Whether you're training to ride your first century or building enough fitness to ride a weeklong bike tour, you'll need to train your body to ride and to sit on the bike for a longer distance. It's important to slowly ramp up your training and avoid large increases in miles or training intensity. Going slowly will help you avoid injuries and overtraining. When searching for a longer ride, give yourself enough time to plan and train and be sure that your goal is within reach.
Step 1
Develop a training plan and devise measurable ways to reach your goal. When you sign up for a longer ride, such as a century, many ride organizers will send you a training plan. If not, you can find training plans online or in cycling books. You don't necessarily need a coach to help you reach your goal. The important thing is to stick to the plan and perform the workouts at the intensity that's indicated. Most century training plans are eight to 10 weeks long. Be sure to factor in this time when you sign up for an event.
Step 2
Check how your bike fits you and make any tweaks ahead of time. A long event could have you in the saddle for six hours or six straight days. It's important that your bike fits you well, considering that you will be in one position for hours. Most bike shops have bike fitters who will help you get into a comfortable position. He will check things like your saddle height, cleat position and the angles of your back and knees.
Step 3
Build your aerobic base. Most long distance efforts are primarily aerobic. This means that the pace is challenging, but you shouldn't be panting or short of breath. One way to develop endurance and a strong aerobic engine is by performing one long ride each week. If it's the beginning of the season, start with 30 miles and then increase by 10 percent for the weeks that follow. This is one of the most important rides to do, as it teaches your muscles to sit in the cycling position for a long time; it also builds cardiovascular strength.
Step 4
Incorporate speed work into your week. Maybe you're not trying to cycle a century at a certain high speed, but doing some speed work will not only build endurance, it will also increase the amount of effort you can make before your muscles burn and tire from lactic acid. Do a one- to two-hour ride each week and perform four to six maximum efforts during the ride. These should be about 30 seconds long. You can sprint to street signs or mailboxes. Just be sure to recover for at least a minute in between.
Step 5
Ride at your lactate threshold. When you exercise, your body produces and clears lactic acid in your muscles. When you exercise hard, your body can no longer clear the lactic acid fast enough, your muscles burn and you begin to fatigue. When you increase your lactate threshold, you build endurance and speed. You'll be able to ride longer without tiring. Practice steady-state intervals during one day of training. Ride for 10 minutes just below your lactate threshold, as measured with a heart rate monitor. Recover for five minutes and repeat until you have finished three intervals.
Things You'll Need
- Heart rate monitor
- Training plan
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