Training to keep up with the bunch
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- ICU812
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Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby ICU812 » Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:52 am
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby ajmit3 » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:29 pm
how fast do they go ?
what gearing do you have ? - when you say 'big gear' what gear are you talking about ?
how long have you been riding etc?
IMO - 6 weeks is a relatively short period of time unless youre doing 300km + a weekend ?
I personally, after doing 6000km in a year have seen a steady improvmeent in my fitness. When I first started I was prob averaging 23-24km/hr.
By about 3000km - I could do a 40km (AT) 30 km/hr pretty easy on the flats.
By about 6000 km - I did 145km (AT) 29 km/hr at a pretty low HR.
Now I'm working on intensity and strength.
- ICU812
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby ICU812 » Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:02 pm
They go about 25km/hr - it is not a race training group although we do have race riders who come - we are a serious social group
My bike has 30 gears. I ride a Scott Contessa Speedster - women's specific . I don't tend to use granny gears ie. the last 10 gears - my small gear unless it is a nasty hill
I have the middle gear cog and then my 1st big gear cog each having 10 gears on the cassette - Shimano 105
I have been slack at riding lately, but sometimes unavoidable due to kids around and husband at work
The group go for around 40km on undulating terrain - some nasty hills out here in the country - altitude on the flat is 635m
My average is probably around 18km/hr atm.
I have a renewed burst of energy and want to aim this year sometime to keep up with these guys and do the gong ride
If I can manage to do these things I'll be really happy. I did train and do the spring cycle 45km last year
I have an excellent polar HRM which may be useful. I dislike hills but hope to train to do them better.
I hope that answers some of your questions.
- Ross
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby Ross » Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:18 pm
- ozrider
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby ozrider » Tue Apr 26, 2011 3:31 pm
Riding with a group that is faster / stronger than you will give you a lot of pain but will also give you great gains fairly quickly.
..But they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs!
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby you cannot be sirrus » Tue Apr 26, 2011 5:58 pm
I'm not sure about the cadence/strength issue, some people are spinners, others mashers. Again if you need to build strength do it slowly over many weeks/months. Pushing too hard in a high gear will lead to muscle or joint damage if you aren't up to it.
Good luck with your goals, I'm sure you'll get there.
- ICU812
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby ICU812 » Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:45 pm
- Nate
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby Nate » Tue Apr 26, 2011 8:53 pm
ask what the other guys do in terms of riding - if you do what they do, chances are you'll be with them in no time
Ride more!
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby BarryTas » Wed Apr 27, 2011 12:21 pm
if you have a weakness, ie hills, then ride more hills
every 4th or 5th week should be a recovery week - thus drop your load by 30-60%
then after your recovery week pick up your original work load by 10%
- goneriding
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby goneriding » Wed Apr 27, 2011 1:23 pm
+1 to more km's.
If you are time poor then try some intervals/hill climbing as previously mentioned.
You mentioned learning the gears. One thing I found that helped was finding my "go to" gear when the going got tough (still do). This is the gear that feels the most comfortable in terms of cadence and power. You'll tend to find this naturally over time but initially try different combo's on the flat to find one that feels right.
- foo on patrol
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby foo on patrol » Wed Apr 27, 2011 2:48 pm
(this should be in the training thread for better answers)
Goal 6000km
- Xplora
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby Xplora » Thu Apr 28, 2011 5:19 pm
Hills = middle or second gear, do not go below it.
It's all cadence, and letting your lungs adapt. You must not push yourself too hard at the beginning of the climb, or on the flats, just gotta spin it out at 100rpm to ensure the lactic acid doesn't build up and wipe you out. Lungs are the only thing that should hurt. I would strongly recommend doing a couple training runs in the week, warmup at your ideal cadence (lets say big gear, 5th at the back), then spend 60 seconds in the 4th gear, back to 5th for a minute, and just keep working with those intervals until your lungs can handle it. You have to maintain the same cadence, and at the beginning it will HURT. If it doesn't hurt your lungs, harder gears. Just remember, the key is always maintaining a mad cadence, because you are fighting your legs as well as your lungs if you don't spin fast. I find that 95-105 rpm is ideal for me, lungs don't hurt and my legs are fine, it's only the hills that hurt, but if I get into it, no problems
- ICU812
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby ICU812 » Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:26 pm
Xplora wrote:Flats = big gear, no exceptions.
Hills = middle or second gear, do not go below it.
It's all cadence, and letting your lungs adapt. You must not push yourself too hard at the beginning of the climb, or on the flats, just gotta spin it out at 100rpm to ensure the lactic acid doesn't build up and wipe you out. Lungs are the only thing that should hurt. I would strongly recommend doing a couple training runs in the week, warmup at your ideal cadence (lets say big gear, 5th at the back), then spend 60 seconds in the 4th gear, back to 5th for a minute, and just keep working with those intervals until your lungs can handle it. You have to maintain the same cadence, and at the beginning it will HURT. If it doesn't hurt your lungs, harder gears. Just remember, the key is always maintaining a mad cadence, because you are fighting your legs as well as your lungs if you don't spin fast. I find that 95-105 rpm is ideal for me, lungs don't hurt and my legs are fine, it's only the hills that hurt, but if I get into it, no problems
OMGosh!!! Are you really serious?
I don't think I'm quite capable yet of doing that yet, but getting there. Today was not nice outside, cold wind of 30km/hr, felt like I was going nowhere. Kept in Big gear but 2 or 3 at the back. The wind was a killer. Cadence about 80 average. HR 125 -130. Managed to keep in big gear up small hills. Didn't go far this time as my back tyre was slowly going down - 20km. BUT my average is creeping up, it has gone from 17km/hr to now 19km/hr. Slowly does it, but I'm not going kill myself too much and enjoy it a bit. My legs go before my lungs hurt.
- Xplora
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby Xplora » Sat Apr 30, 2011 10:48 am
The main thing to remember is that you will DIE on the hills if you are pushing too hard on the flats. Get down the gears, and spin spin spin. If you can't handle 100rpm, keep riding till you can.
I rode 80rpm for months, and always had poor cardio response and even worse climbing, because the body likes 100rpm of lungs much more than 80rpm of muscles. I ride 100rpm and FLY up the hills faster than I ever did before.
- gururug
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby gururug » Tue May 03, 2011 10:37 pm
-1 x long ride per week ( over 50km ) at 65 - 75%
-1 x intervals per week ( 6 x 2mins (AT) 95% )
-More bunch riding
A couple of weeks of this an you'll be cranking in a couple of weeks.
- PeterG
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Re: Training to keep up with the bunch
Postby PeterG » Tue May 10, 2011 8:26 am
What I suggest to people starting out is to ride at a pace they feel comfortable maintaining, then kick it up a notch to a pace where they feel slightly uncomfortable but manageable and to hold it there.
Basically, if you find yourself enjoying the scenery, flick it down a gear.
Intervals and super hard sessions will come later once you build some quality miles in your legs.
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