increasing cycling route.

[shrew]

hi folks )
im trying to get fit again and have recently increased my cycling route to 11.5 miles out and the same back, half way i take a rest break, mainly because i need it and ive necked all my drink by then so the shop is a handy waypoint, After this 23mile ride id have to say i have little left in me, it really is about as far in a day i can go atm.

i do this ride usually every other day, so 3 days 1 week, 4 the next. im wondering if this is a good way to get fit or if anyone has any other suggestions?

usually my ride takes me 45 minutes out (ish) and about 40 mins back (ish) so i know i have so work to do, im not working atm so im pretty available and im wondering if i should get so more saddle time in or just to hold out until i find this ride easier.

Am i taking too many rest days?

any advice would be appreciated.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

23 miles a day isn't bad and your times seem pretty reasonable. One thing though is that if you are stopping halfway on each trip you are effectively splitting your daily ride into four smaller chunks and is not so good for building fitness. Do you really need all that liquid for a 45 minute ride? I appreciate it is hot but if you can manage, for example, a sip or two from your drinks bottle throughout the ride (without stopping) and then a decent drink when you get home you will be better able to guage your progress. Try to fit some intervals into your ride (4-5 minutes at a moderate pace followed by a 60 second sprint to get the heart pounding (x5. Acouple of days off th e bike to give your body a chance to recover is a must. You can overdo it.

Bill

 

[shrew]

hi sorry i wasnt clear,

my ride is 23 miles total, i ride to a shop 11.5 miles away., get a drink and, have a lil rest and ride home, i only stop once

i think maybe the interval thing is a good idea too, although im not sure i could actually sprint for 60 seconds, i normally ride at 80% constantly.

 

[Hont]

I would steer clear of intervals until you have quite a few miles under your belt (1000+).

Doing what you are doing should ensure that you get fit, but you will likely plateau as to get fitter you need to do more. You can either go further at the same pace, or go the same distance at an increased pace (or a harder route), but your body needs to be overloaded to cause it to adjust. Common wisdom is that increasing the load by much more than 10-15% has no extra benefit, so if you want to get fitter increase the difficulty of the trip by 10% each trip (or each week if that sounds too hard).

You don't say how old you are, so I can't really say about the rest days. If you're in your twenties you probably don't need that many. If you're in your forties or above I would intersperse an extra day off every now and then to fully recover.

 

[jimboalee]

You're not doing 'intervals'. You are stopping for refreshment at the turn point.

I agree with an earlier comment. Do you really need a drink for 90 minutes riding?

Don't try to pre plan a schedule of increasing distances and durations. You will know when you are ready. Having said this, you MUST feel some burning sensation in your muscle to know you WILL improve.

Too many novice cyclists go out and really hammer it from cold, with the intension of building big muscular legs ( because that's what makes riding a bike easier ). Its not only the muscles that need to be built up. The tendons, cartilages and joints should build in sympathy with the strength of your muscles.

Slow cadence climbing has got bad press lately. This is because newbies want to climb like the pros immediately, give it jip up the hill on a high gear and find their knee joints scream buggery the day after. To these ends, 'mashing' is not reccomended by the cycling press.

Slow but sure. Fifteen years and you'll have knee joints like Eddy Merckx.

 

[Hont]

You're not doing 'intervals'. You are stopping for refreshment at the turn point.

Nobody said he was. TheBoyBilly suggested he try some.

 

[shrew]

sheesh

i didnt say i was doing intervals at any point tbh, and as i said in my original post, i stop after 11.5 miles to get a rest because i need it, i was hit by a car in november and broke my back amonst many other injuries and 23 miles in 1 hit is too much for me at the moment, but as i like to be out for a while, i stop and have a rest, top up my drink as its mostly gone and cycle back.

i do other shorter rides when the mood takes me but i cant do more then 16 miles right now, it hurts like buggery and ive still got alot of fitness to build up.

i was looking for training advice, not advice on how much i drink

thanks

 

[steve52]

its all too serous, enjoy the ridethats the number one aim, i woulds sujest that u ride a little slower and try to complet the distance on one bottle and without stopping , as a target, but agin do what you enjoy and reval in it

 

[TheBoyBilly]

Ah, now all becomes clear. I am sure there will be many on these forums who can give you advice on how to build up your ability to ride further after such a horrific injury. For now though you seem to be doing fine. Just stay as you are and ride a little further/harder when you feel confident; but, as has been pointed out by Steve52, ride for enjoyment above all else. Nobody is watching you and nobody is judging you

Bill.

 

[Rob3rt]

I understand you are asking about tranining advice, and not how much to drink BUT........ they are directly related since the amount you drink effects how long and how intensely you can train. Dont drink too much, You shouldnt need to drink at all within 23 miles, but if you must, dont drink too much. The body is made to cope with a fair level of dehydration and over hydrating yourself will be a bigger contributer to poor performance (through the sloshing in your stomach and associated effects) than the level of dehydration you would experience by not drinking.

Dont bother with intervals, they will just make your overly tired and possibly contribute to injuries right now, just ride your bike and ride further on days you think you can and less on days you cant manage as much, no need to be too scientific about this. Try not to over think it.


I'd say, before you are hitting the intervals you should be able to ride 50-60 miles comfortably (I started before I could do this, I got fast over very short distances, i.e. extended sprints but in terms of fitness which I think you mean, as in being able to ride longer and further, then the return was minimal). Try planning circular routes, so that you can bail out at any point. Out and back is all well and good if you know you can make the grade, but if you get to the destination and are zonked, how will you get home?

 

[shrew]

ok, thankyou for the advice, ill keep going as i am and try and cut out the rests when im able.