Give us a workout...

[Monsieur Remings]

Okay, this year thus far I've been training for the Etape, which I completed last last weekend. The training I undertook was hilly, lots of repeats and I spent as long as I could in the saddle. My goal wasn't to be particularly fast but to be able to pace myself and get up those mountains.

My goal before the end of 2012 however takes me to pastures anew...well sort of, and I want to be able to finish a race in a reasonable position with the main group, without being dropped! Easier said than done but I'd appreciate some tips about what I intend to be shorter, more intense workouts, lots of interval training and anything that's worked for you as a lower category racer which made you faster over shorter distances.

I eat well enough and wish to go on another weight loss mission, without dieting through the cunning method of drinking and eating less. I weigh about 13 stone and intend at 5'10 to be a further stone down before the end of the season. I use recovery periods and formulas and just want a change of routine.

So, anybody with any ideas particularly in regard to interval training...what works for you? How many minutes of intensity versus those less intense periods. It should be quite obvious that I know very little about this side of training so any help would be most appreciated.

And, 'the best advice I can give you for racing is to have a test to find out what your fat and sugar burning threshold is' said my mechanic. Can someone explain this?

 

[black'n'yellow]

find a local chaingang - and ride with them. Tabata sessions, 2x20s and/or 15sec intervals on the turbo would also help. I can't explain what your mechanic said, cos it doesn't seem to make any sense.

Bear in mind - at this end of the season, you will be up against others who have been going at it since early spring - although there's never a 'bad' time to start racing, it is still worth bearing in mind when comparing your fitness to others in the race.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Yep, thanks Black n' Yella, that last bit is worth bearing in mind but I'm just too stubborn to leave it at that this year. The focus I got from training from the Etape is something that I need again with a different focus.

Cheers.

Any other takers?

 

[black'n'yellow]

Stubbornness is good - in that case, go for it now - there are crits at Llandow tomorrow night and at Castle Coombe on Thursday night. If you're in Clevedon, you're well-placed to get to both, I would guess. Turn up, sign on and go racing. If you are not ready, then by racing now at least you will know what is required, which will then make it easier to focus on it.

 

[VamP]

Get yourself along to a race - there's no substitute for experiencing first hand the speed and acceleration surges, as well as the demands of pack riding. This will inform you as to where your relative strengths and weaknesses lie.

As to interval training, there's loads of literature available, so educate yourself - there's no substitute to understanding what you are doing in training adn what you are trying to achieve.

Keep a training journal.

Make sure that you apply more intensity than you think you should in your intense sessions.

Make sure that you ride more slowly than you think you should in your recovery sessions.

Use a HRM (or better still power meter if you can afford it) to help you understand about intensity.

Join a cyclocross league over winter.

Include sprint training.

There's a few pointers. As to what your mechanic was saying - I suspect he was rreferring to HR zones for training, but can't be sure as it sounds lilke he didn't know what he meant himself.