Ragbrai

There are many good training books around search around amazon.com and you'll find something.
You can ask training advice at http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=default#qa
Maybe even get a coach.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by blend
What about weight training?

here is my cycling-specific weights program (not sure of your gender, but I am female so that may or may not make a difference). It was created for me by a personal trainer, and I'm seeing great results with it. I do it 3 times in 2 weeks (monday, friday, and the following wednesday).

Warm-up patterns for exercises
1. first exercise and dead-lift
Set one: warm-up 50% of working set weight 10 reps
Set two: warm-up 75% of working set weight 8 reps

2. all other exercise
Set one: warm-up 75% of working set weight 8 reps

1. Shoulder Presses, dumbbell or machine- 8-12reps to failure
2. Chin-ups or Pull-downs- 6-10 reps to failure
3. Bar Dips- 6-10 reps to failure
4. Dumbbell or Machine Pullover- 8-12 reps to failure
5. Decline Press- 6-10 reps to failure
6. Dumbbell or Barbell Rows- 6-10 reps to failure
7. Dead-lifts- 6-10 reps to failure
8. Walking Lunges- 12-15 steps per leg to failure
9. Leg extensions- 12-15reps for to failure
10. Calf raises- 15-20 reps to failure
11. Decline sit-ups- 20-30 reps to failure

Thank you, I printed this out and will use it at Bally's. I had a flat tire on my ride the other day, and a guy stopped to help. He happened to ride in the '72 olympics. He was very encouraging and said if I stick with it, I'll have a fairly easy ride in Iowa. It was fascinating to listen to some of his biking stories. Thank you again for the program.

Hiya,,,,, I have found just being in the saddle as much as possible is the best plan. Just ensure you have some gas in your tank, energy bars or fruit, and lots of water. Hope this helps....Harri 😎

Hi - I came across your post about the RAGBRAI. How did the ride go? I'm considering riding it in 2005 and want to get an idea what it is like. How was your experience?

Thanks

Joe

blend said:

I'm a novice rider in training for RAGBRAI with 3 of my friends. I bought a Giant OCR2, which I'm extremely happy with. I also need to lose 20 pounds. I started traing 4 weeks ago and am now able to ride 44 miles comfortably. I'm also taking a spin class once a week, which really helps. The ride I take is a gradual incline (cave creek road, Phoenix, AZ). When I get past the town of Cave Creek the climb becomes quite steep. My average speed is about 15 miles per hour. My goal is simply to have an easy time riding with my friends 70 miles a day. I suspect we'll be traveling between 10-15 miles per hour. Are there any books I can buy to increase my knowledge, and is my training program adequate? What about weight training?

Joe WW said:

Hi - I came across your post about the RAGBRAI. How did the ride go? I'm considering riding it in 2005 and want to get an idea what it is like. How was your experience?

Thanks

Joe

Joe,

The ride was great. If you do the training you won't have any problems. I had a team of four. Three of us rode all 7 days and the fourth drove a rented RV from campsite to campsite. Everybody is extremely friendly and the ride is very well organized. I believe if you go to the RAGBRAI website the route for 2005 is already posted. Just remember, it's not a race, your only challenging yourself.
Good luck, Gary