Junior Rides <18

[smartman213]

Im 15, and have heard alot about how hard i should train, some tell me i should take it easy and limit my training to keep from burning out and that im so young i have plenty of time to grow into the sport, but im very competitive and want to be the very best rider i can. What do you guys think?

 

[macca1234]

Im in the exact same boat m8'y i ride 550 km's a week. ive heard to slow down as a junior blah blah blah, i dont get it either! I turned 15 a month ago.

 

[Woofer]

Im 15, and have heard alot about how hard i should train, some tell me i should take it easy and limit my training to keep from burning out and that im so young i have plenty of time to grow into the sport, but im very competitive and want to be the very best rider i can. What do you guys think?

In most sports it does not pay to specialize before you turn 17 or so unless you are a prodigous talent (this means someone like Greg Lemond who could win races against adult cat 1 fields at age 16 or Lance winning triathlons as a junior versus adults.) One of the reasons is that as a junior you have the luxury of a lot of time and should use this to try different sports so, among other reasons, you don't burn out on cycling or get an overuse injury which could cause structural problems that take longer to heal than it would for an adult, and it's possible you may find something you like more. There is one actual study of whether or not it pays to specialize in a sport or if trying multiple sports is better and it indicates that specializing in one sport before 18 doesn't pay off for athletes that end up being *elite* athletes. Everyone is different of course and we can all come up with an outlier example.

Training that is appropriate for an adult is likely not appropriate for a juvenile. Getting an overuse injury at a young age can possibly set you up for chronic problem as an adult. Your bone and cartilage have vulnerabilities that only end when you stop growing.

 

[Jono L]

I'm 16 and have been talking to a current racer who has done some decent things in his career (olympics, spring classics), but his basic theory for any young rider is to

-Learn to Suffer
-Ride hard
-have fun

Also you have growth plates in your knees and if you overtrain while young these will never recover. So you're better of doing 200-350k a week and go really hard instead of 500-600k.

 

[rayner]

-Ride hard
-have fun

I agree with that but as soon as the line between them becomes blurred, slow down.

 

[K50]

Have fun and don't give up. I never had any support from anyone in my life. You just gotta go for it despite what people say. That's why I'm drunk right now. Just love the sport and do what makes you feel good.
God, Marco Pantini here I come...

 

[smartman213]

So i should stick with shorter rides, I want to be able to compete in catigory 3, 2, and eventually 1, and im pretty impatient, i want to come out of the juniors cat. at catigory 3, but i dont think i can make it there if i dont train alot harder than i am. Anyone know how i can do this

 

[whoawhoa]

So i should stick with shorter rides, I want to be able to compete in catigory 3, 2, and eventually 1, and im pretty impatient, i want to come out of the juniors cat. at catigory 3, but i dont think i can make it there if i dont train alot harder than i am. Anyone know how i can do this

DO Intervals
DONT ride a lot

 

[smartman213]

Thanks for all the advice.