Preparing to ride again after a few years off - tips on a workout plan

[postman]

Home town Leeds.Don't need to know the address but what district.Because i have found recently,on the road is the best way,turbo work can only do so much.So take care.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Look at the British cycling website. www.Britishcycling.org.uk
There are lots of resources that have been put together by professionals. You should find something that ticks your boxes, for whatever it is that you want to achieve. In the meantime, just try and increase your time on the bike, and vary your routes to vary the effort levels.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

 

[Gunk]

It really is as simple as just ride and keep riding, regular.

^^ this, main thing is to just enjoy the ride and develop your cycling skills

 

[DRM]

Home town Leeds.Don't need to know the address but what district.Because i have found recently,on the road is the best way,turbo work can only do so much.So take care.

This is right, don’t over think it, just ride your bike, just go a little further each time, where in Leeds are you as some bits can be a bit hilly

 

[Older then dirt]

Went for my first ride yesterday. Last time on a cycle was some 30 years ago. The route was mainly level but with two very gentle inclines And a distance of some 5 miles. Nearly killed me. But I completed the route which I consider an achievement. The canals around Burnley, Todmorden etc beckon for me next trip tomorrow. 🦦🦥

Oh I can relate to bike trying to kill me after 5 mile lol

 

[Older then dirt]

On my retirement in 2010 I returned to cycling after an absence of about 40 years. For what its worth, my advice is the same as as ianrauk & PaulSB above. In my case I bought a cheap bike and started riding and well remember my first outing. I was overweight, unfit and unprepared when I took to the road for the first time, choosing a level route of 7 or 8 miles. I had only gone about 1/4 mile when my legs were burning and I began to wonder if it was such a good idea, however I persevered and although I have not reached the magical 100 miles target you mention I can usually complete 60 or 70 without too much pain and in fact, , last year my friend and I completed a fully loaded LEJOG. I did not have a training program as such, I simply rode my bike.

Lejog? What's that?.....I'm green as grass as only starting out lol

 

[Fab Foodie]

Lejog? What's that?.....I'm green as grass as only starting out lol

Lands End to John O’ Groats

 

[Older then dirt]

Lands End to John O’ Groats

Never heard of it, bet that's something to do adventure wise.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Never heard of it, bet that's something to do adventure wise.

It’s just the classic ‘end to end‘ ride of the British mainland. The reasonably fit will do it over 7 days...or less. Quite an adventure for many!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Just riding your bike will massively improve your fitness for now. When you fitness stops improving despite how much time you put in, then you can start looking at a training plan and FTP tests if you want to.

 

[Older then dirt]

It’s just the classic ‘end to end‘ ride of the British mainland. The reasonably fit will do it over 7 days...or less.

Reasonably fit, well that sure ain't me lol, Betty my MTB is trying to kill me on a 5 mile round trip twice a week....but it is getting alot easier now. Respect to anyone who does that trip

 

[RoubaixCube]

Personally i wouldnt bother with cadence/speed sensors right off the bat. To me, those are unnecessary distractions and might affect your growth physically & mentally as you'll get stuck chasing numbers when really you should be enjoying the ride itself. You set yourself targets and get sad when you dont achieve them.

Forget the sensors. Just ride. you dont need to ride hard like an Olympic athlete - That comes later on when your fitness/strength & stamina improve.

You could even load up one of GCN's training videos for motivation on the trainer if cycling outdoors isnt possible due to lazyness or weather conditions.

Even if you dont. GCNs videos cover quite a range of topics within cycling so keeping their channel for reference might help if youre unsure about something

 

[Fab Foodie]

Reasonably fit, well that sure ain't me lol, Betty my MTB is trying to kill me on a 5 mile round trip twice a week....but it is getting alot easier now. Respect to anyone who does that trip

To be fair they don’t generally do it on MTBs! Keep going, it does get easier with practice :-)

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

As has been mentioned above, to begin with simply ride your bike.

Before you begin any training plans, get to know your bike, practise handling techniques over a variety of surfaces and terrains (depending on the suitability of your bike for terrain types) and in a variety of situations. Ride until the bike and you are an extension of one another (sounds trite, even cliche, but still true).

Training plans both outdoor and indoor are great once you’ve improved your bike handling techniques. A training plan before learning and improving your bike handling skills is a little like learning to run before you can walk. My own opinion is that training plans are to improve on what you have already learnt. You need to learn basic bike skills first, even if you are coming back to cycling as you will need to fine tune and re-practise what you once knew. Correct technique for shifting, climbing, descending, cone of movement, balancing, etc. is more of a priority.

Have you tried using your bike for commuting? Whether to work or the shops, wherever. Regular and frequent shorter rides will improve your fitness much quicker than less frequent longer rides. Build up to the longer rides later. You don’t have to commute every day at first (as you’ll be absolutely knackered by half way through the week!), just one/two days a week at first then increasing frequency until you can commute every day. Take your time, no rush.

Most of all, have fun. If what you are doing isn’t fun then you are less likely to continue. Do what works for you.