Topic Title

Hey All,

Went out with the Huddersfield Star Wheelers slow group yesterday and the hills absolutely killed me!

I could do with some tips on training. A friend has suggested that I try interval training. I was wondering whether anyone can suggest a good 30k-ish route around York where I could safely practice fast intervals. I tried it on the Transpennine way and the bumps nearly killed the bike and me.

I'd like to eventually join the training ride but I'm pretty sure I'm not fast enough yet. Any other suggestions to help speed me up? Particularly on the hills...

Many thanks
Edd

Hi Edd

Basically, do some reading and do yourself a training plan, based upon what (racing? TT's?) you want to be doing and when, and where you are now. Either buy Joe Friel's Cyclist's Training Bible or read and inwardly digest the "how do I" bits of www.flamerouge.je. Intervals can be great if you've already built a base of aerobic fitness but it depends what sort of intervals.

If you want to head out with the training ride then just turn up; make sure you know the route so if you do get dropped you can make a solo ride of it and find your way back. Generally if you keep turning up you'll stick with it longer until you're there for the duration.

Enjoy!

Phil

As someone who (largely by accident!) has been on a couple of training rides I wonder if there would be some benefit in having some of the routes available on one of the mapping sites to look at? I thought I knew exactly where we were going this week but the left turn out of tadcaster took me by surprise, partly because I know how I would get to bramham from tad and that wasn't it!!

I wonder as well if would help and encourage people new to the training rides if there was a full and frank discussion on the day about expectations on being dropped. I'm happy to be spat off the back if I'm not fast enough (and demonstrated a definite ability on that front this week ) but if people are worried about not being fast enough and holding others up it will only put them off. I know it's on the website but it might help.

Just a couple of suggestions. Having said all that I really enjoyed the rides I've been on and would encourage anyone to have a go.

Hi Sue,

Below are the Garmin links to all the 4 training rides we do;

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/442046244 Tadcaster, Bramham, Thorner.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/438685175 Southerly Howden route

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/435250765 A168 North

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/431639176 Malton

You can save them as a course for your Garmin.

I'll let Phil comment on the protocol about being dropped, although I've had plenty of practise at it...

Andy

Thanks Andy, that's exactly (sadly) what I need.

Good man, Andy. I don't have a Garmin so my information on routes is strictly of the "turn left at the Blue Anchor, straight on to the Dog & Duck..." variety.

Thanks for the feedback, Sue. I'll take it on board and do more of a chat before setting off, both about this and (having had feedback from Muzzy) about general protocol for when the pace starts picking up through the ride. Hopefully the latter will be increasingly more relevant for you than the former.

Just to reiterate though - I often hear people say "oh, I'm not sure if I'm quick enough so I'll leave it a bit". Don't! Just turn up and give it a go - there are people who are now perfectly comfortable for the duration of the training rides who last winter, or earlier this winter, were getting dropped. As I often say, you should be doing other stuff as well as the training rides (and given winter weather a turbo really is a useful bit of kit for doing the shorter, more intense stuff) but riding swiftly in a bunch really requires you to get out there and ride swiftly in a bunch, for as long as you're able. As long as you can make a solo ride of it if you need to (and thanks to AndyT the routes are no mystery now) and just let someone know if you drop off the back but don't have a puncture/mechanical/whatever, then everyone's happy.

(By the way - that left turn after Tadcaster is an old Arthur Clune trick for getting on to the Bramham road without a right turn off that rather fast main road. Plus that short, sharp rise and subsequent false flat into a stiff westerly are always one of the highlights of the ride!)

(By the way - that left turn after Tadcaster is an old Arthur Clune trick for getting on to the Bramham road without a right turn off that rather fast main road. Plus that short, sharp rise and subsequent false flat into a stiff westerly are always one of the highlights of the ride!)

Also avoids the mess the quarry lorries deposit on the road just along from the college!

To add on to Phil's comments, I'm a pretty good example of sticking with the training ride and eventually you'll hang on (for dear life) until the end...

I first started on the training rides mid-summer 2012 with a brand new bike, complete with flashy go-faster carbon wheels . I was dropped like a stone on the first dozen or so rides, but then a winter of decent training and I started to hang-on...

The real acid test will be when it starts to ramp up when the summer bikes comes out of the woodwork, the tan-lines appear and everyone moans it's too hot..

Thanks,
Andy

Thank you everyone for your help (and discussion!). That's cleared a few things up for me. I've so far been unsuccessful in fitting mud guards onto my road bike so I'm not sure it would be a good idea for me to go out on the training run during the winter (it would otherwise have to be my steel frame touring bike, which makes substantial difference I think).

Training routes are useful though and I look forward to trying desperately to cling on when the weather clears up!

(in reply to the question of what kind of training - I guess I'd like to just get as good as I possibly can. i don't have any racing ambitions but I'd like to train as if for racing).

Best
Edd