Training for biking

[ViciousDADogg]

What can I do to improve my biking?


I can maxout on the flat at 28 mph for a short distance, while sitting down. When riding around town I average 14 mph, speed is usually between 22 and 16..

Basically I'm fast when I do cadence 80 or above. But usually it's bellow 80, at 70.

I can't keep the high cadence for long, my legs get tired above knees.


My usual flat terrain gears are 68, 77, 82, 95, 102, 110, 120 inches. I spend most of my time in 68 at 70 cadence, gets me 14 mph. In 77 at 80 or above I can easily hit 20 mph. 22 in 82... 95 and 102 are used when I'm really hauling a55, but not for long.

 

[stronglifts]

squats!

 

[mintxx]

one of the problems with biking is that riding as transport doesn't convert well to crit or track racing. you need to increase your v02 max and strengthen your heart, and also train your legs to withstand higher amounts of lactic acid output. riding in built areas doesn't help because you stop and start. ride for an hour a day with 70 or 80 percent of your max heart rate, (get a polar) and try and cover 30km or so with constant effort. eat and drink on the rides (bananas, gatorade etc) and alternate hill sprints etc. hydrate well.
it comes down to practise, unless you're one of those rare people who cannot increase their vo2 with training (or one of those with a physiological gift, i.e. Jan Ullrich etc).
it also comes down to pain resistance. progression is achieved by holding your body over your pain threshold for long periods. this will push the threshold back. it will take time.
leg presses, squats, core exercises and cross-training cardio such as rowing will also benefit your performance to a lesser extent. your body will only adapt to what you force it to do, and that involves pain. to quote Marco Pantani, I push hard on long climbs to the point of exhaustion 'to make my suffering end sooner'.
eat a lot more calories. also, you may find that after a one hour ride, you can refuel and revive to 100% and go out and do it again the same day. do that.
lastly, if you haven't already, but a decent all-round bike such as a trek madone or cannondale system-6. ultimately, the only answer i can give (since you seem to know what you're doing already) is just push yourself harder and longer.
cheers,
mintxx

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Pick easier gears and spin faster. Stop mashing the big gears and work on increasing your sustained cadence by 3-5% each week. You won't break your barrier until your standard cadence is at least closer to 90, preferably a little higher.

When you ride, don't use your pizza gear. Don't worry about your speed, just keep spinning. Also, shift as the road rises and falls. You want your legs and breathing to be sustained no matter if you are climbing, riding the flats or descending. It shouldn't be labored, it should be effortless. Imaging a duck on the water, serene and steady up top but a spinning dervish beneath the surface.

 

[Throttle]

fda -- i'll be commuting ~25 minutes by bike this fall, and i'm curious to learn more about cadence, etc., since my habit has been to, as you say, 'mash the big gears.' can you point me to any good resources? in particular, how do i count cadence? (do i need a special device attached to the bike?)

 

[mintxx]

mid range bike computers have a magnetic sensor on the crank arm, some wireless, which will give you current, max and average cadence (in addition to the basic speed sensor magnet that you'd fix to the front wheel), they are usually pretty cheap and easy to pop on your bike if that helps

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Yeah, since it's for commuting get an inexpensive computer. Shop around and you should find one for around $30. Cateye makes a ton of them. Check out this link with various cyclo-computers. Disregard anything costing more than $50, those have integrated GPS systems and/or heart rate monitors. Those are fine if you were actually training but its total overkill for commuting.

As for learning about cadence, google training articles by Chris Carmichael. He's a well know trainer, he worked with some guy named Lance.

http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?subcategory=60001035&category=600082&browse=&storetype=&estoreid=&brand=&searchbox=&start=1&orderby=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Cyclocomputers

 

[mintxx]

'Imagine a duck on the water, serene and steady up top but a spinning dervish beneath the surface.'
- brilliant!