Training

On the surface there would seem to be little in common between the training philosophies of my friends Randy and Geoff, beyond the need to ride a bicycle to be fit enough to race. Geoff is 'old school', a fellow who cut his teeth on roadracing in the 50's, raced internationally in the 60's, and raced professionally for Peugeot in the 70's. Sixty one, he now races against riders a third of his age and wins. Miles, bricks, whatever you call it, Geoff says there are no shortcuts, and a shortcut is anything short of long hours in the saddle, some fast, but most safely in the aerobic zone.

Randy is half Geoff's age. A new coach, he's a former category 1 eltie rider who's had success of his own and, unlike Geoff who's retired, Randy is working full-time and has a young family.He is an advocate of power-based training and interval work. Geoff insists that the only time to start doing sprint training is after you've been beaten in a sprint.

What occurs to me as I warm-up for some spin-ups this morning, is that these two fellows have more in common that they might think and I begin to articulate my own ideas about training (still have 17 minutes till the first spinup).

First, you have to spend time on the bike. You aren't going to be a better cyclist, racer, whatever, unless you ride the bike. Thinking about it, planning for it, shopping, reading online blogs will not make you a better cyclist. Doing these things might motivate you to get out and ride, but nothing will happen until you start turning the cranks (13 minutes).

Second, it takes time to develop the fitness to train, race and excel. Each week, each month, each year, leaves a mark on you, provides a platform to reach higher from. I can say without a doubt that I'm a better cyclist than I was two years ago, and will be better two year from now, unless I stop training. De-training happens so quickly; a rider can lose fitness in a matter of a few weeks that he struggled a year to achieve (5 minutes).

Third, whatever motivates you to get on your bike is good. It might be the half-naked lady glued to Geoff's Cinelli stem or it might be the new PowerTap wheel that Randy has on his ride, or it might be the thought of seeing some old friends or escaping housework. If it gets you excited about turning the cranks, more power to you.

(My polar watch beeps and I shift down and increase my cadence to about 120rpm, smooth, relax those toes, are you ankling, 25, 22, 19 seconds... and done. Three minutes soft pedalling.)

Fourth, once you're on your bike pedalling, pay attention. You will learn and re-learn something about you and your bicycle on every single ride you do. Put emphasis (for me) on re-learning. Whether it's ankling, how you're breathing, the stiffness in your lower back, there are so many things to pay attention to. And here's the radical part, HR monitors (like the one I'm using right now) help you pay attention; so do watt meters. Which one is better? For what? and who cares? Are you on your bike?

(The second spinup and the legs are much looser, 45, 44... 43 seconds, why does time move so slow, focus on relaxing the spin, still tightness in the hamstring from the climb, 19, 18... jeez! And done.)

Fifth, your body works in cycles. It needs stress and then rest to compensate for the stress and get stronger. Too much stress and it breaks down (and you don't get stronger), too little and you become a couch potato. How much stress? What kind of stress? How much rest? This comes with time on the bike. A coach who cares would speed this learning process as well. At this point, we're well down the road of riding your bike and these little differences about what stress to apply and when will vary by the rider and coach. For myself, I can do three hard workouts in a week, hard being relative to how fit I am, but I need two recovery days and I throw in a couple of skill days, spinups, form sprints, depending on how good I feel.

(Third one is great, goes fast, I'm fast and feeling good, 15, 14, will have to check if I broke the 120 barrier on this one... done!)

Every fourth week I need to reduce the load by about half to rest and consolidate fitness. If I'm doing 15 hours a week, this week will be about 7, maybe do some real intervals but keep the hard workouts short. Maybe two days off the bike. It's good to get reacquainted with the family, get something done around the house, take the kids to a ballgame...

(Last spinup, but two fellows come about behind me and try to blow by. Hold on, guys and I do my spinup in their draft. What the heck, I'm feeling good, and pull through and drop them. Not in the plan, but it's fun.)

'Is racing fun for you?' My sister-in-law last night asks Geoff last night. 'No, it's not fun. When it's fun, I'll stop.'

Ahh, grasshopper, what is the difference between the good and the pleasant? Between what's good and what is fun? Stay tuned.