Best Methods for Training on a Bike?

thickerella

I need to start by saying that I am recovery from a disabling injury. I am as healed as I am going to get and I am working to rebuild atrophied muscle and bone.

I got a bike about 6 months ago but have only been biking consistently for the past 2. So far my training method has been to simply get on the bike and make it go. When I started I was getting off the bike to push up hills, now I pedal up hills even on the mountain trails. At first, I felt like I wanted to die after 10 miles. Now I can do 17 and wonder if I should have pushed myself to do 20.

I can tell I am stronger, but I am beginning to wonder if I should do more. Is it enough to just go on progressively longer rides, or should I can I make the shorter rides do more for me?

Instead of going up hills in 2 / 1 should I try to go up in 2 / 2 or even 2 / 3? Should I push myself to be faster? Attach a heavy pannier to the rack? Or just keep doing what I am doing?

BrianSharpe

Mix up your rides

It's a lot like running, the first thing you want to do is build your aerobic base (which, it seems, you've made great progress on). Depending on how many time you're riding each week one of them should be long and at a comfortable pace and one shorter and more intense.

Hills are great (despite my moaning about doing standing climbs in my spinning class) but you want to watch your cadence. Too many riders try to grind the hills on a big gear rather than shifting down and keeping their cadence up (there is a time and place for slow big gear workouts but.....when's the last time you saw someone on the Tour de France doing that?)

If you've got access to a stationary or spinning bike (even better one with power cranks) there are drills you can work on (one-legged, big slow gear etc) that can immensely improve your riding fitness in a controlled environment.

Good luck on the road to recovery!