Question

[JamesJeffery]

Hi All,

I'm a 24 year old male, weighting 12 stone at 5ft 10. I'm a web developer, and a Software Engineering student, so I spend long hours at the PC. I started smoking in January, but quit jsut over a month ago, and also limited my alcohol from every other day, to once a fortnight.

Last Thursday I decided to take up cycling. I have a Carerra LRS 3, not the best bike in the world, but it's a decent MTB. I decided to cycling along my local canal.

My first day I did about 45 mins slow cycling. The second day I did an hour, and the third day (Saturday) I did 2 hours, around 20 odd miles. On the Sunday I rested, my legs hurt that day, so I relaxed.

Today I did around 16 miles. I was fine with it. Throughout my journey I will cycle at a steady speed, and sometimes go for 1 minute bursts where I will peadle hard and fast.

On Thursday I plan to pack the backpack with some food and cycle from Wolverhampton to Stafford. It's 16 miles 1 way, so that would be 32 miles in total.

I want to ask a few questions:

1) Would you consider this to much?
2) If I was to do it, how should I pace the journey?

Also next Sunday I will be doing Wolverhampton to Birmingham, which is 25 miles. That shouldn't be a problem.

I cycle 5 times a week, with 2 days rest. I want to work up to cycling 50 miles a day if possible (5 times a week). I want to get fit, and possibly enter races in the future. But, at the moment I am working on building my fitness.

I've already noticed my resting heartrate has dropped to 65bpm, it used to be around 78. When I was smoking it was 90ish.

 

[SimonC]

I would think this is well within what you can do, in any case, I guess you want it to be a bit difficult so it feels like you're on your way to getting fitter.

I would probably ride the first half at a pace where you are breathing reasonably hard, not just tooling along, but not at your limit either.

Second half, ride harder, hard as you think you can and still get home!

Make sure first bit of first half is steady, say 10-15 mins just warming up. Also an easy last 5 minutes just to warm down a bit.

Looking at your weight, 12 stone, you dont need to train at a steady pace to loose weight. You are looking for fitness gains, for which intervals (your fast bursts) are the way to go, but you need to build up some muscle and base fitness first.

I would stick with the ride outlined above for a bit, maybe a few weeks, then increase the distance by say 10% a week, until you are getting towards 50miles, which is plenty far enough for starting racing. This should take you through the winter and bring you to spring in reasonable shape.

Dont know how many times a week you would have time to do this, but if you plan on taking it further, it does require a reasonable time commitment and going out in the dark/rain, say 3 sessions per week. Personally in the winter, I do a 50miler on a Sunday, commute 20 miles round trip a day and do 1 spinning class midweek at the gym. Keeps me at a reasonable level and ready to build back to race fitness in the early spring.

Come spring time, you get started on the intervals, having built up some power and endurance. But they are for another post.

On your ride, take a bottle, take some food that you can eat on the go, and dont stop when you get halfway, not for very long anyway.

Best of luck, its not easy, but it is great fun (most of the time).

 

[marinyork]

1) A 16 mile trip should be fine, where you are at. 32 miles might be a bit knackering. You need to watch the food as at those sort of distances it starts to become an issue for a new cyclist.
2) Take it easy in the first hour.

If you want big improvements build up to doing 80-120 miles a week, then tailor to whatever you're wanting to do.

 

[Arch]

1) A 16 mile trip should be fine, where you are at. 32 miles might be a bit knackering.

Well, that depends how long you give yourself to rest half way. If you stop and have lunch and a decent stretch/wander round, you've given your body a bit of time to recover. At least that's my kind of cycling.

Welcome James, and good luck with the training. Just one thing: it's 'pedal'. Get that right and you're half way to looking like a pro!

 

[SimonC]

Well, that depends how long you give yourself to rest half way. If you stop and have lunch and a decent stretch/wander round, you've given your body a bit of time to recover. At least that's my kind of cycling.

Welcome James, and good luck with the training. Just one thing: it's 'pedal'. Get that right and you're half way to looking like a pro!

OP did mention he was looking to get fit and possibly race, which is never going to happen if he's stopping for a spot of lunch, a stretch and a wander around after 16 miles.

What you are proposing is tantamount to enjoying a bike ride. What he needs to be doing is training at night, in the rain, couple of hours three times a week.

 

[accountantpete]

Depends on what type of racing you had in mind James - if it's time trialling/road racing you will be building up the wrong muscles just going along towpaths on a slow bike.

 

[marinyork]

Well, that depends how long you give yourself to rest half way. If you stop and have lunch and a decent stretch/wander round, you've given your body a bit of time to recover. At least that's my kind of cycling.

Welcome James, and good luck with the training. Just one thing: it's 'pedal'. Get that right and you're half way to looking like a pro!

I think for someone that started last week, however long the rest, the issue would be is 32 miles too much? Great to be getting in the distances straight away.

 

[2Loose]

Well done for quitting the fags and restricting the booze - just done the fags myself, but the booze, well I like it...lol.

I'm with Marinyork, get the fitness up with smallish (<20mile) regular rides for a while before trainingrace prep in earnest.
Decrease the time for each one until they level out then increase the distance by, say 10 miles and repeat! Once 30 miles can be done regularly in less than 2 hours then listen to people like SimonC who know what they are talking about when it comes to proper training.

 

[SimonC]

Just as an afterthought, the OP said he wants to get up to 50 miles a day, 5 days a week.

Thats a serious commitment, I know for sure I couldn't fit that in around family/work/lazing around commitments, and TBH, if you were using your training time effectively you wouldn't need that volume.

As all the replies have said in one way or another, start off steady, build a base and then take it from there. How fast you ramp it up really depends on you and how you feel, eating and resting properly are also important.

Unfortunately, you have chosen the wrong end of the year to be able to build that base in the light nights, but try not to let that deter you. For all I know, you may have time to spare in the day, and if you have suitable cycling clothing, forget the weather and just get out on the bike.

 

[Arch]

OP did mention he was looking to get fit and possibly race, which is never going to happen if he's stopping for a spot of lunch, a stretch and a wander around after 16 miles.

What you are proposing is tantamount to enjoying a bike ride. What he needs to be doing is training at night, in the rain, couple of hours three times a week.

Heaven forbid....

I get your point, and I realise the OP and I have different priorities. On a mildly serious note though, although I may not be interested in racing, I've got out more often this summer on long rides, just once a week, and even with frequent cafe stops and pootling, I'm fitter and just a little less fat.

 

[Phixion]

If you are planning on riding roads/cycle paths stick some slicks on your bike, it'll make it a little easier.

 

[blazed]

I've already noticed my resting heartrate has dropped to 65bpm, it used to be around 78. When I was smoking it was 90ish.

Dayum even 78 for a 24 year old is pretty terrible and 65 is not great either but 90? You must have been a mess, by smoking did you mean meth?