Training for a Cycling Event

Quasi-disclaimer: I am an old geezer on a bike. In a minute I'm going to tell you how I train. But I got my info from good sources, so you don't have to worry that this article is only for old geezers.

The kind of event I am talking about is the kind of event I am training for right now, the Cape Cod Getaway, a fundraising event for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It is not a race although a few riders do compete with each other in a friendly way. The event is a tour that goes from Quincy, Massachusetts, to Provincetown, Massachusetts, out on Cape Cod (hence the name). Riders have the option of riding 100 miles (like me) or 75 miles the first day, but everybody rides 75 miles the second day. Since right now on a good day during an event like this I can average around 14 miles per hour, and taking into account rest stops, I'm looking at a little over 7 hours on the bike the first day and 5 hours the second. It would behoove me to learn to bike a little faster.

How am I going to do it? I'm glad you asked.

Last year I biked 75 miles each day at the Cape Cod Getaway event. To prepare myself, I biked 1,000 miles between April 1st and the event, and I felt well prepared for the ride. This year I intend to ride 1,200 training miles. Again this year I started training on April 1st.

The amount of time you actually spend riding your bike prior to the event is the most important factor in training for that event. Most trainers say that to increase strength you need a big workout day followed by a recovery day, but in my personal (unprofessional) experience, the recovery day (off the bike) is highly overrated. I find that my greatest increase in strength comes after the third or fourth straight day on the bike.

My personal goal in training is to be able to pedal fast and hard and be relaxed at the same time - never out of breath, no tight muscles. As my Kung Fu teacher said, it's the fighter who is most relaxed who is most likely to win. Similarly it is the rider who is the most relaxed that can go the fastest over the long haul.

Caution: Don't Hurt Yourself

Don't overdo it. If you wear an extra hole in your butt or you mount the bike and the first thing you get is a charlie horse or other major cramp, or if you have excessive joint pain, probably you should take a day or so off and heal up. Where do you draw the line? Know yourself. Push your limits, and a little pain is okay here and there, but if you are in considerable pain chances are you've gone too far and it's time to stop. The pain you have should be muscle pain, not joint pain. If you have more joint pain than you usually do, you should probably see a sports medicine specialist.

I break up my training into different kinds of riding to avoid injury and maximize riding time. On the first day, when I feel good, I'll hit it pretty hard and try to keep a fast pace for fifteen or twenty miles. On the second day, I'll take it easy, keeping pace even but hanging in the lower gear more to maintain pace without effort. On the third day, I'll do what I feel: if I feel strong, I'll hit it hard, but if I feel weak, I'll take it easy. If there's a fourth straight day, I'll almost always take it easy, except toward the end of the training period as the event draws near. By then I'm feeling good and hitting it hard every day.

To increase time on the bike during training, extend the length of your route. If you want to be able to bike 5, 6 or 7 hours a day, you should be training for three hours a day, three or four days a week by the end of your training.

Many riders use an on-board bicycle computer to calculate speed, pace (how fast they are pedaling), and distance. Using a bicycle computer like one of those pictured at right, a rider can gauge how fast they are going and how much they need to improve. I personally don't use a bicycle computer for two reasons: I don't want any extraneous gadgets hanging off my bike and I don't want to be distracted from my pace, my breathing, or the road by a gadget.

A GPS would be nice. A couple of times I got lost and it would have been nice to have a GPS.

I gauge my speed with my wrist watch. My most frequently used route is 15 miles. If I travel it in an hour, I averaged 15 miles an hour. It's not rocket science.

The reason I mention gadgets is because in order to do interval training, you need to keep track of time. Interval training is a good way to increase speed. The reason it is called interval training is because you go different speeds for different intervals. Here is an example:

• Pedal nice and easy for 10 minutes
• Pedal as fast as you can in a low gear for 5 minutes
• Pedal nice and easy again for 10 minutes
• Pedal as fast as you can in a higher gear for 5 minutes
• Pedal nice and easy for 10 minutes

You can change the order and durations as much as you want. Above is a 40-minute interval session. As you get stronger in your training, you should increase the duration of each interval as well as the overall length of the session.

Another way to do interval training is to map out a route with three or four good size hills in it. As you go, vary your pace by coasting down hills, pedaling hard up hills sometimes in a lower gear and sometimes in a higher, and pedaling easy on the flats. As you get stronger, add another hill.

Sit-ups and push-ups and/or free weights are valuable add to your on-the-bike training to increase strength. Also, if you are looking to make a difference in your appearance while you're training, this is the best way. Ride hard for an hour or two and then drop and do thirty reps each of sit-ups and push-ups. You will see a difference very soon in strength, endurance, and body fat.

In addition to exercise, you can make lifestyle changes to aid your rate of improvement a part of your overall training program. The first thing you want to do is to decrease your intake of fats and sugars and increase your intake of protein. If you eat fat and sugar you are teaching your body to store fat and burn sugar. If you eat protein, you are teaching your body to burn fat and build muscle. The latter is what you want for strength on the bike. Personally I supplement my diet with vanilla flavored soy protein powder. Mmm-mmm, it's delicious. It gives you strength, so you love it. Yes you do. Candy, ice cream, pastries and such are like poison while you're in training. Do your best to avoid them. Every time you are tempted, think about how it will feel as you drag that bad food along with you on your next ride.

Most nutritionists now agree that a little fat is okay because it helps your body absorb protein. So have your protein powder in a nice tall glass of 1% milk-fat milk.

The next change you want to make, if you need to make this change, is your sleeping habits. You need to get 8 hours sleep every single night if possible. Sleep gives your body time to heal and build muscle. You will see a big difference in endurance and strength if you get one week's worth of good nights' sleep.

Perhaps the most powerful force in sports performance in training is attitude. A positive attitude will pull you forward whereas a negative attitude will hold you back.

From the beginning, start telling yourself, "I can do it." When you think of the event, "I can do it." When you think of increasing your training route from fifteen to twenty miles, "I can do it." When you want to add a big, steep hill to your training route, "I can do it." Your can-do attitude will make it all happen in training, and at the event it will be second nature.

May all your cycling adventures be safe and free of injury, your tires never be flat, and the cars considerate and polite. Happy riding.