First post, go easy.

Dom McCormack

Hi.
As is usually the case when signing up to a forum, I've been reading the pages for weeks and would like to make the next step. Love the forum by the way.

I've just bought my first road bike in the last few weeks after making the decision to sign up to a 300 mile charity ride in May. So the clock is ticking and I'm prepared to work hard.

I've been out on both weekends (25 miles and 20 miles respectively in around the hills of Otley, Ilkley, Guiseley) and loved it. These trips out have led to some clear learnings. Because my general fitness is ok (ex-rugby, annual skier, weekly gym goer) I've found my recovery after climbs to be ok and something that will only improve the more I go out and the more I hit the gym hard (currently I've started doing a lot more cardio and interval training on the treadmill).

Due to the dark nights and having a young family, my time on the bike until the nights get lighter is one ride at the weekend which clearly isn't enough to get bike fit. I haven't really the finances to invest in a turbo, so where I can improve is in the gym. I'd specifically like some advice on training to improve my climbing power as the one thing that is glaringly obvious is my inability to climb with any real strength at all. Am I looking at lunges and quad exercises or are there particular 'roadies' exercises that will help.

Many thanks and cheers in advance for any advice.

Dom

napoleond

Hi mate, welcome!

Best thing to do for training for steep hills would be to ramp the resistance up on the gym bike and ride at a low hard cadence, but in general, just rising at a hard effort for as long as you can will be a great start. Then you could introduce some intervals where you go a little harder than comfortable for 10 mins, 5 mins recovery, repeat 3-4 times.

Dom McCormack

Cool. Makes total sense.

danlikesbikes

Plus see if you can get in an spinning classes too as they tend to do lots of on/off type work which will help with power and recovery.

millster

As far as your ride at the weekend, I've got a gpx file of a good 55 mile hilly route which may be of help as far as that is concerned. Starts in Headingley and runs down/through Otley, the Chevin and surrounding areas. Do you have a device capable of displaying it? If so, I can email it to you if you like.

Or, there's this route (which is from the relatively new Otley Sportive) http://connect.garmin.com/course/754216 .

This is also a ride around the area with some short/sharp climbs that get the legs going http://connect.garmin.com/activity/198650123 .

Just some ideas anyway (that you may already know) as getting out on the bike beats sitting in the gym any day!

Dom McCormack

Cheers everybody and for the routes Millster. I was supposed to be embarking on my first spin class at 7am this morning would you believe but the flamin' snow put paid to that!!

At least I feel like I'm on the right track.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Dom McCormack wrote:

Cheers everybody and for the routes Millster. I was supposed to be embarking on my first spin class at 7am this morning would you believe but the flamin' snow put paid to that!!

At least I feel like I'm on the right track.

Despite the sensations that people feel about hills, the limiter is an aerobic fitness one and not strength, and aerobic fitness that's specific to pedalling. So the very best training you can do to prepare for a bike event is to cycle more if at all possible, and of course ride up hills! If you can, cycle 4 times per week. Frequency of training really helps.

If confined to gym, then good quality efforts on the gym bikes will be far more productive than any weight machine will be. If you have bikes with some form of wattage display, and if you are lucky one of those machines will at least be consistent in the wattage reading and the actual resistance you feel. In that way you are able to measure your progress. e.g. one day you might do 30-minutes at 150 watts (or it could be 300 or whatever) and know that you've put in a pretty solid effort. Use that as a baseline for next time. Eventually you'll be able to sustain higher and higher power for the same duration as the weeks go by, but only if you are consistent with training.

Good luck with it! The world needs more cyclists.

GATES

Come and ride with us we are based at lawnswood and ride through otley an into the dales we are a new club full of ex rugby, army and strongmen.

Here is our webpage and you will find our Facebook group add us if you want hope too see you some time

albaRosa
http://www.albarosacc.com/

ShutUpLegs

GATES wrote:

we are a new club full of ex rugby, army and strongmen.

The relevance being :?:

sunburntknees

ShutUpLegs wrote:

GATES wrote:

we are a new club full of ex rugby, army and strongmen.

The relevance being :?:

The OP said he was "ex rugby".