Am i good enough to start training professional/seriously

b. 1998

So i have been cycling for 6 months, and have gotten already a power meter to train but would like to start more professionally/seriously as I just turnt 18.

Here's couple of my rides

https://www.strava.com/activities/vb
https://www.strava.com/activities/ho


I always cycle alone and I guess that I dont push myself as mush as if i was cycling in a group. My FTP is much higher than my rides as a consequence though i do do aome efforts in between

fenix

Look for a local club to join. You'll learn lots there and you can see how you shape up against the racing boys.

(oh choose a club with plenty of youngsters and racing people)

Are all your rides that kind of length and speed ?

webboo

b. 1998 wrote:

So i have been cycling for 6 months, and have gotten already a power meter to train but would like to start more professionally/seriously as I just turnt 18.

Here's couple of my rides

https://www.strava.com/activities/701172967
https://www.strava.com/activities/703514711


I always cycle alone and I guess that I dont push myself as mush as if i was cycling in a group. My FTP is much higher than my rides as a consequence though i do do aome efforts in between

:roll:

bendertherobot

Do you mean training to be a professional? Well, of course you're good enough, you're cycling. Whether you'll be good enough to BE a professional in due course is quite another thing. In terms of being fast you've got quite a long way to go to be best in a club at the moment I'm afraid but don't let that put you off.

b. 1998

bendertherobot wrote:

Do you mean training to be a professional? Well, of course you're good enough, you're cycling. Whether you'll be good enough to BE a professional in due course is quite another thing. In terms of being fast you've got quite a long way to go to be best in a club at the moment I'm afraid but don't let that put you off.

What's a decent average pace then? In a bunch, it'd be 3-4 mph higher if i'm sharing workload

fenix

There is no decent average pace. Depends on distance, wind, numbers, terrain etc.

thefd

Your pace is ok for a flat ride. I wouldn't say it is particularly fast. You need to try some hills though...

b. 1998

TheFD wrote:

Your pace is ok for a flat ride. I wouldn't say it is particularly fast. You need to try some hills though...

Some small hills where i'm from but no big monutains

sungod

then go up the steepest one you can find many times (hill repeats), it's not the same as long/hard climbs, but it still helps

ugo.santalucia

Get a BC race licence and have a go at your local race scene... see where you stand in the pack, get some points, progress to cat. 3 and then see if you like it

b. 1998

sungod wrote:

then go up the steepest one you can find many times (hill repeats), it's not the same as long/hard climbs, but it still helps

Yeah mate i do thanks.

I guess i should've simply said my ftp was 290 as this negates the need for me to upload my ride. I just need to work on increasing it and building distance endurance

cougie

So yes you are fit. You're not good enough to turn professional but who knows with a few years of training behind you.

You sound keen and if you don't try then you'll never know.

trailflow

Your already training now and gaining experience. Any riding is training and vice versa. It's all beneficial. Upping the distances and introducing tougher hills is the next step.

But If your not involved in any racing/crits/sportives/events/time trials/clubs or have others riders to compare against how would you know any extra training is paying off ? You need a specfic purpose for the training otherwise your only just riding for yourself no matter how great your numbers are/become.

Also training/racing isn't just about speed/distance/ftp/power output. Bike handling,experience on the road are also necessary skills. Nobody goes from beginner to pro level bike handling in 6 months. It's a gradual process that takes time. So you need to build on those skills too. The more time on the bike,the more experience you'll gain,the better you'll get,the more consistant your training numbers will be. The bigger the improvement you'll see.

Take it too seriously and you can forget that it's meant to be fun.

murf1480

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Get a BC race licence and have a go at your local race scene... see where you stand in the pack, get some points, progress to cat. 3 and then see if you like it

Join a club and do the above.

napoleond

You're a few years behind, you need to join a racing club soonest and get some racing done.
I know skinny 16 year old decent club riders with far higher FTP than that.

stueys

b. 1998 wrote:

I guess i should've simply said my ftp was 290 as this negates the need for me to upload my ride. I just need to work on increasing it and building distance endurance

This is meaningless without knowing your weight. Take a look at http://cyclingtips.com/2009/07/just-how ... hese-guys/

If you want to race fitness is the entry point, doing more than that relies on handling skills and race intelligence. Both of which come from racing, lots....

ajwcyclist

As other have said you'd really need to get into a club with racing riders also maybe decied what type of events your would like to do. Racing is not nessarilly about be the strongest rider jts also about being the smartest knowing what wheel to follow. Things like strava are just fun but it's not racing

ugo.santalucia

b. 1998 wrote:

sungod wrote:

then go up the steepest one you can find many times (hill repeats), it's not the same as long/hard climbs, but it still helps

Yeah mate i do thanks.

I guess i should've simply said my ftp was 290 as this negates the need for me to upload my ride. I just need to work on increasing it and building distance endurance

I think you want to read too much in those numbers.
If you want to race, there are two avenues: one is the road race and for that you need to get a racing licence and start racing. Typically the step from cat. 4 to cat. 3 is straightforward if you have a bit of talent or a lot of dedication. The step to cat. 2 will tell you whether you can take racing seriously or it's best to not bother... you really want to be cat. 2 well before you turn 20. From there to cat. 1 is a long journey, but if you make it there, you can think that you might be someone on the national scene if you keep at it... for international glory you nowhere near arrived yet though. It's a pyramid, where every step is steeper than the previous, you start with a handicap, as most riders who want to become PRO start a lot earlier, but don't let that deter you!

The other avenue is that of becoming a tester: basically join a club and enter lots of time trials, in that scene numbers are more important than raw talent. The scene is very lively in the UK, but I suspect the days when you could make a modest living out of it, like Hutchinson did, are gone. As road cycling is becoming increasingly successful in the UK, sponsors money goes that way.

There is a third way, which is the track... but you need to live reasonably close to a decent facility... the opportunities there are quite obvious, but the competition fierce

fat daddy

18 and cycling for 6 months .... you do have a bit of catching up to do. If you look at any of the pros and what they have won etc, all of them have been "racing" since they were about 12-14 in junior leagues

thants not to say you cant do it and you haven't left it late, if you have a good engine an d are a natural talent then its doable at your age .. BUT, you need to get into the racing scene now, whether that be road or track, you need to be racing, you cant rely just on power, that might get you to the top 80% of people .. but the pros arnt in the top 80%

markhewitt1978

Lets not put the lad off of course, he's only 18 and if he was to keep at it he could do well in racing - as could any 18 year old if they commit themselves enough.

Good enough to make a living out of it, well very few manage that in any case and most of the ones that do aren't well paid. But for most who race that doesn't matter.

fat daddy

yes of course ..... the pros I am talking about are the Pros that ride in the Grand Tours, the one that make TV viewing ... but they are the cream of the crop, there must be a million of other Pros that race in the classics, etc for Teams that arnt in the A or B team

okgo

How heavy/big are you?

290w would be alright if you were under 60kg.

bobmcstuff

okgo wrote:

How heavy/big are you?

290w would be alright if you were under 60kg.

Although at 18 with only 6mo experience he probably has somewhere to go from there.

I'm no expert of FTP but it sounds like a reasonable level for a club rider - obviously not pro level, not yet at least.

jimwalsh

the lad is only asking if he can train more "professionally" not sure he is suggesting that he is about to turn pro...

as everyone else has suggested join your local racing club and start racing.

the only way to find out if you like it is to try.

get a copy of "racing and training with a power meter" will give you a good idea of what sort of sessions to do.

okgo

bobmcstuff wrote:

okgo wrote:

How heavy/big are you?

290w would be alright if you were under 60kg.

Although at 18 with only 6mo experience he probably has somewhere to go from there.

I'm no expert of FTP but it sounds like a reasonable level for a club rider - obviously not pro level, not yet at least.

18 is not exactly all that young as others have mentioned, if he had said 390w then we might be onto something But as I say, he could be tiny

fenix

Wasnt it Dag Otto Lauritzen that got into cycling well into his 20s or something ?

18 is a bit older than most people start cycling - but there's no reason why he can't progress dramatically.

kayakerchris

I think it depends on his previous history. The british talent scouts seem to be able to take people from other sports and transfer them to cycling but it mainly seems to be track or other sports where tactical nous is not as important such as pursuit or sprint kayaking.

The complex tactical sports seem to be much less transferable.

DavidJB

Don't bother, chance of success is minimal, money is shit and you'll be moving around for 9 months of the year. You've only been doing it 6 months...come back after hours and hours in the dark and cold. Focus on getting a proper job, and race as much as you can...if you're any good you'll find out quickly.

fenix

It's pretty serious to have a power meter after just 6 months of riding.

Just go for it and see where you get to. Even if you don't make it good enough to be professional you can enjoy it.

tgotb

What jimwalsh said - If you read the OP, he's asking whether it's worth putting more effort in; I think his use of the word 'professional' is a bit misleading.

OP - what the others said. Join a club, ride with them and learn from them. Learn group riding skills, and once you find your feet start going on club runs that stretch you a bit. From there, take advice from clubmates and have a go at racing (whichever discipline you fancy, have the kit for, and can get to). If at any point it stops getting fun, go back one step.

Anyone can get fitter, but if you want to do anything competitive other than time trialling you need to learn how to ride in close proximity to other riders, and by far the best way to do this is in a club environment.

If the question's actually "am I good enough to ride with a club", so long as you can take a bit of constructive criticism and are prepared to learn from others, the answer is undoubtedly Yes. Just don't try to show off the first time you turn up; plenty of time for that later!

voodooman

I wouldn't know about cycling in all honesty but...

Any sport at pro level is a very hard game indeed and you need to be able to push yourself to the absolute max regularly, whilst also living life of relative denial (training, diet, rest & recuperation) compared to your mates. The difference in many sports between top level amateur and bottom rung pro is huge. And each step up from there is huge.