Viewing 34 posts - 41 through 74 (of 74 total)
  • how many miles per week/month do you ride or train?
  • oldgit
    Free Member

    About 140 miles road. two 40 mile training sessions and a 60 mile fast club ride Sunday.
    A 20 – 35 mile off road session with some Xc guys.
    And just one 45 minute max power????!!! turbo session .
    A week. Very little to and froming on a bike.

    The reason I do is to stay pretty okay in the LVRC and Central Cross, as well as being comfortable during enduros, or if I want a pop at XC racing. And finally to keep fit as I age.

    JCL
    Free Member

    I do about 150km max a week on the road and one two hour weight session. Next month I’ll start two long stage hill interval days per week then a mid length week and then the old 30 sec on 30 sec off on the rollers for 30mins twice a week.

    I’ll get to about 70-80% with that then do few short XC races and I’ll be good.

    hooli
    Full Member

    I don’t know how you guys make the time for the amount of miles you do.

    I cant commute for a number of reasons so if I can get 100 miles a week, it is a very good week for me.

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    GEDA
    Free Member

    What exactly are junk miles? I commute about 120km per week but never really thought about junk miles. Sometimes I try spinning, sometimes attacking hills, have logged a few Strava segments (But that is mostly useless as it depends mostly on which way the wind blows or it it is off road how much it has rained)

    ton
    Full Member

    only folk who use the term ‘junk miles’ are the wanna b racers.
    all cycling miles are good, be it pootling with your kids, touring, commuting or offroad riding.

    a true cyclist loves all forms of cycling, unfortunately this forum is not full of true cyclists.

    njee20
    Free Member

    only folk who use the term ‘junk miles’ are the wanna b racers.
    all cycling miles are good, be it pootling with your kids, touring, commuting or offroad riding.

    Junk miles are miles which are not actively achieving any training benefit aside from time on the bike. For most, it’s really not an issue (and all miles are good), but for folk who race (you can call them wannabes if you want) there’s a potential risk you think “wow, I’m doing 300 miles a week, I’m going to be flying”, but actually you’re doing them all at a sufficient intensity to tire yourself out, but not hard enough to actually have any real training benefit. Those are junk miles.

    Particularly easy on a commute, as few will either want to do a very gentle ‘recovery’ pace, or turn each ride into a massive interval session.

    IMO it’s not really an issue unless you’re actively training or chasing performance.

    But it’s a principle reason in why more miles does not necessarily equal more fitness.

    GEDA
    Free Member

    How do you know if you are trying too much then? I know sometimes I can spin and sometimes I have no power at all. I try to get out on the pumptrack for twenty minutes in the morning and that makes my body feel really old!

    njee20
    Free Member

    Ideally through HR or power or similar, something that actually quantifies exertion. I know the power I need to sustain for it to really be a recovery ride is bloody low!

    Strava doesn’t help, who can help having a little dig on a segment if you feel good!?

    Gotama
    Free Member

    Njee – do you still commute into London from just outside the M25? Just wondering how long it takes you with traffic/lights etc as i’m dithering about something similar a day or two a week.

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    Ha! I was just about to ask the same, trying to find your email address nick, and failed.

    Eyeing up a move to Dorking at the moment and wondering what the ride to the City is like.

    njee20
    Free Member

    Indeed I do, although rarely more than once a week these days for a variety of reasons.

    Here’s my route, it’s fine. Problems are:
    – stupid number of lights, it’s about 130 sets, I lose count
    – because it’s a dead straight line it’s grim on a windy day, no respite whatsoever!
    – a couple of the bits are pretty dicey, I hate the bit from Ewell to Merton, and not a fan of Tooting on CS7 either
    – very high nodder quotient on CS7, folk switching, not paying attention etc, getting worse too IMO.

    Generally takes c1:10-1:20 riding time, plus 5-10 minutes stopped at lights. I park in Fetcham – at Bockett’s Farm if you know it.

    Ned – it’s definitely doable, Geetee1972 of this parish does that ride periodically, a couple of miles further than my normal ride. If I ride from home (like this I go through Dorking, over the back of Boxhill (Headley Lane), then past Epsom Race Course and into the back of Epsom to pick up my shortened route.

    Email address should be in profile, but it’s njee20@hotmail.com if either of you want to talk about it!

    brakes
    Free Member

    Eyeing up a move to Dorking

    you’ll miss the North London Alps

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    Grand, cheers, I’ll check those out.

    I was looking in my inbox for your address, but could have checked your profile!

    njee20
    Free Member

    Would’ve been too easy 😉

    Gotama
    Free Member

    Great thanks, will get set up and give it a go. Overall it shouldn’t be too bad for me as I intend to dump the car just outside of Cobham and I work in Chiswick so it’s Esher, Richmond Park etc, it was more curiosity on how traffic affects the overall time.

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    I will brakes! And plenty of other things besides… Hmmm… Plenty of that < going on at the moment!

    To get back on topic, I will also miss 60 miles a week of absolutely top kwality commutraining. A few dozen traffic light/ped crossing sprint starts, three hundred feet of climbing every single day. 5.2 kilo wheels, bag, and the old alveoli get an extra workout from the traffic fumes.

    Also doing 40-75 miles on the weekends at them moment. Mostly on road, sometimes not, usually down to a garmin route planning curveball! Not much MTB Action at the moment. Need to rectify that.

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    a true cyclist loves all forms of cycling, unfortunately this forum is not full of true cyclists.

    give over you wind up merchant. i love my commute – it’s still junk miles from a trianing perspective though.

    I try and use my commute to be zone 2 base stuff, recovery after a ride, or intervals when i’ve missed other rides.

    Few options or routes can help. I have the climbers commute which for no extra time adds in another 50% elevation.

    ton
    Full Member

    😆

    njee20
    Free Member

    Great thanks, will get set up and give it a go. Overall it shouldn’t be too bad for me as I intend to dump the car just outside of Cobham and I work in Chiswick so it’s Esher, Richmond Park etc, it was more curiosity on how traffic affects the overall time.

    It depends massively on your exact route (and the provision for cyclists on it). I tried a route similar to that, it was a much nicer ride, it felt slower, although actually doesn’t look to have been any slower, fewer lights I guess: here. In fact I may try that again sometime!

    Anyway, sorry, getting well OT. I’ll let the “true cyclists” get back to it.

    chilled76
    Free Member

    I thought most reponses to this thread would be people who ride a lot, as people like myself won’t respond.

    I do generally one ride at the weekend (about 20 miles).
    Occasionally do an evening ride if I get home early enough (only an hour blast).

    Sometimes if I’m lucky I’ll get two rides in at the weekend but that is rare.

    Tend to get 3-4 rides in every time there is a school holiday, and ride a lot in the 6 week summer holidays.

    Yes I’m a teacher, no I’m not striking today… but there’s no kids in to teach and I’ve spent the morning marking and looking at spreadsheets…. I’m now very bored.

    townydc
    Free Member

    Try to get in about 40 miles a week at night time off road.
    This month hoping to get a final 2 rides in up until Monday, which will give me about 170 miles, of which I’m happy with.

    Gotama
    Free Member

    I tried a route similar to that

    Yep, that’s similar to what I would do bar a few variations. I like your commitment to the parks with the detour through bushy park rather than skirting round the river on the Richmond side 🙂

    mrmo
    Free Member

    @thomthumb, TBH, if you commute by bike, to me that is a “true cyclist”,

    Bikes are far more than toys, and to be honest there are plenty on here whose idea of a ride is drive the car to a carpark do a lap round a trail centre then drive home. They would never dream of riding a bike on the road, or exploring the tracks where they live.

    Using a bike as transport, for commuting, even if only once in a while makes you more a cyclist than the weekend warrior. Even if your bike cost a fraction of the amount.

    crispycross
    Free Member

    How do people fit commuting miles into their training plans?

    I’m sure that commuting has helped my fitness. I just keep it steady, 45 mins of Z2 each way, most days, that way I’m not tired and can usually manage another ride that day if I get the chance. Mondays after a race are always Z1 or recovery or nothing, depending on what my legs say. I might go harder on the turbo or local chaingang in the evening.

    ton
    Full Member

    Using a bike as transport, for commuting, even if only once in a while makes you more a cyclist than the weekend warrior. Even if your bike cost a fraction of the amount.

    and that is why I am a cycling god……………. 😆

    The-Swedish-Chef
    Free Member

    Managed an average 150KM a week so far this year, all planned sessions, and nothing longer than 2.5 hours so far.

    Seems to be working as I’m flying at the moment, have a block of longer distnace sessions planned then let the racing begin!

    ollie51
    Free Member

    out of interest, who is your coach, I don’t know of any who would have an amateur do 30 hours?
    Torq.

    edit: past tense, was my coach. I don’t race anymore.

    Endurance guy then? I know of world tour pros who don’t even do 30 hours a week frequently! I managed 25 hours in 6 days once on a training camp and I remember that putting me into a ‘rut’ for a while…

    tarquin
    Free Member

    200-250km a week.

    6-8 hours, 1 hour will be racing and I sometimes make a 90 minute hard bunch one morning a week too.

    xcretro
    Free Member

    Ok, OP here :o) thanks for all your imput and discussions, I am wondering how much and what type of training or simply just riding the bike I would need to be doing to hold my own in an xc race in sport or vet class?

    I supose the only way to know is to enter a race, see where I place and then train accordingly to the results. I know I used to struggle on uphills not from technique as I have good technical ability but on fitness and stamina, I have not avoided hills or even started to pop it in easiest gear and pootle up either, I have started to attack the hills and make them a challenge.

    So I know where my weaknesses lie, these will become even more apparent in a race situation and I can then do something about them.

    I need to get a computer I think to monitor my average speed at least as looking at race times and terrain/altitude and distance I need to be averaging about 12-15 mph on off road to be competitive.

    I am more than happy to be corrected though ;o)

    RoterStern
    Free Member

    Time on the bike is a more important gauge than distance IMO. It’s far easier to rack up loads of miles on a road bike in a flat area than a single speed mountain bike in a hilly area. But who gets the better workout?

    njee20
    Free Member

    I need to get a computer I think to monitor my average speed at least as looking at race times and terrain/altitude and distance I need to be averaging about 12-15 mph on off road to be competitive.

    Completely irrelevant, I really wouldn’t get hung up on the average speed.

    As you’ve said, do a race, see how you get on. At the end of the day you can always get faster, so really it comes down to how much time you’ve got, you’re not likely to find another 20 hours spare once you’ve done a race! The “how you compare to others” is a bit of a red herring really. If you destroy everyone in your first race, just move up a category.

    mrmo
    Free Member

    Time on the bike is a more important gauge than distance IMO. It’s far easier to rack up loads of miles on a road bike in a flat area than a single speed mountain bike in a hilly area. But who gets the better workout?

    Nothing is that simple, miles on a road bikes at bimble pace or protour pace.

    To be honest the road will, if motivated, get you far fitter.

    mrlebowski
    Free Member

    Endurance guy then? I know of world tour pros who don’t even do 30 hours a week frequently! I managed 25 hours in 6 days once on a training camp and I remember that putting me into a ‘rut’ for a while…

    Yep, I used to race stage races. Trans Rockies, BC Bike Race – that kind of thing. Ironically stopped racing due to an overuse injury (which was put down to being quad dominant, poor glute engagement & a weak VMO. Still hey ho, it was fun while it lasted!)

    ollie51
    Free Member

    Yep, I used to race stage races. Trans Rockies, BC Bike Race – that kind of thing. Ironically stopped racing due to an overuse injury (which was put down to being quad dominant, poor glute engagement & a weak VMO. Still hey ho, it was fun while it lasted!)

    A lot of people told me I was stupid when I spent most of the winter doing exercises to improve glute activation during the pedal stroke! You must be the 3rd or 4th person I’ve heard of who are broken due to quad dominance. Quad dominance is a big issue amongst cyclist IMO.

Viewing 34 posts - 41 through 74 (of 74 total)

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