HELP!!! Training for a HUGE ride

Hi, ladies!

I've been hanging around here for a while, but this is my first post. I'm currently stuck in a very bad situation. I'm on a cycling team, and we're doing a HUGE charity ride this summer.

I'm a beginner (as in, I hadn't even been on a road bike before joining this team), and so are many other people on the team, but I injured my knee a while ago, which put me behind in training BIG TIME.

My knee is doing much better now, but I'm still supposed to only gradually work my way up to harder rides, i.e. hills.

So I went on a training ride with my team recently. It was supposed to be 62 miles, and there were sustained winds at 20 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph...yay. I felt like snail compared to the rest of my team! And this weekend, they're going on a challenging hilly ride. :eek:

To make things even better, we're having a test in a couple of week where we'll have to ride 100 miles within 12 hours, and there are going to be hills for sure...:eek::eek:

What can I do? Does anyone have any advice (and some encouragement would be nice also...:p)?

When I go up hills, I'm normally panting madly, and it seems hard even when I'm on my lowest gear! But I am determined (and maybe a little bit desperate...) to make the ride this summer.

Train the best you can. Don't risk permanent damage to the knee by trying to catch the group.

Remember these are rides not races. ;) You may need to find another group that rides your pace like a local club novice ride, doing short flat rides. If you're starting to do base miles now :eek: with a goal ride what when?? :eek: and your teammates are prepared to do the BIG ride and basically doing test rides you'll need to find a way to ride your ride and train your pace.

Ride the miles you can do at the pace you can, then ride your ride. With good time management at rest stops, riding within yourself you'll see them cheer you every day at the end.

Try to catch them at this point and your riding days are over, done, you'll never ride again.

Worse yet, people trying to extend themselves too far, trying to catch a group they feel they should ride with, trying to beat a perceived goal time on a charity ride do what's called stoopid sh)t and end up being a danger to themselves and others. This is your ride this year, you started late, injured your knee and instead of cross training like swimming which would have put you in great aerobic shape and protected the knee did not train, now you're behind the goal.

But that's ok, Ride your ride, ride easy, think of it as the start of base mile training for NEXT YEAR.

Next year you'll ride with your team, this year your base miles start right now.

Remember the real fun is at the back of the pack.

Trek - California AIDS Ride 4 crew, ALC 3, 4, 6 rider, ALC 5 Training ride leader - 420

Are you using clipless pedals? They make a huge difference because you can pull up as well as push down.

Don't kill yourself trying to go too fast, this is supposed to be fun.

Maybe you will not be ready in time for this ride. It's not worth it to hurt yourself permanently just so you can reach a goal set by someone else.
Knees are fragile creatures and need to be taken care of. healing takes time. a 100 mile ride with hills (or a 60 mile ride with hills) might not be what your knee should be exposed to until it is ready . there's always next year.
Lance Armstrong isn't riding this week, he's hurt. So are you.

You need a plan with training goals. Not sure who your team leader/coach is but I am pretty sure I would not 100 mile test someone who is new on the bike and has knee issues. Because of your newness and knee problem you need to increase time on the bike gradually and get in some moderately paced long base miles. Is it a requirement to train with the team? I would think seriously about skipping their rides and doing your own ride as dictated by your training goals which seems to be a long ride ... century? If your ride is in late summer - with consistency you can do it. If you don't want to shell out for a coach the LAF site has training plans for things like centuries. TrainingPeaks.com has good info too. I would share your training plan with your Dr to make sure it is okay and see if you can add in strength training too.

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Originally Posted by ItchyBits

You need a plan with training goals. Not sure who your team leader/coach is but I am pretty sure I would not 100 mile test someone who is new on the bike and has knee issues.

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What she says :cool:

I really question the "race" idea. Yes, there's a time component to endurance rides, if you're too slow you're swept.

But it should not be a race.

And if you train with a team they should be aware of your injury and find a sweep and/or other riders your pace to ride with you. I don't know what team or event you are on but that does not sound caring and supportive to me.

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Originally Posted by Naomi

Are you using clipless pedals? They make a huge difference because you can pull up as well as push down.

Don't kill yourself trying to go too fast, this is supposed to be fun.

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Yes, we do have clipless pedals, and they do help so much. :)

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Originally Posted by Trek420

And if you train with a team they should be aware of your injury and find a sweep and/or other riders your pace to ride with you. I don't know what team or event you are on but that does not sound caring and supportive to me.

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We are actually split up into groups based on experience. I can keep up with the group I'm in right now, but it's just that whenever we hit those hills, I slow right down (like 6 mph slow...).

Thanks for all the advice and support!

One more question: My therapist said that it might be easier on my knee if I got a third chainring. Right now, our bike has a compact 50/34T. Would a third really make a whole lot of a difference?

did you really say "Our bike?"

yes, a 3rd chainring would help, or different gears anyway. But in the end, it's still your knee that is having to bear your weight up the hill, I don't care HOW big that chainring is.

A lot of people change chain rings to help them climb. See your LBS for that one.

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Originally Posted by green

whenever we hit those hills, I slow right down (like 6 mph slow...).

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6 mph is not slow up a hill, depending on the hill. Some hills "we"* are happy to stay upright and not fall over backwards

*we being me and my tapeworm :p ;) :)

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

Maybe you will not be ready in time for this ride. It's not worth it to hurt yourself permanently just so you can reach a goal set by someone else.
Knees are fragile creatures and need to be taken care of. healing takes time. a 100 mile ride with hills (or a 60 mile ride with hills) might not be what your knee should be exposed to until it is ready . there's always next year.

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I second this. If you are a brand-new rider, don't expect to be able to go out and pound out a 62- or 100-mile ride with hills, wind, the whole bit, let alone at a dazzling pace. (Also as a side note: On those long rides, eat before you're hungry! Drink before you're thirsty! I'm sure you've heard it before, but it's really true.)

Here's my knee-related long-distance experience, which I hope will give you some food for thought: I'm mostly a commuter, but last year I started expanding into longer weekend rides, and last May I did my first century: The King's Tour of the Quabbin, a ride with 7,000 feet of climbing. I trained for it and rode it alone, making a point of going MY pace and taking as long as I needed. Even so, by mile 75 my knees (which have been bad since I ran cross country in high school, but hadn't given me trouble since I got fitted on my bike) were really, really hurting. By the time I finished, my knees ached when I was sitting still, let alone walking or riding. I did three other long rides that season, and every time by mile 60 my knees had started hurting regardless of liberal doses of ibuprofen and ice.

And get this: My knees haven't completely stopped hurting since, even though all winter I only rode 13 miles at a stretch. I switched from a double to a triple and lowered the gearing on my cassette as well; I conscientiously spin, especially on hills; I take ibuprofen before and ice after; I go at my pace and don't kill myself to get there fast. But my knees still twinge and require babying, and who knows if that will ever go away.

The moral of this long story is not to hurt yourself to achieve a goal that is too big for you starting off at zero. A "huge ride" such as the one you're describing, especially with what sounds like a pretty killer training regimen, might just be too ambitious of a goal for a first-time rider. Don't burn yourself out by trying to keep up or do too many miles too soon, and especially take care of the knees.

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Originally Posted by Trek420

6 mph is not slow up a hill, depending on the hill. Some hills "we"* are happy to stay upright and not fall over backwards

*we being me and my tapeworm :p ;) :)

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+1. And sometimes a rider I know (okay, me) has had to get off the bike mid hill which stinks trying to restart, but if ya gotta, ya gotta...

I'm impressed you can do 6mph. Sometimes all I can manage is 2 mph. I have had people passing by wonder how I could keep my balance going that slow.:p

But seriously, please listen to your body and PT. It takes building up endurance to spin up the hills. Please don't push yourself so hard that you kill your knees. I have a couple of friends who have had to have knee surgery already, and they're not even 35 yet. While they have resumed some of their activities, they regret not taking better care of their knees to start with.

Good luck, Green! Just do your best. You have already accomplished so much. I didn't do half of what you have already done my first year, but it was more than I had ever done previously, so I'm still very proud of what I was able to do then. You should be proud of what you've done too. I'll be cheering you on and looking forward to hear your stories about your future accomplishments.

Welcome to TE BTW!

~sgtiger

I've been doing long rides for almost 10 years and I still drop to 4-5 mph going up hill.

I was built for endurance, not speed.

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Originally Posted by tofu

+1. And sometimes a rider I know (okay, me) has had to get off the bike mid hill which stinks trying to restart, but if ya gotta, ya gotta...

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"all self-propelled forward motion counts"

I wouldn't take a "test" (really?!) with any injuries.

And if I can make a hill without stopping (what Trek 420 said.......), I'm good! My DH is known to take naps at the top of hills, while waiting for me :)

Forgive me if I missed it, but what is the distance and elevation gain of your "HUGE" ride? Also, when is the ride?

As for changing from your compact crank to a triple, that could be costly as you would have to switch out your shifters as well. What kind of cassette are you running? It may be better to just switch that.

As for your 12 hour century, that should be more than do-able for the average person, even a beginner. I'm not super fast and I've done 12 hour double centuries. If you have worked your way up to 62 miles, then a century is a reasonable next step. How much elevation gain will there be? Everyone's definition of "hilly" is different. ;)

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

did you really say "Our bike?"

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Haha, yes, I just realized I did. I was just referring to me along with the rest of my team, since we all have the same bikes.

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Originally Posted by sgtiger

I'm impressed you can do 6mph. Sometimes all I can manage is 2 mph. I have had people passing by wonder how I could keep my balance going that slow.

But seriously, please listen to your body and PT. It takes building up endurance to spin up the hills. Please don't push yourself so hard that you kill your knees. I have a couple of friends who have had to have knee surgery already, and they're not even 35 yet. While they have resumed some of their activities, they regret not taking better care of their knees to start with.

Good luck, Green! Just do your best. You have already accomplished so much. I didn't do half of what you have already done my first year, but it was more than I had ever done previously, so I'm still very proud of what I was able to do then. You should be proud of what you've done too. I'll be cheering you on and looking forward to hear your stories about your future accomplishments.

Welcome to TE BTW!

~sgtiger

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Thank you for the encouragement and welcome! :D

And, actually, I have gone about 3 mph up steep inclines. I seem to do a little better on hills, though. :o

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Originally Posted by Brandy

Forgive me if I missed it, but what is the distance and elevation gain of your "HUGE" ride? Also, when is the ride?

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It's a charity ride for cancer from Texas to Anchorage, Alaska. I know that sounds :eek:, but all of the past teams have made it, including people who had never been on road bikes before. There's two routes, and I'm doing the one that would go through the Rockies. I've heard that the Sierra/Coastal route has more steep uphills than Rockies does, though.

Our bike has a Shimano 10-Speed Cassette, 11-25T. I have no idea what that means...:confused:

And from what our fitness directors have been saying, they are thinking about having a 10-hour time limit on the century test. And it'll be through the Texas hill country.

The ride doesn't start until June 6th, which is kind of weird, since we're having the century test this early when we still technically have more than a month left before we leave. And it's also a little weird to have a hilly century test when the first weeks on the actual ride are pretty flat according to past riders...:confused: But I guess they just want us to be prepared.

I went on a hilly 23-mile ride the other day, and I was feeling fine. Just a little sore in the shoulders and back.

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Originally Posted by cunninghamair

My DH is known to take naps at the top of hills, while waiting for me :)

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LOL!! I thought I was the only one that takes hills at 4mph with my DH waiting at the top snoring!

Green- 6 mph up a hill is darn good in my book! Take all this great advice and ride your own ride for the joy of being on your bike.

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Originally Posted by green

It's a charity ride for cancer from Texas to Anchorage, Alaska. I know that sounds :eek:, but all of the past teams have made it, including people who had never been on road bikes before. There's two routes, and I'm doing the one that would go through the Rockies. I've heard that the Sierra/Coastal route has more steep uphills than Rockies does, though.

Our bike has a Shimano 10-Speed Cassette, 11-25T. I have no idea what that means...:confused:

And from what our fitness directors have been saying, they are thinking about having a 10-hour time limit on the century test. And it'll be through the Texas hill country.

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Okay...that qualifies as huge. ;)

As for your cassette...get yourself a 12-28. Call up your local bike shop, tell them what components you have and that you need either a 27 or 28. SRAM also makes a 11-28. That will make a good difference in your ability to spin a higher cadence and not be mashing up the hills. With the compact crank (what you have) I've never felt the need for more bailout gears in that combination.

My guess is that they want to see where you're at NOW, a month ahead of time so they can help you work on your weaknesses. It wouldn't make much sense to find out a week before you leave that you aren't capable of making the time cutoffs.

Honestly...even 10 hours is generous for a century, I think you will be fine. Keep your stops short, this is where people often make mistakes in distance riding. Finish your bottles as you get into your stops so you can refill and have two fresh bottles. Before your rest stops, have a plan. Pee, refill, eat and stretch if needed, back on the bike. Sitting down on these longer rides, filling up on rest stop food, yacking away with people...all fun things...have you out there and exposed to the elements longer than is necessary. The less time you're off the bike, the less time you're out there overall and the sooner (on the actual HUGE ride) you can start your recovery, which will be key to your overall success.

There are some tips on Ultradistance Riding here... http://epictrain.com/ultradistance.html

You might want to look into some compression tights (Skins, 2XU and Zoot make them) for the actual ride, changing into them each night after you finish your ride and sleeping in them will really aid in recovery.

Congratulations on taking on this HUGE challenge. I'm totally envious!

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Originally Posted by green

It's a charity ride for cancer from Texas to Anchorage, Alaska. I know that sounds :eek:, but all of the past teams have made it, including people who had never been on road bikes before. There's two routes, and I'm doing the one that would go through the Rockies.

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I am very impressed that you're tackling this big challenge, good for you! Is there a blog or other website where we'll be able to track your progress & cheer you on?

green,

is it this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4pFbSaLyfU

Thanks for all the tips, Brandy! That website is really useful. :)

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Originally Posted by Trek420

green,

is it this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4pFbSaLyfU

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It sure is! Pretty awesome, isn't it? Here's another one that basically sums up the whole summer's ride:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f__vLDEV6ag

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Originally Posted by BikeDutchess

I am very impressed that you're tackling this big challenge, good for you! Is there a blog or other website where we'll be able to track your progress & cheer you on?

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Aw, thanks. The site is www.texas4000.org, and my profile and blog is http://www.texas4000.org/user/profile/10251

Now everyone knows who I am...:o

Wow! Awesome! This could actually deserve the forbidden "epic" label! I'm veryveryvery jealous.

Wow - that is an amazing ride!! You got some great tips here. Pay attention to nutrition (experiment in your training to see what works for you during your long rides) and above all - try to have FUN!!

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Originally Posted by Trek420

Try to catch them at this point and your riding days are over, done, you'll never ride again.

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Texas to Alaska - honestly ??!

I would suggest you seriously re-think this.

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Originally Posted by alpinerabbit

Texas to Alaska - honestly ??!

I would suggest you seriously re-think this.

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+1

I really don't think this is a good idea if you are a beginner. You can do more harm than good.

Hey, hang on a minute...Why shouldn't the OP do the ride? If it's well thought out & if the team trains properly it could be a great ride. Even if the OP gets half way then she's accomplished something. Not only accomplished something but LEARNT something about long distance cycling as well.

I could be crazy....I'll go back to eating my strange quinoa...

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

Hey, hang on a minute...Why shouldn't the OP do the ride? If it's well thought out & if the team trains properly it could be a great ride. Even if the OP gets half way then she's accomplished something. Not only accomplished something but LEARNT something about long distance cycling as well.

I could be crazy....I'll go back to eating my strange quinoa...

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I meant doing the full Texas Nebraska thing...

WOW - this looks AMAZING! I, too, have really crummy knees. But I would sign up for this in a second!

Please keep us posted on your knee/training/riding!

Yes, my first reaction when I heard about the ride was that all of the people who did it were absolutely crazy, haha. But each team each year consist of mostly beginners. Really. A bunch of my teammates hadn't been on bikes since they were 10 years old. But the whole thing is definitely possible for beginners. It's the cause we're riding for that drives us. :)

So my therapist said I could start riding. The furthest ride I did before last Saturday was about 24 miles, and then we did a 75-80 mile team ride. I made it for 50, but I started feeling kind of light headed and blank (Like it was just the road, my bike, and me perpetually turning my legs). Maybe it's because I wasn't eating or drinking enough?

This Saturday's our century test, and we have a 10-hour time limit. Past team members have said that we're all ready for it and that the whole thing will be psychological above everything else (i.e., physical preparation, etc.). They said if we can do 20 miles, we can do 100. Which goes against everything I've ever read about training for a century. :rolleyes:

After all this time, I still can't take my water bottle out and drink from it while I'm on my bike, so I think I'm just going to pause every 15 minutes to take a quick drink.

Does anyone have any other advice on riding a century? It shouldn't be THAT bad. I mean, it's like doing four 25-mile rides...right? :o

One isn't that bad no. :)


Just drink every 20 mins, and eat every hour. That's really essential. Take your time and try not to go too fast. Don't stop too long. A couple of minutes, otherwise it'll be harder to get into your rythmn

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Originally Posted by green

Does anyone have any other advice on riding a century? It shouldn't be THAT bad. I mean, it's like doing four 25-mile rides...right? :o

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Exactly. Just break it up like that. When you start the day, you're not riding 100 miles; you're riding 25. Then another. And so on. All the double centuries and long brevets I have done I approach like this. I'm not riding 600k; I'm riding to the next controle.

You can do it! one mile at a time if need be! :) And I still have issues with my bottle too- I recently got a camelback and I'm in love. I still have a bottle with my Endurance Fuel System mix, but it's nice to get a quick sip without the fumble.

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Originally Posted by green

I made it for 50, but I started feeling kind of light headed and blank (Like it was just the road, my bike, and me perpetually turning my legs). Maybe it's because I wasn't eating or drinking enough?

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What is your nutrition strategy on long rides? It sounds like that could have been the issue. I'm one of those people that knows better, but I still get myself into trouble here, particularly if it's not a hot day. :o

For a long distance ride like a century, you need to start taking fuel on right away so you don't get into a deficit that it's hard to bounce back from. Keep the fuel coming consistently, eating before you're hungry and drinking before you're thirsty.

When I was really really stressed about my first century last year, someone gave me the following advice: "Pedal one turn, repeat as necessary - you will get there!"

I know it sounds dead basic, but for some reason it really helped!

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Originally Posted by mayanorange

I recently got a camelback and I'm in love.

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+1. On longer (and especially warmer) rides I find that I do much better keeping up with hydration if I use my Camelback. It was a life-saver on my Vegas-to-Phoenix ride.

Do force yourself to eat too, to avoid either bonking or hitting that wall!