Training

Fair enough, thanks SideBurn.
Fair enough, thanks SideBurn.

The best way to become a
The best way to become a fitter cyclist is to cycle more. Other activities will never ‘train’ your muscles to do pedalling better than pedalling itself (though by all means do other sports if you wish).

However, I disagree with SideBurn about only doing long, slow rides. That’s good up to a point but won’t tax your heart & lungs to the same extent as a harder hilly ride where you attack the climbs and rest in between (intervals).

Club runs, regular group rides and so on are a good way to get you out, particularly for those not so keen on riding very far on their own. Daily commuting is another way to ‘get the miles in’, particularly if you have a longer route you can do 2 or 3 times a week.

Eat appropriately. Don’t scoff everything you can just because you’re exercising but equally you need adequate food to fuel your riding as well as the rest of your life. Cake is fab and a key element of a cyclist’s diet 😉 but a healthy diet is best.

There is lots of advice on the internet, you can scour the Training and Nutrition articles in Bikeradar’s [url=http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/]Fitness section[/url] and the overwhelming flood of discussion in the same site’s [url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=40011]Training forum[/url]. Also http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/ has plenty of useful articles too. Samantha Stear’s [i]Fuelling Fitness for Sports Performance[/i] is a clear, straightforward and sensible book on nutrition (I paid £2 on ebay). Nicole Cooke’s [i]Cycle for Life[/i] covers many areas and is not intimidating for new cyclists.

You can get fit on a any bike but a reasonable road or ‘cross bike that fits you with some clip-in SPD pedals and cycle-specific clothing (especially padded shorts) would be more enjoyable for long rides as well as getting you further for the same effort – especially uphill. At your age you have plenty of scope to improve; the key factor will be desire – how much work do you want to do?

Advice and support from
Advice and support from others on club runs, the chance to go out on long planned rides at a steady pace with people who know where they’re going and how to pace themselves, and the chance of a tow when you get tired.

Cycling is all about heart
Cycling is all about heart and lungs. The way to improve them is long slow distance miles. By which I mean as many miles as you can at just under 80% of your maximum. Which for you would be about 150 beats per minute. I use a pulse meter with an alarm to warn me I am going too hard. I love eyeballs out legs burning training but too much = sore legs, low motivation and injury. But you need to find what works for you. Try as many training plans as possible and keep a note of your performance this will tell you which work! I have a training route to asses my performance. I time myself on regular basis (but never more than twice a month) that tells me how I am doing. The length and terrain of a timed training route will depend on your target events. Most important; find good local club!