Training reccomendations for a newb?

Purplesmurf said:

Like an idiot, I signed myself up for the Ride the Rockies (www.ridetherockies.com) tour, and now have six months to get into shape.

Any one have any tips for a training regime? I have to go from doing like 12 miles a week to being in shape to ride 420 in a week so.... X_X

Right now I'm planning to use stationary bikes in the gym and ride 20/30/40/50 miles @ ~150-180bpm a week progressing 10 miles a week each week. Then when I'm doing 100 a week on the indoor trainer bike I'll level out for two or three weeks and work on leg strength.

I want to ride Tues-Sat and break down my workouts so that Tuesday would be the shortest ride, and Thursday the longest. When I'm into the 100 mile section it'd be something like: Tues - 15 miles, Wed - 25, Thurs - 30, Fri- 15, Sat- 15

Unfortunatly, since I'm in Greeley (smack in the middle of the colorado plains) there's barely anything worth calling a climb out here, so I'll have to wait until May to start training uphill cilimbing and or any of the three day long rides (60-70 miles/day) the RTR organizers suggest doing to practice.

Any advice or tips? I'm pretty lost right now, so anything will help and be appreciated.

Also, I lift and swim regularly with a friend, but lightly, and I ride rather regularly around campus and town to get some terrain practic in, so I'm worried about over training.

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This looks like a very cool place. I've been poking around for a few hours and have learned alot and see there is much more I need to understand to do this right.

Thanks for providing such a great resource, I look forward to being a member!

First off well done on taking up the challenge. However dont think that it will be easy you are looking to make quite a large fittness transition. Im assuming you have a road bike, so it may be wise to get a home trainer and some DVD's on climbing and general riding strength, the down side is that a decent one can be expensive, and nothing takes the place of getting out on the open road

As for getting the miles up start small and over time periodise your training with focus on speed, endurance and climbing try to mix sessions like this into your weekly regeme. Im sure there will be people much more qualifed than myself to fill you in on that, good luck and remember the easiest day was yesterday!

"Long Distance Cycling", by Edmund Burke is a great resource. You have to be concerned about bike fit, a sound training regime, and proper nutrition and hydration. This book covers it all and more.

Bob

Nice job taking up the challenge! As a fellow flat-lander, I found the mountain riding absolutely amazing last summer (Triple Bypass, for me).

I'm concerned that you're going to be riding 60-80 miles per *day* on the tour, but your daily distances don't get anywhere near that distance even during your 100 mile weeks. I'd suggest starting out by doing 30-45 minute rides during the week as often as you're comfortable, and one longer ride of 1 hour or more. Don't worry about HR so much at first, you're just trying to get some time in the saddle. I think you'll find that if you ride 5x per week, as you mentioned, that you'll be able to do more than 20 miles per week quite easily, even at first. Your idea to build by ~10% per week is a good one, as is the plan to build up to ~100 miles/wk before adding any intensity and higher HR stuff.

It'll take you a few weeks before you're spinning comfortably at ~100 mi/wk, but when you do, check back with us for some ideas on how to tackle those long grades. Good luck. 🙂

frenchyge said:

I'm concerned that you're going to be riding 60-80 miles per *day* on the tour, but your daily distances don't get anywhere near that distance even during your 100 mile weeks. I'd suggest starting out by doing 30-45 minute rides during the week as often as you're comfortable, and one longer ride of 1 hour or more.

A few days of at least 4-5 hours would be advisable as well. Just being on the bike for that long at a stretch is challenging and you want to get any bugs worked out early. As for climbing, it might be worth taking a weekend trip to the mountains a month or two before the tour. In theory all you need is sustainable power output, which you can get training anywhere, but the mental strain of grinding away as hard as you can and only going 5mph takes a bit of experience to get over. Being confident on big descents takes some practice as well.

artmichalek said:

A few days of at least 4-5 hours would be advisable as well. Just being on the bike for that long at a stretch is challenging and you want to get any bugs worked out early. As for climbing, it might be worth taking a weekend trip to the mountains a month or two before the tour. In theory all you need is sustainable power output, which you can get training anywhere, but the mental strain of grinding away as hard as you can and only going 5mph takes a bit of experience to get over. Being confident on big descents takes some practice as well.

With any luck I'm won't just be in the gym until June. As soon as the parks around here unfreeze I hope to get a good amount of trail riding in, but with school....

And, even thought I won't be able to start until May, would doing three day intervals of long distance (60-70 miles) followed by three days of 30 minutes and lifting help? I could probably stick to that sort of plan for about three to four weeks before the tour starts.

Purplesmurf said:

With any luck I'm won't just be in the gym until June. As soon as the parks around here unfreeze I hope to get a good amount of trail riding in, but with school....

And, even thought I won't be able to start until May, would doing three day intervals of long distance (60-70 miles) followed by three days of 30 minutes and lifting help? I could probably stick to that sort of plan for about three to four weeks before the tour starts.

Recommend you get out and ride a few hard days in a row about two weeks before you head South to the event. Many of my first cycling days were spent on the state highways between Greeley and Brighton. There are a few hills that'll toughen you up - not the grade of the mountains you'll be in, but plenty long enough to build your confidence.

And tell the forum about the event when you've done it - what was toughest and what was easier than you thought. Feedback is great. (Plus, I'm trying to talk my bro-in-law in Loveland to sign up with me for 2007 and I want to know how you like it).

not qualified to comment on the details, but I think you need to get more long rides of 50-60 miles in as you get closer to the event,

Purplesmurf said:

Like an idiot, I signed myself up for the Ride the Rockies (www.ridetherockies.com) tour, and now have six months to get into shape.

Any one have any tips for a training regime? I have to go from doing like 12 miles a week to being in shape to ride 420 in a week so.... X_X

Right now I'm planning to use stationary bikes in the gym and ride 20/30/40/50 miles @ ~150-180bpm a week progressing 10 miles a week each week. Then when I'm doing 100 a week on the indoor trainer bike I'll level out for two or three weeks and work on leg strength.

I want to ride Tues-Sat and break down my workouts so that Tuesday would be the shortest ride, and Thursday the longest. When I'm into the 100 mile section it'd be something like: Tues - 15 miles, Wed - 25, Thurs - 30, Fri- 15, Sat- 15

Unfortunatly, since I'm in Greeley (smack in the middle of the colorado plains) there's barely anything worth calling a climb out here, so I'll have to wait until May to start training uphill cilimbing and or any of the three day long rides (60-70 miles/day) the RTR organizers suggest doing to practice.

Any advice or tips? I'm pretty lost right now, so anything will help and be appreciated.

Also, I lift and swim regularly with a friend, but lightly, and I ride rather regularly around campus and town to get some terrain practic in, so I'm worried about over training.

----------
This looks like a very cool place. I've been poking around for a few hours and have learned alot and see there is much more I need to understand to do this right.

Thanks for providing such a great resource, I look forward to being a member!

Purplesmurf said:

With any luck I'm won't just be in the gym until June. As soon as the parks around here unfreeze I hope to get a good amount of trail riding in, but with school....

And, even thought I won't be able to start until May, would doing three day intervals of long distance (60-70 miles) followed by three days of 30 minutes and lifting help? I could probably stick to that sort of plan for about three to four weeks before the tour starts.

I would entirely forget lifting weights and concentrate on riding. Indoors, and outdoors. Focus on the task at hand. Riding long distances, working on climbing technique, do group rides so you get accustomed to drafting/pulling and common group etiquette. Just ride , ride , ride. If you can ride outdoors,find out a spinning instructor (you know, the ones at the gym and stat. bikes and loud music)that is also a roadie. Tell him your intentions and he might tailor some classes to simulate climbs, long tortuous climbs😉
Good luck!