Looking for a training plan for beginners...any suggestions?

[nico demouse]

At my age I have to accept that I probably will never be able to get much above 18 mph unless I am going downhill with a tailwind but the intervals have made me a bit faster and definitely stronger as far as distance.

Apropos of intervals, I think the podrunner podcasts which are music at specific bpm are great for interval riding on a bike although they are supposedly for runners.

As for the ride-5 days a week, it's all relative. I work out at a gym 2x a week and try to ride 4 days, or 3 if the weather is baad. I mostly go about 5 days and then take a day off. since I am a distance/endurance rider, I tend to think that TITS time (time in the saddle) is my primary goal so my typical standard training is 40-60 miles.

Take it easy and listen to your body.

go you!

marni

thanks for the encouragement, marni! My new bike makes me feel pretty fast but Eighteen mph sounds pretty fast from where I am! I know I need to build up more base miles and am working on that.

There's a book that I like by Selene Yeager called Bicycling for Women or something like that. It has several training plans that are very specific. It also goes into the importance of intervals for improving speed.

Thanks, tulip. I'll request this from my library -- my personal preference is for a very specific plan. Thanks for suggesting one.