Winter Training

David Kerber wrote:
In article ,
says...

Raptor wrote:


Indoor cycling is an adequate replacement. You get enough intensity but
usually not the duration. Spin classes at a local gym can leave you
ready to build up the miles in the Spring.


I wonder about such claims as "an hour a day" gives an adequate workout.


It depends on why you are exercising. That hour is considered to be
enough to get the vast majority of the health benefits of exercise.
But it obviously is not enough to get you to top performance in your
chosen sport.

I don't train to race, I train to keep up. Just so happens there's
a few pros who live around here and like to ramp up the pace of the
Sat/Sun rides. :-)

I like long rides anyway, great time to clear the head and focus on
something other than work, etc.

Richard Adams wrote:
Raptor wrote:

Indoor cycling is an adequate replacement. You get enough intensity
but usually not the duration. Spin classes at a local gym can leave
you ready to build up the miles in the Spring.


I wonder about such claims as "an hour a day" gives an adequate workout.
I'm not at my best until after at least an hour. On the road or trail,
the first 5 miles are usually warming up. The last 5 miles are warming
down (i.e. don't sprint into the driveway, you'll be sweating even after
your shower.) Everything in between is the real ride and workout.

If you want to be good at riding for three hours, then ride for three
hours. There are indoor cycling programs out there that do longer
rides, but most are an hour long. As a result, you have plenty of
endurance for a hard hour-long ride at the end of a Winter if that's all
you do. They tend to be interval-heavy workouts, so it's a quality
hour's capacity that you get. You can maintain a reasonable cardio
base, making it easier to simply add on duration in the Spring.
Compared to either sitting where it's warm, or paying for and using
Winter riding gear, indoor cycling classes are a viable alternative.

One of the reasons I tend not to ride in the Winter is drivers. They're
not used to seeing bikes.

--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"We should not march into Baghdad. ... Assigning young soldiers to
a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning
them to fight in what would be an unwinnable urban guerilla war, it
could only plunge that part of the world into ever greater
instability." George Bush Sr. in his 1998 book "A World Transformed"

KRasmus572 wrote:
New to riding.

Did a couple of 25 mile rides this summer.

Want to do a 100 mile ride next year.

Any advice on training during winter months?

I live in Michigan so riding opportunities will be scarce.

You live in Michigan so there are more skating opportunities than just
about anywhere. Lots of ponds and lakes too, and shoveling is a
workout there. Get on the ice and go fast. Backwards!

CRM

In article ,
says...
David Kerber wrote:
In article ,
says...

Raptor wrote:


Indoor cycling is an adequate replacement. You get enough intensity but
usually not the duration. Spin classes at a local gym can leave you
ready to build up the miles in the Spring.


I wonder about such claims as "an hour a day" gives an adequate workout.


It depends on why you are exercising. That hour is considered to be
enough to get the vast majority of the health benefits of exercise.
But it obviously is not enough to get you to top performance in your
chosen sport.

I don't train to race, I train to keep up. Just so happens there's
a few pros who live around here and like to ramp up the pace of the
Sat/Sun rides. :-)

It's still a performance goal, not just healthful exercise GG.

.....



--
Dave Kerber
Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

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David Kerber wrote:

In article ,
says...

David Kerber wrote:

In article ,
says...


Raptor wrote:



Indoor cycling is an adequate replacement. You get enough intensity but
usually not the duration. Spin classes at a local gym can leave you
ready to build up the miles in the Spring.


I wonder about such claims as "an hour a day" gives an adequate workout.


It depends on why you are exercising. That hour is considered to be
enough to get the vast majority of the health benefits of exercise.
But it obviously is not enough to get you to top performance in your
chosen sport.

I don't train to race, I train to keep up. Just so happens there's
a few pros who live around here and like to ramp up the pace of the
Sat/Sun rides. :-)


It's still a performance goal, not just healthful exercise GG.

....

Indeed. I over 150 miles for the week and there's still Thursday. :-)

"KRasmus572" wrote in message
...
New to riding.

Did a couple of 25 mile rides this summer.

Want to do a 100 mile ride next year.

Any advice on training during winter months?

I live in Michigan so riding opportunities will be scarce.

I'm not a racer by any stretch, just an overwieght 47 yr old "roadie junkie"
who enjoys group and solo rides in-season, and I participate in charity
rides and a week long tour each season (RAGBRAI), and I do at least one
century each summer.

In the off season I do my own "cross-training" program. I do spin classes
2-3 x week at the local health club. Spinning classes are only 45-60 mins
in length so they aren't an endurance ride, but they are excellent at
developing/maintaining an aerobic base, and they are truly excellent at
helping you develop/maintain a fine circular pedal stroke (spin) in the off
season. They are also a great way to meet other cyclists.

TIP: It's best to use a heart rate monitor when doing spin class. About 1/2
way through my first winter of spin classes I decided to take everyone's
advice and use my heart rate monitor. Wow, what an eye opener! I
discovered I was *way* overtraining. When I started using the HRM regularly
I found I wasn't as near burned out, I started progressing faster, and was
enjoying spinning much more. It's also fun to use the monitor to see your
progress. Highly recommended.

I can tell you from first hand experience that if you regularly attend a
well run spin class in the off season you will be *way* ahead when you get
out on your bike in the spring.

Also, all year I do a little bit of weight training. I bought the book
"Weight Training for Cyclists" (available at www.velopress.com ). They also
have a book called "Off-Season Training for Cyclists", as well as several
other books on HRM, nutrition, etc. Check out the site and see if anything
interests you.

As others have said, you CAN ride in the winter too. Check out
www.icebike.com for lots of good info on winter riding. It's actually fun
to get out and ride when it's cold out. A couple of friends and myself ride
every New Year's day for an hour or so just to say we did. There is also a
ride here the first Sat of each Feb. that I participate in called the "Brr..
Ride". It's about 25 miles with a stop for grilled burgers and hot
chocolate in the middle. Last year there were over 2000 riders. Crazy lot
we are ....

Best of luck,
Mish

In fact, if you dress for the occasion, there's no problem riding in winter
in the Upper Peninsula. Yes it's cold, but the snowplows do a fine job, and
there isn't much auto traffic. A route like M-95 north from Iron Mountain
can be quite pleasant. While autos aren't a problem, drunken snowmobilers
can be, late in the day or in the evening.

I haven't done a winter century yet up there for lack of time, but I've done
at least four in Milwaukee the last four New Year's days. As other posters
have said, just don't be intimidated!
"Michel Gagnon" wrote in message
om...
ie (KRasmus572) wrote :

...Any advice on training during winter months?
I live in Michigan so riding opportunities will be scarce.


It depends where in Michigan, but if you live in the Detroit - Ann
Arbor area, Winter weather is decent most of Winter with not too many
adaptations.

1. FENDERS. If you think they are good in a Summer rainy day, they are
essential in Winter, both for you as it's almost always wet in Winter,
and for the bike as fenders with mudflaps protect your drivetrain from
salt, snow, etc.

2. GREASE. To protect surfaces, chain, spoke threads, etc.

3. TIRES. Knobbies (or cyclocross) tires help in slush and snow.


You also need to check your riding style. Don't go too fast in
corners, prepare for intersections, ride smoothly, etc. OTOH, I find
that riding in Winter is a great way to improve your pedalling
smoothness.

BTW, I find that cool fall rains are the worst for my morale. In
Winter, if you avoid those extra-cold days (below -20 C) or the few
days after a snowstorm, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Regards,

Michel

"KRasmus572" wrote in message
...
New to riding.

Did a couple of 25 mile rides this summer.

Want to do a 100 mile ride next year.

Any advice on training during winter months?

I live in Michigan so riding opportunities will be scarce.

I moved to Michigan about 18 months ago. The winter SEVERELY reduced my
milage but I was able to train for the California DeathRide (123 miles in
the mountains) and complete it respectably. During the winter I used my
rollers and spin cycle a few times a week and did more variety aerobics
(eliptical trainer, rowing machine) and I did leg presses. On the spin
cycle I focused on alternating intervals of higher level resistance and low
resistance spinning (100 rpm or greater). I think this worked for me to
help my climbing even though I couldn't get in the miles I wanted in the off
season. I can't make myself ride the rollers or spin cycle for longer than
about 30 minutes on average though. Pretty boring.

Kendall