Road to Victory.... well hopefully... please read

[TwistedParsnip]

Since October I have decided that I want to make road cycling my main objective (outside of family of course) and to improve in all areas, sprinting, average speed, durability - the whole nine yards in 2019
When I first bought a road bike in July of this year I enjoyed the odd ride but was languishing behind most of the friends/riders I encountered on the road averaging 13mph on 20 mileish routes.
Now I am currently averaging just short of 15mph and beginning to find hills a little easier than back in July.

Here is my current regime - i would love to hear what people think - anyone out there think I can improve on areas or adjust _- im mightily appreciative of any input

* all of these are from 5.30am before work
* i havent made massive dietry changes - but I am eating oats every morning without fail loaded with berries/bannanas compared to my fry up;s that I previously had - no sugary drinks, no alcohol, or smokes. Ive also upped my protein and take a milti vit and fish oil every morning
* ive lost about a stone and a half which would explain improvements on speed

Monday - Following a probable biggish ride the day before the first day of the week is 25-30 mins of light to medium dumbells which includes squats and upper body strengthening followed by 20 mins of back and glute strengthening.
In the evening a full body stretching routine.
Tuesday - I wake up and do my pre bike/spin warm up followed by a one hour cycle around a familiar road - somewhere in the region of 19 - 20 miles - comfortable pace but not sluggish
Wednesday - Back on the weights (as per Monday) and then a dinner time Spinning class on my lunch break - high intensity
In the evening another full body stretching routine
Thursday - I repeat my 20 mins of back and glute strengthening that I did on Monday and then hit the swimming pool for 45 mins - im not a good swimmer, cant do lengths etc but do a few hundred yards with what stroke I do have - hit the sauna to relax and then into work.
Friday - I wake up and do my 30 mins of dumbells and then out on the bike for a 10 -12 mile interval trained ride - 4 mins of flat out pedalling followed by 4 mins of recovery
Again another full stretch routine.
Saturday - Occassional acitvity but usually with family
Sunday - At the moment my Sundays are either a big ride - 40 miles plus or a 5 k run in the afternoon.


This is my Autumn/Winter training week it will probably change as spring approaches and more time will be spent on the bike

Id love to hear other peoples regimes or thoughts


Cheers!

 

[Heigue'r]

I'd say more time on the bike will probably help best,I don't mean that to sound smart but it is not a massive amount of miles to get the improvement I imagine you are looking for.

 

[TwistedParsnip]

I'd say more time on the bike will probably help best,I don't mean that to sound smart but it is not a massive amount of miles to get the improvement I imagine you are looking for.

Presently I would agree but as mentioned I intend to increase the time on bike over spring

 

[lazybloke]

Since October I have decided that I want to make road cycling my main objective (outside of family of course) and to improve in all areas, sprinting, average speed, durability - the whole nine yards in 2019
When I first bought a road bike in July of this year I enjoyed the odd ride but was languishing behind most of the friends/riders I encountered on the road averaging 13mph on 20 mileish routes.
Now I am currently averaging just short of 15mph and beginning to find hills a little easier than back in July.

Here is my current regime - i would love to hear what people think - anyone out there think I can improve on areas or adjust _- im mightily appreciative of any input

* all of these are from 5.30am before work
* i havent made massive dietry changes - but I am eating oats every morning without fail loaded with berries/bannanas compared to my fry up;s that I previously had - no sugary drinks, no alcohol, or smokes. Ive also upped my protein and take a milti vit and fish oil every morning
* ive lost about a stone and a half which would explain improvements on speed

Monday - Following a probable biggish ride the day before the first day of the week is 25-30 mins of light to medium dumbells which includes squats and upper body strengthening followed by 20 mins of back and glute strengthening.
In the evening a full body stretching routine.
Tuesday - I wake up and do my pre bike/spin warm up followed by a one hour cycle around a familiar road - somewhere in the region of 19 - 20 miles - comfortable pace but not sluggish
Wednesday - Back on the weights (as per Monday) and then a dinner time Spinning class on my lunch break - high intensity
In the evening another full body stretching routine
Thursday - I repeat my 20 mins of back and glute strengthening that I did on Monday and then hit the swimming pool for 45 mins - im not a good swimmer, cant do lengths etc but do a few hundred yards with what stroke I do have - hit the sauna to relax and then into work.
Friday - I wake up and do my 30 mins of dumbells and then out on the bike for a 10 -12 mile interval trained ride - 4 mins of flat out pedalling followed by 4 mins of recovery
Again another full stretch routine.
Saturday - Occassional acitvity but usually with family
Sunday - At the moment my Sundays are either a big ride - 40 miles plus or a 5 k run in the afternoon.


This is my Autumn/Winter training week it will probably change as spring approaches and more time will be spent on the bike

Id love to hear other peoples regimes or thoughts


Cheers!

My first thought was : Wow, there's a template for my New Years Resolutions.

 

[HarryTheDog]

As @Heigue'r said, actually not a lot of cycling miles per week, looks less than 100. Some of the guys I follow on Strava ( a lot of them the same people Heigue'r follows) are doing 200 miles just commuting and then knocking more out on the weekend. I don't suppose you can commute on your bike?. A easy way of getting miles in regularly without giving up too much time ie a normal bus car commute of 30 mins may be only a few mins more on the bike . However I am soon going to have to get back in the gym to improve overall upper body strength and wondering how the hell I am going to fit it all in and I am being encourage by my partner to do less cycling and more strength work and may be going down to 100 miles per week. Since its winter why don't you do turbo training twice during the week instead of your road rides, a structured plan on the turbo is better time spent than on the road this time of year. ( ~I was coached professionally or a while, turbo training was my coaches preferred method for speed and power improvement as road riding can be a little hit and miss) Overall though you will probably see a improvement if your training days are proper training days, you short rides should be bloody hard, my coach and other coaches favorite saying was quite often a amateurs training problem is that their rest days are not restful enough and their training days are not hard enough.

 

[biggs682]

That is some regime @TwistedParsnip
And well done to you
All will help but time spent on the bike is very important in my mind , so that's where i would be trying to find extra time

 

[TwistedParsnip]

As @Heigue'r said, actually not a lot of cycling miles per week, looks less than 100. Some of the guys I follow on Strava ( a lot of them the same people Heigue'r follows) are doing 200 miles just commuting and then knocking more out on the weekend. I don't suppose you can commute on your bike?. A easy way of getting miles in regularly without giving up too much time ie a normal bus car commute of 30 mins may be only a few mins more on the bike . However I am soon going to have to get back in the gym to improve overall upper body strength and wondering how the hell I am going to fit it all in and I am being encourage by my partner to do less cycling and more strength work and may be going down to 100 miles per week. Since its winter why don't you do turbo training twice during the week instead of your road rides, a structured plan on the turbo is better time spent than on the road this time of year. ( ~I was coached professionally or a while, turbo training was my coaches preferred method for speed and power improvement as road riding can be a little hit and miss) Overall though you will probably see a improvement if your training days are proper training days, you short rides should be bloody hard, my coach and other coaches favorite saying was quite often a amateurs training problem is that their rest days are not restful enough and their training days are not hard enough.

Tried the turbo but its just not for me - also the missus didnt like the noise it made. Id rather be out in the air catching those sunrises. Agreed though I need to increase my mileage and the intensity on short rides.
I plan to cycle to work during spring summer - currently there are no shower facilities .

 

[TwistedParsnip]

That is some regime @TwistedParsnip
And well done to you
All will help but time spent on the bike is very important in my mind , so that's where i would be trying to find extra time

Cheers!

 

[TwistedParsnip]

My first thought was : Wow, there's a template for my New Years Resolutions.

cheers!

 

[vickster]

Tried the turbo but its just not for me - also the missus didnt like the noise it made. Id rather be out in the air catching those sunrises. Agreed though I need to increase my mileage and the intensity on short rides.
I plan to cycle to work during spring summer - currently there are no shower facilities .

How far is it? You may not need a shower if you take it easy and wipe off with a flannel, put on some deo and change clothes when you get to work
I shower before I leave and am fine (4 miles, 20 mins, detour further on way home...every little helps)
Or where do you shower after your spin class? Presumably that’s close to office

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Your regime doesn't sound that much fun to be honest, and I wouldn't be surprised if you end up getting fed up with it, due to the amount of time commitment involved.. Seems overly regimented and numbers-oriented rather than just getting out for a ride as and when the mood takes you and enjoying the experience. Unless you are racing competitively, things like average speed really aren't important. For general fitness all you need to do is ride at a moderate pace and build up the total hours and miles. Gradually you get a bit quicker and are able to ride further before tiring out, and hills do not slow you down quite so much. There's no need to make a big deal about the technicalities of it unless competing against the clock. The bottom line is anyone who does some regular physical activity will be fitter than someone who doesn't do any, which means even someone with a fairly casual attitude to cycling will become significantly fitter than the average sedentary citizen over time. The important thing is to approach activity in a way that it does not become a chore to be endured not enjoyed. For example there is no way on earth I'm going to force myself to get up at 5.30 on a freezing cold, dark, winter morning in order to ride a bike!. However, on a nice crisp but sunny winters day a ride can be highly enjoyable and therefore something I will do voluntarily without it becoming a drudge.
I know of several people who have adopted a similar approach to you; i.e. go in all guns blazing with a demanding and unrealistic exercise regime that leaves them with little other free time. Eventually they have come to resent doing the activity in a rigidly structured way, and have ended up throwing in the towel and stopping completely.

 

[TwistedParsnip]

How far is it? You may not need a shower if you take it easy and wipe off with a flannel, put on some deo and change clothes when you get to work
I shower before I leave and am fine (4 miles, 20 mins, detour further on way home...every little helps)
Or where do you shower after your spin class? Presumably that’s close to office

its 13 miles to work (26)

The spinning class is at the local leisure club - i do have the option of going to the club twice a week and using their shower facilities.
The ridiculous thing is I got the road bike through the ccyle to work scheme and they dont have showers for employees!

 

[Milkfloat]

As @SkipdiverJohn alluded too, it is better to build up slowly and do it because you like it, rather than to hit it hard and burn out. Your commute looks like a great way to get miles in your legs.

 

[vickster]

its 13 miles to work (26)

The spinning class is at the local leisure club - i do have the option of going to the club twice a week and using their shower facilities.
The ridiculous thing is I got the road bike through the ccyle to work scheme and they dont have showers for employees!

So you used C2W scheme but don't use it to cycle to work...you may wish to check the Ts & Cs (not that most companies, nor HMRC are likely to pursue you for breach and the money saved back)

13 miles is about an hour commute at a leisurely pace, no real need for a shower unless you are extremely sweaty

I don;t know if you have any joint issues, but make sure you have proper form for all those weights, squats, and the swimming to avoid hurting yourself (you do risk overuse injuries going at it all guns blazing anyhow)

 

[Drago]

Your biggest attribute is a positive mental attitude, a sheer bloody single-mindeness to stick at it. If you have that, then anything positive you do will have an effect because you'll keep doing it, keep doing it, keep doing it.