17st 10lbs, London-Paris training, pedals & all things linked!

[livpoksoc]

Evening all!

I'm 23 years old, 17st 10lbs & new to road cycling.

I purchased a Specialized Secteur for commuting in August last year, I use it to commute to and from Southampton 2-3 times a week (weather/mood dependant) The ride is roughly 9 miles each way and has a couple of climbs but nothing too long.

Anyway, I want to step this up now & to give myself the kick I need I'm signing up for the London-Paris bike ride in September. I know that at the moment my fitness & weight won't be able to complete it, but as I have 4 months to train working around a 9-5 job I need some help! Add to this I suffer with shin splints which are easing gradually with cold treatment.

If anyone can share any tips on how to approach training, nutrition & injury recovery all at the same time! I want to be able to lose 4-5st (depending on what is healthy & advisable) & be able to complete the London-Paris ride!

I want to start within the next week & from what I've read so far I need to step up training gradually from 20 miles a day to be able to complete 90 miles a day for a week at a time! I'll be using a rolling road/turbo trainer at home when it's wet & I'll try and get out on the road at weekends as best I can. Add to that I'll be taking part in boxercise classes & football training once a week each. As far as nutrition goes I've seen protein/carb balanced recovery drinks are ideal for post work out & energy/isotonic drinks during sessions are best, however I can't imagine drinking a protein shake a day will do me much good?!? So to that end, any advice/experience will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

[Aperitif]

Hello liv,
There is no better motivational tool than to read about Gaz, who writes on this forum. Here is a good place to start. Good luck!

 

[Over The Hill]

I have done L-P and the worst aspect was the saddle! Just a pain in the ass!

The day is broken into 2x 45 to 50 milers so that is fine. You just keep going! The pace in a big group will not be fast I guess. We did it with 3 of us on our own over 3 days which was 90 to 105 miles each day. I had no problem keeping the pedals turning even though I had not done anything like that.

So my tip will be to train as much as you can in the saddle on the bike you will use as it will prepare you for the trip best whereas other exercise although good will not work on the musclies you need or the saddle area.

I was 50 when I did it but I am 12 stone ish.

 

[livpoksoc]

Cheers for the replies so far, I will check out Gaz & will intend to blog/post my progress.

Cheers

* edit - I saw the article on Gaz in Cycling Active in April! Good work & something I intend to strive too!

 

[BrumJim]

There was an article in Cycling Active a few months ago about a 19 stone regular Sportive rider. What he looses up the hills, he gains down the other side.

Anyway, the moral of the story was that it is fitness, not size, that counts most. Concentrate on getting as fit as you can, and let the body weight sort itself out, i.e. fuel to train, not to loose weight, for the moment.

 

[livpoksoc]

There was an article in Cycling Active a few months ago about a 19 stone regular Sportive rider. What he looses up the hills, he gains down the other side.

Anyway, the moral of the story was that it is fitness, not size, that counts most. Concentrate on getting as fit as you can, and let the body weight sort itself out, i.e. fuel to train, not to loose weight, for the moment.

Good point, I will!

Thanks

 

[gb155]

Hello liv,
There is no better motivational tool than to read about Gaz, who writes on this forum. Here is a good place to start. Good luck!

Your too kind young sir

I have informed the OP, if I can help, I will !

Gaz

 

[livpoksoc]

Ok so quick feedbackl for those of you who were kind enough to give advice, I made it & according to other riders, I actually made it look easy given my apprehensions before I went! I've got the bug & will definetly be looking @ doing a lot more rides in the future!

You were right in that it's not weight, but fitness & thankfully my football training & 1:1 boxing training helped out in that my body & legs felt fine during the ride although it wasn't a race or anything heavy going. Anyway thanks for the responses & hopefully I'll be doing more & using this forum as often as I can to see what I need to be doing.

 

[jay clock]

well done..... did you lose weight too?

 

[livpoksoc]

well done..... did you lose weight too?

Thanks, I didn't...I am the same weight however my body fat % has decreased from 37.5% to 34% in that time frame, I'm not overly surprised as I'd been told this would happen by several people. I do however feel fitter & my shirts feel a lot looser (wasit band not so much...but mainly cos I have a hanging gut rather than fat all round!)

 

[Parrot of Doom]

livpoksoc, do you have a smartphone?

If so, get this free app - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Trust me, with that, and a tracking app that estimates your calories burnt, you will lose weight.