Precious Little Saddle Time
At least in regards to the road bike.
Circumstances have changed that has had a profound effect upon my road cycling. Foremost among them was my dissatisfaction with the cycling club.I'm not liking the vibe nor the heavy handed dictatorial approach of the current executive. I have lost all inclination to participate in club rides, a sentiment I believe is shared by many club members.
The decision to cease racing has also had an impact. No longer does the competitive fire force me out to train so it is harder to motivate myself to allocate the time. Instead i have broadened my sporting opportunities to include other passions; archery, ball hockey and softball. I enjoyed racing but cost, age and the dangerous nature of road racing made the decision easier. A major crash in a race this month in the C pack certainly drove that point home. I would have probably been in the middle of the chaos.
Working most Saturdays has certainly cut into saddle time. I do bike commute as much as possible but Sundays are my only real opportunity to ride any distance. So I need to take advantage of the limited saddle time by maximizing the training benefits.
I achieve this goal by doing(for the most part) solo rides ( no drafting) and usually in a fasted state. Fasted training is a great way to become metabolically flexible and burn adipose fat for fuel. Once you adapt you can strike "bonk" from your vocabulary. Burn fat not carbs!
My second strategy is to add some sprinting to my cycling during the Summer and Fall.Either on my bike commutes home or on the end of a road bike ride I will stop at local sports fields and run some barefoot sprints. Fantastic alone sprinting can really add an exclamation point to any training ride. Kicks your chamois!
Circumstances have changed that has had a profound effect upon my road cycling. Foremost among them was my dissatisfaction with the cycling club.I'm not liking the vibe nor the heavy handed dictatorial approach of the current executive. I have lost all inclination to participate in club rides, a sentiment I believe is shared by many club members.
The decision to cease racing has also had an impact. No longer does the competitive fire force me out to train so it is harder to motivate myself to allocate the time. Instead i have broadened my sporting opportunities to include other passions; archery, ball hockey and softball. I enjoyed racing but cost, age and the dangerous nature of road racing made the decision easier. A major crash in a race this month in the C pack certainly drove that point home. I would have probably been in the middle of the chaos.
Working most Saturdays has certainly cut into saddle time. I do bike commute as much as possible but Sundays are my only real opportunity to ride any distance. So I need to take advantage of the limited saddle time by maximizing the training benefits.
I achieve this goal by doing(for the most part) solo rides ( no drafting) and usually in a fasted state. Fasted training is a great way to become metabolically flexible and burn adipose fat for fuel. Once you adapt you can strike "bonk" from your vocabulary. Burn fat not carbs!
My second strategy is to add some sprinting to my cycling during the Summer and Fall.Either on my bike commutes home or on the end of a road bike ride I will stop at local sports fields and run some barefoot sprints. Fantastic alone sprinting can really add an exclamation point to any training ride. Kicks your chamois!
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