I occasionally get questions about how much I train for my racing. Below I have outlined some stats from my training season last year (2006 racing season):
260 Rides
Distance = 16,000 km
Hours = 587
AVG speed = 27 km/h
Training Days = 5 per week with 3 long rides
Ride types = mostly road and cyclocross riding on gravel roads
AVG Windspeed = 9 mph average
AVG Temperature = 55 degree F
This training helped me move up to Category 3 for road racing in USCF and OBRA in early 2006. I’m anxious to get started with a new season of training, which I will start next weekend. Here is my plannned schedule, which is fairly similar to my training plan last year:
I rarely miss a day of scheduled training, which is a challenge in La Grande due to the snow and cold. I often shuffle around the scheduled rides for the week, depending on conditions. The information is based largely on the concepts of Chris Carmichael (The Ultimate Ride, Berkley Trade, 2004), with some of the plan based on workouts from Joe Friel (The Cyclist’s Training Bible [2nd ed], VeloPress, 2004). I’ve read quite a few books on cycling, and I think Carmichael provides the best approach.
This year I have purchased the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS, so now I’ll be able to have unlimited fun with ride data. In fact, if someone wants a virtual race against me I’ll email you a file to download to your Garmin GPS (Edge or Forerunner).
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