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It may not be Le Tour but these low-key events will once again be the
main focus of my cycling tests this year. As last year, my main training/racing
commitment is still running but I'm keen to follow up my moderately successful
bike racing times from last year achieved primarily via this 'cross-training'
method. It may not be the ideal approach for most riders trying to lower
their times (that would probably be 'ride your bike more') but I'm still
convinced it works well for me; hopefully I can achieve some good results
despite being constrained to comparatively low bike mileage.
I'm starting riding with a good fitness base from running. Last year's
average 3 runs per week totalling 18-20 miles have increased since Christmas
to 4 runs per week totalling 30 miles. This modest one extra session is
in fact a 33% increase, with mileage going up 50%. This extra training
had an effect by February and best times achieved last year have already
been revised; 58.03 for 10 miles (best last year 59.04) and 10k in 35.04
and 34.57 (beating my ancient 1994 PB by a few seconds - best last year
was 35.45). I've even just run a half marathon (my longest ever run!)
in 1.20.32 so I'm very pleased with the base fitness.
I'm starting riding with a good fitness base from running. Last year's
average 3 runs per week totalling 18-20 miles have increased since Christmas
to 4 runs per week totalling 30 miles. This modest one extra session is
in fact a 33% increase, with mileage going up 50%. This extra training
had an effect by February and best times achieved last year have already
been revised; 58.03 for 10 miles (best last year 59.04) and 10k in 35.04
and 34.57 (beating my ancient 1994 PB by a few seconds - best last year
was 35.45). I've even just run a half marathon (my longest ever run!)
in 1.20.32 so I'm very pleased with the base fitness.
But it's cycling we're interested in, right? Well, so far I've managed
a not-so-grand total of about six or seven rides of about 12 miles each,
mostly by a bit of commuting. It doesn't sound like much now I've written
it down. Still, I'll be riding the first '10' on Thursday to set a benchmark
and see where we go from there. Andy Bandy and Barry Astral (surely not?)
are threatening to ride as well. Wonders will never cease.
As an adjunct to all this I thought it might be of interest to look at
that other aspect of trying to go fast on a bike, apart from training
and fitness. I mean the bike itself of course. I've done plenty of trawling
through the InterWeb thing looking for definitive answers to which equipment
will make you faster but it's not as simple as that. Comparing testing
done by numerous pseudo-scientific bodies is a minefield and you have
to look pretty deeply at the results in order to get something out of
them that might actually be true. So I'll attempt to report my take on
the 'aero' subject; perhaps I'll try to conduct a few pseudo-scientific
tests myself.
Maybe one week I'll wear a pointy-head helmet. If I go a minute faster
it will obviously be down to the helmet and not the 20mph tailwind back
from the turn.
Sub-23 minutes by July? I should be so lucky.
Tony
Tickle's Race Diary 12th June 2009
A
busy week for races (mostly running). On Sunday morning I ran 36.23 in
a hilly 10k (1st V40, 15th overall, very pleased) and on Monday evening
came 3rd overall (1st V40) in a 2 miles at Battersea Park in 10.42 (even
more pleased). After track training on Tuesday I was getting a bit tired.
Still no time to fit any cycling in but keen to test the running fitness
for the bike, I turned up on Thursday for the ‘10’ still feeling
a bit jaded and not too happy that it was quite windy. Anyway, get on
with it, and I was glad I did as I managed 24.25 again (same as last time),
in effect a good improvement as most riders were slower this time. Funny
how it doesn’t matter how you feel before a race; you never know
how well you’re going until you’re actually racing. At least
it’s always that way for me. I often feel very lethargic just before
a race but never worry about it; invariably I’m fine once the effort
begins.
With such good running form at the moment I’ve got to try and milk
it so I’m racing on Saturday morning at Battersea Park again, this
time over 10k, looking for a sub-36 timing. With a bit of luck I’ll
get a ride or two in before the next ‘10’ and maybe start getting
that time down. It would be nice to get under 24 minutes on such minimal
riding, something I couldn’t manage last season.
Tony
Tickle's Race Diary 8th June 2009
Not
bad! No bike training at all but 24.25 for 10 miles is pretty quick just
from running training. Circumstances mean I’ll probably stick to
the same regime for the time being (3 or 4 runs per week, very little
cycling) so we’ll see if the times get any quicker. I’m on
good running form lately (10.46 for 2 miles, 17.24 for 5k, 36.11 for 10k)
but I still want to keep bike racing to test the ‘cross-over’
of the two disciplines. In my case at least, it appears that running fitness
can still keep me quite fast on the bike.
Maybe
I should be looking for a Duathlon?
I would like to hear from anyone else who has combined running with cycling,
so please feel free to write in.
Previous Week's Intro Pt 2...
So, at
the end of 2006, aged 44, I had a new PB of 22.52 but the certain knowledge
that this wasn't as good as 23.09 achieved 25 years earlier - without
the aid of an aerodynamic position. The 2007 season needed to be attacked
with renewed vigour.
As it happened, the same policy of consistent weekly racing from April,
while training on commuter rides about three times a week (spinning low
gears), did the job again. By the end of July I'd done a couple of rides
in the very low 23s and a 22.57. I was just waiting for a day to really
'click' and it came with a 22.50. Now that was a PB but still not the
required 30 second beating of the ancient time; however, I finally got
it the following week - a great ride clocking 22.37 on one of those rare
occasions where you feel you're flying and you just know it's one of your
best ever efforts. Sheer bliss.
2008 saw an end to this yearly improvement. Was age finally catching up?
Well, at the moment I like to think not. I missed a number of weekly races
and did less commuting/training and it showed - I didn't even go sub-24
minutes this season. Also, I was getting keener on running, my other old
sporting passion. With the 2009 season upon us I still haven't raced on
my bike but a winter of good running training has made me half a stone
lighter and very fit.
So, can this running fitness be transferred to the bike? Will my lighter
weight make a difference? Or will my total lack of riding through the
winter mean I have to start from scratch? And can I stop writing in questions?
My first 10 of the year is tonight. Watch this space.
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