I found that the more training and then racing I did, the better I got., up to a point. Yes, I could have trained very much smarter and done far less volume, and would have done a great deal better.
I used to know Hamish Haynes, and follow him via his site, he puts my efforts to shame. 90 k motorpacing after a race?
I think my training was based on peaking twice in a year, I used to go to Europe at Easter and again ib the summer. The standard was so much higher than in the UK that it frightened me into doing as much as I could.
I never got past 3rd cat, and never did much in terms of results, for all my efforts, which probably speaks volumes!
I did the same at fell running; ran everyday for 3 years, even gave up booze, but never won a thing!
I'm good at changing punctured inner tubes quickly and prefer my legs shaved; not a great legacy...
Given my appalling form in the second half of the cross season.....not nearly seriously enough
And yet, you usually lap me at least once, if not twice a week....
I have Mr Toad syndrome - I can become easily obsessed with something, and then it fades away. Bike riding is an odd one, as I've loved it almost all my life. And yet I'm completely physiologically unsuited to any of the disciplines I've tried - an inherently low "natural" fitness level (VO2max in geek speak, I guess) and a build that doesn't go well with riding bikes (stocky, now running to fat).
I did start taking it much more seriously a couple of years ago when I wanted to take up road racing. At the time my mental health was way off - I thought riding a bike was helping it, but actually it made it worse.
I'd love to be good at riding bikes, but I've now got to the point where I recognise that I could trains loads or not at all, and I still wouldn't have any talent.
Still take it seriously, though.... 😉
Some interesting stuff on this thread, I fit into the train via commute category in that I chose where to live so it would give me a 30-40 mile per day commute and in doing that 3-4 times a week i'd stay fit & relatively fast. Not race fast though, i just like my weekends with the family too much for [i]proper[/i] training
Taking riding bikes in the mud seriously in any way should be discouraged, even ridiculed.
Also,
Training is fine if you must, but keep it to yourself. Excuses and comments about your 'form' etc show that you're taking it 'seriously'.
Training should really consist of riding lots and not using gadgets to stress about 'performance'.
Performance plans should be based on hairy-assed mountaineers of the 60s rather than shaven-legged roadies of the 00's.
If you know what position you were in an event it should be because you remember which podium step you were on. Extra points for being top 3 and forgetting about it in the following months.
(The mountainbiker's "spirit of '88")
I'm of the "fitter I am the more I enjoy the ride" school.
Don't drink much at all any more - simply because I was wasting perfectly good riding days hungover.
plus, I eat far too much chocolate to be serious. 😀
I can't help taking it a little bit serious if I've entered a race/event. If I race I want to do as well as I can, comes from being a competitive runner in the past.
Don't do anywhere near as many races on bike as I used to do running races though.
Thinking of doing a 24 hour solo next year and possibly Kielder again so lots of training will be needed for that, though when I say training I mean lots of long rides, which I like doing anyway 😀
No point being too serious about it when your a 58 year old I suppose, but as mentioned by several here - the fitter I am the more I enjoy it.
PS Would not dream of using a HR thingy or one of them turbo jobbees, maybe coz I was a not so hairy assed fell runner of the 80's 😉
I'd love to be good at riding bikes, but I've now got to the point where I recognise that I could trains loads or not at all, and I still wouldn't have any talent.
I think that goes for 90% of us, maybe more : ) But are you any good at having fun while riding? I don't see any other motivating factor that's sustainable (or even geniunely healthy??) for the 90% of us who aren't naturally talended in some way.
There's nothing wrong with having a crack at racing or training towards a goal, doing something you once thought was beyond you has to be one of the best opportunities in riding. Putting too much pressure on yourself and losing focus on the enjoyment of it all isn't so good, I guess it depends how you cope with that balance or what your basic motivation comes from. I admire top-level racers (well, racers of any level really) but I don't relate to them tbh.
I can't bring myself to take it seriously. My work life is stressful and competitive enough, biking is my release and the last thing I want to do is be competitive or serious in my fun time. I don't care how slow or fast I am, I don't care if you overtake me or I overtake you, I just enjoy the ride.
I enjoy riding with my mates when I'm fit.. but that comes from the natural competetion that naturally seems to come about when groups ride together.. it maybe unspoken but there is still the rivalry there to get to the top of the hill first.
I do like Jameso's post and wish I could have that attitude, my frustration typically comes from riding with my brother in law.. he eats like a pig and rides twice a week and yet it takes me doing twice that at least in order to better him and then it's not by lots.
I have always had a pretty good level of residual fitness, maybe I'm trying to train like a 16 year old when I'm twice that age 🙁
I think that goes for 90% of us, maybe more : ) But are you any good at having fun while riding? I don't see any other motivating factor that's sustainable (or even geniunely healthy??) for the 90% of us who aren't naturally talended in some way.
In the last couple of years I've been though a lengthy period of self-examination. this was brought on by the work-induced deferral of so much of the usual thinking we all do about our lives - I worked incredibly long hours, and put too much of me on hold.
One of the things I realised about me was that I am both competitive and lazy. Not a good mix for sports where self motivation is required. And, frankly, I didn't have the time to train because I was always at work.
But I'd still be naffed off that my mates were getting faster, doing some racing, and generally being better than me.
Then I became a parent (last year) and my only riding was commuting (170 miles p/w). I started to get fitter and conceived that I could have attained some goals. That was until I spent 4 months at the start of this year with various illnesses (full on flu twice) and six months off the bike.
Most of all, I just enjoyed riding a bike. Every time i swung a leg across one, even though it was only riding to and from work.
There's nothing wrong with having a crack at racing or training towards a goal, doing something you once thought was beyond you has to be one of the best opportunities in riding.
I've raced as much of the cross season as I've been able to this year. I habitually finish in the bottom 20%. So what. I enjoy it.
I now have ambitions for next season - to finish around half way in each race. I also want to race my MTB - sure, I won't be much good, but I've got myself to where I need to be to enjoy something competitive, without having to become obsessed.
I watch my fatty foods to keep my cholesterol okay from being type 1 diabetic, and I watch how much sugar and how much I eat because I don't want a muffin top at 31, and I eat healthily appart from the odd treat (because I want to be healthy). I often want to cycle more than I do, because I want to be fitter and I enjoy being in the outdoors, but it's got to fit in with seeing friends and the other things in life, i'd like to be super fit and fast, but it's not at the top of my list of important things. Beiing fittish and fastish relative to me is good enough on the whole. I'd like to be fitter next year than the one just gone, but there's other things i'd like to do as well. I'm happy enough with my fitness if I feel full of energy most of the time, which is thankfully where I am now.
Tim
Full of energy in everyday life that is, rather than while cycling.
I don't think anybody always feel's fresh while cycling??
