What other ways can you describe training?

What are you training for?

Otherwise it’s just excercise.

Why is it ungentlemanly?

Did your ladyfriend catch you?

if your not racing then it’s a no no, something done in secret along the lines of I’m just off out for a ride….

Everyone knows the only honourable way to get faster on a bike is to buy new bits, ‘training’ is cheating.

training for a proper competitive event is surely fine ?

practising or even just exercising loads in order, specifically, to get better in order to “win” some imaginary event that only you are competing in, is really lame – esp if that “event” involves you and your mates (who think you’re all just mucking about)

even so, I imagine the word ungentlemanly was used jokingly

There’s a very funny bit in the late climber Tom Patey’s book One Man’s Mountains about climbers who train in secret and develop crags by stealth. Generally Patey doesn’t think it’s very gentlemanly behaviour especialy when he grew up in an era when climbing was a game for wealthy gentlemen in the fine British tradition of bumbling incompetence. Training is generally unsporting and far too serious and people who train are worthy of derision.

In cycling I can’t understand the difference between training and going out for a ride when it applies to amateurs, unless they are definitey going out for the purpose of stressing their bodies to prepare for a competitive event.

I wasn’t training I was merely extending my commute (by 20 miles each way) to take advantage of the sunshine.

This is totally over my head. Training can be seen as getting better at something so all riding is training (including racing). So you are saying that riding is wrong? This is too weird for me 🙄

Is it training for a long ride with gentlemen next weekend perchance?.
(The snow roads)

Certainly not something to openly discuss with friends. So probably yes, a little ungentelmanly.

Fasthaggis – being caught training for an audax is a life ban offence.

In cycling I can’t understand the difference between training and going out for a ride when it applies to amateurs, unless they are definitey going out for the purpose of stressing their bodies to prepare for a competitive event

So if I go out for a ride on my own I’m ok but if I ride up the hills a bit faster than I usually do I’m committing a faux pas?

being caught training for an audax is a life ban offence

hah ,just that I spotted where you were intending to ride last weekend ,and I thought ..maybe that’s someone getting some training big miles in for something else 😉

I was simply using up as much headwind as I could so that there’s none left for next weekend.

It’s a continuum innit. Starts with going out for a few solo training rides, ends with chucking a stick in your main competitors wheel. Slippery slope….

All my riding mates put in secret XC training, especially at the mo as we have a couple of biking weekends away planned – It makes me chuckle.

It’s only cheating if you choose not to upload the rides to Strava until the night before an event/group ride……

Is it just me that’s completely lost by this whole thread?

I train constantly so that I can improve my time on Strava segments and gain the respect of my peer group.

I got “told off” for going for a secret training ride on Saturday morning.

Truth is, my wife was out with the kids and I had a 2 hour window in which to “get some miles in” before she came back and we all went off to watch Star Trek.

All in the name of loving bike riding. The fitness is a happy bi-product of the riding.

Tonight I was ungentlemanly – papped out a wee half marathon distance run.