Training (cycling)

[trebuchet03]

For your winter concerns....

Does your University have any spin classes or bike machines you can use? I like hoping on a bike every now and then to see my wattage output and do constant wattage training

[AndrewJ]

when you do get outside, get some really heavy tires to put on the bike for training. The heaviest I can think of are the Schwalbe Marathon Plus, they're like 750g for a 700X28.
When you swap to lightweight tires for race day it'll feel like your bike is several pounds lighter.

[Who]

Any group rides in the area? If so find the fastest group and tell them you don't mind if they drop you and then work on not getting dropped.

Solo, you can use your HRM and then do interval training. Warm up, hammer, rest, hammer, rest, repeat until you almost bonk.

Rollers will help your form - you'll ride a straighter line or hurt yourself, but it is hard to get enough load to help build strength.

Group rides and interval training would be about best... I do like the Nintendo factor of Compu-trainers and their ilk but the idea of riding inside just seems so retarded. Big fans and open windows during the winter???

I have rollers and prefer the idea of just bringing them out for drunk guests to try... j/k

[SVOboy]

Originally Posted by AndrewJ

Ride fixed, improves your spinning, or so I hear. Ride rollers, that's supposed to help. Other than that, I don't know, racing isn't exactly my thing.

I did just finish putting my fixie together and on those downhill bits of campus I've been learning how to spin, . However, if I took it out on the roads I'd prolly be walking it uphill since I wouldn't be able to make it up some of these hills,

I thought about rollers, but my balance is so bad and my need to read while on my trainer is so great that I'm just don't to be lazy and ride my trainer,

[SVOboy]

Originally Posted by trebuchet03

For your winter concerns....

Does your University have any spin classes or bike machines you can use? I like hoping on a bike every now and then to see my wattage output and do constant wattage training

We have a whole bunch of indoor bikes, but I've been warned not to use them by the team captain, so I'll just be on my trainer during this so-called "season of sadness."

[SVOboy]

There are a few groups, but none of them are active in the winter. My first go at group rides may or may not be on the spring break training trip in NC coming up in march, but then, I still don't know.

For now I'm just going out and trying to hammer the hills,

[AndrewJ]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

I did just finish putting my fixie together and on those downhill bits of campus I've been learning how to spin, . However, if I took it out on the roads I'd prolly be walking it uphill since I wouldn't be able to make it up some of these hills,

Do you have clip-in pedals on your fixie? Now that I think about it, probably not, might be a bad idea on a fixie. I had clip-ins on my singlespeed, it helps tremendously on the climbs. What gear ratio are you running (on the fixie)?

[SVOboy]

I have neither clips not clipless on the fixie. I would buy another set of clipless pedals for it but then it would be less convenient for riding around campus not in my riding shoes...

I'll tell you the ration in a bit when I return from mailing you your ecomodder stickers,

[AndrewJ]

In that case, I can wait

[SVOboy]

46x17 it is.