Training for endurance and speed

(ianrobo) #21

well I have a 300km ride soon and you can not replicate it. I just fid one you get past a certain point, the issue disappears !

(What The Fast?!) #22

Awesome - 300km, amazing! Unfortunately, Iā€™m the boniest person to walk this planetā€¦I sit on Santaā€™s lap and he screams ouch! My bike fit guy just looks at me with his head tiltedā€¦I went through about 8 seats last season trying to find the right fit!

(ianrobo) #23

the one thing to say is everyone is different and idividualistic

(Todd Allen) #24

As a cyclist with a muscle wasting disease the biggest challenges for me are hills and headwinds. I can manage a respectable amount of distance per day by starting as early as possible keeping the pace slow and comfortable, taking frequent short breaks as needed to keep discomfort low and keeping at it all day and into the evening. Bringing quality dense snack foods (nuts, keto fudge, summer sausage and sardines, etc.) that can be eaten during the short breaks and minimizing the need for extended meal stops I find helpful.

But hills and headwinds make a ride much more challenging. They can be tough on strong riders, but for slow ones like myself the percent impact on speed and ability to cover miles is worse. I donā€™t know if this is universally applicable to slower riders but for myself I find it more effective to train focusing on these challenges rather than training for distance. Shorter rides with sprints, especially into headwinds or up hills has given me better results in coping with those challenges than longer more mellow rides focused on racking up miles.

(Todd Allen) #25

A recumbent bike can be an effective approach to enhancing long duration cycling comfort. Itā€™s crucial to get a good fit as recumbents reduce the ability to change posture/position during the ride. But when you get it right with weight well distributed across the entire back from shoulders to butt without pressure points it can provide excellent all day comfort and let one focus energy on producing power instead of expending it trying to unload a tender tush or sore wrists.

Unfortunately due to lower production volume prices run significantly higher than for equivalently specā€™d conventional bikes. And they are heavier, especially lower end ones which can be a disadvantage for big hills. But some achieve better aerodynamics than even the best road bikes which can give an edge on flats, small rolling hills and especially high headwind situations. Due to their differences they arenā€™t compatible with roadie pack rides and a recumbent might increase the disdain of power gel swilling road bike riding friends.

(Mike Glasbrener) #26

I completely agree. There are also people to people variation. I have a ā€œbig slowā€ heart. When I was in great shape 5 years ago my max heart rate was 172 at 50yrs old. Anaerobic started around 160ish. Once I was in the 160s I had 30 seconds before I "blew up.

Funny thing is now Iā€™m doing Keto I can ride on my spin bike in the low 160ā€™s for 15+ minutes. Itā€™s quite different. It seems like my threshold heart rate is 5-8 beats higher than when I was in great shape. Iā€™ve seen studies by Peter Atia talking about this and my n=1 experience backs this up. Itā€™s a tad unnerving to ride at that high of a heart rate but it seems my threshold is indeed higher. As I continue my fitness and weight journey it will be interesting to see if it stays there if migrates down as my resting heart rate drops back into the athletic range.