# How to become a good cyclist?



## PruneJuice (Oct 21, 2010)

Hi all. I've been a serious runner all my life, with a bit of cycling mixed in. I've had a moderate amount of success, running a 4:12 mile and 14:37 5k. Long story short, I want to become a cyclist now and want to know how to make the transition.

I have no idea how to compare running and cycling training days. What is a 15 mile long run in cycling distance? A 10 mile easy run? A 80 mile running week = what in cycling terms? 

What should I start doing this winter in terms of mileage and workouts to get in shape for road racing in the spring/summer?

Thanks.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Perhaps the first step is asking what you mean by "good cyclist".


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## t-dub (Jun 3, 2003)

I got started by reading Joe Friel's "Cyclist's Training Bible." Its written for the self-coached athlete competing in amateur racing events and explains how to set goals and develop a year-round training plan. From this he helps show how to put together your work-outs day to day and week to week - including the off-season and winter. I found it logically organized well written and after reading it am better able to understand some of the discussions I read on this forum. Hth.


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## andulong (Nov 23, 2006)

ride a lot


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## kyler2001 (Sep 8, 2005)

Some genral advice...

You can get a good cycling program from something like Training Peaks' Virtual Coach, at cost, that is tailored towards your goals.http://support.trainingpeaks.com/personal-edition/virtualcoach-atp-wizard.aspx 

Also, you should try to find a group of experienced riders to ride with. Riding in a group will help you with your bike handling skills and obviously you'll gain knowledge from their experience as well.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

andulong said:


> ride a lot


this.


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## Rhymenocerus (Jul 17, 2010)

Lots of mileage + lots of "good' mileage

Good being sustained fast climbs and interval work.


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## DM_ARCH (Feb 23, 2007)

To be a 'super fast' cyclist...ride a lot, intervals, training bible, etc.

To be a 'good' cyclist, ride with experienced riders, read how-to books and articles, and ride in groups. This will also make you relatively fast.


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## DMH1721 (Aug 30, 2010)

I too came to cycling from running (though not as fast as you). Once I started racing, my running shoes found (almost) a permanent spot in the back of my closet. 

I agree with others that just riding is a good place to start. You already have a good engine but you need to develop cycling specific muscles. I found that it too years of hard work (long sustained intervals 3x20) to build up power. My climbing was okay, my endurance was good, but powering along on the flats took a long time to develop. I am still not a very good TT. So, to that end, aside from riding a lot, I'd look into doing some low cadence (80-90 rpms), low gear intervals. I did these winter after winter (was living in a windy area so I'd do them into the wind) and slowly my flat land power got better.

As for riding miles v. running miles. I haven't (even when I was running a lot) trained by miles for years -- only when I first started doing endurance sports. Much, much better to train by time. With that said, if a 15 mile run takes you 90-100 mins, I'd say that is closer (in terms of effort and strain on your body) to a 3 hour ride. An 80 mile week (say that is 10-12 hours/week) is probably close to 18-20 hours/week on the bike. 

If you are just starting out, you will probably get lots of benefit just from riding the same amount of hours per week as you were running. An 18-20 hour week on the bike is around the hours a top level amateur would train (cat 1), so you probably don't need to be doing that much.

Good luck and like other's said, read a bunch. And yes, find someone who knows about cycling to help get you "in". When I first started riding, I had a really good friend (who was a cat 2) who'd bring me to group rides, or just bring me out with other people. He'd show me what to do and what not to do (if you did something stupid on a group ride in Boulder, people would take you to the curb). He taught me about eating on the bike, what to wear (always cover your knees under 65, unless racing), and how to recover. My first real year racing I went to a stage race in Wyoming (old Casper Classic) and went with a friend who was dating a women who had been national champion and raced in Europe for years. I learned more in those 5 days than any book . . . 

Good luck -- sorry for the long post.


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

DM_ARCH said:


> ride with experienced riders [...] and ride in groups.


This is what a lot of people are missing. Search your local bike shops and find a group ride that is both challenging (for you) and well-organized. The local Tuesday hammerfest is probably not the best place to start, you want to get your fitness and pack skills sorted out first.


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## Hank Stamper (Sep 9, 2009)

Definitely ride with groups of experienced riders and ask questions.

Although running and biking use muscles very differently it seems to me........I seriously doubt anyone who's run a 4:12 mile could benefit from training tips some schmuck on the internet such as myself could offer. I'd guess you will have no problem adapting your training from one sport to the other and it'll be the nuances of riding you'll need to be taught.
That was my experience anyway. I'd played a ton of hockey and other sports prior to biking and the physical/training part kind of took care of itself by just paying attention to my body and where it needed to improve.....but I was totally clueless about pacing, drafting, etiquette, ect and those were the things I could only learn by riding and talking with vets to the sport.


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## PruneJuice (Oct 21, 2010)

Thanks for all of the responses.

I should have clarified in my origninal post - I obviously know how to train to be a runner, and have a genreal idea of how that training would cross over to cycling.

I was looking for information like in DHM's post - talking about the types of things he did to cross over between sports better, and the "equivalence" between them. So thank you for that.


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## Spear Legweak (Mar 27, 2006)

kyler2001 said:


> Some genral advice...
> 
> You can get a good cycling program from something like Training Peaks' Virtual Coach, at cost, that is tailored towards your goals.http://support.trainingpeaks.com/personal-edition/virtualcoach-atp-wizard.aspx
> 
> Also, you should try to find a group of experienced riders to ride with. Riding in a group will help you with your bike handling skills and obviously you'll gain knowledge from their experience as well.


+1, some good advice for sure!


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## Speedi Pig (Apr 18, 2004)

Prunes, I was a long-time runner before switching over to cycling 10 years ago. I still run but only a few hundred miles a year, max. I wasn't quite as quik as you but I was decent (mid 31's for 10K).

You've already got some excellent advice above. Friel's book won't hurt, but it might be a little more info than you need right now. If you want to read it now, that's fine, but plan on rereading it in about a year. Warning: It is an excellent resource, but it's fairly dry in some places.

While your running background will definitely give you a leg up, you will be starting at the beginning. To me, that was actually a good thing as I had gotten to the point where I knew I wasn't going to get any better, but here's something new where I can get better. Ten years later and I'm still learning. Another thing, lots os cyclist don't know how to really hurt like you do.

Unless you're really talented, you're going to be disappointed if you have the expectation of dominating bike races right away. You'll be surprised how fast some guys who're 30 pounds overweight can ride.

In the end, you're comparing two very different things that in many ways just don't translate well to each other. Neither one is necessarily better, just different.

If you're planning on racing, look at the usacycling.org web site. It might be helpful to look through the rule book, this past year's race schedule for your state, etc..

PM me if you've got any specific questions.

Good luck!!


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## dot (Mar 4, 2004)

spade2you said:


> Perhaps the first step is asking what you mean by "good cyclist".


Ride lots, follow the Rules.


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## hairyviking (Jun 11, 2010)

I come from a running background also, slightly slower... 15:22 5k (road, not track...), 32:03 10k... still more of a runner than cyclist now(still have college eligibility) , so take my tips how you wish.
I have always used 2/3 rule(refers to cross training, good measure until you get the fitness level up on the bike)... an hour and a half ride= and hour run...
a lot of workouts are transferable... just vary in time/ distance. you should follow a similar training style from your running to transfer to your cycling, since you obviously saw great success. But, get the minutes up like most are suggesting. Build the strength up on the bike first, then go through you phases... base; strength; speed; peak...throw in threshold, intervals(long and short), play with the rest interval lengths, hill training, and invest in a heart rate monitor if you do not already have one... if you do, and you used it in your training from running, you are ahead of the game, you already have a good idea of your training zones.

good luck, I will be taking the plunge next year! hopefully i will break 15 first though!


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