Help please, am I on the right track??

[keeper]

I am still very new to this and need some advice. I started riding my road bike about a month ago. Prior to that I rode my hybrid at most once a week, usually a little over 20 miles. Now that I have my new bike, I love to ride and have been riding about 4 times a week. My goals are to to build up my endurance and speed, hopefully eventually building up to riding a century.

I am not sure what type of training program I should follow, so I have just been kind of randomly riding (I am very goal oriented and like programs ) What I have been is this - one ride a week is a hilly (for Texas) ride that is ~22 miles. The next ride is usually a little easier (I ride with someone slower on this ride) but the same distance. The third ride is with a cycling club and is ~ 30 miles (pace is not that challenging) and the fourth ride is with a friend's husband (who has ridden forever) and we go a little farther each week (54 miles this Sunday!! !)

Any suggestions on books/websites with good training programs? I am having fun with what I am doing, but I want to make sure that I am heading in the right direction and will make progress.

Thanks.

[sundial]

Hi Keeper, sounds like you are keeping your Dolce busy.

I found this suggested training program for doing a century. There are others, but this one has been suggested by other TE members.

http://www.diablocyclists.com/RiderT...ingProgram.htm

I think you are on the right track, you just may need to find out what suits you best in terms of recovery time and wear and tear. Also, you might want to consider taking a week off every 4-5 weeks of riding to boost recovery and repair.

Glad you are enjoying your rides so much and hope you continue to put in many, many miles in the saddle.

[keeper]

Thanks, that is the kind of thing I am looking for!

Any suggestions about building speed? I think my cadence is a big problem. I am averaging ~15-16 mph and ~75rpm. When I try to up the rpm to ~90 and lower the gear, my legs fatigue really fast. I had the same problem in spin classes. I can pedal with a lot of load at a slower rpm for a long time without fatigue, but just fade with less load and faster. I don't think I'll ever be fast, but I would like to at least improve.


I never thought that I would love my bike as much as I do!

[sundial]

I have found that when I do hills and work in strong headwinds, I automatically improve my speeds on the flats. Also, I average about 85-90 rpms in the middle chainwheel to save my knees.

If you want to improve your speeds even more, consider riding with an experienced cyclist and have him or her pace you.

[Starfish]

I don't know your personality type...like things simple and just go do it, or like to obsess and study, or whatever.

But, I have really enjoyed a book called The Ultimate Ride by Chris Carmichael. Mostly it is still far beyond me, but even now I have been able to use some principles that have really helped.

This year I plan to train more seriously through the winter, and I expect to use more of the principles.

There is all kinds of info in there on a huge variety of ways to improve...all the different ways to pedal, spin, use cadence, HR, periodization, etc.

I enjoyed it. I also liked the sports psychology part...the goal setting portions, etc.

Glad you're loving your bike!

[DirtDiva]

I am very goal oriented and like programs

Then get yourself a specific goal. You say you would like to perhaps work up to a century, so find one happening a few months down the track and sign up! I'm sure folk here or folk on your shop ride or your friend's husband will have some ideas about ones in your area. You can always sign up for a shorter ride (a metric is only a few more miles than you have already ridden) first if you're not sure about having a century as your first major organised ride.

If you're so inclined, racing is an excellent (if painful ) way to get fitter and faster. Not everyone enjoys it - heck, most people never even try it - but if you can find a series with a category for beginners (and the extra help needed to learn to race safely on the road) you might like to consider it, especially if you could find someone to go with for a bit of encouragement/moral support/etc.

[RoadRaven]

So - your goal is a century... most excellent

But do you just want to ride that distance?

Or do you want to ride that distance within a certain time?

Or do you want to complete an organised century - and if so, any one in particular?

Those details may affect the advice we give you...

[keeper]

Thanks for the input.

I don't know your personality type...like things simple and just go do it, or like to obsess and study, or whatever.

Definitely I like to obsess and study. If I can make a spread sheet I'm happy. I have a Garmin and I love looking at all the numbers, graphs, atc. I'll check that book out.

Then get yourself a specific goal. You say you would like to perhaps work up to a century, so find one happening a few months down the track and sign up! I

Part of setting a specific goal, is I am not quite sure what is realistic. Initially I wanted to ride in the the MS150 (next May). But that seems so far away. I still want to do it, but it seems like I might be set other goals in the time between. So I have been looking and I think maybe a metric century in November (I found 2 rides that work with my schedule). I found a century in April that I would like to do. Does that sound realistic?

So - your goal is a century... most excellent
But do you just want to ride that distance?
Or do you want to ride that distance within a certain time?
Or do you want to complete an organised century - and if so, any one in particular?
Those details may affect the advice we give you...

My first goal would be to finish it and still be able to walk! I don't have any ideas about going a certain speed (but I don't want to be the last person to finish!) And definitely and organized ride in case I need to be scraped up off the road. I think in April

I used to compete in dressage (horseback riding) but since I retired my horse I have been looking for a new hobby. I was in a program with a trainer, and it was pretty structured. We had a plan and I always knew how on or off track we were. I guess I am kind of looking for the same thing.

[maillotpois]

Intermediate goals are definitely good.

It sounds like you may want a structured, tailored training program? Like you had with your horse - or do you want something more relaxed?

[keeper]

Intermediate goals are definitely good.

It sounds like you may want a structured, tailored training program? Like you had with your horse - or do you want something more relaxed?

Something more structured is what I am looking for. I do better and am happier if I have a plan that I am working from.

[Pedal Wench]

You might want to look at a coaching/training program. Lynda at Training Peaks has some prebuilt plans that you can purchase.

http://www.trainingpeaks.com/trainin...ndawallenfels/

http://www.trainingpeaks.com/trainingplans.asp

[maillotpois]

There are a lot of different plans and programs out there, depending on what you want to do.

Wenzel Coaching has a good program - I can personally recommend Roger Rintala as a good endurance event coach. Carmichael Training does something similar. Velogirl Lorri does coaching at velogirls.com - not sure if she does a full on "plan" or just on the bike coaching. I'm starting to put training programs together for friends, just like the endurance training coaching I've been doing for TNT for years (I'm a USAC certified coach as well). There's a lot to choose from. Look around, ask questions, talk to people at local bike clubs if you have any about what they do.

[Jiffer]

Sounds like you are doing great already. The more you ride, the better you'll get. Floyd Landis says, "If you wanna get better at hills, ride hills." He's pretty simplistic when it comes to this kind of stuff. Dh is always telling me how riding hills also helps you with the flats. The more hills you do, the easier the flats start to feel and the faster you do them.

I'm no expert, but I'd say April is a very do-able goal for your first century. Especially if your main goal is to simply finish it without worrying too much about speed.

I'm doing my first century next weekend. Dh got us a tandem a year ago, which we rode some in the fall, but not at all in the winter. Then started back up in the Spring. Then I got my own single in June and got way more excited about riding. We're doing the century on the tandem. I think it's a great way for me to do my first one. (Dh is an experienced and very strong cyclist, so yay for me.) I plan on doing something shorter for my first organized ride on my single. Like 50 or something. I'm sure after the century, 50 on my single will seem like a piece of cake, which is what I'm hoping! Eventually I'll shoot for a century on my single, for sure by next season.

Sounds like you've gotten lots of good advice. I think I'll check out that book someone recommended. Good luck training for your first century! I'm sure you'll do well.

[blueskies]

I bought a training plan by Joe Friel at www.trainingpeaks.com to prepare to ride in Cycle Oregon, a week long 400+ mile tour. I've followed it for 20 weeks & have come so far! Following the plan gave me a sort of life preserver when I felt overwhelmed or daunted by the challenge of my big goal. Every step of the way, I could do what was on my plan that week, and that helped me to believe that come September, I'd be ready for the big enchilada.

Surprisingly (to me), my plan required mostly easy, flat rides at first. I had to wear my HR monitor to make myself go slower then I felt that I could go. Sounds backwards, doesn't it? My DH & his cycling buddies were somewhat skeptical in the beginning that I wasn't doing any climbing, but when the climbing rides were added in later on, I was so ready for it. I am sold completely on base building now. And on training with a plan.