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Beginner Cycling

Katy C.
Katy C. Sendmail

What are the best ways to train for speed?

asked over 1 year ago | Report

I'm training for my first adventure race (mountain biking) and my first triathlon (road biking) coming up this spring. The 20km for either is fine, but I feel really slow. On the stationary bike I was at about a 30km/hr pace but that was on a fairly easy hill course. On the road it took me 1:20 to go 22km (lost of traffic lights and one long, major hill climb). What are some training methods I could use to work on improving my speed? Keeping in mind that I only ride twice per week because I also have to run and swim.

Thanks for your help!!

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  • Douglas S.
    Douglas S. Sendmail

    Intervals. Sets of short sprints of varying distances. Also can do shorter distances w/ sprints/bursts of speed mixed in. This applies to swimming, cycling (road & mtn) and running. Swimming distance may vary from 25yd/m - 400, running 100yd/m - 800, cycling 1/4mi - 2-3mi. Mix it up. You can do sets of same distance in 1 workout, but next should be different. Or can do a variety. Same applies to the shorter distances w/ sprints mixed in. Don't do every workout this way, you need recover, but mix a number in.

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Amanda N.
    Amanda N. Sendmail

    I agree with everything Douglas S said but wanted to add that rather than moving to a "harder gear" for the intervals, it is often better to spin the pedals faster, getting your cadence up to 110 or 120 revolutions per minute. Your knees will thank you.
    For the intervals, I often do hard for 1 minute, easy for 1 or hard for 2, easy for one over a total of 30 to 40 minutes after warming up. You can also do ladders - increasing the intensity for 1 min, then 2 mins, 3 mins, etc up to 5 or 10 mins with a minute or so between each.
    Hope that helps,
    Amanda

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Douglas S.
    Douglas S. Sendmail

    Amanda is dead on, totally forgot to mention cadence (didn't focus on sport you actually were asking about). She knows what she's talking about

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Kv
    Kv Sendmail

    Intervals are an awesome way to build strength as the previous posters mentioned.

    However, one thing I would add are hill repeats. As you most likely saw most riders struggle on the hills - they're tough. But when you can consistently train with them, they build a deep aerobic fitness you just can't get anywhere else. That's a big reason why all these pro teams have their training camps in places like the Alps and California mountains. A couple of times a month if you can add in a hill repeat workout on a fairly long hill that's about 4-6% in grade, you'll notice a big difference in your fitness levels. Lots of people can go fast when the roads are flat, few can go fast when they point up.

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Paul M.
    Paul M. Sendmail

    hills, hills, hills!

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Richard C.
    Richard C. Sendmail

    I tend to agree with Paul. For a biker who will be doing some mountain biking and TT (triathlons are nothing more than a three event time trial rolled into one) I would suggest some moderate distance in Zone 2 incorporating some long, moderate hills where you can set your HR into upper Zone 4/lower Zone 5 for the climb. This controlled climb give good effort in the zone where it will raise your lactic acid threshold, build aerobic capacity and build muscle strength. In addition to hills giving a good workout for the biker, they also train you to be efficient. Just don’t try to push the big chain ring with low cadence. That puts too much stress on the knees. Keep your cadence up (65-80), sit up straight and back in the saddle using those strong gluts to power the pedals while keeping the chest open to facilitate breathing. On the way home from riding the hills, you can do some bursts or quick accelerations. In fact, you can do these anytime you are properly warmed up.

    Learn to love hills and you will benefit from it in many ways. Friedrich Nietzsche said “That which does kill you will make you stronger”. This certainly applies to using hills as a base for building biking strength and conditioning.

    As far as only being able to ride 2 times a week, you might want to consider adding a short recovery ride or two somewhere in the schedule. Take a half hour, for instance, get on the bike and putt around the neighborhood. Keep your HR down in the 50% range and the cadence up to freshen the legs. Great treatment for the legs after a run.

    answered over 1 year ago |edited over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Gil R.
    Gil R. Sendmail

    Stay off the stationary bike. There's nothing like the real thing. Spend most of your time in the highest gear you can manage and go fast, just be careful of knee pain as others have mentioned. This technique served me well for bike races in the past. During your race make sure you have lock washers securing anything bolted on to your bike frame (bottle cages, pumps, etc) or they may fall off!

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Bryce H.
    Bryce H. Sendmail

    love hills sprint 20sec 30sec plus

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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