Taking the next step
Figured I would kill two birds with one stone with this blog post. I recently received an e-mail from a reader who basically asked me, “I’ve reached this level in my cycling… now what?” Well, this gives me a chance to answer his questions and get a blog post in as well! Thanks, Matt.
Matt is from Florence, SC and he has pretty much just gotten started riding. He’s on a solid 1998 Giant TCR Expert. He is happy with his bike but does have questions about different tools and methods for training.
And he’s asking ME?
Matt, I would say you are doing well having worked yourself up to an hour in the saddle. For many of us that ends up being as much time as we have on any given weekday evening. Seeing your goal of an ultimate ride of 120 to 140 miles, you may need to work some longer rides as well.
Matt explains what he is currently doing.
I’ve currently been riding on a M/W/F schedule, and just following a podcast called “cadence revolution” as I ride. I have no idea what the BPM on the songs they play are, but I figure I’m supposed to be pacing my cadence to it. While I’m probably in the worst shape of my life, I’m quite proud that I managed to complete the hour long podcast for the first time last night.
Well, you won’t be “in the worst shape of your life” for very long. You seem to have made a good commitment to change and your goal of the ride to Myrtle Beach is a good target for you. Way to go working your way through that podcast… and on a trainer? Okay, you are committed!
I would encourage you to find some folks to ride with. I realize that some of the experienced riders and racers might be a bit intimidating, but I am certain you can find your niche. A quick search of the Internet brought me to the Pedal Pack of the Pee Dee website. Now, the first person you meet might be a jerk (I have no way of knowing), but you’re going to have to learn to ride them them as well.
Still, I guarantee there are some really cool people in that bunch. Hang out with them enough and you’ll find them. You might even find out that jerk really isn’t so much of a jerk once you get to know him.
I say this because it is important. You need the support around you to encourage you when the going gets tough. You need some scheduled group rides so you can learn how to handle the bike in the group, but also so you will have some accountability.
Yes, I am a gadget freak, but you really don’t need a heart rate monitor of power meter to get started on getting more fit. A cycling computer is a good start. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Measuring distance and speed is a good way to set goals and evaluate your success. Start that way.
Get on the road and set a distance – 10 miles for instance. Give it your best shot to see if you can pace yourself to a good time over that distance. Can you average 15 miles an hour? How about 17 mph? Whatever you find you can do set as your benchmark.
Then see if you can better your “personal best.” I found this was so much fun when I first began. It was also easy to see the progress. A warning though is that you will see dips and stalls sometimes before you see increases in performance.
Set new goals for distance and speed. In your case, you have an endurance goal, so speed is not so much important as setting new distance goals. Be prepared to devote some days for long rides.
You say you are saving money for the iBike iPro wireless system. That is a good choice. However, you really don’t need that (if ever) until you have some base fitness. Don’t invest in something like that until when or if you are ready to move into more serious training. Of course, if you are like me, another reason is just for the fun of looking at the graphs!
Oh, have you had a fitting? You mentioned that you have had a time getting yourself used to the seat and stuff. I cannot stress enough the importance of a good fit. Spending some money on a good professional fit would be money better spent than on any fancy gadgets for your bike.
That is my advice. You may graduate to a HR monitor for training. For the vast majority of recreational cyclists, that is the tool you can use for the next step in your training. I personally love the power meter, but I still use the information I learned about myself with the heart rate monitor to pace myself and understand my limits.
Get off that trainer as soon as you can. Getting on the road will open a whole new world for you. Getting in a group will bring an element to your enjoyment of the sport that you don’t want to miss out on. Stick with it and that ride to Myrtle Beach will just be the beginning.
Anyone else have some advice?
Thanks for the write-up Jonathan! I’ve been searching for a fairly untrafficked “loop” in town and think I’ve found a decent place to ride just 10 minutes from the house. It’s not the best as far as hills to climb (only one minor hill, but Florence is pretty flat as it is) but it’ll do for a start.
I’d known about the Pedal Pack for awhile, and your are right, I’ve just been a little intimidated about going and riding with them. They only have one no-drop ride and it’s on a Sunday afternoon which is just a bad time for me. All the rest are 30-65 miles @ 19+ mph. Just not sure I can hang with that sort of speed for that long. I’ve ridden with a friend 20 miles at 21.7 mph average (he has a computer), but I was totally blown afterward and I drafted the whole time. It was just total suffering for me at the time. (And I didn’t get back on the bike for 2 years afterward!)
Anyhow, I figure I’ll at least show up on Saturday morning to introduce myself and see if the speed/mileage and/or no-drop is a little over-stated on the website. I need to get my bike looked at anyhow, and since it’s the only cycle shop in Florence that they meet at, might as well introduce myself and get acquainted with the movers and shakers.
Again, thanks for all the advice and encouragement. I’m fairly determined to have fun with riding this time around!