slowest,but hardest ride to date.advice needed.

elderone

Today I did a ride as a training for hills ride.It was done on an old mountain bike on B roads local to me with the intention of just doing as much climbing as i could .To be honest it was really hard going and really slow (which isnt a problem)and the majority was done with a heart rate at 85-90%.
Now what i,d like to know is whether training at this hr for 2 hours or so is good for training/fitness or is it over doing it and bad for me(obviously the down hill bits were not high hr but the down hills dont last long).During the ride I didnt feel bad or like i was about to puke or anything and didnt walk any where so body wise felt hard going but ok.Im 49 btw and been riding 3 months .

CiB

49, been at it for 3 months? Forget the HR, times, distances and just ride for the fun of it. You'll get fitter and enjoy it more that way.

elderone

CiB wrote:

49, been at it for 3 months? Forget the HR, times, distances and just ride for the fun of it. You'll get fitter and enjoy it more that way.

Cheers,and i am enjoying it,just want to max gains over winter without doing harm to myself along the way.

chrisaonabike

CiB wrote:

49, been at it for 3 months? Forget the HR, times, distances and just ride for the fun of it. You'll get fitter and enjoy it more that way.

Oi, that's very ageist!!!

Some of us old* farts are just as keen to improve as the younguns.

____
*50, been at it 2 months, every mile since getting the bike is on Strava. Even today's three whole miles - first time out after ten days in with a bastard of a cold.

Gizmodo

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

CiB wrote:

49, been at it for 3 months? Forget the HR, times, distances and just ride for the fun of it. You'll get fitter and enjoy it more that way.

Oi, that's very ageist!!! Some of us old* farts are just as keen to improve as the younguns.

I think the point was, if you've only been cycling for 3 months, any ride is going to get you fitter. Stop worrying and enjoy the ride.

To the OP - if you want a structured training plan I would recommend you join British Cycling. They province services such as training plans for members.
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/article/mem-trainingplans

If you use the code "TforL12" when you join you get it half price £12. That gets you 3rd Party Liability insurance, legal help and discounts from places like Wiggle.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40020&t=12882531&p=17913706

elderone

Gizmodo wrote:

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

CiB wrote:

49, been at it for 3 months? Forget the HR, times, distances and just ride for the fun of it. You'll get fitter and enjoy it more that way.

Oi, that's very ageist!!! Some of us old* farts are just as keen to improve as the younguns.

I think the point was, if you've only been cycling for 3 months, any ride is going to get you fitter. Stop worrying and enjoy the ride.

To the OP - if you want a structured training plan I would recommend you join British Cycling. They province services such as training plans for members.
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/article/mem-trainingplans

If you use the code "TforL12" when you join you get it half price £12. That gets you 3rd Party Liability insurance, legal help and discounts from places like Wiggle.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40020&t=12882531&p=17913706

Thanks,i will be joining british cycling.
As i said in opening post,i was just wondering if the hill climbing practice on an old mountain bike has a benefit for over all road riding,as i,ve read alot about doing hills over and over.

FlacVest

Gizmodo wrote:

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

CiB wrote:

49, been at it for 3 months? Forget the HR, times, distances and just ride for the fun of it. You'll get fitter and enjoy it more that way.

Oi, that's very ageist!!! Some of us old* farts are just as keen to improve as the younguns.

I think the point was, if you've only been cycling for 3 months, any ride is going to get you fitter. Stop worrying and enjoy the ride.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40020&t=12882531&p=17913706

This. I'm only 20, but I'm still at the point where every ride improves "something", since I've only been "riding" for 3 or so months as well.

If you go out, put down some effort the entire time, you'll notice results as time progresses. I can only get 2 rides in a week, so it's easy for me to see if I'm improving or not every 2 weeks or so. The average will jump a mph, and then another, and then I'm riding farther and/or faster.

Pretty soon your HR might drop a bit, but that's going to depend on how hard you ride. My HR stays high, but that's because I keep riding at the pace that gets me there.

49? I saw a guy on the trail at least 60 holding an 18 mph average. You have a lot of time to improve. Ride often and within a year you'll be riding so much farther.

elderone

I already ride further on the road bike well into the 30,s so thats not the issue.Average speed isnt an issue either.
What the question was about is flogging away at steep hills and whether its worth the effort in the long run.

housemunkey

4/5 months ago I changed my evening training rides to take in way more climbing. Ever since then I've lost half a stone and dropped a couple of minutes off my TT times. I think hills are pretty damn important for good general road cycling fitness, so I'd keep flogging away at those hills if it were me.

CiB

Point of order chaps, my age starts with a five too and I ain't in school these days.