Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

Thanks OYB,

I will need to do an FTP to start with.

I’ll then see how I feel on the first few weeks of trainging.

And yes, I will start having to get close to 300km rides, so this will increase my weekend ride time significantly….

Just start the night before...

Not disagreeing with @TTM on tempo blocks as a concept. Just doing lots of sweetspot specifically as per a Trainerroad plan is knackering and I think should be questioned.

Variety if you are riding 10+ hours a week is key for body and mind and imho intervals can do one until you are 2-3 months out from your event.

So Mallorca has been canned due to finacnces!

A lesson to get the cancellations insurance…

But - I did you get a ballot place on the Fred Whitton challenge so will need to prepare for that.

The last two months have been a right off with zero on bike training.

I do want to get the festive 500 done, I’ve just come down with flu again! I’ve never been so sick as I have over the past two months !

Any tips on Fred Whitton specific training?

Fit a big cassette to the bike.
Get comfortable climbing out saddle.
Do hilly rides.

I've never ridden the official Fred Whitten but have done all the big climbs and have ridden a lot in the Lake District over the years. I've got over the worst of them (wrynose/hardknott/kirkstone) with a 39 inner ring and a 27 on the back though as @skinny suggests I would advise going for a 34 or 36 at the front and a 29/30 at the back to make it a bit easier on your legs. Check your brakes are set up properly as a lot of the descents have sharp corners and are very steep in places - the roads aren't like true mountain descents where you can just open up. You'll want to build endurance and make sure that you're comfortable on the bike riding for four+ hours. I'd say ride outdoors a lot if you can - as in get used to riding in crap weather. It can turn really nasty in the lakes and I have previously been caught in a very grim snowstorm whilst descending hardknott which was awful. It seems to rain there non-stop. Being comfortable in crap weather and not getting demoralised will probably be just as valuable as being able to smash out the kms

Thanks Ghostface,

I can’t do indoor riding and I’m ok to ride in the rain.

I have 53/39 Spiderings with 11-34 cassette. I’ll need to see if I can get a 52 Spidering.

EDIT: There is a 50/34 spidering, would the 34-34 ratio be too light???

No. You’ll be so happy you have a 1:1 at some point on the ride

Practice eating enough in aforementioned conditions. Sounds weird but getting calories when you are climbing and descending a lot takes getting used to.

I train with Mourten 320, Will this not be enough, should I be consuming solids as well? I did used to make my own rice cakes…

ratio be too light

I've got 30x42 on some of my bikes now. I've never wished I had a higher low gear...

Totally personal, I make up bottles of 100g carbs through straight table sugar for 2-3 hours max, longer rides I need to supplement with solid (savoury) food just to break up the monotony more than gut distress.

....and always brush my teeth after!

If anyone is still paying BCshell, can you send me the training peaks discount code. Ta

Pm sent

It seems there isn't a 2023 code, the one PMd was 2022. Is anyone seeing a 2023?

This is probably a really stupid question but, if one were starting from absolute zero, after having a kid and always being knackered and losing all desire to ride a bike, what type of turbo sessions would be best to start building up base fitness and losing the rapidly growing roll around one’s waist?

Bonus points if you can point to a category or sessions on Wahoo SYSTM since that is what I have. And more bonus points if they are under an hour.

Also I hate that I’m posting this question right below a post by @skinny who had a kid just after me and has already ridden round the world twice or something.

Also my job so don't sweat it. Last year was shit for training. If it were a job my performance review would be bad.

Honeslty id just do easy riding. So for as much time as you have, ride as a pace you can have a conversation. Make the sessions nice and build a habit. Then when the habit is built and you're feeling healthy you can perhaps look to train. But also easy riding is where all the good stuff to the body happens.

Loose the weight by eating healthy.

Concentre on health (physical and mental) and fitness will come.

Ha. That helps a lot.

Buy a MTB, have loads of fun, embrace the roll.

Or as Skinny says, just go out and ride as easy as you possibly can. Go slow, look at some wildlife, chat with people. The fitness starts coming back, start thinking about training to sharpen the top end. 80:20 is pretty much just pissing around slowly for most of the time anyway

Have a second kid and delay the turbo sessions for a bit. Just to make sure you really want to do them.

Buy a MTB, hurt entirely new set of body parts, question your life choices, buy dual-sus eMTB

ftfy

I'm not starting from zero, but I am starting from not using a bike more than once or twice in a few years, and not using a turbo for a long time, and I'm using Wahoo Systm, and I have kids, and I'm knackered, and I have a flubby muffin top.

I like to do 2 to 3 sessions a week, but only 1 or 2 of them hard (using the TSS to give the best indicator if effort - 80+ for hard, 50ish for keeping legs moving), and usually keep to 30 min to 1 hour.

I gravitate towards the sufferfest ones, as the video and music keeps me distracted.

Current ones that I like:

• The Bat
  
• Blender (mini)
  
• Butter
  
• Tapers
  
  

I have my (borrowed from Dammit) turbo set up in my office, so I can also just hop on when I'm working and spin for 10 minutes.