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Check out the following chart and make a plan: calendar
October's Big Gear
from 1999 contains links to articles on the Velonews website that will
help you
understand the strength training and endurance phases mentioned on the
calendar.
By Mid-October: Hopefully, we'll all be comfortable with
a good
hard 2 hour ride. It's Base building time, and you need to try to ride
consistently. Try five rides a week. I suggest doing a 2-3 hour
ride on Saturday, a hard ride on Sunday (the Laurel ride will suffice
for all of us), and a good ride on Wednesday. Try to hook up with
teammates that are at your level for this one. We still have the Monday
and Friday ride for the next two weeks, which should serve as a
recovery ride for more experienced people, and another oportunity to
build up the miles at a moderate pace for beginners. Tuesday and/or
Thursday, try to get to the gym and do some easy lifting to get your
body used to it. I recommend 3-4 sets of 35 reps of the core exercises:
1) Squat or leg press
2) Leg curl (prone is better, but you can do the sitting one too)
3) sit ups
4) back-ups
5) push-ups or bench press
6) sitting row or lat-pulldown
On rainy days, swimming, the treadmill, stationary
bikes, and rowing ergometers make for a good aerobic workout.
Stretching: We can all benefit from extra flexibility. A
study I
read showed a 5% power gain in cyclists who improved range of motion
through stretching. Several of the beginners have an
overly crouched-over position on their bikes. I'm guessing it's a lack
of flexibility in the lower back and hamstrings. Proper position will
give you more control over your bike and increase your power.
Concentrate on this when we get indoors, as rollers are the best thing
in the world for improving balance and control. But for now, make
sure to take at least a few minutes after you ride to stretch.
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