I haven’t been outside training on the bike for about 3 weeks now, and it’s driving me nuts. Am I just being a softie? I had all the right intentions when I took the Orange R8 up to the Lakes, but here’s what happened:
Going snowhere
To be fair, the trails up there were almost impossible to walk on without crampons, so I probably wouldn’t have spent much time upright on the bike. Even the local bike shop in Ambleside seemed to be discouraging customers from test riding bikes because of the conditions.
So the holidays are over, and it’s time to get pedaling (and peddling!) bikes again. We have a lot planned for this year, so I’ve decided not to race the BMBS (NPS) races this year. I’m going to try to stick to more local events, team events, and possibly more road.
Track cycling is great. For the uninitiated, it means riding round a banked indoor track (velodrome) on a fixed wheel bike. The video below was shot at the Newport Velodrome in Wales, riding with the Newmarket Cycling & Triathlon Club:
If you haven’t ridden a fixed wheel bike before it’s hard to explain the feeling. You’re solidly clipped into the pedals, there’s no freewheel and no brakes. You slow down simply by pushing back on the pedals – and there’s no chance of stopping pedalling once you get going. Adding to the fear factor is the 45 degree slope at the ends of the track. It sounds terrifying to beginners but once you’re caning round the track at 25mph it feels just great.
So, what do you need to have a go? Obviously it helps to go with a club (or your mates) – particularly if you haven’t done it before, but the only bit of specialised equipment you need is cycling shoes with Look Delta Cleats. You don’t even need these if you’re happy to use toe-clips on your trainers.
Now, can we please have a velodrome somewhere in the East of England?
Turbo training during the cold, dark winter months can sometimes be the only way to keep up the fitness.
But whirring away on your own staring at the garage wall can soon start to test anyones motivation and dedication. Here are some ideas to liven up those turbo sessions:
Have a plan. Don’t just get onto your turbo and start pedalling. You’ll benefit much more from a turbo session that has some structure and a goal. Don’t forget to warm up at the start of the session and cool down at the end. Do this in a low gear, spinning easily for about 10 minutes. During the main session you can then use gear changes, tempo changes (a cycle computer that measures cadence – like the Cateye Strada Cadence – can help with this) and different time intervals to vary the session and make the minutes fly by!
Find friends – if you’ve got a big garage invite your mates round. You might not give up as readily if you mates are there too!
Better still, join a club. A lot of cycling clubs run a coached turbo session during the winter months. Locally, the Newmarket Cycling and Triathlon Club run a popular session. These are very social events and as they are coached you can just turn up and do as you are told. Easy! Details can be found on the club website.
Training DVDs are another alternative. A lot can be overly-enthusiastic but give your sessions structure and can be highly amusing!
I’ll try to put more turbo session ideas on here as the winter goes on. If anyone else has tips they’d like to share then please add them!
It’s that time of year when most peoples racing seasons are over, and new training plans start. Weight training is supposed to be important at the start of winter – for me, it’s got to be simple and easy, and something I can do at home.
I made up a routine loosely based on the No Gym, No Problem – Mountain Bike Strength Training (from the MTB Strength Coach), not just because it’s dead simple, but also because “Bodyweight training also offers the added benefit of increasing our body awareness and control.” You might be dubious about just how much you can increase your strength by using only your bodyweight. But you might surprised how hard this workout can be. A really important aspect of the routine is to pay attention to the time you take on each exercise. “Tempo allows me to assign a rep speed which will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the workout. Tempo is communicated via a three number sequence such as 3-1-3. The first number tells you what speed to lower yourself down in the exercise, the second number tells you how long to pause at the bottom and the third number tells you what speed to raise yourself back up.”
This is a typical workout I might do (the videos are for illustration only – so don’t give me a hard time about their content!)
