# After taking a year off



## Sweetwater (Jan 17, 2011)

I really need to get back on the bike. It's been a year. My thighs are skinny and I breathe hard at the top of stairs. I stopped riding for a multitude of reasons; problems with the bike, sick, burn out, moved...the typical excuses.

So anyway, I moved from Ventura, CA to a little village in the Austrian Alps. I'll be here for two years....and I brought the bike. But here's the catch, I'm kind of nervous getting started. Every season I start with lower back pain. I suppose it has to do with pushing myself too hard during "base" training. Doing the hills before I'm ready etc. That's just a guess. The pain eventually subsides. And that's only after taking 1-2 months off.

This time around it'll be over 12 months off the bike, and I'm in a region with only hills. Don't get me wrong, I love the hills, especially the Alps. It's beautiful here. The village is in a semi flat valley but it isn't large enough to put together a real ride. It's impossible to stay off the mountains. As well, doing 500-700 base miles on a trainer would be far too boring. I hope to get some advise on base training in the mountains for an out of shape 37 yr old. Any advice will be greatly appreaciated. If it matters, I'm 6'3", 195 lbs. Not a mountain goat.

Side note: I hurt my tailbone skiing Dec 25th (contusion, bruised?) The local doc said to stay off the bike for a while; maybe until February. I'm not sure yet if this will have an effect on my riding this year.



















Best Regards


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## psycleridr (Jul 21, 2005)

With that view you can put your trainer outside and avoid the hills!


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## masfish1967 (Mar 3, 2010)

You seem to have alot of excuses already for not just going for a bike ride. Since it has been awhile why not just simply "start" and let go of the why nots.


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## wallycharlo (Jan 8, 2010)

... what part of Austria are you in? ... I've lived here 13 years, some great riding to be had here ...


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## Cableguy (Jun 6, 2010)

Ride purely for fun the first month and then go from there. If you find yourself breathing hard slap yourself in the face and then shift to an easier gear and back off. Stay comfortable on the bike. Get off to walk around and enjoy the view every few miles. You have no reason to avoid the mountains either, doing 100 watts on the flats is basically the same as 100 watts on a hill. It's a matter of pacing. Stop attacking the hills, just ride them like you do anything else. Don't be in such a hurry to get to the top.


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## Sweetwater (Jan 17, 2011)

Cableguy said:


> Ride purely for fun the first month and then go from there. If you find yourself breathing hard slap yourself in the face and then shift to an easier gear and back off. Stay comfortable on the bike. Get off to walk around and enjoy the view every few miles. You have no reason to avoid the mountains either, doing 100 watts on the flats is basically the same as 100 watts on a hill. It's a matter of pacing. Stop attacking the hills, just ride them like you do anything else. Don't be in such a hurry to get to the top.


Good point. I've been taking my riding too seriously.


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## Sweetwater (Jan 17, 2011)

wallycharlo said:


> ... what part of Austria are you in? ... I've lived here 13 years, some great riding to be had here ...


Windischgarsten - Upper Austria near Liezen. And you?


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## wallycharlo (Jan 8, 2010)

.. I'm in Vorarlberg, rigth on the Swiss border ... can't escape the mountains anywhere in Austria though


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## mjengstrom (Apr 20, 2009)

I dont think I could live there and not ride. Just seeing that scenery would be enough to motivate me. 

BTW, lower back issues can also be a fit issue. If you can shorten your reach, that may help. Once you have more flexibility and strength, you may be able to go back to what you have.


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## simian23 (Jul 28, 2009)

Man, does your post resonate with me. I'm also 37, used to live in CA, and historically was always extremely active (distance running, ultimate frisbee, climbing, mtn and road biking, etc.), but since moving to Vienna in 2003 it has been a constant struggle to maintain a high level of fitness due to shifting priorities.

The upside of living in Austria is you aren't likely to get fat, even if you don't exercise as much. Fresh food, smaller portions, and lots of walking / hiking will see to that. The downside is finding people to train with. There are 2 kinds of Austrian athletes: ultra weekend warriors that might ride with you a couple times a year and you have to really coddle for them to have fun and not intimidate them, and then there is the Hermanator. Base level of fitness for a dedicated road cyclist in Austria is pretty unbelievable, and it gets better the further into the Alps you go. But here's the problem: THAT'S ALL THEY DO. No other sports, no other activities, often no lives. Just ride ride ride all the time. So if you have a life, you will not have a prayer of keeping up with even the least fit of them.

For an American, it is pretty frustrating, as in the US the biggest group of riders is usually in-between these two groups - strong, capable riders that are good for some fun but don't take things too seriously. So...at least for now you will likely ride alone a lot.

As for training, because mine is so inconsistent I find myself having to rebuild from scratch fairly often. Mainly I've done the following:

2-3 months of the most boring base building riding imaginable. Boring, but at 37 years old CRITICAL. Do whatever you can to keep your heart rate low (60-75% of max) on a ride - I use a triple with a 30t ring on the front and a 26t on the back. That way I can tool up hills if there aren't any flats or I am bored of riding along the Donau. I also bought a trainer, a Tacx Satori that I am very happy with. I just put the trainer in the living room, put my laptop on a table in front of me and either watch a movie or a bike video for a couple hours as I spin. This period also strengthens my stabilizer muscles and helps me get my high cadence spin back - usually 90-100rpm.

Like I said, boring, but it works. Because when I do start training harder come spring, it takes maybe 6 weeks of hill climbing and sprinting to get strong enough to ride hard for 4-5 hours with other good riders. Nutrition is key too - mainly water intake. When I start training again I try to get down at least 2 liters of water a day. It sucks at first, but after a while I get used to carrying a water bottle around.

I mainly follow "Base Building for Cyclists" by Thomas Chapple, which I ordered from Amazon.at. The book is much less comprehensive than Joe Friel's books - but it uses basically the same techniques and focused me on the one area I really needed help (base training).

And hey, maybe we can ride together sometime, certainly if you're ever in Vienna. I know pretty much all the singletrack in the Wienerwald too, if you like mountain biking.


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## wagsea6b (Jun 6, 2006)

As mentioned previously, your lower back problems could be a fit issue.

They could also be a flexibility issue.

I used to have sore back problems when I rode (especially uphill) along with a sore back when I did pretty much everything else. Several MRIs later the good news came out -- nothing wrong with my back. What I DID have were ridiculously tight hamstrings. I had never really ascribed to any sort of stretching regimine. 

I committed to yoga (just the stretching, not the touchy feely stuff) and a consistent stretching plan and viola, I feel like I have been given my back back.

Can't say for certain if this is your case but if you are tight then give it a try. Oh and remember, stretching the lower back alone probably won't do it. The hamstrings and glutes are the biggest culprits. They have an effect on a multitude of things.

Hope this helps. Now quit making excuses and get out and ride! :thumbsup:


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## Sweetwater (Jan 17, 2011)

wagsea6b said:


> As mentioned previously, your lower back problems could be a fit issue.
> 
> They could also be a flexibility issue.
> 
> ...



You may have something there. I'm not a doctor, but being that the back pain only occurs at the beginning of the season, I have to assume it's due to a lack of flexibility. This year I'll do more than a 5 min pre-ride stretch! Thank you for your input.


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## Sweetwater (Jan 17, 2011)

simian23 said:


> Man, does your post resonate with me. I'm also 37, used to live in CA, and historically was always extremely active (distance running, ultimate frisbee, climbing, mtn and road biking, etc.), but since moving to Vienna in 2003 it has been a constant struggle to maintain a high level of fitness due to shifting priorities.
> 
> The upside of living in Austria is you aren't likely to get fat, even if you don't exercise as much. Fresh food, smaller portions, and lots of walking / hiking will see to that. The downside is finding people to train with. There are 2 kinds of Austrian athletes: ultra weekend warriors that might ride with you a couple times a year and you have to really coddle for them to have fun and not intimidate them, and then there is the Hermanator. Base level of fitness for a dedicated road cyclist in Austria is pretty unbelievable, and it gets better the further into the Alps you go. But here's the problem: THAT'S ALL THEY DO. No other sports, no other activities, often no lives. Just ride ride ride all the time. So if you have a life, you will not have a prayer of keeping up with even the least fit of them.
> 
> ...


Wow. I can't believe you're the first 37 yr old Californian guy in Austria who is into cycling I've met  Yes, It is amazing how in-shape people are around here...and they're all skinny too. The lifestyle is definatly more physical, at least up here in the mountains. Nordic hiking, Xcountry/downhill skiing, running, biking, mountain climbing etc. I moved here back in August a littleoverweight (211 lbs at 6'3"). Normal body type in Cali, but here, they kept making comments about how big I was. Anyway, within two months I dropped down to 190 (although xmas added a few lbs). No dieting. Just walking more I guess...and fresh food from the family garden. 

I found a large cycling club about 20 minutes away through a local bike shop. Tons of people around here are into cycling. The goal, assuming my tailbone injury heals fast and the road ice/snow melt, is to join the club in Feb, ride lots with them, and hopefully find a few local guys in the same shape as myself. Maybe 4-6 base mile weeks and, like you, 6 weeks of hills, intervals and whatnot. I, too, bought a trainer and will use it on those icy days.

So what forces pulled you out of Cali and into Wien? 

www.GabeHorton.blogspot.com


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