How to decide on my training / nutrition plan…

[goose11]

Hi all,

So in the last couple of months I have signed up for boththe Etape over Alpe d’Huez as well as the Dragon Ride in June.

As a n00b to sportive / event based cycling I am absolutelyfocused on getting the training / eating right. Last weekend was the first rideout and took in 50km in Surrey which is about 1 hr 15 mins door to door via thetrain from where I live in London.

As I do live in London I felt that the long hills I need weresomewhat lacking and had slightly too many traffic lights etc to be useful sobought a second hand turbo also (Tacx Satori). I’m also keen not to let a lackof light and time hinder my progress…




So my current plan is a bit vague – was looking to follow aCycling Fitness 12 week plan in the first instance, essentially building baseendurance with Zone 2/3 rides, 3 times a week, between 1 and two hours which Iwill have to do in the turbo and get in an ‘actual’ ride at least once a week,likely at the weekend to Surrey or similar. This is all on top of roughly a 9mile round trip to the office almost 5 days a week. Considerably more cyclingthan I have ever done before.

This is (hopefully) going to be backed up by a session ofyoga once a week on one of my rest day’s too.




Therefore I’m looking to take action with my nutrition also.At the moment likely to be a banana before the turbo session in the morning andfruit / oats for breakfast. I’m loading up on (the right sort of) snacks at mydesk and lunch will consist of either soup that I muster myself, chicken withwholemeal pitta’s and houmous, cottage cheese or similar or maybe salads withcarbs. Finally looking at lean meats, fish, potatoes, carbs and hefty amountsof vegetables at dinner.

I also am looking at getting a couple of ‘starter packs’from the likes of Science in Sport to see how I feel about their drinks / barsas want to find something I get on with here also.




Can but can anyone offer any advice, tips, resources orexperience that might be able to help me get the most out of the time in the saddle?Am I barking up a tree, thinking I can get in what is likely to be the majorityof my training in central London via the turbo trainer? Am I biting off morethan I can chew? Speaking of which – do the general food outlines seemreasonable or should I have a more rigid diet plan?

Appreciate you reading a long and hopefully not too vagueshout to use my time efficiently!

 

[lukesdad]

I assume your doing the long Dragon ride ? and the 2 will be 6-8 weeks apart ? Thats some target youve set there for your first dip into sportive/ Grand Fondo territory . These first 12 weeks will be very important, and looking at your plan it looks as if you are spending about 12 hours in the saddle a week ? How many days are you riding ?

Building your base fitness, Is all well and good, the surrey hills are short and steep, good for sharpening your climbing ability, but nothing like the sort of terrain your going to encounter on these 2 events as Im sure you appreciate. The Dragon while not particularly steep does have some long grinds one after the other and the etape well...Ill leave that to your imagination

You really do need to look at some long rides over some serious hills at some stage, and dont leave it too late. Taper your riding down in the 3 weeks before the Dragon and think very carefully about the weeks between the 2. You will not want to go past your peak for the Etape.

As for diet if your training hard dont sell yourself short on calories it will set you backwards. Follow a sensible healthy diet, pay particular attention to carbs and protein within 30 mins of your sessions. There is really no need to bother with supplements on a good diet unless you ve got money to burn. Youd be better spending it on some good compression tights to aid recovery. As important is to make sure you are well hydrated on and off the bike.

Best of luck, let us know how you are getting on .

 

[goose11]

I assume your doing the long Dragon ride ? and the 2 will be 6-8 weeks apart ? Thats some target youve set there for your first dip into sportive/ Grand Fondo territory . These first 12 weeks will be very important, and looking at your plan it looks as if you are spending about 12 hours in the saddle a week ? How many days are you riding ?

Building your base fitness, Is all well and good, the surrey hills are short and steep, good for sharpening your climbing ability, but nothing like the sort of terrain your going to encounter on these 2 events as Im sure you appreciate. The Dragon while not particularly steep does have some long grinds one after the other and the etape well...Ill leave that to your imagination

You really do need to look at some long rides over some serious hills at some stage, and dont leave it too late. Taper your riding down in the 3 weeks before the Dragon and think very carefully about the weeks between the 2. You will not want to go past your peak for the Etape.

As for diet if your training hard dont sell yourself short on calories it will set you backwards. Follow a sensible healthy diet, pay particular attention to carbs and protein within 30 mins of your sessions. There is really no need to bother with supplements on a good diet unless you ve got money to burn. Youd be better spending it on some good compression tights to aid recovery. As important is to make sure you are well hydrated on and off the bike.

Best of luck, let us know how you are getting on .

Indeed – the long Dragon Ride lukesdad. It was intended thatyes, I would get around 12 hours in the saddle however a small obstacle hascome up…this morning jumped on the turbo for the first time and within 5minutes the neighbour downstairs was bashing on the ceiling. A littleunnecessary but will have to stop that before I’ve even started! I can set upthe turbo in the shed, but cycling in the garden, in the dark at 6am – not alot I can do to distract from the inevitable boredom!

I am keen to get some decent long inclines in – it’s justhard to find suitable routes. Especially those that are accessible for medirectly before / after work for a few hours. Is there any sense at all in justsetting the turbo to a high resistance and pedalling for a couple of hours? Orwill normal interval type training be more beneficial?

 

[accountantpete]

Good luck - you'll need it!

Couple of points.

Try a book or two under the front wheel when on the turbo to simulate climbing.

If you are training hard then a protein shake or better still a protein based recovery shake taken just after training will help the muscles and they won't feel quite as tired the next day. Try and eat a normal healthy diet around this.

When training try and get a feel as to how long your body is taking to recover - keep a log on how strong you feel with the aim of identifying a pattern. This way you can plan your workouts immediately prior to the event so that you peak on the day.

Make sure you have the best bike kit available.




.

 

[goose11]

Good luck - you'll need it!

Couple of points.

Try a book or two under the front wheel when on the turbo to simulate climbing.

If you are training hard then a protein shake or better still a protein based recovery shake taken just after training will help the muscles and they won't feel quite as tired the next day. Try and eat a normal healthy diet around this.

When training try and get a feel as to how long your body is taking to recover - keep a log on how strong you feel with the aim of identifying a pattern. This way you can plan your workouts immediately prior to the event so that you peak on the day.

Make sure you have the best bike kit available.

.

Thanks. Appreciate it. I might be biting off a bit more than I can chew, I know...


So with the recent 'neighbour' issues, I've spent a lot of today trying to work out a plan that I can stick to. By setting up the turbo in the shed - what do people think of the following plan?

Jan – Mar 2010

Monday - rest

Tuesday – Training ride – turbo 60 mins or out 35km +

Wednesday - Training ride – turbo 60 mins or out 35km +

Thursday – Yoga

Friday – Training ride – turbo 60 mins or out 35km +

Saturday - rest

Sunday – group ride Surrey or similar 50km+



Apr – Jun/Jul 2010

Monday - rest

Tuesday – Training ride – out hills 2hr circuit

Wednesday - Training ride – out hills 2hr circuit / 60 min turbo

Thursday – Yoga

Friday – Training ride – out hills 2-3hr circuit

Saturday - rest

Sunday – group ride Surrey or similar 80km+

A couple of the turbo sessions would be spin classesinstead. This would all have an additional 9 miles a day 4/5 days a weekcommuting. Assuming a few mishaps along the way (missed day due to work orpersonal commitments, extra rest days…) I reckon this gives me around 3,600 –4,000 miles in the saddle before the Etape.

Too much? Not varied enough? Too little??!

 

[accountantpete]

I'd be a bit more "scientific" on your 60min session - I assume you know the basic 2x 20 session here.

How do you pedal?

 

[Hugo15]

After many years of just riding I'm trying to be a bit for "scientific" this year. I started off by reading Joe Friel's "Total Heart Rate Training", which gave me a good understanding of how to train using a HRM and to start to put together a plan.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Total-Heart-Rate-Training-Customize/dp/1569755620/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
I also attended a talk by Dr Garry Palmer at Sportstest which covered how to train for cycling. It was fantastic. Covered how to train with a HRM and how to put a plan together. He is doing another session in Ruislip on 12th Jan. Don't know if there any places left but I would recommend it 100%. Cost is £15.

http://www.sportstest.co.uk/Successful_Seminars.htm

I also got a copy of Pete Reed's Black Book, which is more a plan of what to do when.

I've also benefited from having a plan for each and every session, particularly on the turbo. I used to struggle to do 30 minutes as I used to get on with no plan ride a bit do some half hearted efforts, decide it was too hard and stop. Now every session has a plan and 60 minutes is easy to achieve without getting bored.

 

[ttcycle]

I'd second the joe friel book- very useful tips in there for proper scientific training- I would also add since you're ramping up the cycling amount by a hell of a lot- to see how you cope with the initial amount of cycling in the early months- your early amount may well well be too much cycling-I'm inclined to say allow a bit more time for rest and also at an easy pace do a long, long ride as your focus in the early days - I found when I was training (distant memory but would like to do it again) my weakness was not getting the basic amount of long rides in at the start which meant my base fitness was not as strong as it could be when it came to the higher intensity intervals/sprint training. If your rides are really long distance (mine weren't) then ultimately work your way up to longer distance cycling. You do kind of address this but you need to be more specific as others have mentioned as to what each ride is to achieve- some should be easy spin the legs out kind of affairs and others to build endurance and others to have a balls out sprint.

What I was into was cycling in the winter to build up my base fitness - the crap weather and dullness from my point of view really gets your mind into the space where you will need it. Basically what I'm saying is that you also need to develop the mental strength to keep forging ahead when the ride seems hard and my way of doing that (this might not be your thing) is to ride through the winters (she says not having been on her bike for ages but you get the gist!)

As always eat well and eat more carbs and protein - obvious thing is to stay hydrated and drink loads of water.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[goose11]

After many years of just riding I'm trying to be a bit for "scientific" this year. I started off by reading Joe Friel's "Total Heart Rate Training", which gave me a good understanding of how to train using a HRM and to start to put together a plan.

http://www.amazon.co..._pr_product_top
I also attended a talk by Dr Garry Palmer at Sportstest which covered how to train for cycling. It was fantastic. Covered how to train with a HRM and how to put a plan together. He is doing another session in Ruislip on 12th Jan. Don't know if there any places left but I would recommend it 100%. Cost is £15.

http://www.sportstes...ul_Seminars.htm

I also got a copy of Pete Reed's Black Book, which is more a plan of what to do when.

I've also benefited from having a plan for each and every session, particularly on the turbo. I used to struggle to do 30 minutes as I used to get on with no plan ride a bit do some half hearted efforts, decide it was too hard and stop. Now every session has a plan and 60 minutes is easy to achieve without getting bored.

I'd second the joe friel book- very useful tips in there for proper scientific training- I would also add since you're ramping up the cycling amount by a hell of a lot- to see how you cope with the initial amount of cycling in the early months- your early amount may well well be too much cycling-I'm inclined to say allow a bit more time for rest and also at an easy pace do a long, long ride as your focus in the early days - I found when I was training (distant memory but would like to do it again) my weakness was not getting the basic amount of long rides in at the start which meant my base fitness was not as strong as it could be when it came to the higher intensity intervals/sprint training. If your rides are really long distance (mine weren't) then ultimately work your way up to longer distance cycling. You do kind of address this but you need to be more specific as others have mentioned as to what each ride is to achieve- some should be easy spin the legs out kind of affairs and others to build endurance and others to have a balls out sprint.

What I was into was cycling in the winter to build up my base fitness - the crap weather and dullness from my point of view really gets your mind into the space where you will need it. Basically what I'm saying is that you also need to develop the mental strength to keep forging ahead when the ride seems hard and my way of doing that (this might not be your thing) is to ride through the winters (she says not having been on her bike for ages but you get the gist!)

As always eat well and eat more carbs and protein - obvious thing is to stay hydrated and drink loads of water.

Good luck and have fun.

Thanks. Understood that I need to focus somewhat on what exactly I want to achieve not only in the long run, but also in each session. ttcycle - You are right that it is quite the ramp up in amount of cycling, so I have accounted for some additional rest days there so there is a margin for some 'give'. It's just tough to know exactly how much is too much.

I'm just keen to get value out of this so if there are any thoughts around specific drills on the turbo, would be great to hear from those that have already done this sort of training.

 

[goose11]

I'd be a bit more "scientific" on your 60min session - I assume you know the basic 2x 20 session here.

How do you pedal?

When you say 'how do I pedal' not sure I fully understand?

 

[ttcycle]

don't worry about drills at this stage Goose- you're going to do yourself in as the intensity at starting out will be too much- just try and get some endurance built up first at this early stage- ie longer rides and consistent riding ie not stopping and starting which can be a hinderance in London.

You want to increase the amount of cycling in terms of miles (OR INTENSITY-NEVER BOTH) by 10% each week for three weeks, the third week should be quite highly intense then have a fourth recovery week which is just easy rides and lots of rest and maintenance level riding to allow your body to repair and adapt to get better and stronger. Once you've done the fourth week of rest you can then increase the amount of training you do- work in blocks and as mentioned above taper it down in terms of amount for the week before the big ride.

Pedalling is related to having a push/pull no dead space in the complete circle when you pedal -easier to do with cleats and shoes - since accoutantpete mentioned it, it should be for him to explain - not to jump in!

 

[ttcycle]

Also on reflection- useful to do some intervals but for the length and distance of your type of rides what you need to be focusing on is some very, very long rides and working your way up to this kind of distance as well as building in a lot of hills - this imho is the way to go - focus on what your ride will be =- intervals at this time of year could lead to some early gains if you don't toast yourself but those gains will be for speed (which is not necessarily the most important aspect for a long ride like the ones you're attempting) but those gains may well be lost closer to race date as the important base endurance hasn't been built and you may just tire yourself out too early. high intensity intervals I would steer away from right now as a relative newcomer to this or unless you've figure out a stronger plan (they may be useful a bit later on for tapering and high intensity/low mileage stuff when you come closer to ride dates but not right now)

 

[goose11]

Also on reflection- useful to do some intervals but for the length and distance of your type of rides what you need to be focusing on is some very, very long rides and working your way up to this kind of distance as well as building in a lot of hills - this imho is the way to go - focus on what your ride will be =- intervals at this time of year could lead to some early gains if you don't toast yourself but those gains will be for speed (which is not necessarily the most important aspect for a long ride like the ones you're attempting) but those gains may well be lost closer to race date as the important base endurance hasn't been built and you may just tire yourself out too early. high intensity intervals I would steer away from right now as a relative newcomer to this or unless you've figure out a stronger plan (they may be useful a bit later on for tapering and high intensity/low mileage stuff when you come closer to ride dates but not right now)

OK - Fair enough - so time on the turbo would be better spent just pedalling with increasing resistance? Or is the turbo a waste of time and should be sold in favour of only doing as much riding on the road as I can manage?

Appreciate the clarification on how I pedal. Commute to work on SS with SPD cleats, on the Etape bike with Look road cleats. Thats the real difficulty with this time of year for me to train - I ride to work on a SS as my 'main' bike is far too expensive and precious to lock up outside my office (had another stolen before now...) so SS would be all I could get on either early or late daily, either way in the dark.

 

[Banjo]

Hi goose. The Dragon has some training weekends advertised on the website which could be usefull if you have the time.

I am entered in the Dragon and trying to start getting some mileage in now inbetween flu snow etc etc.
I have ridden all the roads on the dragon before but not in one go. No stupidly steep bits just a lot of climbing miles.

Right now I dont think I could get round the 200 km in the 9.5 hours time limit. I intend to do the 200km but If I dont feel confident on the day I am going to drop onto the medio route .

4000 riders should be quite a spectacle.

 

[accountantpete]

Pedalling is related to having a push/pull no dead space in the complete circle when you pedal -easier to do with cleats and shoes - since accoutantpete mentioned it, it should be for him to explain - not to jump in!

Well you can simply push down on the pedals Goose .

With cleats though you can improve on this by firstly developing the muscles to push down,pull back, pull up and then push foward on the pedal.

Once you have got a semblance of muscle development then you put them altogether and pedal in circles -although this takes a bit of practice. The advantage is that momentum is maintained (esp on hills) and more muscles are brought into play therefore sharing the work load.