Tomorrow starts outdoor training season for mountain road cycling.
When I returned from Sebring in mid-February I dove into long neglected work duties and various other things given short-shrift while I focused on Sebring.
Then my wife and I spent some R&R on a week in New Orleans.
During that time I was changing up the gearing of my bikes from flatland riding (Sebring) to the local mountain road cycling.
The Ti Aero has a double (50/34) up front with an 11/36 in back. My `climbing' gear set up. The CA2 has a 58/42 up front with an 11/36 in back. The bigger cassette up front is to accommodate flats and long descending routes.
The Ti Aero has a double (50/34) up front with an 11/36 in back. My `climbing' gear set up. The CA2 has a 58/42 up front with an 11/36 in back. The bigger cassette up front is to accommodate flats and long descending routes.
Though it remains unseasonably cold (30F) and windy (40 mph gusts) `up here' all seems to be in working order to begin a concerted outdoor training plan.
Because mountain road cycling is dramatically different (easier in some ways, harder in others) than flatland cycling the body has to be eased into it. The biggest issue is attending to smart strategies. Low gears, high cadence on extended (6 - 17 miles) climbing. Though it is important to build up power and strength it is equally important to build endurance. A gradual increase in time and distance, interspersed with careful intervals, on the inclines both avoids injury and improves speed.
Another key training goal has to do with bike handling skills on the long descents and fast descending switchbacks. By `fast' switchbacks I mean just that. Competition and performance goals require building muscle memory training. Time, effort and calculated increases in demand.
Tomorrow I'm off to do some shakedown work on the Ti Aero on nearby and reasonably level road. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12834889
This is a good local out and back training road. Ten mile section of rollers. Park the car at mile 5 in the event of an unrecoverable mechanical problem. Just enough vehicles (3 or 5 per hour) that might give me a lift to my car in that case.
Then, in a few days, I'll do some fairly sedate long (9.4 miles) climbs with no descents: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12834961 The actual climbing is great training. The only downside (pun) is the return to the starting point. I can easily hit 45 mph on the descent. And if I'm wet with sweat I have to be careful to dress right to avoid wind chill. A very real threat.
Maybe five or seven training sessions on these routes before I start intensive mountain road training on these local courses:
20 miles 2000 feet of Steep Ascents and Descents
40 miles 4000 feet of Steep Ascents and Descents
50 miles 4300 feet of Steep Ascents and Descents
And then these:
100 miles 7800 feet of climbing and descending
Skull Valley Loop
All these training routes are either right from my front door or within a 30 minute drive.
Good to get back to consistent outdoor training.
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