Get this book!
I was doing really long LSD rides of 5-6 hours 2x per week. But once I got around to reading the book he doesn’t really put that much emphasis on putting that much time in the saddle. So now I am spreading the hours out and doing some on the rollers.
Get a heart rate monitor! This one was on sale at my local performance for $105 last time I was there…
OK so I’m a little late in the game. I’m pretty out of shape. I’m getting my road bike in the next week or so and was planning on just putting in miles to get my lungs back and work the legs up again. I was gonna start with maybe 20 miles two days a week and gradually over a month, maybe two, up that to 40-50 miles and eventually 60-70 miles two days a week. I’m thinking by February? Do this sound like too much?
I was also going to hit the gym in a couple of weeks. Do leg work(dead lifts, leg press, etc) also some upper body and back work. I plan on taking my time so as to not overload myself. If you guys have any specifics I should know so I can maximize my time in the saddle and in the gym i would love to hear it.
I guess this all a better plan than last season where I barely trained at all before I started racing. That was lame.
[quote=“Quinn8it”]Get this book!
I was doing really long LSD rides of 5-6 hours 2x per week. But once I got around to reading the book he doesn’t really put that much emphasis on putting that much time in the saddle. So now I am spreading the hours out and doing some on the rollers.
Get a heart rate monitor! This one was on sale at my local performance for $105 last time I was there…[/quote]
Word. I’ll get a computer/HRM/cadence piece after the next paycheck… around January. And I was definitely looking into getting that book, my only problem is those books are always written towards roadies doing distance races and the longest race I did last season was a good 15 minutes.
When doing LSD miles, think time not miles. Some people think that 4hrs(or more) is the magic number for aerobic endurance and others think shorter durations are fine. Especially if you are training for track events. But you still need to accumulate 6-10 hours in the saddle every week. The idea with LSD is that you ride exclussively in zone 2, and your body becomes really effecient at using stored fats as fuel. You also build the level of effort you can put out before you cross the line into zone 3/muscular endurance. That means you are riding in zone 2 way longer. 20 miles 2 days a week sounds like 2.5 hours in the saddle… you need more time! Also do some speed work… Like intervals on rollers where you try to spin your highest cadence for 30 seconds then rest for 3-4 minutes
AS far as weights stick to a full body work out and plan on like 6 weeks. The first 2 weeks do high reps and low weight then for the last 4 weeks higher weight.
Once you get into zone 3, zone 4 and harder workouts drop the weight sessions down to once a week…
Makes sense. I was being conservative about the days per week. It’ll probably be more like long rides on my days off and night rides twice a week. So 3-4 days a week at least. Also, I don’t have rollers but I was planning on doing some intervals around Fiesta Island which is a flat 1 1/2 mile or so loop, basically a big non-banked velodrome. I think I’m gonna get my Nishiki going tomorrow so I can start doing this.
Remember that you are not looking to do a hard work out during this stage of “base training” thats why speed work is well suited for rollers. Speed work is about technique. Rollers with a small gear gives you a good platform to focus on spin and technique without worrying about resistance or being in a hard HR zone for too long…
[quote=“tarckatina”]
my only problem is those books are always written towards roadies doing distance races and the longest race I did last season was a good 15 minutes.[/quote] Very true! but you can modify it to fit. I am absolutely a track racer, but I do crits as training rides during the season. Still my longest effort will be 45 minutes. That said, your points race performance will benefit from long(ish) rides, of say 2hours. It is about teaching your body to be more efficient with its fuel choices during laps 1-9, 11-19, 20-29 and 30-39 so that you have the gas to win lap 10, 20, 30 and 40
Even Friel says the training bible is already pretty outdated… for track you dont need to ride more than 1.5-2 hours for your normal rides… maybe do 1 longer ride a week of ~3 hours…
Spending your fall/winter boring yourself w/ L2 rides is great for pro’s with nothing else to do… but there are better ways to build your base… Sweet spot training is the buzz workout these days and it is actually IMO the way to go…
Its much easier w/ a powermeter… but the idea behind it is riding high tempo or low threshold pace… that is the area were you get the most benefit for your time, but it isnt too hard so that you can do multiple days in a row without great fatigue.
My winter = 70% Sweet spot, 10% threshold intervals, 10% SS mountainbike, 10% gym. so far I’m seeing good results.
I agree with pretty much everything that dmoto said.
I will say that in terms of time expended there might be more efficient ways of training, but you cant argue that classic base mile work is great for your yearly fitness. I like the boring L2 training because it is a welcome break from the grueling rides during race season, couple that with my sunny California location and the fact that its 4-5 hours that I dont have to change a diaper and LSD seems like time well spent.
[quote=“Quinn8it”][quote=“tarckatina”]
my only problem is those books are always written towards roadies doing distance races and the longest race I did last season was a good 15 minutes.[/quote] Very true! but you can modify it to fit. I am absolutely a track racer, but I do crits as training rides during the season. Still my longest effort will be 45 minutes. That said, your points race performance will benefit from long(ish) rides, of say 2hours. It is about teaching your body to be more efficient with its fuel choices during laps 1-9, 11-19, 20-29 and 30-39 so that you have the gas to win lap 10, 20, 30 and 40[/quote]
Yes, I found that long rides were great for points race endurance (i.e. 40-60 miles) but the absolute BEST was just doing mock-points race intervals at the track. That is, 4 laps of decent, do-able race pace followed by one lap of all out, balls-to-the-wall sprinting. I’d usually do that for 25-30 laps. If the sprint went right, I’d still be going pretty fast through most of the next lap while recovering, and be totally exhausted by the end. Then I’d take a 10 minute break and repeat the whole thing.
10x10’s also worked great last season. 10 seconds all out, 10 rest, repeated 10 times then 10 minutes rest and repeat.
Being able to throw in an explosive acceleration that throws everyone off guard is probably my favorite thing about racing…
I am jealous 
Winters in Idaho are cold/rain/snow and get dark way too early… so I’m on the trainer… I did the typical base bs last season, I had a coach suggesting 3hr l2 rides… those were TORTURE to grind out in the garage.
[quote=“dmotoguy”] I had a coach suggesting 3hr l2 rides… those were TORTURE to grind out in the garage.[/quote] That sounds brutal. I just finished a 1hr L2 on the rollers and It was hard to get through…
I think my longest ride on rollers was 30 minutes.
I just get so ridiculously sweaty that I have to quit after awhile…
For what it’s worth, this is my routine.
Warm-up: I start out every morning with a nice sitz bath while I read the Funnies. Once I begin to get “pruney,” I know I’m all loosened up. Before I dry myself, I put the paper down and light a few scented candles. Personally, I feel the candles with natural aphrodisiacs are the best as they stimulate blood flow and enhance performance. I then allow myself 3.5 hours to air dry, before I eat my pre-ride eggs. These consist of half a dozen cage free organic raw eggs. Add 1 tbsp pepper, 4 tbsp whole grain flour, and 1 cup sea salt. Mix everything together, and enjoy. Then comes the peppermint oil. Many case studies have found this oil to have performance enhancing qualities. Most cyclists employ the method of placing an oil-saturated cotton ball in the nose. I take this method a step further and place a saturated cotton ball in each orifice. Leave them in for the entirety of your ride. But before I hop on the bike, I complete a full session of Lamaze. This helps alleviate residual anxiety from the peppermint oil and helps me to focus.
Now for the ride: My program is a little different from other’s, and keep in mind I have a coach and have been doing this for a while, so my particular regimen may not be perfect for you. My coach’s philosophy is founded on the principle that races are made up of 30 second efforts. If an attack goes, it doesn’t take more than 30 seconds to cover it. And you may only have to do this 50 times during a race. With this in mind, my “base miles” consist of intervals. We break those 30 second efforts into segments. The fastest way to do 30 seconds is to do 5 seconds as fast as you can, 6 times. Consequently, my training rides consist of me going as hard as I can possibly imagine myself going for 5 seconds. Then, I rest for 5 seconds, and I do this 300 times. This equals fifty 30 second intervals. I do this ride every day. That’s another crucial aspect of the training: all the times your competition is resting is an opportunity for you to get ahead.
Cool down: This is my favorite part! The first thing I do is put on four pairs of panty hose. These act as compression socks. They’re tight, cheap, but above all, feminine. You want to get your testosterone levels as low as you can, as quickly as you can. This keeps you from recovering, and therefore, your body can adapt to fatigue. This is why I also play Abba (specifically, Dancing Queen and Money, Money, Money) so loud that the neighbors can hear. For my post ride snack (and remember: you have 30 minutes before the “glycemic window” closes) I get a bowl, a 5-lb package of ground beef, and I stir a bottle of ketchup into the meat. This gives you the perfect proportion of protein, vegetables, and high-fructose corn syrup. Then, put in a mix tape from middle school and cry yourself to sleep.
Hope this helps!
FUCK. OFF.
EAT. SHIT.
DAMN. IT.
Hahahaha.
The long post and proper grammar / capitalization had me fooled that he was going to have something serious to say!
[quote=“tarckatina”]Hahahaha.
The long post and proper grammar / capitalization had me fooled that he was going to have something serious to say![/quote]
He’s not serious? Ill go drain the bath tub…
glad you all enjoyed it. if any of you want to train here in STL, please track me down.
Am I the only person that has seriously let their mileage lapse since the weather got gnarly? My training plan had me scheduled for a 2 hour Zone2 ride + a bunch of intervals, but I will probably do closer to 45 minutes with the intervals worked into the ride.
I’m not going to be as fast as I had hoped…
it has me on the trainer a lot more than I had hoped to be…
no long weekend rides to look forward to 
I need to get in the gym more, I’ve lifted twice in the last month.
I’m going to try to make it over to portland for some races next season, it looks like our velodrome construction is paused for the moment 
