Tips & Training

Yes, I do weight training in the winter.  Typically October-Feb, but not during the season.  I like it because I think mentally it makes me feel stronger and focused, but if I were more time pressured I would definitely put aerobic fitness ahead of weights and try to do some strength specific work on the bike.  Hill repeats in a heavier than normal gear for example.  In recent years the value of weight lifting has definitely been challenged.  There are both advocates and detractors.  I think it can be a positive addition if you have the time and enjoy it.  If not target strength in the off season in sport specific ways.

It’s important to remember that stresses have to vary in order to make improvements, but that pushing too much too quickly can leave you injured.

Pre, during & post exercise eating advice.

Learn how to fix a flat quickly and easily.

I would recommend:

A) take the bike to a local bike store for a safety check and tune up. At the minimum, the store should check the tire pressure, brakes, chainring, and derailleur/shifters to ensure all are are in proper working order and all connections are snug.
B) I would start riding maybe once or twice a week for 20min at a time.  Choose an environment that is flat and safe (bike trail or bike lane.)
C) As you progress, you can start riding more times per week, and at a greater duration, but do not increase volume by more than 15% per week.
D) Consider joining a group - Like your local Luna Chix!   - to make riding more enjoyable, and to enjoy the company of other women cyclists

Now that being said - if I was coaching a beginning cyclist - I would ask a lot more questions about the individual’s specifics- a lot may also depend on the person’s fitness and what other activities they do and their health in general.

Hope this helps,
~Bevin Keen
(USA Cycling, Level 1 Coach)

That’s a good question and I’m sure you could get a lot of different advice on that one! Personally, in a race I would practice what you use to pace/monitor yourself in training, whatever is the best gauge for you of the effort you want to achieve for your racing goals. That could be heart rate, power (if you use watts but most people aren’t this fancy when not on their trainer and out on the road), cadence, speed, or even breathing and the general feeling in your legs if you feel know yourself well enough. If you use cadence in your training and know what is normal for you - I think most people naturally pedal between 80-100 rpm - it can be a good thing to check in with in a race too. You don’t want to be pedaling so slow that you’re “mashing” or powering down so much that your legs fatigue too fast, or spinning so fast that your legs are just turning over out of control with no power and getting your heart rate up too high at the same time. In a road triathlon, following cadence can be a great way to keep you in the moment, focused and on pace. However, it is important to have a good balance between what you could call internal feedback like all of the above, and external feedback like wind, temperature, and changes in terrain up and down.