Training tips

bigbuzz73
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Training tips

Postby bigbuzz73 » Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:24 pm

Hi guys,
Having recently bought a roadie, and being a glutton for punishment, I've decided to have a crack at the Around the Bay in a Day ride in Melbourne in October. They run it over four distances: 50km, 110km, 210km and 250km, and being a stubborn old bugger, I'm going to have a go at the 250. But I can't get my head around sitting on a bike THAT long! :shock:
I was hoping some of you guys who have ridden long distances could pass on some training tips.
I have no idea how many Kms a week I should be doing at this stage, whether It's better to do longer rides with more rest days in between, or ride every day for less distance.
I've been doing a few 50km rides (average around 28kmh, keeping my cadence at 90) and feel tired after about 10km, but by the halfway point I feel strong and feel great by the end... Is this normal?
I really want to do this ride as I think it will be a great personal challenge for me, therefore I appreciate any help you guys can offer.
regards,
Wayne

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gururug
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Postby gururug » Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:53 am

Its a big jump from 50 to 250

I ride roughly the same distances and speeds as you, if i were to want to go for 250kms (comfortably) i expect I would need to prepare for at least 5-8 weeks. Gradually adding about 30kms to my longest ride of the week and throwing in some easier medium distance rides.

I would suggest the shorter ones but I am not you and if you have your heart set on the 250 don't let me hold you back.

Try 100kms next week and let us know how you felt.

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sogood
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Postby sogood » Tue Apr 17, 2007 6:12 am

I would suggest that the OP refer to the following web site for expert opinion.

http://www.ultracycling.com/training/training.html
Bianchi, Ridley, Tern, Montague and All things Apple :)
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.

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LuckyPierre
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Postby LuckyPierre » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:30 am

That's a great site - thanks sogood!

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mikesbytes
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Postby mikesbytes » Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:43 am

sogood wrote:I would suggest that the OP refer to the following web site for expert opinion.

http://www.ultracycling.com/training/training.html
R u following this training course?

Burn plenty of Glycogen
Frame Size Calculator.....Park Tools Repair Guides
ImageImageImage
training log
If the R-1 rule is broken, what happens to N+1?

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sogood
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Postby sogood » Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:56 am

mikesbytes wrote:R u following this training course?
I am not. I don't think I am a RAAM candidate nor the time to ride that long. :wink:

I like the power approach (Andrew Coggan) as that scheme with the various power levels make a lot of sense from a physiology point of view. The efficiency of that scheme is also favourable to us amateurs with limited time. Although I don't have a PM nor a HRM, but you can still adhere to the essence and gain the benefits IMHO.
Last edited by sogood on Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bianchi, Ridley, Tern, Montague and All things Apple :)
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.

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Postby wndrdr1111 » Tue Apr 17, 2007 11:27 am

Wayne,

I was in the same situation as you. I bought a second hand roadie at the beginning of december 2006 to complete the Otway Classic (160kms) with my sister and some friends. At that point in time I didn't even know if I was going to get into riding but I got hooked pretty quickly (and a new roadie followed a month later).

Anyway, when I first started 15km ride was a struggle but my body adjusted to the bike pretty quickly. I only rode on weekends (sat and sun) and gradually increased my distances. I never actually covered full 160kms in training. The longest ride I did was probably around 120kms. With the Otway Classic I also had to throw in some hill training as the ride profile did have a few hills (one about 10kms long, with avg gradient of around 6% if I remember correctly). Hill training only included doing 1 in 20 around 4 times, and hills around frankston and mount martha on my longer rides.

I found that the Otway Classic was actually easier than I expected it to be. When riding in a group, talking to friends you will be done before you realise.

The most important thing is being comfy on your bike. If you get a sore back, butt etc after 60kms then you will struggle but if you are comfy then you can probably go all day long. I find my bike fits me really well and I could ride it whole day with no problems at all.

As for feeling tired after around 10kms, it's possible that you push yourself too hard too early. I like to spend the first 10kms taking it easy and warming up. But I'd say yes, it is normal. I used to get the same feeling when I first started riding. Now I just take it a bit easier through the forst 10kms.

I will most likely be doing ATB 250km in october too so see ya there :D

Cheers,
Tom

bigbuzz73
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Training tips

Postby bigbuzz73 » Tue Apr 17, 2007 5:07 pm

Hi all,
Thanks for the tips and encouragement. I'm not working tomorrow so I'm going to do 80km in the morning. Ill let you know how I go.... If you don't hear from me, I'll probably be hooked up to a heart-lung machine at Mornington hospital! :wink:
regards,
Wayne

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europa
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Re: Training tips

Postby europa » Tue Apr 17, 2007 5:15 pm

bigbuzz73 wrote: If you don't hear from me, I'll probably be hooked up to a heart-lung machine at Mornington hospital! :wink:
regards,
Wayne
While you're at it, get them to work out your max heart rate, then buy a HRM. The secret to distance is not to burn yourself out and you can manage that by keeping your HR well down in the aerobic range. While you can do it without a HRM, it's easier with one and you do need to know what your max is (or have a decent guess). Just get out and ride the bike. Do some interval work and some harder rides, just to build up the strength, but you have to train your body to work at the aerobic level for hour after hour to get your 250.

Richard

bigbuzz73
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Training tips

Postby bigbuzz73 » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:25 am

Hi guys,
Due to other comittments I had to wait until Saturday to have a ride.
I left home at Carrum Downs late so I thought I'd just go to Mornington and back (about 49km) but got to Mornington and felt good, so kept going. I took the Esplanade and ended up in Rosebud. Round trip was just over 90 kms and I averaged 26.5kmh.
I pulled up feeling pretty good so I'm starting to feel like a "real" cyclist now! :wink: I'm planning on making every Saturday my long ride, gradually increasing the distance until I can do 150km ok.
All the family think I'm nuts. They don't understand why the hell a 53 y.o. wants to ride a bike for hours on end. Maybe they have a point..... but maybe they don't! 8)
Regards,
Wayne

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Postby Halfanewb » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:39 am

good onya Wayne!

Its addictive isn't it! Keep us posted on your rides, its always inspirational to read a fellow cyclists adventures :)

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Postby 531db » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:12 pm

Ride lots..... :)

wombatoutofhell
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Postby wombatoutofhell » Mon Apr 23, 2007 5:13 pm

I find this pretty inspiring wayne-might have to follow in your footsteps when i can afford a 1/2 decent bike rather than the 30 year old malvern star i'm currently riding! My longest ride was about 40km-and that was 17 years ago. Might have to join you on one of your rides sometime. Well done and good luck!

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Mulger bill
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Postby Mulger bill » Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:23 pm

Way to go Wayne. :D

Your family has the problem, not you :lol:

At the rate you're going, you'll make Centurian very soon 8)

bigbuzz73
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training tips

Postby bigbuzz73 » Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:28 pm

wombatoutofhell wrote:I find this pretty inspiring wayne-might have to follow in your footsteps when i can afford a 1/2 decent bike rather than the 30 year old malvern star i'm currently riding! My longest ride was about 40km-and that was 17 years ago. Might have to join you on one of your rides sometime. Well done and good luck!
Hey Wombat,
Mate, you would be more than welcome to join me on a ride. It's funny to think that only a couple of months ago I scoffed at the "Lycra-wearing sissies" and now I'm one of them! I bought a pair of bibknicks and now my daughter calls me "Dadda Borat"..... Bloody smart-a**e kids! :wink:
Wayne

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Postby wombatoutofhell » Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:35 pm

I haven't hit the lycra yet-give me time tho
what bike do u ride? I hope to get a new one in the next few months but am having a hard time working out what i want

bigbuzz73
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Postby bigbuzz73 » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:07 pm

wombatoutofhell wrote:I
what bike do u ride? I hope to get a new one in the next few months but am having a hard time working out what i want
Hi again Wombat,
I bought a Bianchi Via Nirone 7 Alu/Carbon (try saying THAT 3 times quick with a mouth full of marbles!! :D ).
Everyone thinks Bianchis are expensive, top-end bikes, but they also make reasonably priced stuff. I paid less than $2500, which is around the same money as Giant, Trek, Specialized, etc.
I raced motorcycles for many years and rode mainly European bikes, so I guess buying an Italian bike was a natural choice. It's nice owning something that comes with such a rich history. For example, the Celeste colour that has been a trademark of the company for more than 100 years.... The story goes that Eduardo Bianchi built a bike for the Queen of Italy and was so infatuated by her beautiful celeste-coloured eyes that he adopted that colour for his bikes.
None of that sort of stuff makes a good bike, but you must admit that it's kind of cool! :roll:
Regards,
Waynel

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Postby wombatoutofhell » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:16 pm

I have an italian car-does that count?
your bianchi is about 3 times my original budget-probably about twice what my stretched budget will be. Pity-they are a gorgeous bike. I've been looking at a fuji touring-steel frame, wider wheels/tyres and $1299 but wont be buying one since they wont let me ride it-they offered me a full carbon fuji with 105/tiagra drivetrain for 1599-nice bike but again no test ride. i aint parting with any hard earned cash without trying it!

bigbuzz73
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Postby bigbuzz73 » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:28 pm

wombatoutofhell wrote: i aint parting with any hard earned cash without trying it!
I don't blame you. Ask the salesman if he would buy a new car without a test drive and see what his reaction is!
I found when I went out to buy my road bike that some shops had a "couldn't give a rat's a**e" attitude. Some even made me feel like I was an interruption to their day! Maybe to them $2500 isn't a lot of money, but to most of us, it's a fair chunk of cash.
That's why I ended up going to Traralgon to buy my bike. As I have said in a previous post, Robert at The Bicycle Superstore was great to deal with and I can recommend him with no hesitation.
I had a look at Giants in Jones' Cycles in Frankston, and although I didn't buy there because I had decided on the Bianchi, the young sales guy was very knowledgeable and helpful. I've been back to buy some accessories since then and have found them good to deal with, so maybe you should give them a go. The Giants in your price bracket look like nice bikes.
Good hunting, and keep us informed how you go! :) Maybe you will join me on the 250km ATB ride?!
Wayne

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Postby wombatoutofhell » Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:30 pm

ATB is definately something i want to do sometime-i'd say next year rather than this year though. I'd be happy to join your for a ride sometime-we'll start together and work out a destination and by the time i catch up with you, you'll be 1/2 way though your second coffee!

bigbuzz73
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Postby bigbuzz73 » Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:09 pm

wombatoutofhell wrote:ATB is definately something i want to do sometime-i'd say next year rather than this year though. I'd be happy to join your for a ride sometime-we'll start together and work out a destination and by the time i catch up with you, you'll be 1/2 way though your second coffee!
I doubt that very much Wombat! I've only recently got back into road riding and have a looooonnnngg way to go in the fitness stakes.
Yeah, we should get together for a ride sometime. Let me know your work schedule and we'll work out a time. I live in Carrum Downs, just off Ballarto Rd.
wayne

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Postby wombatoutofhell » Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:42 pm

bigbuzz73 wrote:
wombatoutofhell wrote:ATB is definately something i want to do sometime-i'd say next year rather than this year though. I'd be happy to join your for a ride sometime-we'll start together and work out a destination and by the time i catch up with you, you'll be 1/2 way though your second coffee!
I doubt that very much Wombat! I've only recently got back into road riding and have a looooonnnngg way to go in the fitness stakes.
Yeah, we should get together for a ride sometime. Let me know your work schedule and we'll work out a time. I live in Carrum Downs, just off Ballarto Rd.
wayne
not far from me-i live in cranbourne just near casey fields. I'm just getting back into cycling too, although my fitness isn't bad due to my running (took up running in february) it's a different kind of fitness. Might come down to that nice new bianchi you have under you-against my 25 year old steel Malvern Star 12 speed! It's a busy time at the moment-i'm trying to train for a few runs, but we'll see what happens. Hows your work schedule?

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