12 WEEKS. to go WHAT S IN YOUR SADDLEBAG? HILL TRAINING

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "12 WEEKS. to go WHAT S IN YOUR SADDLEBAG? HILL TRAINING"

Kathryn Sutton
5 years ago
Views:

12 WEEKS to go HILL TRAINING WHAT S IN YOUR SADDLEBAG?

vitally important. We give you our essential checklist.

1 12 WEEKS to go HILL TRAINING WHAT S IN YOUR SADDLEBAG? Climbing is often feared by new riders, but with these easy tips it can be made easier - and fun! It might be small, but what you keep in your saddlebag is vitally important. We give you our essential checklist. Suggested Total weekly mileage: miles Suggested Long Ride Distance: miles

Training tip of the week - Let s get climbing If you ve been spending the last few weeks of training taking it fairly easy and haven t yet pushed yourself particularly hard, then I m afraid now the

2 Training tip of the week - Let s get climbing If you ve been spending the last few weeks of training taking it fairly easy and haven t yet pushed yourself particularly hard, then I m afraid now the party is over. The base fitness you have built up on long flat (ish) routes over the last few weeks has certainly done you the world of good and laid down a great foundation, but now it s time to get out of that comfort zone and tackle some hills on your training rides. Regardless of whether your upcoming sportive is flat or even slightly hilly, it s a really good idea to make sure you fit some hill training into your schedule at least once a week. Hills are incredibly good at building both heart and leg strength and they are also fantastic to help you build on your mental strength too. Let s not kid ourselves - hill climbing is tough! But if you can learn how to push through a selection of thigh burning inclines during a training ride, then it ll hold you in really good stead for when the going gets tough in the latter stages of your upcoming sportive. Here are a few tips on climbing and how to make it as comfortable as possible: Sitting down - Knowing if you should sit down or stand up out of the saddle during a climb is a really common question. The general rule is that you should spend most of your time seated when climbing. By sitting down, you recruit your glute (bum) muscles a little more, which helps to power your leg drive. A seated climb also helps you to preserve energy and stops your heart rate rising too high. Standing up - Even though you should spend most of your climbing miles sitting down in the saddle, there are times when standing up is recommended. For example, for very short and steep inclines, it s OK to get up and attack it and then sit down again once up and over the hill. Standing up can also help to give your bum a comfort break. Once in a while, standing up can help to redistribute blood flow to certain areas and make you feel a little more comfortable. Pace yourself - Every rider gets this wrong once in a while, but it s really important to pace yourself on a climb. Attack the hill too fast at the beginning and you re asking for some pretty painful thighs before you ve even reached half way. So, start the climb in a low gear and take it slowly. You can always speed up as you approach the top - and hopefully overtake your flagging riding buddy. Cont... GH Training Cycling Newsletters 2

3 Climbing tips continued... Cadence - There is a lot of talk in the cycling community about the importance of the optimal cycling cadence - both on the flat and whilst climbing - and the best advice I can give you is not to get too bogged down with information overload. Choose a cadence that you feel comfortable with and alter it depending on the climb. We re all different, but on easy-moderate climbs try to stay close to 80rpm, but on steeper inclines 65-70rpm is fine. Relax - Hill climbing can be pretty exhausting work and riders will often find themselves tensing up when the going gets tough - which is counter productive. Tensing up your arms and hands on the handle bars uses up unnecessary energy, so try to remember to relax, chill out and channel all your energy into your legs. Practice makes perfect - Like everything in cycling, practice makes perfect and the more hills you climb the more lessons you will learn. What works for one rider may not work for another so learn from your mistakes and enjoy what is one of a cyclists most feared - yet relished - challenges... Although there might seem to be a lot of information here to digest, after a while you ll understand the importance of these tips and you ll naturally adopt these hill climbing tactics into your riding style. Do not fear hills. There can be some pretty tough climbs out there, but start out finding an easy climb, build your confidence and soon you ll be itching to try steeper and longer climbs to test yourself - both physically and mentally! Hill training should not leave you feeling like this (all the time...) GH Training Cycling Newsletters 3

Road Safety tip of the week - Pot Holes It s well documented how bad the state some of the UK s roads are in and this is especially obvious when you re are out riding.

4 Road Safety tip of the week - Pot Holes It s well documented how bad the state some of the UK s roads are in and this is especially obvious when you re are out riding. Pot holes are incredibly dangerous and have the potential to severely damage both you and your bike, so every time you are out training, you must always be on the look out for pot holes, cracks and debris. If you are new to riding and are a little nervous about how to best avoid hitting pot holes, follow these 3 simple guidelines: Scan - Get into the habit of scanning the road ahead to check for any approaching potholes or cracks. When descending hills at speed, you really need your wits about you and will need to scan a long way ahead. Road Position - Pot holes can appear anywhere, but they have a habit of appearing on the edge of the road - right in the path of cyclists. To avoid both coming into direct contact with a pot hole and to avoid having to make a sudden swerve to avoid one, make sure you adopt the right road position and ride a metre or so in from the side of the road. Knowledge - Once you have clocked up some decent miles on familiar routes, you ll get to know where the bad pot holes are, making your ride far safer. However, whenever you ride on unfamiliar routes, always be vigilant and observe the two tips above. To see just how suddenly potholes can appear, click on the video above and watch how a pot hole came out of no-where and sent this cyclist flying. GH Training Cycling Newsletters 4

Kit tip of the week - Saddlebag They might be small, but what you keep in your saddle bag is vitally important, so do not underestimate how essential it may prove to be when out training.

5 Kit tip of the week - Saddlebag They might be small, but what you keep in your saddle bag is vitally important, so do not underestimate how essential it may prove to be when out training. It s amazing how much you can keep in a saddlebag, so choose it s contents wisely and have peace of mind that if you find yourself in a bit of a pickle, then you ll have something in your saddlebag to get you out of a predicament. If you re only used to cycling short distances, it s likely that you ll need to upgrade your saddle bag to a larger one as your miles begin to creep up. The more miles your ride, the more chance there is of needing more spare inner tubes etc, so it s something to consider in a few weeks time. Here are just a few of the things you should consider for your saddlebag: Money - Knowing you have some cash on you for those long training rides can be a real comfort. Whether it s to buy more sports drink, more carbohydrate rich snacks, a coffee or even for a cab home - always keep at least in your bag in case you ever need it. Spare Inner tubes - At some stage during your training, it s highly likely that you ll get a puncture, so it s vital that you carry one or two spare inner tubes with you. You ll be amazed at how easily they fit into your saddlebag. Remember to store a tyre tool along-side the spare inners - or you might have a few problems getting the old one off and the new one on. Multi-tool - Whether it s to re-adjust your saddle height or tighten up other parts of your bike, a multi-tool is essential. If you re not familiar with them take a look by clicking here Gels / snacks - Although most people choose to keep their nutrition in the back pocket of their cycling top, it s a good idea to keep an energy bar and / or a gel or two in your saddle bag as well. Accidentally dropping gels and snack when reaching for them in your back pocket isn t that uncommon, so it s wise to keep a backup stash in your saddlebag. GH Training Cycling Newsletters 5

13 WEEKS. to go SINGLE FILE OR TWO ABREAST? JARGON BUSTER. What is F.T.P. Is it relevant to you and should you find out what yours is?

13 WEEKS. to go SINGLE FILE OR TWO ABREAST? JARGON BUSTER. What is F.T.P. Is it relevant to you and should you find out what yours is? 13 WEEKS to go JARGON BUSTER SINGLE FILE OR TWO ABREAST? What is F.T.P. Is it relevant to you and should you find out what yours is? A much debated topic with road users is if cyclists should ride single