Help with first organised ride

sampras38
sampras38 Posts: 1,917
edited February 2009 in Road beginners
Hi all. I've been lurking for a while but this is my first post. I've entered my first organised ride in June, the Dragon Wales ride (185km) and wondered if anyone had any tips to prepare. I'm not a member of any club, but tend to train on my own or with a couple of more experienced club riders. Weather permitting I'm currently doing at least one long ride at weekends (40-50 miles with climbs incl) or possibly 2 rides per weekend, with regular intense turbo work in the week. As the weather improves and the nights get lighter I will obviously get out more in the week. I'm working hard on my fitness and diet, and I'm pretty happy with my progress so far. Just don't know how much to push it.

I'm not a traditional cyclist build as I have done other sports in the past that require a little more weight. My bodyfat is pretty low but I know I need to be a lot lighter to get the best out of a climbing ride. I'm 6ft and currently weigh 193lb, with a BMI of just over 26. As i'm quite muscular I'm not too concerned about the BMI.

I ride a Scott CR1 Pro 2007 with a compact crank.

Any help much appreciated.

Comments

  • kilo
    kilo Posts: 174
    I would reccomend joining a decent club. My club has a number of club runs every Sunday ranging 30 -40 miles to 70 or 80 mile ones and variaitions in speed also. This will help you boost your mileage, it's much easier to go the extra distance with a bit of company and can help intorduce you to new routes and climbs. Also most decent clubs will have people who are doing these longer events who can give you tips and advice in person.

    Good luck
  • sampras38
    sampras38 Posts: 1,917
    kilo wrote:
    I would reccomend joining a decent club. My club has a number of club runs every Sunday ranging 30 -40 miles to 70 or 80 mile ones and variaitions in speed also. This will help you boost your mileage, it's much easier to go the extra distance with a bit of company and can help intorduce you to new routes and climbs. Also most decent clubs will have people who are doing these longer events who can give you tips and advice in person.

    Good luck

    Thanks for the reply Kilo. I probably will end up joining a club when my life calms down a bit. I have a new baby and a toddler and commiting to a club isn't good atm. I'll more than likely keep riding with a couple of club riders until after the summer, then think about a club. So far I've done a few 40 & 50 mile rides and I'm getting quicker. Also recently did the Surrey Hills which I got through (45 miles with some nice climbs). Weather permitting I'm going to try around 50 miles tomorrow,

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