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You've just started road cycling. You're starting to enjoy riding your bike and, logically, you're wondering how to train well to progress, especially if you're planning to do club cycling. Here's a quick guide to help you get started with the right training for your practice.
Should you train solo or with a group?
When you first start cycling, you wonder whether it's better to ride solo or join a club. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Ideally, it would be best to alternate solo and group rides so that you can train and progress in several areas.
Group rides will be more friendly and allow you to learn to ride in a pack. They will also stimulate you and will probably allow you to surpass yourself during certain exercises. But you will be dependent on the group and you will sometimes have to comply with certain data (speed, mileage, day of ride, etc.) that will not always suit you.
Training alone will allow you to be in control of your rides (distance, pace, etc.). You can also decide to go out at the last minute, depending on what you want to do or the weather. Even though it's not always easy to motivate yourself to go out on your own, it may allow you to work specifically on certain points.
How to progress on your bike
After you've put together a few rides on your new bike and started to enjoy it, you're going to wonder how to make rapid progress on your bike. This progression will depend on several parameters and in particular on your starting level which will not be the same depending on your age, your physical condition depending on whether you are starting the sport or if you already have a sports background in another field (running, team sports, etc.).
Of course, there are some mistakes to avoid such as wanting to go too fast (as the saying goes "Who wants to go far spares his mount") and in particular not taking into account the recovery time needed by each cyclist.
To progress in cycling, it is consistency that pays. The ideal is to be able to do at least two to three rides per week to be able to truly progress but, it is better to do one good ride per week than to do three rides in one week and then stay two weeks without riding: that would be totally counterproductive.
How to train when you're new to cycling
After taking these few parameters into account, you're probably wondering what training program to follow when you start cycling?
When you start cycling or resume cycling after a break, before you start doing any specific work, the first thing you need to work on is endurance and that involves groundwork. This means riding at a steady pace (without raising the heart rate) on longer and longer rides to lengthen the saddle time as you go. This period should last at least two months, especially if you are a big beginner. This will notably allow your body to adapt to the position on the bike and your heart to get used to the effort.
And above all, don't forget to warm up at the beginning of each ride for about twenty minutes by pedaling smoothly, without forcing. This will also apply when you attack specific work or split training to develop other areas on targeted efforts. Workloads will be increased gradually as you progress.
What bike training program to take you further?
When you've racked up the mileage from the basics and chained together a few specific workouts, you're probably wondering what training program to follow to go further on the bike.
This one will depend on your goals. Indeed, whether your goal is to participate in local competitions over a distance of 50 kilometers or to participate in a cyclosportive over a distance of more than 200 kilometers, the objective will not be the same...and therefore the training will not be the same either. The same goes for the altitude difference of the event you are preparing. You don't train the same way to climb Mont Ventoux as you would to run on a very rolling course or for a time trial.
But, in all cases, the most important fact is regularity. To go further, you'll need to manage to do between 3 and 5 workouts a week. If you're working and lack time, you can replace some rides with home-trainer workouts to build intensity, power, velocity, and PMA, while rides on the road will allow you to work on your core and pace if you ride in a group.
Now that we've reviewed road bike training, perhaps you'll be inspired to join a club to train in a group. But do you know how to find a bike club that fits your profile?
