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Beginner to 4th Cat Training

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  • July 28, 2015 at 7:07 pm #24513
    MozyAdam

    Hi,
    As a young junior cyclist I really want to be able to race in 4th Cat next year. However my fitness currenlyt is appalling. I am planning on doing a 100 mile hilly sportive in September which I hope to be able to finish.
    My question is, how do I train to race? I’ve heard a bit about getting “base miles” in and cycling a lot but in reality I have no clue. I plan on increasing my mileage over the months and trying to do 150miles a week at a comfortable pace. But I have also heard that you need to be doing intervals and “sweetspot” training.
    Can anyone give some advice on how to train from now to next spring because I am completely lost in terms of what to do.
    Just to give you a basic outline, I can average 15mph on 20mile rides solo. This is flat without wind. I have a road bike.
    Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

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  • July 29, 2015 at 10:08 am #855315
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    adamtaylor

    I agree with the others about
    I agree with the others about joining a club. Try and find one with an active contingent of racers and some proper chain gang rides. They are great training for two of the important aspects of racing: fitness and group riding skills. Even if you become fit enough to race, it will be an unpleasant experience if you’re not used to riding in close proximity of other riders.

    I don’t know if you can commute to school/college but that’s quite a good way of getting some extra miles in. It’s not necessarily the best training, though you can make it better with some structure, but it at least ticks the legs over.

    Many 4th cat races are hour long criteriums, so you don’t entirely need the fitness to ride super hard for four hours+ but you do need to be able to ride fast for an hour or so. And you have to be able to respond to changes in pace while already riding at a high speed. People attack and the group usually responds, people slow into and speed out of corners, people slow up hills and speed out on the flat. This is where interval training can help.

    For now I would try to do a midweek chain gang ride, if there’s a local club that has one, as well as at least one long ride at the weekend. Try and keep it up over winter, plus whatever other riding you can do. Then come January, your base fitness should be up and you can start trying interval training, either on safe roads or a turbo trainer. You can google for free training plans and turbo videos to help.

    It’s also worth saying that lots of clubs are very supportive of junior riders and have specific training and coaches on hand to help.

    July 29, 2015 at 9:57 am #855313
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    CXR94Di2

    You need to riding 20 30 40
    You need to riding 20 30 40 and working upto 50 mile outings. Your speed will come with getting fitter. If you are not upto 50 mile around now then doing a 100 mile sportive in Sept might be a challenge, but doable if you put the hours in.

    Base miles are just that, steady riding for an hour or two maybe 3 hours totaling several hundred to a few thousand miles over several months. Once you have these miles under your belt then power training can begin with intervals to build strength and speed.

    Doing intervals too early can result in injury if you’re not careful.

    Sweet spot training is a pace and distance where you’re are working hard, but not too hard that you can’t sustain it for an hour. Later maybe 2 to 3 hours sweet spot.

    With winter not too far away getting miles can be a challenge if the weather gets bad, a turbo trainer can help keep those miles up. By January and a winters base riding you will be in a position to build speed with interval and sweet spot.

    A heart rate monitor and cadence sensor will help in working in the correct zones.

    Join a club and do 10mile time trial next spring then if you like pushing hard then see about racing.

    July 28, 2015 at 9:24 pm #855311
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    kwi

    I’m guessing that if you plan
    I’m guessing that if you plan to race there are clubs that race in your vicinity, join one. That’s probably the best advice I can give.

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