question for those who race

[ehirsch83]

Hey Shawn,

Thanks! I guess I should of included this earlier..

At the moment I average about 200 miles a week, I do intervals on most rides(one or two on every ride, and then some rides are interval rides). I work on riding at a high cadence, and do at least one long(er) ride a week. And then once a week I do a group ride(that was this morning but when they turned around I continued on to get in some extra miles). I ride on average 5-6 days a week, with one rest day, and then one or two recovery rides in the mix.

At the moment, I can hang in on the group rides that average 22-23mph, it is just getting that extra bump up to the next level that I need. (well with stops for the lights the computer says the average is around 18, but when moving we are always in the low 20s)

[smilingcat]

Hi,

I've noticed that we do not necessarily improve gradually. Sometimes, the improvements come in incremental steps. And you may be just sitting at one plateau, 20-23MPH.

Your next incremental step will probably get you into 26-28MPH range. This may come about from adjusting/changing your daily routine, your diet, sleep. At this level, 26-28MPH on flat, no wind, no drafting, its not just about what you do on the bike, it's how you spend the rest of the day becomes really important too. Again what you eat, drink/not drink, sleep.

200 miles of training/week is the minimum to become competitive is what I've heard. Personally it's more about quality time.

smilingcat

[velogirl]

[QUOTE=ehirsch83;239639]Hey Shawn,
At the moment I average about 200 miles a week, I do intervals on most rides(one or two on every ride, and then some rides are interval rides). I work on riding at a high cadence, and do at least one long(er) ride a week. And then once a week I do a group ride(that was this morning but when they turned around I continued on to get in some extra miles). I ride on average 5-6 days a week, with one rest day, and then one or two recovery rides in the mix.
[/QUOTE

The quality of your time in the saddle is what matters most.

If you're doing intervals on most rides, you're probably not really getting an efficient interval workout on any of them. It's impossible to recover from an effective interval workout by the following day. There are a HUGE variety of intervals (longer duration, shorter duration, flatter, flat from a standing start, moderate climb, steep climb, etc). Each type will train your body to do something a bit different. Also, the number of intervals you're doing is a bit low.

If you ride the same way all the time, you become really good (at doing the same thing).

You need to vary what you do.

If you want to continue to be self-coached, I recommend Joe Friel's Cyclists Training Bible. This book is designed to teach the self-coached cyclist how to develop an effective training program.

Hope this helps!

Lorri