Road Riding - Training and Advice
Discussion
I've entered the London to Cambridge Cycle event and been out and got myself a Road Bike, now need some help with getting myself ready!
I got the bike about a month ago and been out for a few runs, all in the cold and dark after work, I am currently averaging around 15mph (incl junctions etc) over distances of 10-15 miles, I'm not finishing the rides knackered and think I have a few more miles in me.......
My target for the ride (58miles) is to complete it in 4hrs, therefore averaging 15mph over the ride, allowing for a couple of breaks I would need to get this up to 18-20mph perhaps.
So, how do I get myself up to a level where I can keep pedaling for 4hrs? Should I be riding until I can't ride anymore as opposed to stopping short of my limit?
How do I increase my average speed? (longer straights/less junctions would help!)
A few other Q's;
What equipment / spares should I carry with me for such a ride?
Whats the best way to carry equipment? I've got a rucksack which I use for MTB but I'm not sure this will be comfortable over this sort of distance during the summer.
Finally - Pedals, should I consider SPD's? what advantage are these going to have? I've looked into these before but I'm always concerned about releasing my feet from the pedals in an emergency - I guess I could fix them to my exercise bike to get used to them before heading out on the road!
Any help / further advice is much appreciated.
I got the bike about a month ago and been out for a few runs, all in the cold and dark after work, I am currently averaging around 15mph (incl junctions etc) over distances of 10-15 miles, I'm not finishing the rides knackered and think I have a few more miles in me.......
My target for the ride (58miles) is to complete it in 4hrs, therefore averaging 15mph over the ride, allowing for a couple of breaks I would need to get this up to 18-20mph perhaps.
So, how do I get myself up to a level where I can keep pedaling for 4hrs? Should I be riding until I can't ride anymore as opposed to stopping short of my limit?
How do I increase my average speed? (longer straights/less junctions would help!)
A few other Q's;
What equipment / spares should I carry with me for such a ride?
Whats the best way to carry equipment? I've got a rucksack which I use for MTB but I'm not sure this will be comfortable over this sort of distance during the summer.
Finally - Pedals, should I consider SPD's? what advantage are these going to have? I've looked into these before but I'm always concerned about releasing my feet from the pedals in an emergency - I guess I could fix them to my exercise bike to get used to them before heading out on the road!
Any help / further advice is much appreciated.
definately stay at 15 mph as your target speed, most sportive riders wont even average 15mph and pushing 20mph on the flat is a pretty tall order over a few hours or so. although on mass start events you can get a good draft on parts of the route, you wont be riding at 20 mph for a sustained period of time and trying to put that sort of target on yourself just isnt realistic.
in all seriousness, you just need to get miles in the saddle regardless of your speed, just get you body and your legs used to riding for a long period of time. there is no magic secret for training for sportives, its simply clocking the miles as it is for marathon runner. varying the routes is important to help prevent muscle conditioning so you dont reach the same hills at the smae point during a ride and get used to riding on the road rather than gym/training bikes so your bike handling improves.
use your gears wisely, all too often i see people tackle small to medium climbs in the same gear that they were pushing on the flat and get out of the saddle for the extra momentum. stay in the saddle and let the gearing do the work. you need to get into a mentality of energy conservation.
if you get into the flow, you shouldnt really need to stop for a break bar calls of nature. eat and drink a little and often, get used to energy drinks, and eating on the move, to do htis you will need to eat a smal lamount to allow easy digestion. small pieces of flapjack for slow releasing carbs and things like jelly babies for an instant pick-me-up.
invest in a bike computer that measures cadence and get a basic heart rate monitor so you can . the garmin forerunner 305, though unable tom measure cadence is very good , easy to use and provides good feedback.
as for equipment and stuff, a regular camelbak style thing should be useful as it can sit on your back and hold a good litre or so of fluids. take two tubes, a mini pump, tyre levers, a folding tyre, a bike tool with allen keys and a chain splitting tool (make sure you know how to use this before you start!!) give the bike a thorough service before hand and get everything in working order.
you could fit most of this in a medium size saddle bag if you prefer. i think topeak do one with all the tools inside for around £35.
in all seriousness, you just need to get miles in the saddle regardless of your speed, just get you body and your legs used to riding for a long period of time. there is no magic secret for training for sportives, its simply clocking the miles as it is for marathon runner. varying the routes is important to help prevent muscle conditioning so you dont reach the same hills at the smae point during a ride and get used to riding on the road rather than gym/training bikes so your bike handling improves.
use your gears wisely, all too often i see people tackle small to medium climbs in the same gear that they were pushing on the flat and get out of the saddle for the extra momentum. stay in the saddle and let the gearing do the work. you need to get into a mentality of energy conservation.
if you get into the flow, you shouldnt really need to stop for a break bar calls of nature. eat and drink a little and often, get used to energy drinks, and eating on the move, to do htis you will need to eat a smal lamount to allow easy digestion. small pieces of flapjack for slow releasing carbs and things like jelly babies for an instant pick-me-up.
invest in a bike computer that measures cadence and get a basic heart rate monitor so you can . the garmin forerunner 305, though unable tom measure cadence is very good , easy to use and provides good feedback.
as for equipment and stuff, a regular camelbak style thing should be useful as it can sit on your back and hold a good litre or so of fluids. take two tubes, a mini pump, tyre levers, a folding tyre, a bike tool with allen keys and a chain splitting tool (make sure you know how to use this before you start!!) give the bike a thorough service before hand and get everything in working order.
you could fit most of this in a medium size saddle bag if you prefer. i think topeak do one with all the tools inside for around £35.
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 11th March 09:45
pablo said:
definately stay at 15 mph as your target speed, most sportive riders wont even average 15mph and pushing 20mph on the flat is a pretty tall order over a few hours or so. although on mass start events you can get a good draft on parts of the route, you wont be riding at 20 mph for a sustained period of time and trying to put that sort of target on yourself just isnt realistic.
in all seriousness, you just need to get miles in the saddle regardless of your speed, just get you body and your legs used to riding for a long period of time. there is no magic secret for training for sportives, its simply clocking the miles as it is for marathon runner. varying the routes is important to help prevent muscle conditioning so you dont reach the same hills at the smae point during a ride and get used to riding on the road rather than gym/training bikes so your bike handling improves.
use your gears wisely, all too often i see people tackle small to medium climbs in the same gear that they were pushing on the flat and get out of the saddle for the extra momentum. stay in the saddle and let the gearing do the work. you need to get into a mentality of energy conservation.
if you get into the flow, you shouldnt really need to stop for a break bar calls of nature. eat and drink a little and often, get used to energy drinks, and eating on the move, to do htis you will need to eat a smal lamount to allow easy digestion. small pieces of flapjack for slow releasing carbs and things like jelly babies for an instant pick-me-up.
invest in a bike computer that measures cadence and get a basic heart rate monitor so you can . the garmin forerunner 305, though unable tom measure cadence is very good , easy to use and provides good feedback.
as for equipment and stuff, a regular camelbak style thing should be useful as it can sit on your back and hold a good litre or so of fluids. take two tubes, a mini pump, tyre levers, a folding tyre, a bike tool with allen keys and a chain splitting tool (make sure you know how to use this before you start!!) give the bike a thorough service before hand and get everything in working order.
you could fit most of this in a medium size saddle bag if you prefer. i think topeak do one with all the tools inside for around £35.
Thanks for the Advice, anything on the Pedals? Should I bite the Bullet and get some SPD's?in all seriousness, you just need to get miles in the saddle regardless of your speed, just get you body and your legs used to riding for a long period of time. there is no magic secret for training for sportives, its simply clocking the miles as it is for marathon runner. varying the routes is important to help prevent muscle conditioning so you dont reach the same hills at the smae point during a ride and get used to riding on the road rather than gym/training bikes so your bike handling improves.
use your gears wisely, all too often i see people tackle small to medium climbs in the same gear that they were pushing on the flat and get out of the saddle for the extra momentum. stay in the saddle and let the gearing do the work. you need to get into a mentality of energy conservation.
if you get into the flow, you shouldnt really need to stop for a break bar calls of nature. eat and drink a little and often, get used to energy drinks, and eating on the move, to do htis you will need to eat a smal lamount to allow easy digestion. small pieces of flapjack for slow releasing carbs and things like jelly babies for an instant pick-me-up.
invest in a bike computer that measures cadence and get a basic heart rate monitor so you can . the garmin forerunner 305, though unable tom measure cadence is very good , easy to use and provides good feedback.
as for equipment and stuff, a regular camelbak style thing should be useful as it can sit on your back and hold a good litre or so of fluids. take two tubes, a mini pump, tyre levers, a folding tyre, a bike tool with allen keys and a chain splitting tool (make sure you know how to use this before you start!!) give the bike a thorough service before hand and get everything in working order.
you could fit most of this in a medium size saddle bag if you prefer. i think topeak do one with all the tools inside for around £35.
Edited by pablo on Friday 11th March 09:45
PintOfKittens said:
^^^ What pablo said. And hopefully ill see you on the ride 
IIRC theres only one big hill on the London-Cambridge bike ride, its about 40 miles in, apart from that there will be small little hills but nothing major to worry about.
I would prefer the hill closer to the start, but I'm sure it'll be fine. IIRC theres only one big hill on the London-Cambridge bike ride, its about 40 miles in, apart from that there will be small little hills but nothing major to worry about.Have you got a start time? I've requested 9am.
spds/clipless pedals are the only way to use the whole rotation of the crank to gain forward motion. push down from the 12 o'clock position to 4, "scrape back" the foot from 4 to 8, then lift the foot from 8 to 12. sounds a bit weird but once you try it you will understand. you can vary the tension in spds so you can either get out of the pedals with a small twist or you cna stay locked in and need a big twisting movement of the foot to get out. after a while you will find a tension setting that suits you and your riding style. very, very rarely will you be unable to unclip and its always at low speeds. it happens to us all, mostly at traffic lights in front of attractive girls.....
pablo said:
very rarely will you be unable to unclip and its always at low speeds. it happens to us all, mostly at traffic lights in front of attractive girls.....
A work colleague used his for the first time the other night, he was telling a story along those lines the next day, although at a roundabout!Parrot of Doom said:
Go out and do a 30 mile trip. You'll surprise yourself at how easy it is.
I'm hoping to hit the road about 7 tomorrow, got a couple of hours before I have stuff planned so will hopefully get close to the 30mile mark!back onto pedals, can someone recommend a good budget set and shoes?
hullbilly said:
The DHB shoes on wiggle come highly recommended, £50 for the shoes and then maybe another 30 on pedals.
i use 105 pedals (cant remeber the shimano code) and the dhb r1 shoes. the shoes have loads of ventilation at the toe and are quite cold in hte winter months so a pair of overshoes form somewhere like inmotion are worth buying too. come the summer months though they are nice and comfortable. If it's a road bike, get road pedals and shoes rather than SPD's. Unless you already have a mountain bike with SPD's of course.
Here you go
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Par...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-r1-road-cycling-shoe/
Here you go
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Par...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-r1-road-cycling-shoe/
itsnotarace said:
If it's a road bike, get road pedals and shoes rather than SPD's. Unless you already have a mountain bike with SPD's of course.
Here you go
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Par...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-r1-road-cycling-shoe/
Or go the other way. I have one pair of shoes, MTB SPD pedals on both my MTBs and Shimano 'road style' spd pedals on the road bike.Here you go
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Par...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-r1-road-cycling-shoe/
Works fine, but I don't think I would mountain bike in road shoes.
On the speed thing, I regularly go out for 20 ish miles on my own, and average 15 and a bit MPH, but when i get my arse into gear I go out with a group on a Saturday morning, and 17 MPH doesn't feel any harder when you take it in turns to take the lead.
I'm down for the 7:30am start on the london - cambridge I think, hope to see you there. if you see someone in a Harlequins baggy shirt or an Endura England shirt riding a trek 1.2, it might well be me.
I'm down for the 7:30am start on the london - cambridge I think, hope to see you there. if you see someone in a Harlequins baggy shirt or an Endura England shirt riding a trek 1.2, it might well be me.
Parrot of Doom said:
Go out and do a 30 mile trip. You'll surprise yourself at how easy it is.
+1 on this...Last year when I started cycling I used to think that 10 miles was a 'long' ride. I accidentally met up with a group of friends when out one day and tagged along... 35 miles later I was home and hadn't really noticed the distance. Now 50 miles is a good weekend ride.
I am hoping to do my first 100 miler in early summer, training permitting.
One thing I will say is that over 30/35 miles you WILL need to think about fuel. You can get away with just water (plus a little salt) up to that mileage but jelly babies / bananas / flapjacks are good foods to take with you.
Keep at it and you will amaze yourself ;-)
Daniel.
Loads of good advice already but for what its worth I will add my tuppence worth!
Firstly, as quite a few have already said - try to get a 30 miler in, you will be shocked at how little difference there is between a 15 and 30 mile ride (ok, I know it is double the distance but if you keep the terrain similar - ie don't add in any huge hills, you will cream it!). The biggest difference between a 15 mile ride and a 30 mile ride is the need to take on more 'fuel'! If I am doing a 30-ish mile ride I tend to take 750 mls of hydration drink and 750 mls of a carb drink (my preference is SIS PS22) - I also have a recovery drink once I get back, stops getting cramp later in the day! Obviously the longer the run the more you need!
Average speed is a personal thing and depends on so many different factors, terrain, fitness, bike, weather conditions etc, etc - you might be better trying to focus on cadence rather than average speed. My average speed regardless of distance tends to hover between 17 and 18 mph on my current bike (Felt F75), on my old road bike (Dawes Super Galaxy) I user to average around 14-15 mph!
In my opinion the 'must haves' for any ride are; bank card/some cash, phone, spare inner tube, tyre spoons, pump (pocket rocket in my case), if you are riding at night spare batteries for the lights, and a multi tool. I carry all of this (bar the pump which attaches to the frame) in my jersey, steer away from back packs unless you want back ache and a sweaty back!
SPD pedals are a MUST on a road bike, you will loose a lot of power riding on flatties. You will notice the difference once you are 'clipped in' when you are on a climb or if you decide to do a 2 mile sprint, with clipless you have power on the up stroke as well as the down. You really have to ride with them to understand! I am currently using Shimano M540's with Shimano RT31 shoes - strictly speaking these are MTB pedals but I don't like the road shoes! They do take a little getting used to but the pedals are adjustable so you can make them as easy to step out of as you need. Seriously, don't give this too much thought, just buy them and don't look back!
If you are serious about training and are planning on keeping on cycling (rather than doing to L2C and then sticking the bike in the shed), it might be worth investing in a half decent bike computer like a Garmin Edge 500, not cheap but the info will help you pace yourself.
The more time you spend in the saddle the easier it will get, don't be put off by 'bad rides', every now and again you will have a ride you just don't enjoy - it happens!
Good luck and keep at it, before you know it you will be frustrated that you only have enough time in the evening to do 30 miles! ;-)
Firstly, as quite a few have already said - try to get a 30 miler in, you will be shocked at how little difference there is between a 15 and 30 mile ride (ok, I know it is double the distance but if you keep the terrain similar - ie don't add in any huge hills, you will cream it!). The biggest difference between a 15 mile ride and a 30 mile ride is the need to take on more 'fuel'! If I am doing a 30-ish mile ride I tend to take 750 mls of hydration drink and 750 mls of a carb drink (my preference is SIS PS22) - I also have a recovery drink once I get back, stops getting cramp later in the day! Obviously the longer the run the more you need!
Average speed is a personal thing and depends on so many different factors, terrain, fitness, bike, weather conditions etc, etc - you might be better trying to focus on cadence rather than average speed. My average speed regardless of distance tends to hover between 17 and 18 mph on my current bike (Felt F75), on my old road bike (Dawes Super Galaxy) I user to average around 14-15 mph!
In my opinion the 'must haves' for any ride are; bank card/some cash, phone, spare inner tube, tyre spoons, pump (pocket rocket in my case), if you are riding at night spare batteries for the lights, and a multi tool. I carry all of this (bar the pump which attaches to the frame) in my jersey, steer away from back packs unless you want back ache and a sweaty back!
SPD pedals are a MUST on a road bike, you will loose a lot of power riding on flatties. You will notice the difference once you are 'clipped in' when you are on a climb or if you decide to do a 2 mile sprint, with clipless you have power on the up stroke as well as the down. You really have to ride with them to understand! I am currently using Shimano M540's with Shimano RT31 shoes - strictly speaking these are MTB pedals but I don't like the road shoes! They do take a little getting used to but the pedals are adjustable so you can make them as easy to step out of as you need. Seriously, don't give this too much thought, just buy them and don't look back!
If you are serious about training and are planning on keeping on cycling (rather than doing to L2C and then sticking the bike in the shed), it might be worth investing in a half decent bike computer like a Garmin Edge 500, not cheap but the info will help you pace yourself.
The more time you spend in the saddle the easier it will get, don't be put off by 'bad rides', every now and again you will have a ride you just don't enjoy - it happens!
Good luck and keep at it, before you know it you will be frustrated that you only have enough time in the evening to do 30 miles! ;-)
tjdixon911 said:
Thanks for the Advice, anything on the Pedals? Should I bite the Bullet and get some SPD's?
Definitely go for the pedals. I've ridden for over 30 years, and finally bought some Shimano R131 shoes and a cheap(ish?) set of pedals (about £40) with my new Merida 905 last October. Know this, though. YOU WILL FALL OVER, because you WILL forget to unclip. You SHOULD only do this once, as it is extremely embarrassing to fall over just as you come to a halt outside your local Tesco, right in front of two VERY attractive ladies in a lovely Imprezza (they kindly stopped to see that I was OK - thanks, ladies). Due to the poor weather, injury (not related to cycling) and a big off 4 weeks ago (no broken bones, but oh! the bruising), I've been limited to about 450 miles since October '10, and haven't forgotten to unclip again. Just be sure to get in a lower gear on approach to junctions etc, and unclip one foot in preparation for a stop. If it's clear, just clip back in and crack on.With regard to your target of up to 20 mph average, forget it. Although it was on a (much) older Steel framed bike from about 20 years ago, before my injury last year I was doing an average of 9 hours training a week, 5 to 6 hours of that in the saddle. My target was to raise my average to 17.5mph on a ride of 30 to 35 miles. The best I managed was 16.8 mph average on a familiar 20 mile circuit. My new bike is much lighter, but has a compact chainset, and I've found it difficult so far to achieve a high average speed. My best has been 15.9mph over 20 miles, and on Thursday this week I rode 45.87 miles (longest ride so far this year), coming in at 14.6mph average. You have to bear in mind the ratio of flat/descent/ascent on your route, the quality of the road surface (personally I find this has the greatest negative effect on speed, flying up a smooth hill, struggling to maintain speed on poorly surfaced/damaged downhills), and the weather, especially wind speed and direction, when you ride. I ride in the Cambridgeshire/Essex/Hertfordshire borders area around Saffron Walden, and have recently switched fire in the direction of Suffolk, so that's 4 local authorities, and a very mixed bag regarding surface quality on the various roads I ride.
Good luck with the London to Cambridge ride, be realistic with your targets, and above all, enjoy your riding
Just to clarify, if you only cycle routes with 'ride-able' hills and don't need to walk far at the start or finish, get the SPD-SL (road) pedals and shoes. If you also have a mountain bike, or need to walk any distance in your riding shoes, go for the SPD (MTB) pedals with MTB shoes, as the cleats are recessed to allow you to walk in them. There are also some double-sided flat/SPD pedals that would allow you to ride in regular trainers/shoes as well.
Edited by yellowjack on Friday 11th March 23:24
pablo said:
you could fit most of this in a medium size saddle bag if you prefer. i think topeak do one with all the tools inside for around £35.
yellowjack said:
Just to clarify, if you only cycle routes with 'ride-able' hills and don't need to walk far at the start or finish, get the SPD-SL (road) pedals and shoes. If you also have a mountain bike, or need to walk any distance in your riding shoes, go for the SPD (MTB) pedals with MTB shoes, as the cleats are recessed to allow you to walk in them. There are also some double-sided flat/SPD pedals that would allow you to ride in regular trainers/shoes as well.
As a novice I opted for MTB SPDs with double-sided pedals (Shimano A530), the advantage being that you can clip in when you are 100% happy to do so, or flip the pedals if you have any doubts. I tend to use the flats through towns / tricky junctions etc., then clip in straight after. It seems an obvious way to avoid any potential incidents with little drawback.Iincidentally, what are the advantages of SPD-SLs? They have the big disadvantage of being quite unwalkable but for what benefit?
^SPD SLs have a bigger pedal platform and more positive engagement. They're nicer to ride in than SPDs but as you mention have plenty of downsides. for what it's worth my road bike has normal SPDs as i use it to commute sometimes and need to walk about. they're certainly the more practical choice.
OP, plenty of good advice given, basically buy some SPDs, and get in the saddle. a 30 mile ride should only take a couple of hours (probably less) and is a good place to start from. get some energy drinks and a recovery drink and get on it!!!
oh yeah, and eat lots of steak.
OP, plenty of good advice given, basically buy some SPDs, and get in the saddle. a 30 mile ride should only take a couple of hours (probably less) and is a good place to start from. get some energy drinks and a recovery drink and get on it!!!
oh yeah, and eat lots of steak.
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