Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

Not really doing "proper" yoga but I do the yoga warm downs etc on Sufferfest. I really enjoy them, definitely think it gives more structure than just running through some stretches. Also know a lot of people who recommend yoga for rock climbing (also quite a core focussed sport)

I've had a half-assed attempt at a few of the sufferfest yoga videos and can never keep up as they don't explain the moves! The woman's voice annoys me too, lol.

Not tried the warm down ones though - will have a look

I did quite a bit of yoga until my classes stopped and I'd recommend it to anyone, particularly cyclists.

It was quite eye opening for me in that it highlighted just how out of whack I'd gotten in my physical condition and my attitude toward health and fitness. Although very flexible and with legs strong like ox, there were 12 year old girls in the class that could humiliate me when it came to upper body and core strength.

I always knew that I'd long past the point where health and fitness diverged and that I was sacrificing health, general fitness and well-being for the specificity of being able to do the kind of extreme endurance cycling (compared to other sports, not RAAM etc.) that I was doing. I was probably more than most along the path of thinking of a Froome-type as being the physical ideal so the need of a slap in the face was perhaps more critical for me, but I think the majority, especially in a sport as obsessive as ours could benefit from stepping back a little and considering overall wellness (physical and mental) and balance. That's something that yoga may be able to provide. And ironically, will likely make you a better cyclist too.

And if you're busy, stressed and always on the move, you'll probably find Savasana the most blissful part of your week.

I've started doing yoga and a bit of pilates this year:

• Maximum benefit if you do it the day of a big ride. Eg 5hr+ ride in the morning and then do yoga in the afternoon. Next day you will feel far better. I find doing a class far better for the discipline to do a proper 1 to 1.5hr session. But now I am finding that I can do it independently from memory of the class routines.

• Good for rest days to try and assist with recovery along with foam roller.

• Focus the classes you do on what you are aiming to do. Yoga at a basic level is generally more stretching focused rather than strength (until you get onto more advanced poses). Pilates can be very core strength focused and can leave you tired for cycling.

• Does it make you faster? Not sure. But I do feel that I'm more aware of tightness in my legs and hopefully help to avoid injury.

• I'd also say its good for general wellbeing.....the benefit of lying down and doing nothing but relaxing for 10mins at the end of a class is significant.

I did it as part of a really heavy training block and it made life a bit more bearable after hard sessions. All I would note is that if you are doing a type of yoga that's a bit more strenuous (say than a beginners class), then be prepared to suffer some fatigue and need some recovery. It's not all lying about and deep breathing.

I swear by it now just as a way of relaxing and trying to reverse the effects of sitting at a desk for 40+ hours a week. That and sitting on a TT bike for 10 hours a week.

stepping back a little and considering overall wellness (physical and mental) and balance

just chiming in to support yoga - both for cyclists and just for anyone, really. I only do 'gentle' yoga (which is still enough to make me sweat) and I always feel better back on the bike the day after. I love it.

On a separate note - on honeymoon next week for 7 days. No bike. Best bet for maintaining fitness over a week - bit of running and maybe some swimming? I can't face using a gym bike, too grim.

I know it won't translate directly but hoping at least I can prevent myself from putting on weight and get a bit of cardio on the go.

It's your honeymoon.
Just eat, drink and shag yourself senseless. Forget about bicycles.

Swimming in the sea is fun though.

A week isn't long enough to do too much damage. Rent a bike and go for the morning blast on one more days? Or run up a long flight of stairs? Recruits muscles more similar to cycling than regular running does.

Eating and shagging is a yes. Partner is due a baby in October though so no drinking for her, and I've gallantly/stupidly said I'd stay sober in support. I do like swimming in the sea, and we're in Lisbon so that should be possible.

I think I'll take my running shoes and swimming gear and see what happens.

Garlic clams are very good in Lisbon.....Sintra is worth a visit.....and has steep climbs if you wanted to do some hill sprints for damage limitation!

Someone on here went mountain biking in Portugal recently, it looked amazing. Do a morning or two of that, whilst other half has a relax by the pool.

Ah Lisbon, my gf just got back from a long weekend there, she loved it!

Swimming indeed then. I love swimming in the sea, so liberating and refreshing.
And andy makes a good point about hiring a MTB and exploring.

But yeah, rest is a good thing. Take the time to chill and relax. You body will appreciate it and you'll feel great when you get back. You've a big summer and lots of training to do, so a rest now will be good.
After my exams (end of May) I'm going to Italy for 5 days, no bike. Just total relaxation. The body needs time off.

Training on a honeymoon? dafuq? I'm the least romantic fucker out there but even I think you're missing the point of the honeymoon a bit. It's only a week, enjoy it.

Good advice, thanks dudes.

@hippy including the wedding this weekend it'll be at least 11 days before I can get back on a bike. Can't really do more than 2 or 3 hours during the week days so 16 days before I can get out for a weekend ride. Not 'just' a week.

Besides, I wasn't going to be 'training' really, just trying to do a bit of a workout so I don't feel like shit when I come home after being inactive for a while.

By all means do some active shit but you only get one honeymoon.

You're goal is TCR right? Months away. You'll be fine.

maybe I'm stressing too much about it. Just feels like everytime I start to build up a head of steam from training this year, things happen to interrupt it. Been sick a few times earlier in the year, then work, then family stuff and each time I come back after that it just feels like a lot of the previous work has been wasted.

Looking ahead, I had always had vague plans to 'taper' before the TCR. So I've got a 900km ride I want to do in 3 days around the 22nd June, and after that I wasn't planning on doing much over 3/4 hour rides a few times a week - does that seem sensible?

I took the whole long weekend off just gone. That's unheard of for me, especially since I had planned my big training ride there. I didn't touch a bike. I was tired, getting sick and fed up.
Afterwards I refocused and got it done weekend just gone instead. Don't worry about it. Your income doesn't depend on being in peak form and TCR doesn't require peak fitness anyway. It's a fast tour.

I use the long rides to test stuff out, get more comfortable on the bike and off the bike and learn more about which shitty service station foods I prefer :) You don't get fitness from them you get mental strength and ultra race skills.

Your plan does not sound unreasonable. My prep was sub-par last year and I did ok.
Your goals will change daily as you find yourself running into issues or riding faster than expected anyway so unless you are planning on winning it, it's just a question of will power to get you to the finish.

I wouldn't back off so much so far out. You need to be fit.
But make sure you start fresh, rested and eager.

That said, no need to make a decision now. Just keep riding as much as you can and then decide nearer time.

You need to be fit

LOLz

A 900k with about ~4 weeks to go, then who said he was backing off?
"3/4 hour rides a few times a week" So long as some of them are still a bit rapid he'll be fine.

3/4 hour rides a few times a week

He did. "tapering from a month out'

Tapering from what?

Doing more than what he's suggested isn't going to make him much faster. It's TCR, not a 25mi TT.

Okay okay.

What I should have said is; no need to back off from the level of training you're doing so far out. Just keep on with what you normally do till 1-2 weeks out, then look at assessing your training for the last 2 weeks based on your fitness and tiredness. Training needs to be planned dynamically, in the moment, so you can make changes depnding on what you need. You might find that life has got in the way a bit, so you're not as trained as you want, thus keep training till closer. Also you might find you've been training too much, and when you look at yourself hard in the mirror you'll admit your tired, in which case back off.

So just keep doing what you're doing until a few weeks out.

And hippy, you say doing more won't make him faster, maybe, but doing less might make him slower. I'm just saying keep up the normal training load until a few weeks out at most. But DO NOT be doing mega long rides in the 3 weeks before it. No need, it'll just make you tired. The 800k in 3 a month out is good prep though, for someone who needs the experiance.

Doing less might make him slower or it might make him faster, like you say it depends on how he's responding to training currently - we're both wrong or are we both right? :)

I did a 600k three weeks out because I didn't have the bike until then and I needed to in order to get the confidence that I wouldn't do damage to something over the TCR. I wouldn't have chosen to but sorting out the bike is more important than physical fitness on these multi day events (at least when you're midpack fodder like me).