how can i improve?

[RoadRaven]

which will improve my capacity for distance and my speed most do you think?

is time in the saddle-long rides the way to go or short, tough ones?

Hey there... to improve your distance, you have to improve your endurance. So do 1-2 loooong rides a week - but don't increase your rides by more than about 10% a week.

Hills will improve your strength and endurance and will support both your goal to improve your speed.

You can do interval training or sprint intervals (a search for intervals here or in google will give you lots of descriptions) to help with your speed and increase your lactate threshold which will help you increase your speed.

Ultimately, riding fast will make you faster. But don't ride fast all of the time... you must have active recovery rides, or a day off the bike occasionally - this is an essential part of improving yourself.

Have a fast tempo ride every 6-10 days.
And choose a course that you can ride which has fairly predictable conditions and ride it once a month as fast as you can. Make it about 18-25km long and preferably as flat as possible. Note the weather and wind each time and keep a record of each attempt - "what attempt?" you say...
Every 3-5 weeks, ride that course as fast and hard as you can - this will measure your endurance at speed and will demonstrate your improvements.

Ultimately, riding, any riding, will assist you in your goal... but making 2-3 rides per week specific will help you reach your goals faster.

KSH has a good suggestion to use your speedo to watch and measure cadence. I don't have a cadence counter on my speedo, but I do have a heart rate monitor and I train with that.

[indigoiis]

Hey Bat,

I am a former pack and a half a day smoker. Granted I wasn't biking at the time, but quitting was a huge deal to me as I am sure it will be for you. To make it easier, check out the following sites:

Start here: www.whyquit.com and read Noni's story.

This one: www.howstuffworks.com - search on "nicotine" to find out how nicotine works in the bloodstream.


Then go here:
quitsmokingonline.com - it is a free "book" / "course" to help you quit smoking.

Then here:

www.quitnet.com - a community of folks just like TE but for folks quitting smoking;

and this one:

www.cognitivequitting.com ... a great site for finding out about addiction and cigarettes, and why we have a tough time quitting.

[SchwarkCycle]

Hey Bat,

I am a former pack and a half a day smoker. Granted I wasn't biking at the time, but quitting was a huge deal to me as I am sure it will be for you. To make it easier, check out the following sites:

Start here: www.whyquit.com and read Noni's story.

This one: www.howstuffworks.com - search on "nicotine" to find out how nicotine works in the bloodstream.


Then go here:
quitsmokingonline.com - it is a free "book" / "course" to help you quit smoking.

Then here:

www.quitnet.com - a community of folks just like TE but for folks quitting smoking;

and this one:

www.cognitivequitting.com ... a great site for finding out about addiction and cigarettes, and why we have a tough time quitting.

I am so glad you posted this info - I think Bat has gotten some good advice on how to improve, but the best advice is to first and foremost- quit smoking.

[RoadRaven]

oh yeah... quitting smoking should help too

(although we have a pic in a history book of the Tour de France of a cyclist having a cigarette after a race in the early 1900s, because it was thought to aid recovery!)

[batsheva]

well, nitric oxide in cigarette smoke IS a pulmonary vasodilator actually-- so there is some logic to this actually-- if you ignore the carbon monoxide issue!

thanks for all your advice on base miles and the type of varied riding to do to improve-- i went out today and had a good ride, although short as it was so hot and was definitely managing better speed--

the cadence thing is an issue also i think-- i think i maybe should get a cadence computer as i think i 'give away' too much power spinning too much-- i tried today pushing bigger gears and did so much better, not so cardiovascularly knackered - tho' i can feel my leg muscles complaining a little more this evening...

thanks again everyone for all your advice - i was really touched my your repsonses...

plan: try no smoking for 24 hrs before my first 'group' ride thuesday morning so i am not carbon monoxided up-- that should get my VO2 up by 15% right away... will report back if it made any difference!!!

batsheva x

[batsheva]

oh my gosh!

it was the big annual LBS sale today...
went and bought a cadence computer so there are nasty wires to the rear wheel of my bike now... and also bought some 'gels' seeing as they were reduced...

WHAT A DIFFERENCE ON MY RIDE!!

instead of struggling 12-13 mph and it all being tough i was sailing the same route at 16-18 mph with some proper fuel (i eat a minimal carb diet for medical reasons generally) and the cadence monitor which showed I was wayyyyy overspinning at 115-120-- keeping that in the 90-95 range by pushing harder gears with some glucose in my legs-- a 4mph jump and i coulda kept going much longer than the 15 miles i did only time ran out...

cadence and glucose - WOW!!!!!

oh-- even though i thought my stock saddle was fine on my bike, i somehow managed to come home with a new one -