# more structured riding?



## clipz (Aug 28, 2008)

hi all,

im looking to try my first race this upcoming year and was wondering what kind of training i should be doing now. i bought my bike in june and spent the summer having fun, exploring, learning how to ride my bike and control it, know its limits among other things. i bought myself a fluid trainer and ride it all the time right now. i have a couple spinerval dvds,.
my legs are strong but im lacking endurance. the heat is also killing me. i love the hot summer but this heat being on a trainer is crazy and gets me exausted faster.
should i be doing something more structured than say getting on my bike and just riding?
ive tried my dvds a couple of times and what i do is just ride for say an hour and go as hard and fast as i can for that hour but im not seeing any improvement in my endurance. doing that im gassed after 20 min.


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## clipz (Aug 28, 2008)

i forgot to mention i dont currently ride outside right now because money is tight and i havent been able to purchase winter gear


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

1. get a big fan, at least a cheapo box fan, but bigger/faster is better. Turn it on max while you're on the trainer. 

2. you don't "need" expensive bike-specific winter gear. For temps in the 40's (F) and not raining, basic tights from a discount sporting goods store ("compression tights") for your legs, a wool sweater for your body, and maybe a windbreaker.

3. as soon as you can / weather permits, start joining fast group rides in your area. pack skills are critical in racing. also as soon as money permits, join a racing club. 

4. get a watch with a second hand, or have a clock where you can see it while on the trainer. warm up for 5 minutes, then ride for 5 minutes as fast as you can. pedal easy - super easy - guilty-easy - for 5 minutes. Then hit it again for 5. Repeat. Do that for an hour, it's a good workout.

5. Google for "high intensity training" or "interval workout programs" there are lots of them out there. Intervals are the way to speed and there are many different kinds for different purposes.... learn them like a carpenter learns his tools.


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## Guest (Dec 8, 2009)

I'll second what Creaky said, and see if he'll loan you his powermeter. 

A big fan or in my case a small powerful one makes a big difference. I also take my trainer to the garage in the winter where its pretty cold just standing around, I can't even stand my fan till I get warmed up. Training indoors also takes a little bit of adaptation, but you'll get used to it if you stick with it.


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## mpapet (Dec 2, 2009)

Don't worry about riding outside very much right now.

_but im lacking endurance._

The average fluid trainer will make anyone tired in 20 minutes depending on the gears they use. So, back off of using the big gears to get to where you can do 40-50 minutes max.

A simple routine would be to alternate days where you..
1. concentrate on spinning a relatively high cadence at specified intervals. Concentrate on smooth pedal motion. No bouncing!

2. lower rpms intervals. Pick a couple of gears where you vary your range from 80 - 88 rpm. This should make your thighs really sore. You should not be running out of breath.

3. Murder your legs intervals. Short bursts with a huge gear attempting to keep the cranks turning for like 30 seconds. Then just ease off. This is the rough equivalent to squats. You may run out of breath on this one.

Save the max heart rate intervals for warmer months.

If you can at all tolerate running, do it. Sit in an imaginary chair. Push-ups, pull-ups, fitness courses at your local park. Overall body strength is important.

Most importantly, find people to do it with. Woodshedding is pretty tough to sustain.


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## clipz (Aug 28, 2008)

thanks guys. i know about the intervals but being new theres alot of intervals out there so im not really sure which ones to start at. some people suggest doing intervals throughout the winter and some suggest just plain old riding logging in the miles. as a newbie it gets a little confusing.


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## mpapet (Dec 2, 2009)

plain old logging miles will get you stronger, but it entails t-i-m-e and lots of it. I know some people do great with unstructured riding. I don't advance with lots of unstructured riding, so I have lots of specific exercises.

The goal over the winter is to be physically stronger and enthusiastic to ride in the spring/summer. 

It's a whole lot to sort out, but keep it fun and interesting. I'd rather have you riding 10 years from now than moved on to another sport.


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## clipz (Aug 28, 2008)

well i sure am motivated, i love cycling ever since i was at the 2003 world championships in my city, its just all these cycling terms described in interval training 70 percent of this lactate that, it gets really confusing. i have no heart rate monitor or power meter so i judge by speed and time or distance on my normal computer.


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## 180 (Jan 10, 2009)

There is so much we take for granted when riding solo. I would definitely ride with a fast group ride for a couple rides. The main thing is trying to keep the pace and your place without being a menace to the other riders in the race (I feel like a rap star here). When you do get a chance to ride with other people...practice holding your line. Practice lightly bumping into other riders (maybe on the grass where crashing isn't really crashing). A race is much more fine tuned and at 25-35 mph with a big ole pack of nutballz, every move counts. You will also be starting out with a bunch of other noobz who may not be keep to riding with other people as well. Try to stick yourself someplace in the middle, go with the flow and if someone goes down...ride around the crash. We all want to do great our first race, but just keep your safety and the safety of others in mind. A snapped collar bone is no way to begin a season of racing. You may know all this already. Sorry if I'm sounding like a school marm here. lol Hope it helps.


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## mpapet (Dec 2, 2009)

_interval training 70 percent of this lactate that,_

It's possible to do without a HRM. Follow my rough guide for the winter and be prepared for your legs/butt to hurt and getting used to the hurt is enough practice. You should rarely run out of breath on the trainer in winter. Run out of breath doing some other sport activity, not on the trainer.


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

If you live in "snow country", do your workout in your garage. You don't need no fan when it's 35 degrees in the garage. After a few minutes warm up, you can ride with shorts and a jersey. When you get done, 60-90 minutes later, you'll leave a lake under you. When you finish, dry off and get into the house within 5 minutes.
At 50 degrees, you may need a small fan.


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## clipz (Aug 28, 2008)

thanks everyone for the advice


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## StefanG (Nov 25, 2009)

Just buy Friel's Training Bible (used from Amazon) and it'll answer all of your questions and allow you to put as structured of a plan in place that you'd like.


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## 180 (Jan 10, 2009)

StefanG said:


> Just buy Friel's Training Bible (used from Amazon) and it'll answer all of your questions and allow you to put as structured of a plan in place that you'd like.


Just got this in my email...you can actually attend a webinar with Joe through trainingpeaks.com

Plan Your Season with Joe Friel, Author of Training Bible
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MST

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/374141562


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## hrumpole (Jun 17, 2008)

Also, depending on the kind of trainer, you can calculate your power from average speed.


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## DirtTurtle (Dec 21, 2007)

How many kms are you doing? I personally wouldnt worry about intervals at all if you arent doing too many kms, they're great for power but i assume you still have alot of development to go so i wouldnt worry about them yet. Everyone gets scared by the prospect of being fast enough to race etc (im at 2 years since i started this jan) but really there isnt too much id do until you have moved into it a bit more. One of the problems I had was trying to do the training alot of racers (online and off) were doing, but it did apply to me well because I basically wasnt capable of doing even half of that at the time. Start by focusing on just getting a few longer rides in, the endurance will pay off itself in racing. Group rides as stated are great, and those combined with a bit of racing will be more than enough without worrying about intervals when your starting out. Training should be hard enough to stress your body to force a physical adaptation which will make you stronger to cope with it, but make sure you give your body enough time to make this adaptation, then step it up a bit more. 

The other thing is with training and racing as your knowledge constantly develops and changes with your physical ability. You start to learn what works for and what doesnt, so just continue your training, race, learn from that and others like here to slowly up the training as your body is ready for it.


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