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Exactly HOW much cycling?!

JessterJesster Posts: 482
Hey guys i need some advice. I just did my first ever 10 mile TT and got overtaken by a couple of (very bloody fast!) guys. So obviously my cycling needs work. And lots of it.



Time is not a huge issue so i can invest a few hours. I have eight weeks til my A race, plymouth oly. I am currently doing one long ride on the weekend and cycling 3 miles to work each day which is mostly standy-uppy-cornish-hill stuff.



Come on guys, what can i do to MAKE ME FASTER! [:D]

Comments

  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    personally I go on at least 3 sessions a week,

    1 long bike 3hours +

    cruise interval session 8 on 2 off x 6 (just below threshold)

    Anaerobic interval session 2:30 on 5 off x8



    Maybe you could could take in an extra loop on the way home from work every couple of days to try and fit in a interval session?
  • jonEjonE Posts: 1,113
    This thread is going to be derailed quicker than a Virgin Express,eat more soreen,more oaty breakfast cereal,reduce body fat content(from our arbour related ampibian friend),and other thoughts on the less serious side,go on a Rookie day and so on.

    I digress, practice intervals,starting at 60 secs pushing it to a level above race pace ,followed by 60 secs recovery and repeat,depending on your fitness initially 10 min warmup,15 intervals and 10 min warm down giving a 50 min workout.Build up the interval length over time and speed will magically appear so that you can toast the other riders at the next TT.
  • risris Posts: 1,002
    can you plot a long way home that you can use once or twice a week to steadily increase distance?



    i know a few back lanes and turns that can add 5 or even 10 miles to my 12mi commute. i also know where the steeper routes are (so as to avoid them, pesky hills!)

  • Jelly legsJelly legs Posts: 278
    i do three session a week too ( on average)





    I have a 11 mile route that is some flat and some hill work.( mostly hills)



    I have a just over 5 mile circuit that i do mostly flat.( 3 times)



    And i try and do the next tri route.



    I'm just getting into the longer rides ( for endurance), over 30 mile stuff, hopefully will be 50 miles by the end of the season.





    I would add that you will see alot of stuff about race pace rides, personally i ride everywhere at race pace, i dont really undertsand why people wouldnt do that as well. ( maybe someone with more knowledge that me can enliten us)



    But your 3 mile stuff probably isnt doing alot for you, 3 mile is barely breaking a sweat

  • risris Posts: 1,002
    sorry to hijack this... jellylegs, i see you have highworth down again - have they set a date for it yet? i did it last year and really enjoyed it, and i'd look forward to finding out how much i can take off that dreadful run time i did!



    jesster - i forgot to add that at weekends i try to get a 25-30mi ride in, or use the bike to do a distance errand (i've cycled to bristol and back for language classes a few times now - 30mi each way). i figure that sometimes you have to make a reason for a longer route.

  • JessterJesster Posts: 482
    Have you SEEN the cornish coast road?



    It's like this; WMWMWMWM [X(]

  • Jelly legsJelly legs Posts: 278
    Hills will only make you stronger.





    Fine a good one, nice and steep.



    Ride up it, and coast back down getting your breath back.



    When you get to the bottom



    REPEAT.



    Its a killer but it works a treat.







    And its a no to highworth, but they are doing one i'm sure, will find out and get back to you.
  • willieverfinishwillieverfinish Posts: 1,381
    Jelly I agree 100%. Hills and sets are the way forward



    Boxhill is right on my doorstep and I have plans to do repeats up and down the 2.1 mile hill.



    I know it's going to hurt and to my shame I have put it off for 2 weeks and I'm finding excuses not to hit it hard. I woke up this morning with a new attitude and I'm going to tame that mother f**ker.



    There is nothing worse than knowing what you have to do - then actually going out and doing it.



    I got an e mail from a friend tonight that has made me so so determined to train harder ( harder than not alot a the moment - work issues and sheer tiredness has reduced me to almost nothing for a month - I've lost alot in fitness, got a current probable chest infection which doesn't help) so I'm going to hit the work hard.



    My advice - and I am only new to this tri lark - but do things that you don't like - it's the only way.



    For me ( stand by for this) that's swimming, and running ( well 1 out of 3 isn't bad!!!!)



    Serioulsy get the miles in - I'll happily sit with my mother in law and her cycling mates for 30, 40 or 50 miles at an average of 18 mph all day long. Find out what you suffer with and then hit it head on.





  • julesojuleso Posts: 279
    Jesster, I have pretty much the same problem; there isn't a local time trial where I wouldn't come last! I think I'm going to just have a try at a few and keep coming last until hopefully lots of 10-mile efforts will make be better at doing 10-mile efforts. I hope to one day achieve the amazing glorious not-coming-last!
  • jonEjonE Posts: 1,113
    juleso wrote:


    Jesster, I have pretty much the same problem; there isn't a local time trial where I wouldn't come last! I think I'm going to just have a try at a few and keep coming last until hopefully lots of 10-mile efforts will make be better at doing 10-mile efforts. I hope to one day achieve the amazing glorious not-coming-last!



    Come the Day of Judgement,and the last shall be first and the first ,let them be last.

    There is an argument regarding the ones that spend longer racing get better value for money,and since we seem to be in a recession,I am all for getting most bag for my buck.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    Whaddya mean? 'even' a fitness instructor can tell you?
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    sorry lost the thread....hair gel crisis OMG,LOL.

    Ciao for now.
  • JonhinioJonhinio Posts: 289
    I went out last night for a ride with my new tri club after being told I could stick with the slower people. Well I was, to coin a phrase, dropped quicker than a pair of tart's knickers. After half a mile I couldn't see them... on a straight road where you could see for at least a mile! I knew coming back from injury would be tough, but hell I didn't think I was that slow. Lots of practise to come!!!
  • JessterJesster Posts: 482
    So, in surmation.....



    looks like I need to change my name to JessTTer



    See what I did there? lol Thanks for the advice lads, youre a great help. [sm=kiss.gif]
  • julesojuleso Posts: 279
    ....and I might change mine to jules-o (F)....
  • MowfMowf Posts: 272
    ris wrote:


    sorry to hijack this... jellylegs, i see you have highworth down again - have they set a date for it yet? i did it last year and really enjoyed it, and i'd look forward to finding out how much i can take off that dreadful run time i did!



    jesster - i forgot to add that at weekends i try to get a 25-30mi ride in, or use the bike to do a distance errand (i've cycled to bristol and back for language classes a few times now - 30mi each way). i figure that sometimes you have to make a reason for a longer route.





    Highworth is going to be on i think. I swim in the same pool as one of the organisers in the morning (highworth rec, funnily enough). She reckons it looks good to be on again this year.



    Did anyone else think it was hard for a 'tri a tri'?



    I'll be doing it this year.
  • jamewahjamewah Posts: 113
    Jesster wrote:


    Hey guys i need some advice. I just did my first ever 10 mile TT and got overtaken by a couple of (very bloody fast!) guys. So obviously my cycling needs work. And lots of it.



    Time is not a huge issue so i can invest a few hours. I have eight weeks til my A race, plymouth oly. I am currently doing one long ride on the weekend and cycling 3 miles to work each day which is mostly standy-uppy-cornish-hill stuff.



    Come on guys, what can i do to MAKE ME FASTER! [:D]



    Jesster do you have a garmin ?
  • JessterJesster Posts: 482
    @ Conehead- Four hundred pounds?! Thats 'stairway to heaven' busking territory, that is! i dont have a turbo either, have to settle for single leg drills up on the flight line. will that do?



    @ jamewah-i dont have a garmin (have only just purchased a second hand polar HRM off my mate who's upgrading)



    Rubbish, arent I? [X(]
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Definitely get yourself a cycle computer if you haven't already.

    Do you know what average speed you can maintain over a set distance?
  • JessterJesster Posts: 482
    Er, no. No cycle computer. I have been working on the assumption that if i'm going as fast as i can, thats the fastest i can go. And no looking at my speed could make me go faster! Made sense to me anyway....



    Could do with a fella about to attach a computer-thingy as i'm not much cop with things like that. A whizz in the kitchen, mind you! lol
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Jesster I know what you're saying about going as fast as you can, but judging improvements and pacing yourself has helped me massively.

    Add to that keeping a decent cadence - I try and go about 95rpm - and you will use your gears much more effectively. For example if you're always pushing the highest gear at a lower than optimal cadence you're going to make life difficult for yourself (in my experience).

    What was your TT distance and time? From that you will be able to work out your average speed..

    By being able to see what speed I'm pushing and/or a constant update of my average speed helps me to know when I've got to dig a bit deeper to improve.

    Over the past two months I've upped my average speed by 4kph over the same distance.

    What has also worked is one long ride, a couple of kph below my max, one race pace ride, and one high intensity intervals sessiona week.



  • [toPh][toPh] Posts: 244
    what's a good avg k p/h to keep at.



    My turbo session yesterday was 30k in 40mins, average speed of 44kph.

    Still using the lowest resistance setting, is it time to up the resistance? although still need to get up to full race distance of 40k yet.
  • JessterJesster Posts: 482
    My 10 mile TT was circa 30 mins give ot take a minute. there was a bit of a hoo haa with the timing aparrently.



    My last 25k split race wise was 47 mins i think. So i'm not terrible but not that great either.



    I plan to do a 20k TT today by myself at work. and introduce 2xinterval sessions a week plus a long weekend ride, as per the advice of the peeps on here. Do you think this is a good idea? [8|]
  • Cheryl6162Cheryl6162 Posts: 356
    Jess, Tesco do a bike computer for less than £15. Its got a wireless cadence counter on it too and seems to be fairly accurate (judging it for distance, speed etc against Chris's Cateye when cycling with him) It is really useful to be able to check your cadence until you learn to get a feel for it, and of course the distance verus speed thing is all covered too. Does give you a benchmark on how you are improving, and sometimes we all slack off a bit and staring into the face of a machine expressing its dispproval does tend to gear you up again!
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Jesster, that's 32kph or 20mph, which is a decent speed.

    Get a cycle computer and then at least you can judge/base your training around improving that.

    Your long rides will be slower, your race pace efforts there or thereabouts and your intervals in excess. I've found 3 mile intervals on a slight uphill great. I can barely breathe at the end of them but they've certainly improved my top end speed.







  • JessterJesster Posts: 482
    Yes, Boss. (mime salute and click heels together)



    Jack Hughes is being kind enough to help me out with that one. Thanks, jack!
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