Good lord ... just ride with good riders. That's really the only thing that matters.
Running can be effectively self-taught. Cycling presents a bigger learning curve.
Good lord ... just ride with good riders. That's really the only thing that matters.
Running can be effectively self-taught. Cycling presents a bigger learning curve.
Yezzy wrote:
I have just been out for a ride, 35 minutes was all I could manage. Because I’ve only ever been used to sitting upright, I tried to do this entire ride in a more aerodynamic position. I did 5 x 500m hills without standing (I always stand on hills) and holy hell, I had no idea how much easier it was to climb in an aerodynamic position, I also went faster. But I don’t want to do too much because my back obviously needs time to adjust to this riding position, and in fact, if I rode any longer, I don’t think I would have been able to hold form without my form breaking down.
After starting out as a runner, i got into cycling and tris since i couldn't do the running mileage anymore without getting hurt. I found my best improvement on the bike came from indoor spin classes. When those didn't fit my schedule, i made up my own workouts on the spin bike or on my trainer. It is really hard to do sustained efforts outside unless you live in the boonies.
You don't need to spend money on power if you have a HRM.
You need interval training working at holding 90% of max HR at 90-95 RPMs
Workouts like 5:00, 4:00, 3:00, 2:00, 1:00 with 1/2 the time for recovery will do more for you than any outside riding.
If you work on doing 1 of these types of work outs a week and doing longer intervals are "easy run HR", you will start killing it on the bike.
What do your biking sessions look like? 13mph is climbing a lot would be good but if on the flat it’s terrible. I’m assuming your on a road bike? If so try getting some Tri bars.
You should really be aiming towards 100mpw on the bike especially if flat courses which should be manageable.
You need to work on your base go out and do 60-90 mins staying comfy in zone 2 and do it every day. If you haven’t done a bike Vo2 max then use your running zones and take off 10bpm.
Key things with your bike fit is making sure that your not sat to far back you want to be in line with the pedals, make sure that your seat is high enough and your getting a good leg extension if your sat far back and only partially extending will be zapping a lot of energy.
In typical cyclist fashion, you ask for help on training and get a ton of answers to buy more/different/better equipment. Classic.
I've been a runner/cyclist/triathlete for over two decades, often bouncing between the sports for a season or two (But I was a pro short course triathlete for 7 years).
You need to be doing less focus on hills. You need to learn how to ride harder on the flats. Being a runner, your legs are in better shape for the climbs and I know they seem like the only way to go "hard" on the bike, but you need to learn how to put in that kind of effort on flat courses. It took me years (I was a runner first) to learn now to put in a hard TT effort on the flats.
Find a group to ride with (preferably one with a drop ride). That will give you probably the best bike workouts you've ever had. It will teach you cycling tactics, how to go hard on the flats, and how to go hard when you don't want to (or you'll get dropped).
Another good option is to get on Strava and go for some of the KOMs. This is a great way to really push yourself on intervals (esp. flat ones). You don't need a GPS, you can just use the app on your phone, so this shouldn't cost you any money.
Former Pro Triathlete wrote:
Another good option is to get on Strava and go for some of the KOMs. This is a great way to really push yourself on intervals (esp. flat ones). You don't need a GPS, you can just use the app on your phone, so this shouldn't cost you any money.
Good idea. Likely you'll be nowhere near the KOMs, but you can try to beat your own best times on the segments. You can even make your own segments.
For example, it occurred to me that I took this flattish, slightly uphill section of road in most of my rides, one of the few stretches in my area where I wasn't climbing or braking. I created a segment there and looked at my history on it and found that I had a pretty linear improvement on it during the four months I was riding this summer/fall.
I don't have a cycling computer or anything, I just start Strava and put my phone in my pocket.
"(preferably one with a drop ride.)"
You must mean a no-drop ride, yes?
It's well known that triathletes are usually lousy cyclists until they learn to ride with dedicated cycling groups.
Yezzy wrote:
I have just been out for a ride, 35 minutes was all I could manage. Because I’ve only ever been used to sitting upright, I tried to do this entire ride in a more aerodynamic position. I did 5 x 500m hills without standing (I always stand on hills) and holy hell, I had no idea how much easier it was to climb in an aerodynamic position, I also went faster. But I don’t want to do too much because my back obviously needs time to adjust to this riding position, and in fact, if I rode any longer, I don’t think I would have been able to hold form without my form breaking down.
I’m going to go to the local cycle shop and see how well my bike actually fits so yes, I’m going to get a fit. This bike feels a little big for me, and also, the seat is as low as I could get it for this ride.
Yezzy, well done with the weights, hill intervals and learning aero position, i think you're on your way!
Yeah sore back is an issue, alternate riding low/high, long uphill climbs is not so important to say low as their is much less air resistance at slower climbing speeds.
As for bodyweight, don't worry about, be thankful you're lean. You can still greatly increase your strength with very little increase in muscle size. Elite woman riders weighing 160-180 is mostly BS, in fact very few top men are that heavy, not even top sprinters like Greipal (165lbs, 6') and Cavendish (155lbs), and TdF champ Chris Froome is 6'1", low 150 lbs so not even close. According to Joe Friel, top woman average 1.9 - 2.2 pounds/inch, some will be outside the avg.
No, I mean a DROP ride.
On second thought you might be right and it is likely a little premature for drop rides, but they're by far the best way to up your threshold and really put yourself to work.
I've been on some no drop rides that have also been good for this (usually they'll regroup at certain points), but I don't think the OP should just be going on slow no drop group rides with no attacking. But without knowing their exact level it's hard to say. Maybe that is what they need at this point.
Get a bike for pr at least take some video and post up on a place like slowtwitch.
Add a multi hour long ride
Hammer hammer hammer intervals and add some longer tempo rides.
Yeah, she might want to learn to ride in a mellow group before getting left for dead in the countryside.
My first ride with real cycling team was a doozy -- I got spit out the back and spent hours finding my way home. Thanks teammates! It definitely taught me how important it is to sit in the bunch and not try to be a hero during the first hour of a ride.
That should read “get a bike fit”
Also, tri is all about being aero. Grab some clip on aero bars at the very least and learn to ride them.
Former Pro Triathlete wrote:
No, I mean a DROP ride.
On second thought you might be right and it is likely a little premature for drop rides, but they're by far the best way to up your threshold and really put yourself to work.
I've been on some no drop rides that have also been good for this (usually they'll regroup at certain points), but I don't think the OP should just be going on slow no drop group rides with no attacking. But without knowing their exact level it's hard to say. Maybe that is what they need at this point.
This is straight awful advice. Going on a drop ride as a 100 lb female with zero experience and fitness will get her dropped straightaway. If she's lucky ,she's dropped straight out of the parking lot so she can just u-turn back to her car. If they easy roll for 15-20 minutes and she hangs on then she might get lost somewhere she doesn't recognize, and that would really suck.
OP, absolutely, most definitely, do NOT go to any men's drop rides. They are not for what you are after.
C0l0rado wrote:
Yeah, she might want to learn to ride in a mellow group before getting left for dead in the countryside.
My first ride with real cycling team was a doozy -- I got spit out the back and spent hours finding my way home. Thanks teammates! It definitely taught me how important it is to sit in the bunch and not try to be a hero during the first hour of a ride.
Yes. I routinely ride with cat 1/2 women who are dropped on every hill, and this is with mediocre cat 3/4 guys with a couple of 1/2s, and we regroup and wait.
Drop rides are like races for lower cat dudes who can't actually race well, so they do stupid/fun things to f* up groups on hills and sprints to put their hard-earned fitness to use since they can't in a proper race.
Not for new riders.
She needs to learn to ride a good time trial. This is a different skill than learning to sit in and work with a group where the pace is all over the board.
To be a good at the TT you have to learn to hit pace and hold it. You have to be in the pain cave. It's a lot more like running than group cycling.
Nope. Every good time trial rider also knows how to ride in a pack. Otherwise, you're destined to be a triathlete/goofy time-trial specialist forever and never learn to become a truly competent cyclist. It's like people who run flat-out for Strava segments but seldom pin on a number and actually race.
My Advice is Better wrote:
5 - OP, I thought of one other thing. If you haven't got a bike fit or an experienced cyclist to check out your position while you ride, there is a good chance your seat is too high, hampering power generation by not allowing the quads to contract enough. While you are seated and clipped into the pedals, at maximum extension, you should still have somewhat bent knees when your feet are parallel to the ground. Having the seat too high is a common problem.
If it took you this long to mention bike fit, then none of your advice is worth taking. Bike fit is the first after buying a bike. You need to quit rambling on about rollers. I am not saying rollers don't have their place, but not for the OP at this, if ever.
OP needs to ride more and resist the urge to stand up. By continually standing up, the correct muscles for the needed power are not getting the workout they need.
OP, just keep working at it and put in the miles. Good luck and I hope you provide updates on your progress and results.
After being a runner for twenty years I to similar problems training on the bike. I stood up on the bike pedals and ran on the bike as if I were climbing hills. Within a couple months I didn't have to stand to keep up.
C0l0rado wrote:
Nope. Every good time trial rider also knows how to ride in a pack. Otherwise, you're destined to be a triathlete/goofy time-trial specialist forever and never learn to become a truly competent cyclist.....
Maybe that's all she wants to be?
The risk of crashing in pack riding is far greater than time trialing.
C0l0rado wrote:
Nope. Every good time trial rider also knows how to ride in a pack. Otherwise, you're destined to be a triathlete/goofy time-trial specialist forever and never learn to become a truly competent cyclist. It's like people who run flat-out for Strava segments but seldom pin on a number and actually race.
A girls wanted to get better on the bike for triathlons, are we now concerned about her having a well-rounded professional cycling career? Good grief.
moanswers wrote:
Maybe that's all she wants to be?
The risk of crashing in pack riding is far greater than time trialing.
This shows you have no idea how to ride a bike. People like you think bike handling skills are not worth developing yet I've seen numerous stupid crashes from beginner triathletes that simply cannot ride a straight line let alone be stable in Aero bars. Dog forbid if they have to reach out for a bottle or look behind them for traffic. Beginner triathletes crash themselves out or even ride into oncoming traffic in races. They have to learn to ride rollers and in group rides to develop any semblance of bike handling skills.
Is it any wonder that many real cyclists laugh at triathletes for their poor handling skills?