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Training Tips for the Cyclist
Written by Gary Casella, Manager/Director iomega-Orbea Elite Team
As with any program that I place any of my riders on, regardless of the level they are at, I start by explaining that any results will come by sticking to some simple basic fundamentals:
- Train within your limits. Donít push yourself too much out of the gate to find what your limits are.
- Consistency is the key. As with any training program, a steady regular program will bring about the positive results and change desired.
- Stick to your plan. Life always throws some curve balls and changes at you. Adapt, but stick to you plan. Your plan is your guide towards improvement.
- Ride with others. Ride with other riders of higher caliber or experience. This tends to push you in a nonñpressure filled environment. Cycling is a sport filled with many facets and riding with others provides opportunities to share the love and passion for this great sport. This sharing is also very educational, as riding together provides an environment for you to learn from others, as well as test yourself against them.
- Work towards attainable goals. Set short, medium and long range goals.
- Develop your weaknesses. As tough as it is, we know where we need work and suffer the most. Improving in these areas with a good solid plan will show results youíll be able to notice.
- The most overlooked basic fundamental in my opinion is REST. Listen to your body. Rest and training work hand in hand. Working out hard and not giving your body enough proper rest and time to recover can hinder your progress instead of improving it. Your training plan will challenge your body to obtain results and improve. Little or no rest equals little or no recovery, which equals little or no gain in many instances. If youíre out on a ride and feel tired, turn back. Donít bury yourself and overtrain. Rest can easily be monitored. Taking your pulse every morning and taking note of how you feel as you wake up are good general indications if youíre getting proper rest. Listening to your body takes some discipline, as our minds usually override our bodyís feelings and warnings. Itís not mind over matter in this case....REST!
- Everyone is different and adapts to training and workload differently. Some of you respond well and quickly to training while others respond a bit slower. Generally speaking a good training plan that you follow consistently for 1-2 months will show results. It is up to you on how much time, dedication and priorities you put in place for these improvements to happen. There are plenty of great examples of riders who take time to develop. Lance Armstron was World Road Champion at age 21 but even then he was not the same complete and dominant rider weíve seen win a record six straight Tour de Frances.
Below I have set up a general plan to prepare for rides of half (50 mi) and full Century (100mi) distance.
Goals
First set your goals and your event date. From there you want to work backwards to set your plan and timeframe in order to reach these goals.
Endurance
As you prepare for your half and full century, building your endurance to comfortably ride these distances takes time to get accustomed to. Endurance is the ability to continue to work without fatigue. Building endurance takes time to develop, especially with events of greater length. Your training workload should build you comfortably to the length of your longest event. Often overlooked due to the ìboringî factor is loggin in countless miles and hours on the bikeÖbut building and developing a proper endurance base is the foundation for which all your other abilities are built upon. It may be time consuming but is a worthy investment.
Terrain
Is your event over rolling terrain? Flat? Over some big climbs? If and whenever possible you want to incorporate similar terrain into your training as the terrain you will ride for the event. This allows you to know gearing on climbs and how hard to climb them. Course knowledge also helps in simple terms like knowing the way the wind usually blows so as to guage when to apply your hard efforts. The US Postal Team used a tactic in the Vuelta de Espana a few years ago by going hard and increasing their effort as the course turned into a hard cross-wind, which set the team up to be in position for a strong finish in the overall standings. Knowing and preparing for the course as best you can is always to your advantage.
Starting Point
For long steady rides to build endurance, start with 1-2 hours at an average Heart Rate (HR) of 140-160 bpm. This should be easy to do as most people can accommodate fitting this amount of time into daily schedules. If you can do 2 hours without any problem try adding 30 minutes or 1 hour each week to your longest ride until you can easily obtain your goal hours and distances. Your intensity in these rides should be steady.
Intensity
You can ramp up your intensity on climbs or into the wind to build your power. If itís early into your ride be careful about pedaling at your max too soon. Pace yourself and see how you feel. If you can ramp up the intensity on certain parts and still finish your goal distance, then go for it. The important thing is to ride within your means.
Getting There
You want to be reaching these goals about 2-3 weeks prior to your event. In the week leading up, make sure to rest and cut your rides back a bit. Roll back the intensity, so you show up fresh and ready to ride your best and up to the level youíve prepared for.
Nutrition
Doing 100 mile rides can last anywhere from 5 hours (20mph avg) to 7 hours (approx 14 mph avg) or more depending on wind and terrain. Rides of this length require you to also take on food and drink to make it to the finish. Here are some pointers to help keep you energized and hydrated.
One Bottle Per Hour
No matter the weather, drink at least one water bottle (20 oz) per hour. Itís easy to remember and calculate how many bottles youíll need for a 5-7 hour ride. As it gets hotter (above 80 degrees F), you may want to increase this quantity to one large water bottle (24oz+) per hour. Again, this is easy to remember and track --as your hit the half hour marker, you should be half way through a bottle and finishing one up at the end of the hour. It seems like a lot of fluid, but your body needs it to keep hydrated.
Under long periods of stress and heat, one loses electrolytes and other vitamins and minerals that need to be replenished for sustained energy throughout long and hot rides. There are many sports drinks on the market. Do your research, test them out and see what works best for you. I recommend you do this as you train and prepareótry to avoid trying something for the first time during the event.
Energy Food
Bars- For rides of this length you need to eat. Energy bars work well for longer sustained energy. A good bar can provide a good amount of energy for 1-1.5 hours. Food is as vital to your success as your training. Test to see what food or bars work best for you. In a typical Tour de France stage riders have been known to consume up to 6 energy bars per stage!
Gels- Later on in the ride your body will want and need an energy boost to continue to perform at the same level. A quickly absorbed energy source is whatís needed. Carb-BOOM! energy gels are the perfect solution for this. On race days I recommend one Carb-BOOM! every 45 minutes. In the last 2 hours of the event eat one Carb-BOOM! every 30 minutes or 2 Carb-BOOM!ís per hour to keep a steady flow of energy for the final decisive stages.
Keep your food and drink intake steady throughout your ride. Solid food takes time to digest and be absorbed, so in the last two hours it may not be your best choice for energy. Donít wait until you feel hungry or thirsty to eat or drink. Take into consideration the heat and length of your ride and always plan ahead to have enough food and fluid for the duration.
Conclusion
These simple to follow habits mentioned above will help get you prepared and into a good pattern during your training.
A quick recap:
- Set your short, medium and long term goals
- When is your event? Work backwards to make a plan and reach your goals in time.
- Follow your plan, regardless of what life may throw at you.
- Add time and distance to your rides gradually to increase your endurance and fitness so that you can reach your goals comfortably prior to the event.
- When possible, ride on similar terrain that your event will take place on
- Stay hydrated. 1 water bottle per hour of exercise at a minimum.
- Remember to eat. The longer your ride the more youíll need. Experiment with bars and gels to find ones that work best for you.
- Have fun. Enjoy your rides and the simple beauty of cycling.
A very good Italian friend of mine who is in his mid 80ís and rides close to 100 miles a week once told me something that really stuck with meÖ
ìCycling is a sport you can enjoy your whole life no matter what your age is. I climbed the infamous Stelvio pass in Italy at age 77 on a bike that my friend used in the Giro in the late 1950ís, and loved every pedal stroke of it. At the top and on the way up people yelled ìBravo!î as they saw me make it up the climb. Cycling is passionate. You see so much more of life than when you driveÖeven in your own neighborhood. It is a beautiful thing to ride a bicycle.î
I share his passion for this great and beautiful sport. I hope you can use my advice to better prepare, enjoy your rides and reach your goals. See you on the road.
Gary Casella has been around the sport of Cycling for the last 25 years and has competed in some of the nations biggest events. Gary is currently the Manager/Director of the iomega-Orbea Elite Team based in Boise, ID which is proudly sponsored by Carb-Boom! The squad's focus is developing younger riders to reach their goals and potential on the bike. For more information on Team iomega-Orbea or to reach Gary, go to www.roadbicycling.com
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