I've bought a bike, i've caught the bug, now what.

Alfie Noble

Hello everyone.

I'll start with a little bit about myself. I'm 23, 6'1" and just under 15 stone. I've recently bought myself a road bike and have a decent 25 mile route.

I've only had the bike 3 weeks but already i am seeing improvements in my performance, i estimate my average to be 17mph and on a still day on the flat comfortably reach 25mph, although not for long.

I would like to go out every evening but i feel i have pushed myself too hard and am feeling it so much in my thighs that i've avoided going out tonight as i'm concerned i will make it a lot worse. I have spent lots of time reading about nutrition and recovery etc. but it's all too much of a head fuck and there seems to be contradictions everywhere. I need someone to tell me, 'do this, do that, eat this, drink that'. I am sick of reading so many blogs and articles full of what may or may not be myths.

Can someone please show me THE most definitive article on what is needed. Or any mantras that are worth remembering (i like mantras).

peejay78

sorry alfie, there aren't any definitive articles out there, only a confusing morass of info.

as a rule of thumb - start with what you feel comfortable with, the 25 mile loop sounds good. don't over do it. rest/recovery is as important, if not more so, than effort.

enjoy your cycling, when you are feeling stronger, extend the mileage a little bit - maybe 5 miles here or there, gradually, over time.

3 or 4 days a week of cycling is more than enough for someone starting out.

maybe factor in two or three rides in the week of about an hour or two and a longer saturday or sunday morning? that should be perfect.

even working just with that you will make rapid gains, especially if you start to increase the pace at key points.

oh - and a bit about me, i'm 34, also 6"1, i weigh 69 kg. i race up hills, whenever i can. i aim for 16 hours a week when i'm racing.

sungod

start easy, don't increase effort/distance more than 10%/week

incorporate rest days, after stressing your body, the rest tme is when it recovers and improves, so avoid going hard more than 2-3 days in a row, then have 1-2 days easy/rest

develop technique, avoid mashing hgh gears at low cadence, it can damage your knees, get used to spinning at higher cadence

make sure your bike is set up correctly for you

stick to a good diet, fruit, veg, carbs, lean meat, fish, not too much fat etc.

for 30-40 miles don't worry about recovery drinks etc., you'll take weight off fast in the first few months, be sure to stay hydrated during rides

at 23 you've got potential to make huge improvement over the next year or so, but how you train depends on what your objectives are, is it fitness/fun, sportives, racing, etc.

consider joining a club

imho this gives good, down to earth, coverage of many areas...

http://www.cptips.com/xtocdet.htm

nochekmate

peejay78 wrote:

oh - and a bit about me, i'm 34, also 6"1, i weigh 69 kg. i race up hills, whenever i can. i aim for 16 hours a week when i'm racing.

You need a good plate of food mate!

Savagestorm

In terms of nutrition 10% of what you read will get you 90% of the results. Keep it simple to begin with, eat a relatively high protein high carbohydrate diet, but don't neglect fats. Try to incorporate all 3 in every meal.

Protein - Eggs and meats are fantastic sources. Soy protein is okay but not brilliant.

Carbohydrates - Try to keep your carbohydrate consumption to complex carbs. What are complex carbs? http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournu ... omplex.htm

Fats - It is very important that you don't neglect fats. You should keep your intake of saturated fats to a minimum. http://nutrition.about.com/od/basicnutr ... sefats.htm

You should increase your caloric intake, that is eat more! Just add a little extra to every meal, or even better add another meal, and this should help you recover quicker. It is also important to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

I've tried to keep things as simple as possible, and right now there is no need to make things complex. Just eat clean and a little more and you'll be fine.

StanwaySteve62

i also caught the bug and have dropped 2 stone this year.(now 17stone) I have a bad diet eg NO veg and drink waaaaaaaaaaay too much wine.
Not ideal at 48 but bottom line is, I just try to get as much cycling in I can at a level that feels right.
I can now do 50 miles without a break and my average is around the 16.5 area and I feel better every week and keep getting silly ideas about a 'big ride', fancy taking the eurostar to southern france and cycle home.

danowat

Alfie Noble wrote:

Can someone please show me THE most definitive article on what is needed. Or any mantras that are worth remembering (i like mantras).

Depends on what you want to achieve, do you want to just lose weight?, if thats the case, most of us know (even if its deep down) what we should and shouldn't eat.

If you want to race then you'd need a more structured training regeme.

At the start, I'd just say get as much time in the saddle as you can, speed isn't overly important as that is something that comes with time (and training), eat well, rest well and enjoy the cycling, as its something that can be overlooked in the search for performance