# Poll: How many hours/miles do you train a week?



## hrv (Dec 9, 2001)

Read the post below in 'When should I race again...' about the Cat. 5 who thinks you need to do about 14 hrs/250 miles per week to be at the top. Not counting all the other variables involved, talent, fitness before, etc., do you agree (for cat. 4/5 level)? What cat are you, how many hours and/or miles do you train per week, how are your finishes? I've barely been doing 8 - 10 hours per week, finishing in top 1/3 of the field in crits (30 - 50 riders, cat 3/4). Mostly get dropped on longer road races somewhere between miles 20 and 40. For a 4/5 racer, I have 'below' average fitness, just started my 3rd year of doing anything aerobically. Thought I could get by with training smarter, not longer. Maybe not? Need to build more years of fitness first before I drop the hours?

Thanks,
hrv


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## Asiago (Jan 28, 2004)

*hours*



hrv said:


> Read the post below in 'When should I race again...' about the Cat. 5 who thinks you need to do about 14 hrs/250 miles per week to be at the top. Not counting all the other variables involved, talent, fitness before, etc., do you agree (for cat. 4/5 level)? What cat are you, how many hours and/or miles do you train per week, how are your finishes? I've barely been doing 8 - 10 hours per week, finishing in top 1/3 of the field in crits (30 - 50 riders, cat 3/4). Mostly get dropped on longer road races somewhere between miles 20 and 40. For a 4/5 racer, I have 'below' average fitness, just started my 3rd year of doing anything aerobically. Thought I could get by with training smarter, not longer. Maybe not? Need to build more years of fitness first before I drop the hours?
> 
> Thanks,
> hrv


14hrs for a cat5 is beyond excessive I think. 8-10 is very reasonable for a 4/5, especially if those hours are used wisely and well-structured. At the 4/5 level, longer is not necessarily better...

At times this winter I was on the bike 10-12hrs a week with another couple of hours in the weight room. My schedule is all screwed up right now with my recent trip to italy. It was 20hrs/week there plus an extra three days!


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## lonefrontranger (Feb 5, 2004)

*see my incredulous response to same*

hrv, the guy in the post below simply has a bad case of Cat 5 Syndrome. Most of us go through this, sometimes more than once in a racing career, so to wit: incremental titles:

Cat 5 Syndrome: A rider who is just starting out, has gone off the deep edge gung-ho disco style on racing. Typically has gleaned just enough information to be dangerous without being all that knowledgeable.

Cat 4 Syndrome: These are the guys who've raced for a season or two and have become the absolute last word on bike racing. They wouldn't listen to Eddy Merckx himself if he stepped up to give them pointers.

Cat 3 Syndrome: These are the guys who ride 4 abreast and block traffic on training rides, run stop signs, engage in wankerous behaviour at race registration booths and generally refuse to acknowledge the existence of anyone not so cool as they.

Cat 2 Syndrome: The local guy who feels compelled to rip the legs off of everyone else at every training ride so he can continually prove who's the biggest dog in the yard.

Cat 1/DIII Pro Synrome: These are the guys who will smile, wave, mentor beginners, ride slow and tell stories with just about anyone willing to listen, promote races and otherwise give back to the sport (my current coach is a good example) because they truly love the sport as more than an extension of their own egos, plus they have been shelled by the best in the world and know how hard racing truly is.


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## specilaized31 (Apr 16, 2004)

*not so fast*

Just because your a cat5 racer doesn't mean you have not been riding for a while. My typical weeks range from 10-12 hours with peaks of maybe 13 hours depending on the week. They contain 2 active recovery days, LT day with intervals of 8-12-20 minutes or over-under intervals, a couple of long days 60 and a 100 miles respectively. Weeks leading up to races taper quite a bit. I wasn't saying you have to train 14 hours a week to win in any category, I was just saying that the ones I know do. We had P12 guys from my region that are now on D3 and D2 teams that used to put in more than 16 hours a week when I knew them. But everyone is different.


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## lanterne rouge (Jun 27, 2002)

*Obviously.............*

based on my results................Not enough of either (miles or hours)


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## Thorman (Apr 6, 2002)

hrv said:


> Read the post below in 'When should I race again...' about the Cat. 5 who thinks you need to do about 14 hrs/250 miles per week to be at the top. Not counting all the other variables involved, talent, fitness before, etc., do you agree (for cat. 4/5 level)? What cat are you, how many hours and/or miles do you train per week, how are your finishes? I've barely been doing 8 - 10 hours per week, finishing in top 1/3 of the field in crits (30 - 50 riders, cat 3/4). Mostly get dropped on longer road races somewhere between miles 20 and 40. For a 4/5 racer, I have 'below' average fitness, just started my 3rd year of doing anything aerobically. Thought I could get by with training smarter, not longer. Maybe not? Need to build more years of fitness first before I drop the hours?
> 
> Thanks,
> hrv


That's a lot more miles/hours than most cat 4/5 racers I know. I'd say typical hours are around 10-12 during the summer months and half that during the winter.

Myself, I'm a cat 3 racer and generally finish in the top 10 at most races. This past winter my max week was around 16 hours and recovery weeks around 9. Now that base training is ending in a month or so I'll cut back to around 12-13 hours, but kick up the intensity a few levels.

Everyone is a little different. I think that I tend to suffer a little less during the early season than most since I put in a ton of base miles, but the guys that are suffering early in the season generally are next to me at the finish as well. I guess I just love to ride my bike more than most.


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## Asiago (Jan 28, 2004)

*So true...*



lonefrontranger said:


> Cat 3 Syndrome: These are the guys who ride 4 abreast and block traffic on training rides, run stop signs, engage in wankerous behaviour at race registration booths and generally refuse to acknowledge the existence of anyone not so cool as they.
> 
> Cat 2 Syndrome: The local guy who feels compelled to rip the legs off of everyone else at every training ride so he can continually prove who's the biggest dog in the yard.
> 
> Cat 1/DIII Pro Synrome: These are the guys who will smile, wave, mentor beginners, ride slow and tell stories with just about anyone willing to listen, promote races and otherwise give back to the sport (my current coach is a good example) because they truly love the sport as more than an extension of their own egos, plus they have been shelled by the best in the world and know how hard racing truly is.


I've found that for the most part, once a rider hits the Cat 2 level (maybe different in CO?), the better they are, the nicer they are. How you describe the Cat1/D3 syndrome is pretty typical of most Cat 2s I've come across as well. And its those guys that really make you want to get faster... 

...Just so you can keep up to hear more stories...


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

Hour and miles don't mean much unless you are doing 80-90 mile road races. The hours and miles that you do put in, have to count. Hard days have to be hard. Easy days have to be just that.


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

"How you describe the Cat1/D3 syndrome is pretty typical of most Cat 2s I've come across as well. And its those guys that really make you want to get faster... "

Ha ! .. Those are the guys that make me sound like a leaky boiler. ( Or the sound track of a porn film)


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

Cat 5, have a coach (CTS), 8-9 hours a week. Riding real strong right now. Having a good plan and following it seems to be the key. Oh, and enjoying suffering- yours and others.


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

hrv said:


> Read the post below in 'When should I race again...' about the Cat. 5 who thinks you need to do about 14 hrs/250 miles per week to be at the top. Not counting all the other variables involved, talent, fitness before, etc., do you agree (for cat. 4/5 level)? What cat are you, how many hours and/or miles do you train per week, how are your finishes? I've barely been doing 8 - 10 hours per week, finishing in top 1/3 of the field in crits (30 - 50 riders, cat 3/4). Mostly get dropped on longer road races somewhere between miles 20 and 40. For a 4/5 racer, I have 'below' average fitness, just started my 3rd year of doing anything aerobically. Thought I could get by with training smarter, not longer. Maybe not? Need to build more years of fitness first before I drop the hours?
> 
> Thanks,
> hrv


That's funny- here in the midwest, we've been without snow for about 4 weeks and the first race is Tues eve. so I've ridden a total of 35 hours this year and I'm just going to punt next week, knowing everyone else is in the same boat. Winter training is an oxymoron in these parts (although I went to the gym daily).

My guess is, the guy putting in 14 hours has subscribed to the "more is better" philosophy- and I know what I usually need MORE of is recovery rides or days off.

Frankly, I think finishes have more to do with using my head rather than using my legs, and that only comes with experience, which I badly need more of. Let's face it, in many races, a few seconds separate first from tenth or twentieth place, and arguably the guys further back ride a tougher race in a crit- so I don't think it is all fitness.


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## Thorman (Apr 6, 2002)

filtersweep said:


> That's funny- here in the midwest, we've been without snow for about 4 weeks and the first race is Tues eve. so I've ridden a total of 35 hours this year and I'm just going to punt next week, knowing everyone else is in the same boat. Winter training is an oxymoron in these parts (although I went to the gym daily).
> 
> My guess is, the guy putting in 14 hours has subscribed to the "more is better" philosophy- and I know what I usually need MORE of is recovery rides or days off.
> 
> Frankly, I think finishes have more to do with using my head rather than using my legs, and that only comes with experience, which I badly need more of. Let's face it, in many races, a few seconds separate first from tenth or twentieth place, and arguably the guys further back ride a tougher race in a crit- so I don't think it is all fitness.


Filter, you bring up a good point. Obviously you need to have the physical side of racing together to do well, but so many people neglect the mental side. When it comes down to do or die time the guy who wins isn't always the strongest it's usually the one who wants it the most and is willing to suffer to get it.

Just this past year I've been doing more mental training based on a book called the Mental Edge by Kenneth Baum. It's an interesting book that details mental training exercises.


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## biknben (Jan 28, 2004)

*I'm Cat. 3 packfill...*

My hours are on the high side. I do 1-2 hard workouts during the week with another hard long ride or race on the weekend.

For the past two months I'm putting in around 16 hours of exercise but typically 2-3 hours is off the bike. Rest weeks are around 10 hours.

I contribute my higher hours to the fact that I commute to work on my bike. I'll often use the commute as a recovery ride. Other times, I'll extend the ride on the way home to include some type of specific workout.

I also focus more on MTB racing than road. The MTB races tend to be longer than my road races. Therefore, I put in some long/hard efforts in training and the hours add up. If I was just training for 1-hour crits, I suspect my hours would decrease.

FWIW: I'm very competative in the local MTB scene racing in Semi-Pro/Expert events. On the road, I'm just an average Cat. 3. Too many crits and I have no sprint. I have a few road races on my calender this year. I'm eager to see if I can get better results in those.


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## lexington476 (Jan 28, 2003)

"Cat 3 Syndrome" I have run into the not so cool as they part. 

Now, the Cat 2s and 1s, are all most all very cool people. These are the folks that will cheer us cat 5s on while they are warming up for the 'big' race, and we are warming up the course .


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## bimini (Jul 2, 2003)

*Right now zero because the Doc says stay off the bike*

But normally I do about 10 hours a week may be more when the weather is good. I try to work in some long rides on the weekends, often 40-80 mile type rides and a moderate pace. Club rides at a recovery pace are a good way to put in long rides. You said you get dropped on the long rides. Most likely these are longer than your normal training rides. Your body gets use to a duration of activity and when you exceed it you have a problem. Your duration of training needs to be longer than the duration of the event you are training for (but can be at lower intensity). 

If the longer races are important to you, work some longer rides into your training schedule, one or two a week should be plenty. Or, you can avoid the long races and focus on the races you are trained for. Most Cat 5 road races are 20-30 mile type events and most crits are under an hour. Plenty of good racing without having to put in mega miles or hours.


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## hrv (Dec 9, 2001)

*Long rides aren't the problem/issue*

I could probably knock out 150 miles tomorrow without too much problem, my road races are anywhere from 45 - 100 miles, with 45 being the early season stuff. I have the endurance, did a lot of base early on, long rides, couple of centuries. Race pace is another story. I'm getting there, and this being the start of my 3rd year of racing, I'm patient. Maybe next year, maybe the year after, I'll be doing and finishing with the pack, the stage race with the 105 mile stage. I'm patient, but sometimes wish I had the fitness now! I'm very slow to improve, but I guess I'm glad I'm at least improving. Have to go now, did 2 time trials today, first one on fixed gear, my legs want to be put up!

hrv


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## TheAntiClimber (Apr 20, 2004)

hrv said:


> Read the post below in 'When should I race again...' about the Cat. 5 who thinks you need to do about 14 hrs/250 miles per week to be at the top. Not counting all the other variables involved, talent, fitness before, etc., do you agree (for cat. 4/5 level)? What cat are you, how many hours and/or miles do you train per week, how are your finishes? I've barely been doing 8 - 10 hours per week, finishing in top 1/3 of the field in crits (30 - 50 riders, cat 3/4). Mostly get dropped on longer road races somewhere between miles 20 and 40. For a 4/5 racer, I have 'below' average fitness, just started my 3rd year of doing anything aerobically. Thought I could get by with training smarter, not longer. Maybe not? Need to build more years of fitness first before I drop the hours?
> 
> Thanks,
> hrv


When I was a 5 I trained about 6-8 hrs per week. Last yr as a 4 I did about 8-9. This yr as a 3 I train about 11 during on weeks and 6 during off weeks when in the build period. Once I start very high intensity (Apr, May) I only do 5-8 hrs per week.


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## spox (May 10, 2002)

*so relative*

I race this season as my last year in Masters 35 and w/ younger too in a class that is maybe something like cat 3/4 (different rating here in Europe) there. Lately I have done 25 hours(460 mls)/wk at my best so far this season and now tapering for a first time. Normally during season I do +-10hrs but it depends. If there is a long road race this weekend and long XC race next weekend there is no big needs in days between. If it is a short crit race and next weekend is empty it's possible to ride 60 mls home and do more and harder coming week.


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