any advice for training exercises?

[uphillstruggle]

any advice for training exercises?

I am looking to start racing next season and have been out on training rides with my local cycling club and this is improving my speed. What else can I to get up to a point where I can hold on? I have been told to do things like all out efforts for 3-5 mins then rest a few times over a training ride and I have also been told to do climbs up a very slight gradient in as big a gear as possible as weight training to improve strength.

Are these good training exercises? and what else should I do? (I definitely can't afford a power metre and don't have a heart rate monitor for now)

 

[davidg]

Talk to a local rider who races at a decent level and is willing to spend time with you.

People on this forum do not know you, how old you are, what your fitness level is, how you sit on the bike, or how much time you have. Any advice would only be generic.

Spend time with the local riders, learn to ride safely in a bunch and build up your general fitness.

and enjoy.

 

[elapid]

Also consider a coach or even some of the training articles in magazines like Bicycling.

 

[quadsRme]

There is a poster id "franciep10", I think. He coaches a cycling team if I remember correctly. He may be able to shed some details on you or at least some links to check out.
let us know how you fared with your search!!

 

[Coach Hawk]

Talk to a local rider who races at a decent level and is willing to spend time with you.

People on this forum do not know you, how old you are, what your fitness level is, how you sit on the bike, or how much time you have. Any advice would only be generic.

Spend time with the local riders, learn to ride safely in a bunch and build up your general fitness.

and enjoy.

Not sure where you live, but most of the cyclists I know don't have a clue how to actually train--they just ride.

I applaud uphillstruggle for asking! If you want to do a lot of the thinking yourself, pick up Joel Friel's "The Cyclist's Training Bible". Don't expect it all to necessarily make sense the first time thru, but it has a ton of good info.

Feel free to drop me a PM if you have specific questions and I'll see what I can do to help.

If you want someone to just tell you what to do, you'll have to hire a coach.

And to answer your question--some of those suggestions are better than others (I have seen a lot of people show a lot of improvement with 5-10 minute intervals with a 1:1 work:rest ratio) and some are more dubious (pounding the hills in a low gear is just asking to hurt your knees.) By all means, ask the folks you ride with what they do, but treat any of the answers with a healthy dose of skepticism.

 

[Coach Hawk]

Are these good training exercises? and what else should I do? (I definitely can't afford a power metre and don't have a heart rate monitor for now)

I realised my last response didn't necessarily address the questions. Here's a more detailed response:

1) Power meters and Heart Rate Monitors are great tools, and if you can afford them, go for it. However, people often overlook the simple and amazingly accurate value of RPE (rate of perceived exertion). Simply put, on a scale of 1-20, how hard do you feel like you are going?

2) Using one or more of the 3 methods above (power, HRM, RPE), you need variety in your workouts to train different body systems to prepare for challenges you will meet on the road. Bridging to the next group up the road is different from climbing is different from sprinting is different from handling the random pace variations within a group.

3) Depending on the time of year and your fitness, you should mix and match workouts that are lower intensity and longer duration, moderate intensity with moderate duration, and high intensity with short duration.

4) Rest is critical--you don't get stronger when you workout, you get stronger when you rest after a good workout. Have rest day(s) in a week, and every 3rd or 4th week scale back your intensity and duration for the entire week.

5) Sample workouts: (always warm-up and cool down)
Relaxed 60 mile ride (high duration, low intensity)
30 minute time trial (moderate duration, moderate intensity)
10 1 minute all out sprints with minimum 5 minutes recovery between (low duration, high intensity)

Most of all--get out and ride and have fun!

 

[runninboy]

any advice for training exercises?

I am looking to start racing next season and have been out on training rides with my local cycling club and this is improving my speed. What else can I to get up to a point where I can hold on? I have been told to do things like all out efforts for 3-5 mins then rest a few times over a training ride and I have also been told to do climbs up a very slight gradient in as big a gear as possible as weight training to improve strength.

Are these good training exercises? and what else should I do? (I definitely can't afford a power metre and don't have a heart rate monitor for now)

if you live near a velodrome check out the programs there. In Socal they have free coaching for kids and the classes for adults are really good and just a few dollars.
One big mistake i personally made starting out was building alot of power.
When i raced i was a great leadout.....for everyone. Instead of a quick jump i just dropped it down into a huge gear and wound it up.

When i got to the track we trained on small gears, then used small ones on road rides. When you practice turning a gear at high cadence you learn to accelerate quickly. This is much more applicable to group rides & races because as you will notice you use mostly short bursts to stay on a wheel or get on a wheel. then you freewheel or soft pedal because you are in the void with little to no wind resistance then a couple of quick turns on the pedal to stay in the draft.

A smooth pedal stroke at a high cadence with no bouncing on the saddle will reap huge dividends as you develop. You can even practice on a stationary bike at the gym, set the saddle height until it is roughly the same as your bike. then after a few minute warmup put it on level 1 and crank the rpms up to 100, think of turning small circles, you have to keep constant pressure on the pedal with no toe straps. once you feel comfortable and smooth bump it up another 10 rpms. You are smooth if you can read the paper while doing this. Its pretty difficult to do on a gym bike and you will probably have to take a few minute break pedaling 80 rpms for a few minutes then go back to turning 100 & then 110.

 

[Irish2009]

Uphill, check your PM's.

 

[uphillstruggle]

cheers for the replies everyone.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I am starting some criterium racing soon.They aren't overly long. What are the best training techniques To prepare for a criterium race(s).

 

[Yorlik]

For Crits, I like two sets of 20x15x15 Recover for 5 minutes repeat. Warmup for 15 - 20 minutes. Do 20 fifteen second intervals at max intensity, recover for 15 seconds. Hold back a little on the first 2 or 3 work intervals. HR monitors will not be helpful for intervals less than 3 minutes long. Have fun!

 

[usedtobefast]

I am starting some criterium racing soon.They aren't overly long. What are the best training techniques To prepare for a criterium race(s).

i would find a local group ride and learn how to ride in the bunch first. when you can do that, without taking out the pack at any point. then there are crit practice rides here in my town, maybe in yours too. crits are all about intensity and they are fast and faster from the start to the finish, so you need to be able to put yourself toward the red zone and recover from that multiple times, even in short races. the best training for me was racing. road races you can do more individual training. crits, hard to match that aggression except racing or racing practice.

 

[runninboy]

i would find a local group ride and learn how to ride in the bunch first. when you can do that, without taking out the pack at any point. then there are crit practice rides here in my town, maybe in yours too. crits are all about intensity and they are fast and faster from the start to the finish, so you need to be able to put yourself toward the red zone and recover from that multiple times, even in short races. the best training for me was racing. road races you can do more individual training. crits, hard to match that aggression except racing or racing practice.

+1 twenty some years of crit racing and still the only crit training for me is racing them. I have learned some tricks that help, always stay tight on the wheel in front, use one gear easier than the guy in front so you can modulate your speed better, always stay towards the front, in a 100 rider field that means top 20 at all times. If you drift back to the middle, an attack or crash could put you at the tail and your day is as good as done.
Last but not least especially if u r a large rider make sure u get a good draft from a good rider. It took me a few years to realize i was still in the wind when i drafted someone under 5 feet 2. If you are a big sprinter everyone will be fresh as a daisy behind you and you will have been fighting the wind almost as bad as being in front. Be careful not to follow someone who loses alot of ground in the corners, in fact it is better to let a small gap open just before a corner and then maintain your speed through the corner closing the gap and using your greater momentum to move up a few places quickly after the corner.
Crits are all about maintaining your momentum

 

[auscyclefan94]

i would find a local group ride and learn how to ride in the bunch first. when you can do that, without taking out the pack at any point. then there are crit practice rides here in my town, maybe in yours too. crits are all about intensity and they are fast and faster from the start to the finish, so you need to be able to put yourself toward the red zone and recover from that multiple times, even in short races. the best training for me was racing. road races you can do more individual training. crits, hard to match that aggression except racing or racing practice.

i have been doing some track work a bit prior to this but that has just been holding a high tempo for a while and not really changing the pace. I have been out on the road a fair bit and i'll take your advice in. I am relatively fast in the sprints so i'll try to work to my strengths.It's 2 weeks to the event and I THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR ADVICE. Ready for some hurt while burning up the tarmac!
Thanks,

P.S. I'll post my results up once i have raced.

 

[usedtobefast]

i have been doing some track work a bit prior to this but that has just been holding a high tempo for a while and not really changing the pace. I have been out on the road a fair bit and i'll take your advice in. I am relatively fast in the sprints so i'll try to work to my strengths.It's 2 weeks to the event and I THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR ADVICE. Ready for some hurt while burning up the tarmac!
Thanks,

P.S. I'll post my results up once i have raced.

good luck and keep the rubber side down.

 

[auscyclefan94]

i have been doing some track work a bit prior to this but that has just been holding a high tempo for a while and not really changing the pace. I have been out on the road a fair bit and i'll take your advice in. I am relatively fast in the sprints so i'll try to work to my strengths.It's 2 weeks to the event and I THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR ADVICE. Ready for some hurt while burning up the tarmac!
Thanks,

P.S. I'll post my results up once i have raced.

Raced. Sucked. First lap, i was on a tight left hand corner, guy next to me took it wide, lost his line so i had to go off course so i didn't crash. That was the end of my day. Had legs to go with leaders. Couldn't get back to lead group cos i was way behind.

 

[usedtobefast]

Raced. Sucked. First lap, i was on a tight left hand corner, guy next to me took it wide, lost his line so i had to go off course so i didn't crash. That was the end of my day. Had legs to go with leaders. Couldn't get back to lead group cos i was way behind.

but you stayed upright and lived to fight another day. staying close to the front
will usually keep you out of trouble, but pack riding skills will come with time.
don't beat yourself up, and enjoy the racing. i can relate, as many can. my
first races were cra****eriums, so just learning how to get around will come.
crash??? wtf!!!