcarl.com/

I'm in no way affiliated with Carl but have found many gems of cycling
wisdom there.

Cheerz,
Lynzz

[Lindsay Rowlands]

gravelmuncher > wrote:
: Is there a downloadable program available for a road rider who works 5
: days per week? I've recently put the mountainbike in the shed and bought
: a new Trek, so i'd like to get started.

To do what exactly? Do you want to train to race, ride to lose weight,
ride to develop aerobic fitness, ride to develop endurance or just
generally ride to be faster than you are now? Answering this will
identify a goal which you can work towards.

If you go over to Coach Carl Cantrell's website you can spend many hours
reading useful information and ultimately work out a program that
suits your needs: http://coachcarl.com/

I'm in no way affiliated with Carl but have found many gems of cycling
wisdom there.

Cheerz,
Lynzz

[gravelmuncher]

Lindsay Rowland wrote:
> gravelmuncher > wrote:
> : Is there a downloadable program available for a road rider who works 5
> : days per week? I've recently put the mountainbike in the shed and
> : bought a new Trek, so i'd like to get started.
> To do what exactly? Do you want to train to race, ride to lose weight,
> ride to develop aerobic fitness, ride to develop endurance or just
> generally ride to be faster than you are now? Answering this will
> identify a goal which you can work towards.
> If you go over to Coach Carl Cantrell's website you can spend many hours
> reading useful information and ultimately work out a program that suits
> your needs: http://coachcarl.com/http://coachcarl.com/
> I'm in no way affiliated with Carl but have found many gems of cycling
> wisdom there.
> Cheerz, Lynzz

Thanks for the reply...in answering your question - all of the above.
As soon as I gain a little more fitness/stamina i'll be joining a
cycle club nearby and would like to be as competitive as possible. As
i mentioned, i'm holding down a fulltime job...but surely many
competing cyclists are in the same boat and i'd like to gather some
advice on how to manage both activities. Thanks again for the link -
i'll look into it.




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>--------------------------<
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[gravelmuncher]

Lindsay Rowland wrote:
> gravelmuncher > wrote:
> : Is there a downloadable program available for a road rider who works 5
> : days per week? I've recently put the mountainbike in the shed and
> : bought a new Trek, so i'd like to get started.
> To do what exactly? Do you want to train to race, ride to lose weight,
> ride to develop aerobic fitness, ride to develop endurance or just
> generally ride to be faster than you are now? Answering this will
> identify a goal which you can work towards.
> If you go over to Coach Carl Cantrell's website you can spend many hours
> reading useful information and ultimately work out a program that suits
> your needs: http://coachcarl.com/http://coachcarl.com/
> I'm in no way affiliated with Carl but have found many gems of cycling
> wisdom there.
> Cheerz, Lynzz

Thanks for the reply...in answering your question - all of the above.
As soon as I gain a little more fitness/stamina i'll be joining a
cycle club nearby and would like to be as competitive as possible. As
i mentioned, i'm holding down a fulltime job...but surely many
competing cyclists are in the same boat and i'd like to gather some
advice on how to manage both activities. Thanks again for the link -
i'll look into it.




--
>--------------------------<
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[Suzy Jackson]

"gravelmuncher" > wrote in message
...

> As soon as I gain a little more fitness/stamina i'll be joining a
> cycle club nearby and would like to be as competitive as possible.

Why wait until you're more fit? Join a club now. It will do wonders to
motivate you to get out and do more miles, both training and racing, and
you'll find you get a lot fitter, faster, than you would otherwise.

> As i mentioned, i'm holding down a fulltime job...but surely many
> competing cyclists are in the same boat and i'd like to gather some
> advice on how to manage both activities.

Almost all competitive cyclists work other jobs. There's only a tiny
fraction of racers around who are able to train through the day. That's why
you see such big bunches training early morning and late evenings. Indeed
many of us have to fit training in with working full-time and studying part
time as well. I personally find riding to work is useful, with perhaps one
or two days a week where I take the long way to work or home, along with
racing on Saturdays and doing a good long training ride on Sundays. In the
lower grades, 200 or 300km per week is quite a good mileage, and it's
reasonably easy to maintain this around work and uni.

The main thing is to avoid wasting time watching that damned box (or reading
those damned newsgroups, for that matter).

Regards,

Suzy

[Suzy Jackson]

"gravelmuncher" > wrote in message
...

> As soon as I gain a little more fitness/stamina i'll be joining a
> cycle club nearby and would like to be as competitive as possible.

Why wait until you're more fit? Join a club now. It will do wonders to
motivate you to get out and do more miles, both training and racing, and
you'll find you get a lot fitter, faster, than you would otherwise.

> As i mentioned, i'm holding down a fulltime job...but surely many
> competing cyclists are in the same boat and i'd like to gather some
> advice on how to manage both activities.

Almost all competitive cyclists work other jobs. There's only a tiny
fraction of racers around who are able to train through the day. That's why
you see such big bunches training early morning and late evenings. Indeed
many of us have to fit training in with working full-time and studying part
time as well. I personally find riding to work is useful, with perhaps one
or two days a week where I take the long way to work or home, along with
racing on Saturdays and doing a good long training ride on Sundays. In the
lower grades, 200 or 300km per week is quite a good mileage, and it's
reasonably easy to maintain this around work and uni.

The main thing is to avoid wasting time watching that damned box (or reading
those damned newsgroups, for that matter).

Regards,

Suzy

[Andrew Swan]

gravelmuncher wrote:
> Thanks for the reply...in answering your question - all of the above.
> As soon as I gain a little more fitness/stamina i'll be joining a
> cycle club nearby and would like to be as competitive as possible. As
> i mentioned, i'm holding down a fulltime job...but surely many
> competing cyclists are in the same boat and i'd like to gather some
> advice on how to manage both activities. Thanks again for the link -
> i'll look into it.
>
Like Suzy said, don't wait, do it now. There's nothing to make you
strong/fit enough for racing like racing itself. If you keep waiting,
you might never feel ready. Someone gave me this advice when I was in
the same position as you, and they were right. Most clubs of any size
have a grade in which rank beginners can cope. You might get dropped off
the bunch the first couple of times, but stick with it and you will soon
develop both the skills and the race sense to stay with it. By race
sense I mean knowing when you can bludge and when it's worth putting in
a little extra effort. For instance, in the lower grades (where I ride!)
there can be a serious "spring" or yo-yo effect in the peloton, whereby
in the sharper turns, the people towards the back have to slow right
down to avoid riders in front when going into the corner, then sprint
like crazy out of the corner to stay in contact. Riding nearer the front
of the bunch makes you less susceptible to this and you can therefore
make a more consistent effort. Until you have ridden a few races and
feel comfortable with the pace, avoid going to the front and doing a
turn, otherwise you may cook yourself and find yourself unable to hold
the last wheel after peeling off.

Rather than raw fitness, it's probably more important (w.r.t. taking up
racing) to be sure that your bike handling skills and general road sense
are up to scratch. You don't need to be able to eat a banana while
standing on the saddle or anything, just be able to ride in a straight
line with other riders (and your wits) about you and not jamming on the
brakes. Following a wheel can take a bit of getting used to - don't let
others pressure you into following more closely than you feel
comfortable, and you'll soon find you can suck wheel with the best of
them. There's some good tips about this on the http://coachcarl.com site
that Lindsay mentioned.

Sorry this driveled on so long...

&roo

[Andrew Swan]

gravelmuncher wrote:
> Thanks for the reply...in answering your question - all of the above.
> As soon as I gain a little more fitness/stamina i'll be joining a
> cycle club nearby and would like to be as competitive as possible. As
> i mentioned, i'm holding down a fulltime job...but surely many
> competing cyclists are in the same boat and i'd like to gather some
> advice on how to manage both activities. Thanks again for the link -
> i'll look into it.
>
Like Suzy said, don't wait, do it now. There's nothing to make you
strong/fit enough for racing like racing itself. If you keep waiting,
you might never feel ready. Someone gave me this advice when I was in
the same position as you, and they were right. Most clubs of any size
have a grade in which rank beginners can cope. You might get dropped off
the bunch the first couple of times, but stick with it and you will soon
develop both the skills and the race sense to stay with it. By race
sense I mean knowing when you can bludge and when it's worth putting in
a little extra effort. For instance, in the lower grades (where I ride!)
there can be a serious "spring" or yo-yo effect in the peloton, whereby
in the sharper turns, the people towards the back have to slow right
down to avoid riders in front when going into the corner, then sprint
like crazy out of the corner to stay in contact. Riding nearer the front
of the bunch makes you less susceptible to this and you can therefore
make a more consistent effort. Until you have ridden a few races and
feel comfortable with the pace, avoid going to the front and doing a
turn, otherwise you may cook yourself and find yourself unable to hold
the last wheel after peeling off.

Rather than raw fitness, it's probably more important (w.r.t. taking up
racing) to be sure that your bike handling skills and general road sense
are up to scratch. You don't need to be able to eat a banana while
standing on the saddle or anything, just be able to ride in a straight
line with other riders (and your wits) about you and not jamming on the
brakes. Following a wheel can take a bit of getting used to - don't let
others pressure you into following more closely than you feel
comfortable, and you'll soon find you can suck wheel with the best of
them. There's some good tips about this on the http://coachcarl.com site
that Lindsay mentioned.

Sorry this driveled on so long...

&roo

[gravelmuncher]

Andrew Swan wrote:
> gravelmuncher wrote:
> > Thanks for the reply...in answering your question - all of the above.
> > As soon as I gain a little more fitness/stamina i'll be joining a
> > cycle club nearby and would like to be as competitive as possible. As
> > i mentioned, i'm holding down a fulltime job...but surely many
> > competing cyclists are in the same boat and i'd like to gather some
> > advice on how to manage both activities. Thanks again for the link -
> > i'll look into it.
> >
> Like Suzy said, don't wait, do it now. There's nothing to make you
> strong/fit enough for racing like racing itself. If you keep waiting,
> you might never feel ready. Someone gave me this advice when I was in
> the same position as you, and they were right. Most clubs of any size
> have a grade in which rank beginners can cope. You might get dropped off
> the bunch the first couple of times, but stick with it and you will soon
> develop both the skills and the race sense to stay with it. By race
> sense I mean knowing when you can bludge and when it's worth putting in
> a little extra effort. For instance, in the lower grades (where I ride!)
> there can be a serious "spring" or yo-yo effect in the peloton, whereby
> in the sharper turns, the people towards the back have to slow right
> down to avoid riders in front when going into the corner, then sprint
> like crazy out of the corner to stay in contact. Riding nearer the front
> of the bunch makes you less susceptible to this and you can therefore
> make a more consistent effort. Until you have ridden a few races and
> feel comfortable with the pace, avoid going to the front and doing a
> turn, otherwise you may cook yourself and find yourself unable to hold
> the last wheel after peeling off.
> Rather than raw fitness, it's probably more important (w.r.t. taking up
> racing) to be sure that your bike handling skills and general road sense
> are up to scratch. You don't need to be able to eat a banana while
> standing on the saddle or anything, just be able to ride in a straight
> line with other riders (and your wits) about you and not jamming on the
> brakes. Following a wheel can take a bit of getting used to - don't let
> others pressure you into following more closely than you feel
> comfortable, and you'll soon find you can suck wheel with the best of
> them. There's some good tips about this on the
> http://coachcarl.com/http://coachcarl.com site that Lindsay mentioned.
> Sorry this driveled on so long...
> &roo



Thanks for the excellent reply, it's good to read this kind of advice as
there is noone else in my town who even posesses a bike more than about
20 years old! The roads within a 100 km radius are in pretty bad shape
around here, and really narrow too - which makes riding to work a bit
risky. I guess i'll just have to move back to the city to reap the
benifits of daily riding.

Thanks again for the reply Joe



--
>--------------------------<
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[gravelmuncher]

Andrew Swan wrote:
> gravelmuncher wrote:
> > Thanks for the reply...in answering your question - all of the above.
> > As soon as I gain a little more fitness/stamina i'll be joining a
> > cycle club nearby and would like to be as competitive as possible. As
> > i mentioned, i'm holding down a fulltime job...but surely many
> > competing cyclists are in the same boat and i'd like to gather some
> > advice on how to manage both activities. Thanks again for the link -
> > i'll look into it.
> >
> Like Suzy said, don't wait, do it now. There's nothing to make you
> strong/fit enough for racing like racing itself. If you keep waiting,
> you might never feel ready. Someone gave me this advice when I was in
> the same position as you, and they were right. Most clubs of any size
> have a grade in which rank beginners can cope. You might get dropped off
> the bunch the first couple of times, but stick with it and you will soon
> develop both the skills and the race sense to stay with it. By race
> sense I mean knowing when you can bludge and when it's worth putting in
> a little extra effort. For instance, in the lower grades (where I ride!)
> there can be a serious "spring" or yo-yo effect in the peloton, whereby
> in the sharper turns, the people towards the back have to slow right
> down to avoid riders in front when going into the corner, then sprint
> like crazy out of the corner to stay in contact. Riding nearer the front
> of the bunch makes you less susceptible to this and you can therefore
> make a more consistent effort. Until you have ridden a few races and
> feel comfortable with the pace, avoid going to the front and doing a
> turn, otherwise you may cook yourself and find yourself unable to hold
> the last wheel after peeling off.
> Rather than raw fitness, it's probably more important (w.r.t. taking up
> racing) to be sure that your bike handling skills and general road sense
> are up to scratch. You don't need to be able to eat a banana while
> standing on the saddle or anything, just be able to ride in a straight
> line with other riders (and your wits) about you and not jamming on the
> brakes. Following a wheel can take a bit of getting used to - don't let
> others pressure you into following more closely than you feel
> comfortable, and you'll soon find you can suck wheel with the best of
> them. There's some good tips about this on the
> http://coachcarl.com/http://coachcarl.com site that Lindsay mentioned.
> Sorry this driveled on so long...
> &roo



Thanks for the excellent reply, it's good to read this kind of advice as
there is noone else in my town who even posesses a bike more than about
20 years old! The roads within a 100 km radius are in pretty bad shape
around here, and really narrow too - which makes riding to work a bit
risky. I guess i'll just have to move back to the city to reap the
benifits of daily riding.

Thanks again for the reply Joe



--
>--------------------------<
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[Andrew Swan]

hippy wrote:
> "Andrew Swan" > wrote in message news:q001b.199> >
> Like Suzy said, don't wait, do it now. There's nothing to make you
>
>>strong/fit enough for racing like racing itself. If you keep waiting,
>>you might never feel ready. Someone gave me this advice when I was in
>
>
> Why oh why didn't you guys write this 4 months ago?!
> I had 2-3 months off due to broken bones and a holiday
> overseas and then got stuck in this awful catch-22 of
> "I'm not fast enough to race..."
> "I'm not racing, why train?"
> "I'm not training so I'm not fast enough to race..."
> "I'm not racing, so why train?" etc etc etc!
>
> Anyway, I still haven't raced since March, but at least
> I'm training again... lets see if I can't race sometime soon!
>
> hip
>
>
There's an inspirational post on rec.bicycles.racing (don't ask me to
find it again) about how anyone who turns up and races is already a
legend just for putting their ego on the line (the start line!). That
sure helped me get up for my 5:45 alarm this morning, even if I did come
about third last (in an all-grades ITT)! :-)

&roo

[Andrew Swan]

hippy wrote:
> "Andrew Swan" > wrote in message news:q001b.199> >
> Like Suzy said, don't wait, do it now. There's nothing to make you
>
>>strong/fit enough for racing like racing itself. If you keep waiting,
>>you might never feel ready. Someone gave me this advice when I was in
>
>
> Why oh why didn't you guys write this 4 months ago?!
> I had 2-3 months off due to broken bones and a holiday
> overseas and then got stuck in this awful catch-22 of
> "I'm not fast enough to race..."
> "I'm not racing, why train?"
> "I'm not training so I'm not fast enough to race..."
> "I'm not racing, so why train?" etc etc etc!
>
> Anyway, I still haven't raced since March, but at least
> I'm training again... lets see if I can't race sometime soon!
>
> hip
>
>
There's an inspirational post on rec.bicycles.racing (don't ask me to
find it again) about how anyone who turns up and races is already a
legend just for putting their ego on the line (the start line!). That
sure helped me get up for my 5:45 alarm this morning, even if I did come
about third last (in an all-grades ITT)! :-)

&roo

[Andrew Swan]

hippy wrote:
> It turns out that there was a race on today, would you believe?
> Unfortunately, I got a puncture... ... .... on the way home...
> after WINNING it! :-D
>
<snip>
>
> I'm so glad I finally raced again.
> Thanks guys/gals!
> hip
>
>
Hey well done hipster - where did you race, what was the event, how many
entrants, etc.?

&roo

[Andrew Swan]

hippy wrote:
> It turns out that there was a race on today, would you believe?
> Unfortunately, I got a puncture... ... .... on the way home...
> after WINNING it! :-D
>
<snip>
>
> I'm so glad I finally raced again.
> Thanks guys/gals!
> hip
>
>
Hey well done hipster - where did you race, what was the event, how many
entrants, etc.?

&roo