Struggling to increase my distance ability
Discussion
I'm trying to train for a 69 mile ride in April.
I'm doing 3 x 45-90 minute TrainerRoad sessions and week and then a road ride on the weekend.
Distance wise I can knock out 20 miles quite easily, last weekend I did 33 miles and my legs were toast by the time I got home. The weekend just gone I went out and did 23 miles but found it incredibly tough, I did it, but my avg speed was 2mph less.
Is it just a case of keeping going? I'm dieting quite hard too as I have a lot of weight to shift and eating 1600 cals per day max.
My plan is to up the road rides by 10 miles a fortnight and to do a 50 mile ride by the end of february. Is this realistic?
Any tips and support would be appreciated, the difficulty of the ride at the weekend has knocked my confidence a bit!
I'm doing 3 x 45-90 minute TrainerRoad sessions and week and then a road ride on the weekend.
Distance wise I can knock out 20 miles quite easily, last weekend I did 33 miles and my legs were toast by the time I got home. The weekend just gone I went out and did 23 miles but found it incredibly tough, I did it, but my avg speed was 2mph less.
Is it just a case of keeping going? I'm dieting quite hard too as I have a lot of weight to shift and eating 1600 cals per day max.
My plan is to up the road rides by 10 miles a fortnight and to do a 50 mile ride by the end of february. Is this realistic?
Any tips and support would be appreciated, the difficulty of the ride at the weekend has knocked my confidence a bit!
Errrrrr
1.6k cals?????
Errrrrr
Dude, its not fitness, you're just eating so little youre hitting "the wall" after an hour.
If you're doing an hours hard cycling, that's 800cals probably, so you need 3,300 cals to maintain.
Ok you want to lose weight, on a training day maybe try 2.5k cals, but it's going to really kill your endurance and speed.
Try eating a bit, you'll be fine
1.6k cals?????
Errrrrr
Dude, its not fitness, you're just eating so little youre hitting "the wall" after an hour.
If you're doing an hours hard cycling, that's 800cals probably, so you need 3,300 cals to maintain.
Ok you want to lose weight, on a training day maybe try 2.5k cals, but it's going to really kill your endurance and speed.
Try eating a bit, you'll be fine
5678 said:
I'm trying to train for a 69 mile ride in April.
I'm doing 3 x 45-90 minute TrainerRoad sessions and week and then a road ride on the weekend.
Distance wise I can knock out 20 miles quite easily, last weekend I did 33 miles and my legs were toast by the time I got home. The weekend just gone I went out and did 23 miles but found it incredibly tough, I did it, but my avg speed was 2mph less.
Is it just a case of keeping going? I'm dieting quite hard too as I have a lot of weight to shift and eating 1600 cals per day max.
My plan is to up the road rides by 10 miles a fortnight and to do a 50 mile ride by the end of february. Is this realistic?
Any tips and support would be appreciated, the difficulty of the ride at the weekend has knocked my confidence a bit!
You'll manage it, keep up the good work. Good on you for taking on a challenge!I'm doing 3 x 45-90 minute TrainerRoad sessions and week and then a road ride on the weekend.
Distance wise I can knock out 20 miles quite easily, last weekend I did 33 miles and my legs were toast by the time I got home. The weekend just gone I went out and did 23 miles but found it incredibly tough, I did it, but my avg speed was 2mph less.
Is it just a case of keeping going? I'm dieting quite hard too as I have a lot of weight to shift and eating 1600 cals per day max.
My plan is to up the road rides by 10 miles a fortnight and to do a 50 mile ride by the end of february. Is this realistic?
Any tips and support would be appreciated, the difficulty of the ride at the weekend has knocked my confidence a bit!
I did similar last year, after six months off the bike, my longest ride was around 30 miles by late June (the most I had ever done was mid-40s in previous years). I then signed up for a 114 mile ride that was to take place at the end of August.
To work up to the century, I did long rides on Saturdays of 54 miles, 54 miles (again), 68 miles, 74 miles and 85 miles. The 114 mile ride was then fine (hard, but fine).
I usually did a spin class on the Sunday mornings, the day after the long rides - pushing the intervals quite hard if I could. I also did midweek rides of either around 30 miles or sets of hill intervals.
Don't worry too much about food - if you are putting in miles and not eating crazily, I am sure the weight will drop off. I lost a few kilos over last summer doing the training and there was no dieting involved.
You need to take on enough food to to give you the energy to complete the ride. My hardest ride of all of those was the second 54 mile ride. I had not taken anything to eat and the second half of the journey was all into a headwind and gently uphill. About 10 miles from home, I stopped to have some water and a stretch and suddenly felt terrible - dizzy and weak. Once that had passed, it was a case of just turning the pedals to get home - average speed for those last 10 miles was about 11mph and I was cold. Lesson learnt, I ordered some gels and protein wafers and used them for the rest of my rides.
It's essential to be correctly 'fuelled' if you are pushing past limits and it's hard to know what your limits are until you start breaking them. As I mentioned, the ride I suffered on was the same distance as the week before, but a slightly harder ride, cooler weather and (perhaps) less food on board when I started out meant that it was a completely different story.
Good luck!
Sadly I have had to stop owing to bad knees however 2 years ago I could often knock-out Wokingham - Clapham then Clapham to Brighton C.85miles. I'd then stay the night in Brighton and then retrace my steps home the following day. All this on the below mountain bike.
What I found was I would have to eat hourly and not even consider my weight often taking in 4000+ (clean) calories on these days - the weight still dropped off.
What I found was I would have to eat hourly and not even consider my weight often taking in 4000+ (clean) calories on these days - the weight still dropped off.
Agree with the above, I see plenty of cyclists that carry a bit of bulk and ride quick. Once you increase your ability the weight will drop anyway, keep up decent meals and ditch takeaways and snacks (when not riding)
Ditch booze as well, that affects my distance ability, even drinking moderately , I'm so much better without it, even though I love beer
More outside riding as well
Ditch booze as well, that affects my distance ability, even drinking moderately , I'm so much better without it, even though I love beer
More outside riding as well
Maybe you were trying to push too hard a gear or possibly the wind was a factor and you had a head wind for the last part of your ride. If so try and pick a course where its headwind out and tailwind home. If the wind was anything like it was in N.I the head wind felt like a gale force wind for a couple of hours, nice tailwind home though!
How tall are you what is your weight (just to give us an idea).
All I would say is that in theory up to 2 hours you should be fine with no food, although your body will initially not be happy with that. In theory you should be able to do 2 hours having not eaten breakfast although before getting to that stage try having a big portion of porridge and banana about 1 hr before you go out.
I would ignore the calorie counting to start with, stop eating all the crap and replace it with healthy food. You either need to slow the pace down to allow your body to burn the fat or ensure Glycogen is topped up the evening of the day before and with breakfast.
Are you a returning cyclist who has lapsed or completely new to it? I found that although I hadn't been on a bike for 10+ years I made reasonable progress once committed and Strava helps motivate. Your body will get used to it, suggest sticking to flatish routes are you weight will be less of an issue then on the hills (are your gears sensible if you are going up punchy stuff).
Stick to it and you will see progress, oh make sure you are hydrated prior to and during the ride as that can have a massive effect on your performance or lack or it.
All I would say is that in theory up to 2 hours you should be fine with no food, although your body will initially not be happy with that. In theory you should be able to do 2 hours having not eaten breakfast although before getting to that stage try having a big portion of porridge and banana about 1 hr before you go out.
I would ignore the calorie counting to start with, stop eating all the crap and replace it with healthy food. You either need to slow the pace down to allow your body to burn the fat or ensure Glycogen is topped up the evening of the day before and with breakfast.
Are you a returning cyclist who has lapsed or completely new to it? I found that although I hadn't been on a bike for 10+ years I made reasonable progress once committed and Strava helps motivate. Your body will get used to it, suggest sticking to flatish routes are you weight will be less of an issue then on the hills (are your gears sensible if you are going up punchy stuff).
Stick to it and you will see progress, oh make sure you are hydrated prior to and during the ride as that can have a massive effect on your performance or lack or it.
Thanks for the words of confidence!
I'm 6'1" and currently 116kg (10kg lost so far!) I've been a cyclist for quite a few years now but have varied in how much I do quite a lot over the years. I've been back on it since mid November after around 10 months off the bike.
I'll make sure I have a bigger breakfast before I set out on the next ride and eat little and often while out. Porridge?
The 33 mile ride took me just over 2 hours. I always seem to end up with a 15-16mph average! On that ride it was my legs that gave up. The weekend just gone it was a general fatigue and weakness.
Diet wise I think I'm ok, but will heed the advice to eat more on days I ride. Not drinking or snacking and having smaller portions of home cooked food. Typical is scrambled eggs, soup, small dinner.
I'm 6'1" and currently 116kg (10kg lost so far!) I've been a cyclist for quite a few years now but have varied in how much I do quite a lot over the years. I've been back on it since mid November after around 10 months off the bike.
I'll make sure I have a bigger breakfast before I set out on the next ride and eat little and often while out. Porridge?
The 33 mile ride took me just over 2 hours. I always seem to end up with a 15-16mph average! On that ride it was my legs that gave up. The weekend just gone it was a general fatigue and weakness.
Diet wise I think I'm ok, but will heed the advice to eat more on days I ride. Not drinking or snacking and having smaller portions of home cooked food. Typical is scrambled eggs, soup, small dinner.
This is simple, you're not eating enough!
You only have glycogen storage for 90 minutes, after that you're generally toast regardless of how fit you are. I'm 6' and 85kg and I'd say pretty fit, I can't (and wouldn't) do more than an hour without eating whilst riding.
Forget the calorie counting on the days you're training, eat high quality food to satisfy your hunger and the weight will continue to fall off. Plus you'll train harder and enjoy the cycling more.
A couple of things to bear in mind:
Eating whilst training is a GOOD thing. That way when you finish you're not STARVING which reduces your likelihood to overeat afterwards. Eating whilst training means you can ride harder & for longer which has the benefit of more expended calories. Lets say you put 600 calories in to ride for another hour, you'll burn the 600 off and more.
Eating too much whilst training (i.e. more eaten than expended) is VERY difficult. Generally your guts cannot absorb the carbs quick enough and you get cramps, so don't be afraid of eating too much whilst training (assuming you're not stopping for two hour coffee and cake breaks).
You only have glycogen storage for 90 minutes, after that you're generally toast regardless of how fit you are. I'm 6' and 85kg and I'd say pretty fit, I can't (and wouldn't) do more than an hour without eating whilst riding.
Forget the calorie counting on the days you're training, eat high quality food to satisfy your hunger and the weight will continue to fall off. Plus you'll train harder and enjoy the cycling more.
A couple of things to bear in mind:
Eating whilst training is a GOOD thing. That way when you finish you're not STARVING which reduces your likelihood to overeat afterwards. Eating whilst training means you can ride harder & for longer which has the benefit of more expended calories. Lets say you put 600 calories in to ride for another hour, you'll burn the 600 off and more.
Eating too much whilst training (i.e. more eaten than expended) is VERY difficult. Generally your guts cannot absorb the carbs quick enough and you get cramps, so don't be afraid of eating too much whilst training (assuming you're not stopping for two hour coffee and cake breaks).
It may help you to understand that even trying your hardest you're unlikely to be eating enough calories during your ride to offset the calories you're burning. If you eat your 60g of carbs per hour while riding you'll be able to keep it up for longer and your daily deficit will be greater than if you do shorter, poorly-fuelled rides.
That said, it is really worth making sure you use that 20-30 minute post-ride window to get some protein and carbs down you. That will refuel your muscles ready for the next ride and stop you over-eating later in the day.
That said, it is really worth making sure you use that 20-30 minute post-ride window to get some protein and carbs down you. That will refuel your muscles ready for the next ride and stop you over-eating later in the day.
5678 said:
Thanks for the words of confidence!
I'm 6'1" and currently 116kg (10kg lost so far!) I've been a cyclist for quite a few years now but have varied in how much I do quite a lot over the years. I've been back on it since mid November after around 10 months off the bike.
I'll make sure I have a bigger breakfast before I set out on the next ride and eat little and often while out. Porridge?
The 33 mile ride took me just over 2 hours. I always seem to end up with a 15-16mph average! On that ride it was my legs that gave up. The weekend just gone it was a general fatigue and weakness.
Diet wise I think I'm ok, but will heed the advice to eat more on days I ride. Not drinking or snacking and having smaller portions of home cooked food. Typical is scrambled eggs, soup, small dinner.
I am about the same height & weight as you are & i do around 140 miles a week on average, I can't seem to loose any weight tbh but clothes that never used to fit me are starting to fit now, You must eat if you are going to do long runs. I have given up calorie counting & just enjoy doing long distances & smashing big hills up that used to scare the life out of me. I'm 6'1" and currently 116kg (10kg lost so far!) I've been a cyclist for quite a few years now but have varied in how much I do quite a lot over the years. I've been back on it since mid November after around 10 months off the bike.
I'll make sure I have a bigger breakfast before I set out on the next ride and eat little and often while out. Porridge?
The 33 mile ride took me just over 2 hours. I always seem to end up with a 15-16mph average! On that ride it was my legs that gave up. The weekend just gone it was a general fatigue and weakness.
Diet wise I think I'm ok, but will heed the advice to eat more on days I ride. Not drinking or snacking and having smaller portions of home cooked food. Typical is scrambled eggs, soup, small dinner.
You gotta enjoy the ride sir, otherwise what's the point
5678 said:
Any pointers on what to consume pre, mid and post ride and the frequency to eat during a ride?
Before heading out I'd recommend porridge (I prefer to go with 2 sachets and banana or 2 in it) While out riding any sort of energy bar would be fine or even Soreen is a good option, or if you really fancy it you could try making your own energy bars (oats, raisins, honey etc)Afterwards, a recovery drink (good mix of carbs & protein) even Nesquik is fine usually within 20mins of getting back. Then a decent meal once showered again with a good mix of carbs/protein and other good stuff such as a sandwich/cereals.
Above would be what I typically do before/after a Saturday & Sunday club run.
5678 said:
Any pointers on what to consume pre, mid and post ride and the frequency to eat during a ride?
Depends on what time of day you start your ride? My weekend rides are often 7 or 8 am starts and I am not hungry then. If that is the case I will ride "fasted" for 60-100 minutes and then have something. If it is an event or a longer ride, I'll have a normal breakfast of Crunchy Nuts or maybe toast and jam.I always take a gel or two on a ride and a flapjack, bail out emergency rations. I can't consume more than 2 gels in a whole ride (most instructions say one every 20 minutes!). Bread and jam is good, as are fig rolls, malt loaf. I try to find stuff that doesn't squash/melt/disintegrate in your jersey pockets, and that you can get at one-handed. Bananas are really good, but I was eating so many I got an allergy - trout pout was about the worst of it, but itchy face too. Sweet stuff is ok, but I like savoury too, so I took a mini pork pie on Ridelondon. Was great! I have at least one water bottle of 750 ml even at this time of year and will get through that on a 2 hour ride.
Post ride I always have a half pint of milk, choccy milk if we have it at home. Recovery drinks are ok but some are hard to mix and a lot of people reckon they are no better than ordinary milk.
We're all different though, you will have to try a few things to see what works best for you.
I'm 6'2", weigh 98Kg and like you OP, I'm restricting my daily calories to 1,700. It's going well so far, I've dropped 4.3Kgs in 17 days. I do two short rides (<10 miles) during the week and then a longer (approx 35-50 mile) ride at the weekend. I'm usually out of the door early, about 6am, so I don't have time to sit down for breakfast. I have half an SIS energy bar (the 65g ones) and a pint of water before I ride and during the ride I'll have another energy bar and finish off the other half.
In addition I have 750ml of energy drink in my water bottle and after my ride I have a recovery shake along with a couple of eggs. If I try the same length ride without eating then its more of an effort whereas with the food it's enjoyable and I can spend Sunday without feeling knackered. For what it's worth I eat more calories on the day of a ride but I don't stuff myself either - I stay under 2500 calories which works for me.
In addition I have 750ml of energy drink in my water bottle and after my ride I have a recovery shake along with a couple of eggs. If I try the same length ride without eating then its more of an effort whereas with the food it's enjoyable and I can spend Sunday without feeling knackered. For what it's worth I eat more calories on the day of a ride but I don't stuff myself either - I stay under 2500 calories which works for me.
Edited by benny.c on Monday 25th January 13:46
We are all different. I'm quite happy going out for an 80 mile ride, not having eating beforehand and only drinking water during the ride. If I know the ride is going to be longer I will eat as I do start to feel it after 80 miles. I'm very much the exception though as many of the ones I tend to ride with seem to never stop eating.
Ah, I now see you have a thread of your own, chap. Come out with me, and I guarantee you'll do good mileage no problem (and I've been out of the saddle for a number of months).
I'm only echoing what others have said, but there are two key problems with your current approach - you're not eating enough, and you're going too fast.
When I go for my long rides (Ridgeway, etc.) I'm typically at around 10mph average speed, and I will just eat whatever I fancy. For a ride of up to 50 miles, you don't need any special food in my experience. Have porridge or something in the morning, go out for your ride, come back and eat. Take a snack of some sort (Soreen perhaps) if you really can't hack not eating something on the way round.
Since you want to lose weight, all you do is stick to the 1600 calories on the days off. Easy peasy. On the cycling days, eat whatever you want.
P.S. It sounds like what another poster said - you don't seem to be enjoying the rides. Eat big, enjoy the ride, have some fun.
I'm only echoing what others have said, but there are two key problems with your current approach - you're not eating enough, and you're going too fast.
When I go for my long rides (Ridgeway, etc.) I'm typically at around 10mph average speed, and I will just eat whatever I fancy. For a ride of up to 50 miles, you don't need any special food in my experience. Have porridge or something in the morning, go out for your ride, come back and eat. Take a snack of some sort (Soreen perhaps) if you really can't hack not eating something on the way round.
Since you want to lose weight, all you do is stick to the 1600 calories on the days off. Easy peasy. On the cycling days, eat whatever you want.
P.S. It sounds like what another poster said - you don't seem to be enjoying the rides. Eat big, enjoy the ride, have some fun.
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