Advice for a relative noobie

[flipflop]

Hi all,

After investing in my first "proper" road bike as a treat after serious illnes I'm beginning to catch the cycle bug! ( the last bike I owned was a Grifter which weighed more than ford Fiesta!)

I really want to improve my fitness and maybe take part in a few sportives when I feel confident I can keep up a good pace.

So my question is this:

Is it best to get used to pedaling at what is considered to be the correct cadence first and be able to drive the bigger gears later as leg strength improves?
The opposite would be to grind away slower in a higher gear and hope my cadence increases along with cardiovascular fitness?

A bit like the chicken and the egg question I suppose! Which comes first, The ability to maintain a high Cadence over a distance or the ability to power down on a big gear to get my average speed higher?


I manage to creep out 1 or 2 times a week if I'm lucky and on a varied route of Urban traffic and A roads with the odd small hill climb of 25 to 40 miles or so (depends if I get lost)

My average speed is around 17 to 18Mph but I kinda set a goal in my mind to reach 22Mph ( just plucked that one out of the air but surely do-able)

Im 34 year old and tip the scales at 87kg.

Any advice would be greatly welcome.

 

[Tyres23]

I was a gear grinder and have worked on my casdence which means using the gears more yes my fitness is better but my average is much improved

 

[DTD]

I've usually heard pedal at 80 to 90 rpm and find a gear you can do that in.
My average speed is nearer 15 than 20mph, so I'm jealous already :-)

 

[Jimmy Doug]

I think keeping a good cadence is best. It's more efficient to ride that way, and you'll improve your cardio-vascular. Besides, cycling in too high a gear can result in knee pain/injury.

 

[flipflop]

Thanks Jimmy,
It looks like I'll purchasing a cadence sensor (along with all the other bits I've been buying recently) this cycle bug is turning out to be expensive! (Why do I pick expensive hobbies)

DTD, honestly mate, no need for jealousy I may be cracking out a 17 to 18 Mph average but look like a black pudding with my shorts on while doing it!

Got chatting to a youngish lad who competes in triathlons while at work today and he gave me a bit of training advice...
1, Crank a big gear for 15 seconds.
2, Drop down to a smaller gear and crank for 45 seconds.
3, Repeat steps 1 & 2 at least 10 times.
4, Don't forget to look up!

Apparently it has greatly improved his speed over a long distance.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

+1 for Jimmy Doug.

A higher cadence is mechanically more efficient and disperses lactic acid more rapidly; grinding strains your knees and you look like a chump.

I seem to have been recommending this training guide a lot recently for riders looking to build up their distance; it worked for me and I can only aspire to your speeds.

Bonne route!

 

[Jimmy Doug]

Got chatting to a youngish lad who competes in triathlons while at work today and he gave me a bit of training advice...

Honestly, I wouldn't bother. That's my opinion anyway. You're not trying to compete in a triathlon - yet! In your place I'd just concentrate on spinning the pedals and enjoying the ride.

 

[Jimmy Doug]

Oh, yeah, and the cadence monitor. Again, great for people training to compete, but for the average cyclist I don't think it's necessary. I've never used one, and I've always managed to stay in good shape through cycling. Just enjoy the ride - that's my motto!

 

[flipflop]

Yeah I guess your right.I just want to get up to a standard where I'll feel comfortable joining a group/club ride without fear of being dropped.
Or worse, holding folks up which are too polite to drop me and spoil their ride!

Or am I just being paranoid? Im not sure what an average club rider is likely to achieve on a sunday afternoon.

Once again, thanks for the replies and links

 

[Jimmy Doug]

Any club whose members drop weaker riders is not worth joining. That's how I look at it anyway!

 

[miss_undaztood]

I may be cracking out a 17 to 18 Mph average but look like a black pudding with my shorts on while doing it!

You look like you have a black pudding in your shorts while doing it ?

Oooer.

 

[Jimmy Doug]

Oh! miss-undaztood! I am shocked and stunned!

 

[flipflop]

You look like you have a black pudding in your shorts while doing it ?

Oooer.

A rather poor choice of words! But if the cap fits......

 

[flipflop]

Hey Jimmy doug, I was looking at your cycle blog and found it fascinating. All I can say is WOW

That looked like a truly amazing journey in more ways than one. I would love to do a trip like that but wouldn't even know where to start!

 

[Jimmy Doug]

Thanks flipflop! I'm glad you enjoyed reading it! It's the first time I've ever written a blog about one of my cycle rides. I'd love to go back and write about my other rides, but it's too late now.

So where do you start? At the beginning, I guess! You'd be surprised how easy it is. Just build up the miles a little each time and you'll make progress. My motto is, "If there's pain there's no game"! I don't mean that things must always come easily, there will always be hard days. I mean that you have to find pleasure in it - most of the time! We don't all want to win races, so what's the point of training for one? If you enjoy cycling, you'll benefit from it just because you're doing something you like doing, and you'll find that your stamina improves by itself. But as I said, there are days when it's hard. My first couple of days' cycling were tough as I wasn't used to the heat - but as I adapted to the conditions I found I could go further.