Cycling training and diet?

Question

What's the best way to start training ( intensity ) and what are good foods to eat the day before and just before a long ride ? How often should I train on climbs ? I heard it isn't good to train on climbs too much .

Answer 1

To train for intensity you need to think about intervals. And interval is a short hard effort. There are various types, from sprint workouts the 'speed work'.

Depending on where you live, finding a place to do intervals can be difficult. You need long stretches of raod with no intersections or stop lights, and the less traffic the better. I've known racers to go 20 miles or more, because they know of a long flat section of road that goes for three miles with no intersections, or a hill that climbs for 2 miles at an 8% grade.

For a novce cyclist, you want a section of road that takes you about 5 minutes to complete when you're working very hard. A long gradual hill is good but not so steep that you have to stand on the pedals.
Get a heart rate monitor. Nothing fancy, just a basic chest strap with wrist watch style. Wrap a peice of pipe insulation around your handlebars and strap the wrist monitor to it.
Get a good warm up, then set a pace on your section of road that enables you to speak properly, like saying the plegde of allegiance over and over until your done with the section. You should be breathing hard, but not so hard that you can't get the words out. This will put you very near what is known as your 'aerobic threshold'. This threshold is the point at which your body will start to burn more blood sugar (glycogen) as a fuel source than fat. You will see your heart rate level off. You can then use this number as a goal, a number to maintain during the interval. As you get more fit, you will notice that you can go faster at this same heart rate.

This is the level that you want to do long intervals at. You're not going to be sprinting, so you don't need to go completely anaerobic - burning nothing but sugar.

Do three of these long intervals no more than twice a week:

warm-up 15 min
interval 5 min
rest 5 min
interval 5 min
rest 5 min
interval 5 min
cool down. 15 min

Each rest period in between the intervals should be long enough for your breathing to recover to normal, but not longer than the interval. For starters, make them the same length as I've noted above. Again, as you get more fit, you'll notice your breathing returning to normal faster and faster. However, your heart rate will remain slightly elevated, even after you're breathing normally. If you breathing is not normal after 5 minutes, you done the interval too hard. Back it off for the next one.

On other days, once a week go for a long ride, 3-4 hours, and don't let your heart rate get any closer than about 10 beats to the threshold noted above (except for a maybe a short intense hill, no more then 30 seconds worth). Try to keep you HR 20 beats or more below the threshold.
Twice a week go on a hour long rides at a moderate pace. You want to feel like you've been working on these rides, but not like the effort you put out on your intervals.

Training on hills is not a bad thing, unless you attack them and stand on the pedals all the way up. For a novice cyclist this could lead to muscle injury. Stay seated for as long as you can going up hills, unless it's very short or gets steep so that you need to stand, then pick a gear that allows you to not get completely out of breathe.

Don't forget to eat lots of carbohydrates in the few days before the long ride - pasta for three nights. Bring plenty of food on the ride. Don't be afraid of foods with a higher fat content.

Fat is highly underrated as a fuel source. The problem with carbohydrate based sources is that inexperienced riders tend to overdo it, and this can lead to an insulin imbalance, which will lead to fatigue. For extended activity in an aerobic zone - which your ride qualifies as - you need a more balanced approach to nutrition, rather than the high carbohydrate diet racers use.

The preceding two paragraphs may sound contradictory, but they are not.

Eating lots 'o carbs in the days before the event will top off your glycogen stores for those short intense efforts you might encounter like a small climb, but a good portion of it will be converted to fat. Fat is what you will be burning for most of this event.

Here's an anecdote: After racing season I often go out for long MTB rides with my club, 3-4 hours worth. I would stop at McDonalds on the way to the ride, have a baconeggcheese biscuit and hash browns, a carton of whole milk and a large orange juice. At the beginning of the ride, I'm lagging behind the group, especially on the climbs. This was partially intentional since I didn't eat for intensity, but endurance. I don't want to make myself barf. Then, they start to get hungry. After two hours, the food is in my system, fueling a steady high aerobic effort. The other guys are struggling and I'm riding away from them on the hills.

This works for me, and was happened upon after years of trial and error.

Answer 2

Always start small and bulid up. Your training shuld be based on your current fitness level and you should increase mileage and intensity as you go along. Get a coach if you want or check out some cycling books at barnes & Noble for plans based on various fitness levels and goals.

We train climbs once a month as a club but it varies by individual based on what events they are riding and what level of riding they do.

As for nutrition, make sure your diet is balanced. Eat foods you like and that work for you. Diets high in protein and vitamins are essential for building muscle and carbs and fats are necessary for endurance. Consulting a trainer or nutrtionist at your gym or your doctor is always a good idea when making plans for training.

Joining a local cycling club can be very helpful too because you get the social aspect as well as the tips and tricks and workouts of other riders.

Good luck!!!

Answer 3

Ok I just can't contain myself, the previous post was the biggest waste of screen space that I have ever seen. MadMonkey may know about bicycles, but he obviously doesn't know much about how to train to race one. Sorry MadMonkey, but it's true.

This is my advice. Find a place, road, or park, where other cyclists go to train. Then wait for the fastest looking rider to go by, and try to keep up with him/her. This will get you in shape faster than any training regimen.

Answer 4

I suppose your breakfast might mainly use a few extra substance. For an extended experience, I by and large devour anything with carbs in it (bagel, english muffin, and many others) and a few fruit. I additionally convey alongside an power bar or gel packet in case I think gradual.