Newbie in at the deep end.

[porshiepoo]

Hi there, I'm completely new to cycling. I cycled as a kid and have kept it up on and off through adulthood but now I have to get serious and would like some advise.
A friend and I have signed up for a sponsored bike ride in China in April 2011. This ride covers 450km over 5 days and I would love to hear from anyone who can give me any training programmes to get me started. I know it's a long way away till the ride but I want to be fit enough to cope with 60 miles a day.

I have a mountain type bike and also a static bike. I'm going to need to start back in gently on the static as opposed the road bike due to a knee injury I've recently recovered from.

Any hints or tips on training and what type of clothing to wear etc etc.

 

[Brandane]

Good luck!! I admire your courage and although I am in no position to offer advice, I will be watching this thread as I have a pie-in-the-sky idea that at some time in the future I would like to do Lands End to J-O'G.

 

[raindog]

Sounds like a great project - good luck!

 

[Andy in Sig]

Find a loop which is short enough for you to do in the evenings, say fifteen to twenty miles. Do it three evenings a week. At the weekend go for a thirty miler. The weekend after that forty (but keep doing the short loop during the week). You'll get up to your desired daily trip length in no time at all. The distances are just suggestions: you may need to start with shorter ones if it is a bit of an effort at first.

 

[jay clock]

As Andy said, but do much shorter distances. Do 2 or 3 miles a day for a few days then 4-5 miles. In no time you will be up to 20-30 miles.

Little and often is a great way of getting your body used to the contact of arse hands and feet, a bit like breaking in a new pair of shoes

 

[Arch]

Hi there, I'm completely new to cycling. I cycled as a kid and have kept it up on and off through adulthood but now I have to get serious and would like some advise.
A friend and I have signed up for a sponsored bike ride in China in April 2011. This ride covers 450km over 5 days and I would love to hear from anyone who can give me any training programmes to get me started. I know it's a long way away till the ride but I want to be fit enough to cope with 60 miles a day.

I have a mountain type bike and also a static bike. I'm going to need to start back in gently on the static as opposed the road bike due to a knee injury I've recently recovered from.

Any hints or tips on training and what type of clothing to wear etc etc.

With over a year to go, and even recovering from an injury, you should manage this fine. 60 miles a day for 5 days is a decent touring distance. As others have said, start gentle and work up, if you use the static bike now over winter (and get out for real when you can), you could be capable of that by this summer....

Clothes - specific cycling gear has advantages, but you don't need to spend loads - padded shorts or longs, and a jersey and long sleeved top, and a waterproof will do you fine. If you want to get into clipless pedals, then you'll need shoes, but you can get started with some nicely firm soled trainers. Avoid bulky seamed clothes like jeans (I wear them to commute, up to 5 or 6 miles, but opt for lycra for anything longer).

Do you have any idea what the terrain will be like? I'm guessing in China it might have some rough surfaces, but you might want to see how efficient your MTB is - if you are going to train on the road, you need to replace knobbly tyres with slicker ones, and lock/stiffen any suspension.

 

[porshiepoo]

With over a year to go, and even recovering from an injury, you should manage this fine. 60 miles a day for 5 days is a decent touring distance. As others have said, start gentle and work up, if you use the static bike now over winter (and get out for real when you can), you could be capable of that by this summer....

Clothes - specific cycling gear has advantages, but you don't need to spend loads - padded shorts or longs, and a jersey and long sleeved top, and a waterproof will do you fine. If you want to get into clipless pedals, then you'll need shoes, but you can get started with some nicely firm soled trainers. Avoid bulky seamed clothes like jeans (I wear them to commute, up to 5 or 6 miles, but opt for lycra for anything longer).

Do you have any idea what the terrain will be like? I'm guessing in China it might have some rough surfaces, but you might want to see how efficient your MTB is - if you are going to train on the road, you need to replace knobbly tyres with slicker ones, and lock/stiffen any suspension.

Terrain is explained as "Long flat stretches of road followed by gentle undulations. Day 4 of cycling will be the most challenging with some long uphill sections"

I'm quite lucky here as I can do road work of all descriptions but also have instant access to forest tracks which I'm guessing can only help in the long run.

Thank you all for your helpful hints and tips.

 

[Arch]

Terrain is explained as "Long flat stretches of road followed by gentle undulations. Day 4 of cycling will be the most challenging with some long uphill sections"

I'm quite lucky here as I can do road work of all descriptions but also have instant access to forest tracks which I'm guessing can only help in the long run.

Thank you all for your helpful hints and tips.

That sounds perfect - with the exception of the long uphill bit!

Just get out as often as you can, and build up the distances, and you'll be fine. Any idea what the climate will be like? You may find the biggest deal is humidity or fierce heat, which you can't do much to train for, but if you can build up to regularly doing more than the 60, you'll have something in reserve.