Hey guys, I'm really interested in cycling. Just looking for some advice and help. I first began to enjoy the sport of cycling when I started watching the Tour De France with my Dad, back in 2009. To me, it just looked incredibly fun and enjoyable. With that said, I never really took any initiative that year. Then the following summer (2010) I continued to watch the tour and loved it. My Dad has an old Trek 660, and a trainer, so I started to ride. However it was difficult, as staring at a blank wall is incredibly boring, and the lack of variety of different kinds of terrain wasn't fun either. Combine that with the fact that his bike is a 57cm frame, and I'm better suited for a 52cm or 54cm frame, and it was painful and not fun. I again dropped the sport and didn't think much of it. Now that summer has rolled around again, my interest has been revived, and this time it's legitimate. I've been dragging myself out of bed to watch the TDF, and even though I have fallen asleep on the couch watching Versus many a morning, it has been well worth the trouble.
The reason I think that I have a good chance to be successful is because of a number of reasons. To begin, I have a stronger lower-base than an upper-body base. I played soccer when I was younger, and my legs have always been my strength. I never have had much upper-body strength, and I have never been interested in gaining any. Another reason would be because of my body build. I'm a hair shy of 5'6", and I weigh just under 115 lbs. Please note I'm only 16, so I will likely grow another inch or so, and probably gain another 10-20 lbs. My lower weight, from what I've read, would likely make things like climbing easier to do. Lastly, my Dad did biathlons when he was in his 20's. He participated in many local and regional biathlons, and he qualified for national events. He would be able to help me out, and give me tips. The one other thing is that I'm young. I'm only 16 years old, and therefore I have a lot of time ahead of me. And while I'm in poor cardiovascular shape (I haven't worked vigorously out in months), I do have athleticism in my genes, and if I'm committed to any sport, I could get in great shape rather quickly. In fact, I've started to doing some work on a stationary bike at the gym (while I wait for my bike to arrive at the shop) and I've felt great. My legs start to burn, but I just do some smooth diaphragm breathing, and focus on getting to the end. It feels great, especially getting my heart-rate up to around 185 BPM.
My Dad and I went to a bike shop on Saturday and purchased a bike for me. We got a 2011 Trek 2.3, which is scheduled to arrive in the shop on Wednesday. As I said, I'm just shy of 5'6", and weigh a little less than 115 lbs. With that said, my inseam isn't proportional to my height. It's 31 inches, which is bigger than you'd expect from someone of my height. Ultimately, we ended up going with a 54cm frame. When I did a standover, there was some contact between my scrotum and the frame, but it was a very light touch. When I lifted up the bike, I could comfortably get it 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch off the ground. Felt okay when I took it for a test-ride - only issue being that I felt like I had to stretch my fingers to get comfortably to the brakes. To be honest, the 52cm frame fit me slightly better, but since I'm 16-years old, I will likely grow another inch or so, and gain another 10-20 lbs. With that said, we felt the 54cm was the better choice. Both the 52cm and 54cm felt the same to me, with the only difference being that I could reach the brakes slightly easier on the 52cm frame. When the bike arrives in the shop, we're going to pick up a shorter stem while we're there to help alleviate that issue.
My Dad is also going to start riding with me, as over his years of doing biathlons, he developed bad knees from running. He loves to exercise, however running is no longer an option for him. He dusted off his old Merlin, and ordered us a whole bunch of gear. (Sidi Five Road Shoes, Giro Atmos Helmets, Look Keo 2 Max Pedals, etc). I managed to find some of his old cycling clothing from when he rode, and although it isn't a perfect fit (slightly large), they are comfortable and safe. I'm very excited to start riding, getting in shape, and hopefully entering some local races.
Turns out the H.S. down the road from my house (literally 5-10 minutes away) has a nationally acclaimed cycling program. I spoke with the director of the program there and he's a great guy. We met this evening and he talked to me a lot, laid out a training schedule (nothing strict, just an idea of what I should be doing in the Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, etc. As he explained it, generally the Fall is a cyclists offseason, but he told me to ride during the Fall, since I'm new. He said I don't have to be very structured, but I need to ride and build a good base. Then he said the Winter is when I'd get onto a strict and rigorous training schedule. Finally, if I'm committed, I would likely be able to enter races by the spring and summer.
We touched on everything from leg-shaving to where to ride around here. He's a former professional rider as well, so his advice is worth a lot. He gave me his number and told me to give him a call when I get my bike, and he said that we'd go for a ride. He will teach me the rules of the road, and help me get acclimated to the world of cycling. I'm going to commit for the next month and see how things goes. If I'm doing well and enjoying myself, I may be transferring to a different H.S..
I'll see how things go, but I'm very excited and ready to ride. Bike should arrive tomorrow evening, so I should be riding by Thursday.
I just wanted to ask a few questions:
1) Should I be lifting weights in any form? Upper-body? Lower-body? I have researched this and have seen mixed answers. Some say absolutely not, as it screws up your power-to-weight ratio, while others recommend some form of weight training.
2) What type of training should I start with? Should I just ride a lot, or are there specific exercises I should be doing? My Dad has the video series, "Spinnervals" back from when he was training for biathlons. I plan on incorporating those into my training regime as well.
Thanks in advance.