I was wondering if doing 30 minutes to one hour rides a day is enough to add in beneficial training for competative racing. You see my problem is that right now I cannot fully commit to only cycling because I also run high school track and practice ends around 5 pm. By the time I get home from practice it is already starting to get quite dark and I only have time for 30 minute rides and a maximum of one hour. The majority of my long cycling has to be done on weekends.
Do you think I can get in efficient training for competivtive racing by only doing 30 minute and one hour maximum efforts everyday and the majority of my long cycling on weekends? Or is this not sufficient enough to maintain a good core of fitness on the bike. Regardless, I know that I will be conditioned for cycling but I don't believe my cycling specific muscles will get enough benefit from such a small time frame of cycling.
Competitive racing is a broad term and it really depends on what type of racing you are considering but in general I would say no it would not be sufficient. Just the skills needed to ride in a group takes time. Knowing who to follow, when to break and when to sit back and wait as well as the physical attributes needed. That being said any training is better than none and 5 or six hours a week would get you through in some situations.
Ignore husky. 30-1hr is heaps. Especially if you can get longer rides in on the weekend.
In fact depending on your natural ability it would be enough to get you to A grade. Criteriums only though. You arent going to be racing 200km one day races.
If you can get 45 mins every day with a high degree of consistency and specificity in what you are trying to achieve then a 3-4 hour ride on the weekends as well as your race then you are in business.
90% of racing cyclists do too many useless training hours. It's call it 'hero training'.
I was wondering if doing 30 minutes to one hour rides a day is enough to add in beneficial training for competative racing. You see my problem is that right now I cannot fully commit to only cycling because I also run high school track and practice ends around 5 pm. By the time I get home from practice it is already starting to get quite dark and I only have time for 30 minute rides and a maximum of one hour. The majority of my long cycling has to be done on weekends.
Do you think I can get in efficient training for competivtive racing by only doing 30 minute and one hour maximum efforts everyday and the majority of my long cycling on weekends? Or is this not sufficient enough to maintain a good core of fitness on the bike. Regardless, I know that I will be conditioned for cycling but I don't believe my cycling specific muscles will get enough benefit from such a small time frame of cycling.
-Josh
In truth it all depends how much you bring to the table. A couple of three hour rides on sat and sunday, then 4-5 hours in total dring the week would be about average for most guys that work full time but race in the lower to intermediate level of the amateur sport. I would say if you can get in a regular diet of 10-12 hours per week at a modererately intensive level that after 5/6 months (assuming you learn, pack skills, do some racing intensity efforts) you'll be ready for entry level racing or perhaps higher. There's only one way to really find out though.
As a high school runner compare the intensity of your running workouts versus your bike riding. To get the equivalent of a training run of 5 miles on a bicycle you would have to do maybe 20 miles on a bike. To really get some training mileage on a bike you would have to put in some 35-50 mile training rides in during the week and on weekends. As a casual biker who puts in miles to ride such charity events as the MS150, I have never experienced the oxygen debt the long distance running and racing produced. I bonked in my first century because I didn't drink and eat enough during the first 75 miles but that isn't anything I had to worry about in LSD. Anyway, think this through a little on your own and talk with your CC or track coach.
I was wondering if doing 30 minutes to one hour rides a day is enough to add in beneficial training for competative racing.
Yes. The answer in unequivocally yes.
josh said:
Do you think I can get in efficient training for competivtive racing by only doing 30 minute and one hour maximum efforts everyday and the majority of my long cycling on weekends? -Josh
