some training tips please
Discussion
I'm getting back into road riding after a long absence - my goal is general fitness, weight loss (50 years old, currently 95kg, used to be 75kg in my 20s) and being able to do longer rides such as around the Isle of Wight. I used to be very fit - my record was 250 miles in 2 days.
I started with a ten mile loop and have worked my way up to 20 miles. My 20 mile loop has about 1200 feet of climbing mixed in according to Strava. I tend to push pretty hard the whole way; that said I can't spend much time out of the saddle without my legs feeling like they won't get me to the top of the hill so spinning/grinding a 39/25 ratio is the only way to get to the top.
To my surprise I don't have sore legs after a ride or the next day. They'll be tired though, that's for sure. There's definitely a benefit from a rest day between rides; without it my legs start to ache/burn pretty early into the ride.
Any advice on how to shorten my recovery time? I drink a fair bit of fluids (plain water) before, during and after the ride - as I have got older I notice the general effects of dehydration are more acute than they once were.
Grateful for any advice.
I started with a ten mile loop and have worked my way up to 20 miles. My 20 mile loop has about 1200 feet of climbing mixed in according to Strava. I tend to push pretty hard the whole way; that said I can't spend much time out of the saddle without my legs feeling like they won't get me to the top of the hill so spinning/grinding a 39/25 ratio is the only way to get to the top.
To my surprise I don't have sore legs after a ride or the next day. They'll be tired though, that's for sure. There's definitely a benefit from a rest day between rides; without it my legs start to ache/burn pretty early into the ride.
Any advice on how to shorten my recovery time? I drink a fair bit of fluids (plain water) before, during and after the ride - as I have got older I notice the general effects of dehydration are more acute than they once were.
Grateful for any advice.Keep the rest days in between
Use an electrolyte tablet in your water bottle
Do some basic key muscle stretches before and after your ride.
My background is more from athletics but I am in roughly the same position as you except on a mountain bike.
Just get out riding and enjoying it as much as possible.
Use an electrolyte tablet in your water bottle
Do some basic key muscle stretches before and after your ride.
My background is more from athletics but I am in roughly the same position as you except on a mountain bike.
Just get out riding and enjoying it as much as possible.
I have a half pint of milk after every ride; I used to have the SIS Recovery stuff but everything I have read says milk is just as good. Definitely keep the rest days, I sometimes have 3 or 4 days off the bike after a hard ride.
Variety is always good, maybe find a 30 mile loop but take it as easy as you can the first few times. I'm lucky enough to live in the South Downs, so if I want a hilly ride I can batter myself as much as I want, and mountain biking is on the door step, another great way to add variety. We have the coast and the Downslink too so if I want flat that is handy.
As you get better try different interval sessions, I think if you look on Roadcc or Bikeradar there are 4 or 5 different types of intervals designed to help different heart rate zones. Hill repeats are very boring but good training.
With the weight loss, try a ride without eating beforehand. I used to be a breakfast addict and wouldn't think about doing anything before a couple of bowls of cereal but I now go out fasted once or twice a week and can do 90 odd minutes before I notice tiredness and an inability to push myself, so I scoff a flapjack at that point.
I'm 50 too, and although I have cycled all my life I have had a few spells with no riding for a couple of years. I was 95 kg about 3 years ago and am back under 80 now.
Variety is always good, maybe find a 30 mile loop but take it as easy as you can the first few times. I'm lucky enough to live in the South Downs, so if I want a hilly ride I can batter myself as much as I want, and mountain biking is on the door step, another great way to add variety. We have the coast and the Downslink too so if I want flat that is handy.
As you get better try different interval sessions, I think if you look on Roadcc or Bikeradar there are 4 or 5 different types of intervals designed to help different heart rate zones. Hill repeats are very boring but good training.
With the weight loss, try a ride without eating beforehand. I used to be a breakfast addict and wouldn't think about doing anything before a couple of bowls of cereal but I now go out fasted once or twice a week and can do 90 odd minutes before I notice tiredness and an inability to push myself, so I scoff a flapjack at that point.
I'm 50 too, and although I have cycled all my life I have had a few spells with no riding for a couple of years. I was 95 kg about 3 years ago and am back under 80 now.
I suspect you're using too much muscle power and not enough lung power, with that gearing. Your cardiovascular system will recover much more quickly than your muscles. I'd suggest looking into some lower gearing as the first step. A cadence sensor may be a useful tool. That will probably tackle the cause.
The symptoms can be best treated with a massage or, more affordably, a foam roller and some stretching. Post-ride/recovery shakes are great but I don't think it's necessary on rides under 90-120 minutes. Milk is great but your muscles are craving liquid carbohydrates as well as protein, so throwing in some Nesquik or similar will do you a lot of good.
The symptoms can be best treated with a massage or, more affordably, a foam roller and some stretching. Post-ride/recovery shakes are great but I don't think it's necessary on rides under 90-120 minutes. Milk is great but your muscles are craving liquid carbohydrates as well as protein, so throwing in some Nesquik or similar will do you a lot of good.
You sound similar to me, I got back into cycling to lose weight. 39 years old & was a very similar weight to yourself. I ate, then rode, then ate. I rode everywhere as fast as I could & I live in a hilly area (I'm in Devon). Anyway, I lost no weight at all - until I discovered low intensity fasted rides before breakfast. Really easy rides up to an hour. The trick is to keep the heart rate below about 150bpm so that your body burns energy from fat stores, any higher over a sustained period & you burn energy from glycogen, then you blow up.
I'd recommend it to anyone to lose weight, I also cut out a lot of sugar & fizzy drinks & kept an eye on calories.
I lost on average 3lbs a week & am now 50lbs lighter. My climbing is so much better. Twice as fast on most climbs.
I'd recommend it to anyone to lose weight, I also cut out a lot of sugar & fizzy drinks & kept an eye on calories.
I lost on average 3lbs a week & am now 50lbs lighter. My climbing is so much better. Twice as fast on most climbs.
I was similar to you a year ago, but less focused than most on here. To the above advice, I would add variety, I think doing the same loop all the time you will tend to "plateau".
Can you find out about the local cycling clubs? My club helpfully gives guidelines for its slowest social ride as 25-30 miles at 10-12 mph with a tea stop halfway, so when I could do that on my own, I was ready to join them. They then have graded rides all the way up to racing, training evenings, spin classes, and so on.
Even the social rides have different volunteers leading each week, so you are always finding new roads and meeting new faces with a shared interest and motivation!
Can you find out about the local cycling clubs? My club helpfully gives guidelines for its slowest social ride as 25-30 miles at 10-12 mph with a tea stop halfway, so when I could do that on my own, I was ready to join them. They then have graded rides all the way up to racing, training evenings, spin classes, and so on.
Even the social rides have different volunteers leading each week, so you are always finding new roads and meeting new faces with a shared interest and motivation!
A belated thanks for all of the suggestions and encouragement and an update...
I have gone from 98kg to 89kg and covered over 1200 miles since mid-April. My typical ride is now 50 miles with an average speed of 15.5 mph and 2900 feet of climbing (thanks Strava!).
A few comments/observations:
I am very content riding alone - I enjoy the solitude and closeness to nature, seeing the (sometimes seemingly suicidal) wildlife and just the sound of the wind in my ears and the smells of nature. No boredom here riding the same loop every other day although the generally good weather has helped considerably.
I am well chuffed with the overall improvement in my fitness and can feel muscles re-emerging that had shrunk over time and been hidden by far too much blancmange.
I have been using an old Garmin heart rate monitor to try to keep in zone 2 and am surprised how easy that has become, at least early in the ride. From perhaps the 50% mark it becomes very difficult - not sure if it's because of dehydration or lack of energy or ??
The maximum heart rate that I have seen on my Garmin has gone from 174 to 185 - that's a good thing - right?!?!
At the risk of stating the obvious keeping hydrated and energised (bananas, snack bars, etc) over 3 hours makes a huge difference.
My goal is to get to 2000 miles by mid-September.
I have gone from 98kg to 89kg and covered over 1200 miles since mid-April. My typical ride is now 50 miles with an average speed of 15.5 mph and 2900 feet of climbing (thanks Strava!).
A few comments/observations:
I am very content riding alone - I enjoy the solitude and closeness to nature, seeing the (sometimes seemingly suicidal) wildlife and just the sound of the wind in my ears and the smells of nature. No boredom here riding the same loop every other day although the generally good weather has helped considerably.
I am well chuffed with the overall improvement in my fitness and can feel muscles re-emerging that had shrunk over time and been hidden by far too much blancmange.
I have been using an old Garmin heart rate monitor to try to keep in zone 2 and am surprised how easy that has become, at least early in the ride. From perhaps the 50% mark it becomes very difficult - not sure if it's because of dehydration or lack of energy or ??
The maximum heart rate that I have seen on my Garmin has gone from 174 to 185 - that's a good thing - right?!?!
At the risk of stating the obvious keeping hydrated and energised (bananas, snack bars, etc) over 3 hours makes a huge difference.
My goal is to get to 2000 miles by mid-September.
Just re-read your original post and noticed the gearing. That's pretty old school, when the cassette and chain wear out, try a cassette with a 27 or maybe bigger. On the harder hills it will help you stay seated longer.
I don't mind solo rides too, usually up to 3 or 4 hours but once or twice a year will do a century. Having said that, a ride with group of friends is always brilliant.
I don't mind solo rides too, usually up to 3 or 4 hours but once or twice a year will do a century. Having said that, a ride with group of friends is always brilliant.
Awesome. Very well done!
Fluids - Weigh yourself along with your ride food and water before you set off. Weigh yourself again (including any uneaten food you weighed in with) and the difference in grams is a measure in millilitres of how dehydrated you are. You may be surprised. Use that to work out, roughly, how much water you should be taking on each hour of riding (at that particular intensity) in order to maintain balanced hydration. Everybody is different but anything more than 500ml-1L dehydrated and it will start to impact you.
Energy - Analyse what you're eating during rides (longer rides of more than 90 minutes) and when you're eating it. You only need to look at carbohydrates. The blunt guideline is 60-70g of carbs per hour, ideally drip-fed over the hour. You could start by trying 20g of carbs every 20 minutes. If you're still hitting that wall then try 25g every 20 minutes, or 20g every 15 minutes etc.
Well done again. You're going to breeze the 2,000!
pompey boy said:
I have been using an old Garmin heart rate monitor to try to keep in zone 2 and am surprised how easy that has become, at least early in the ride. From perhaps the 50% mark it becomes very difficult - not sure if it's because of dehydration or lack of energy or ??
Sounds a lot like you run out of glycogen (the easy to burn fuel). It could also be dehydration. Or it could be a bit of both. Two experiments you could try:Fluids - Weigh yourself along with your ride food and water before you set off. Weigh yourself again (including any uneaten food you weighed in with) and the difference in grams is a measure in millilitres of how dehydrated you are. You may be surprised. Use that to work out, roughly, how much water you should be taking on each hour of riding (at that particular intensity) in order to maintain balanced hydration. Everybody is different but anything more than 500ml-1L dehydrated and it will start to impact you.
Energy - Analyse what you're eating during rides (longer rides of more than 90 minutes) and when you're eating it. You only need to look at carbohydrates. The blunt guideline is 60-70g of carbs per hour, ideally drip-fed over the hour. You could start by trying 20g of carbs every 20 minutes. If you're still hitting that wall then try 25g every 20 minutes, or 20g every 15 minutes etc.
Well done again. You're going to breeze the 2,000!
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