Going at it alone is very tough 😔 I would know. You have to keep yourself motivated, focused, and confident. Remember you are an army of ONE. Do what you like and like what you do. Stop when you like. It's not about time, distance, watts, kit or the bike. IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY
4:43 Best Tip on this whole video...That is why I ride solo..EVERYONE that is close to me that do group rides their times are WAY off the times I ride. So its either ride when I can or the time I want or rework my whole schedule to fit in someone else's schedule. I tell these people my work schedule ect. and they will not budge an inch to adjust their schedule...Like really???...Screw that, I ride alone...I do multiple of different rides...Zone 2 with Sprint every so often, than a max threshold ride, also a climbing ride, etc..They just do the SAME group ride with no changes.
I do group rides, and you're right. They're the same each weekend. However, during the weekdays I do Z2 training, threshold, sprints, races at max FTP, climbs etc for roughly 6 to 8 additional hours each week. So, don't be under the impression that guys on group rides do that and nothing else. We actually do.
I needed this video! My biking journey started on BMX, then Downhill racing, then cross-country, and endurance road cycling. I have ridden the huge drops on an expensive bike and 300+ miles in a weekend on a borrowed sub $400 bike. Got married and sold all 4 of my bikes to pay bills. Over the past 10 years, I have gained weight being at an office job. Now, I have 3 kids and my weight has yoyo-ed during the past year. My wife and I decided I needed to bike again because I miss it so much and I need it for my health. I need to "embrace the season" I'm in and start small with slow, more frequent rides.
@BOBFudge It’s great to hear that you’re getting back into riding-sounds like you’ve had quite the journey on two wheels! You're right about starting small and focusing on consistency, especially when life and responsibilities have changed so much. A comfortable bike that suits your current needs, regardless of style or price, will help you ease back in. Prioritise frequent, enjoyable rides over long or intense sessions at first. Embrace this season, take it one ride at a time, and enjoy the process-welcome back!
I simply like riding my bike. I like looking at it.... I like knowing how it works. They are fun devices that capture my curiosity. I also like going place and riding my bike. It's fun to cruise through an area, town, over bridges... the scenery is nice when going through back roads and over hill climbs. I do enjoy the challenge of the endurance and a little bit of the pain. Mostly though, I like to ride my bike. I will do group rides on occasion but I only try to keep up to a certain degree. My goal is always to just get where I am going and enjoy the sights on the way. I do check my strava and measure myself against others but it only goes. as far as knowing where i sit with other riders. Every once in a while I get a bee in my bonnet and go on a quest to ride a route faster than I have before and when I do It feels better than when I see that I am faster than someone else. Somehow that's not a lasting joy so much as out doing my own efforts.That's a long way to go to simply say.... try riding your bikes to support an adventure. Like a car trip or a train ride it can be fun and enjoyable... pick a destination and go.
Good advice. I knew most very early on. As a kid when on holiday in Italy at the Riviera I knew I wanted to cycle the coastal mountains. The Netherlands the country I am from has no maintains or real elevation. Twenty years later I managed to cycle there for one week, as a preparation for the Marmotte in France. It was the best cycling week I ever had. I was cycling with a vriend of mine. We encountered some Italian cyclists the way up a few times and raced them to the top. It was really terrific. I knew instantly as a kid that racing up the mountains was what I wanted to do. Self motivation was a speciality of mine. Reading the mountain road another. It is the absolute best feeling riding on the edge climbing out of the tree zone on hairpin road.
I agree, you speak with a lot of experience, I can tell. The only thing I disagree with is riding for yourself. Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.
Great vid. I appreciate your advice. The harder/faster you go, the smaller the group becomes. Riding your own ride, and finding joy through the experience of riding and training becomes more and more important. I'm someone who works really hard, but is also past my racing prime (43y/I). It's really nice to hear your perspective on what you do. Thanks
I bought a Nike lycra top that I think is intended for running, but I use it as an underlayer when riding in the cold. The seams are glued together with something crappy. It lasted about 4 rides before the seams around the shoulders started coming undone.
Best video yet. Except for the last point. Always follow the rules ;) There is no one right way but there is better ways, hence your point on kit! For example, Alibaba is not a place for new cyclists
Outside i mostly ride alone, with my flat pedals and normal shorts. I also dislike sun glasses, so only a helmet and im ok. If not on my racing bike, im on an over 15 year old Trecking Bike. Why use fancy stuff when not racing anyway?
That’s the thing about cycling. Use what you like and don’t listen to what anybody else says about what you’re supposed to use. I like all the fancy stuff, but more power to you if you don’t (and your wallet will be better off for it.)
... trekking* bike. And cycling glasses are not "fancy", they just protect your eyes. Proper cycling shorts are not "fancy" they are just so much more comofortable than regular shorts.
@@einundsiebenziger5488 It's not that i don't have this stuff, but most weekdays with only 1 hour rides and not much time i just hop on with regular stuff. I can enjoy my ride more like this. Less barrier to getting ready and so on.
I carry 35kg of heavy bag on my VTT up a climb for 20km. I put two in my handle bar and one on my back. Is this considered as weight training, and will it help with bone density?
"You don't get strong by running. You have to be strong to run." I feel the same idea will apply to putting a bunch of weight on the bike. Doing proper weight training will likely show much more benefit than trying to ride with weight added. Cycling is an endurance sport and you're probably more likely to injure yourself with moving a bunch of extra weight for a much longer duration. One is that your joints have to work harder for possible hours to move that weight. Second is if you're doing a lot of descending the weight makes your brakes more likely to overheat and fail. Not to mention extra weight can just make the bike handle awkwardly which can put you into various bad situations.
@scopie49 That's my job to do that. I sell peanut cake once a week. I was supposed to go sell that day, but I got late. I'm going to the gym instead. I have a road cycling competition in 8 days. Can you please tell me what I should do tomorrow?
@@MiguelLerace If you have to carry weight on the bike it's not like it's going to ruin you or anything. I just wouldn't recommend doing it consistently with the sole intent of training. If it's something you need to do for a job then so be it. But proper weight training in a gym would be more effective for actual strength progress.
Hi @MiguelLerace, 24-hour recovery isn’t always needed, adjust cycling intensity and recovery based on the strength session’s impact. Focus on balancing fatigue and performance within your broader training plan. Also, recovery is crucial. Heavy strength workouts can impair muscle function for up to 96 hours, deplete glycogen for up to 6 hours, and cause muscle damage from 8 to 72 hours. This affects cycling if not managed well will impact your time on the bike. Training like high-intensity work, especially above the threshold, can suffer from strength training fatigue. To optimise performance, schedule lower-intensity endurance sessions several hours to days after strength training.
@semiprocycling The other day was my rest day. Yesterday, I did strength training at 8 pm, and today, I will do 70km zone 2 with 1500 elevations at 1pm . Tomorrow, I will ride full gas with 1800 elevations for 100km. The day after will be my rest day. Is that good. My strava is Miguel Lerace
I recover very well, maybe because i used to do very hard things for myself, like carrying heavy rock and heavy bags of soil for a long distance, and I eat a lot of protein. I don't drink and smoke.
