Road Cycling Essentials

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Just keep turning those wheels, increase your distance a bit each time. Endurance will come with the more miles you do and the food you take in for the day.
 
godinman said:
No no, I get how to improve endurance, but what is it that actually changes in your muscles to allow them to keep going?
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Lactate Acid is what you get in your muscles, that's the "wall" that we all hit and cant do anymore

so by increasing your fitness, the lactate acid comes on later than normal, so you can go for longer

im doing interval training that seems to work for me
 
I'm resting today, as my lower back is a bit sore from yesterday. I really hope the bike fit I have coming up will help with these niggles. I guess getting out on the bike more would go a long way to help, too :$
 
Just up after putting a big dent in a bottle of Finlandia vodka last night. Debating where to go a ride but starting off by having a dairlea lunchable(lol), granola bar and a banana.

Will post back later where I end up :)
 
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh man what a day. Just shy of 3 hours in the saddle. Gorgeous weather, gorgeous cycle, and now a casual afternoon of le tour, a bit of tennis, and some bicycle maintenance. Allez allez allez!

Might go back out later :p.
 
godinman said:
No no, I get how to improve endurance, but what is it that actually changes in your muscles to allow them to keep going?
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Oh right. The fast twich fibres in your muscles break down and convert to slow twitch fibres when you do endurance based training. Put in rather simplistic terms fast twitch fibres are for power and quick effort eg sprinting, slow twitch can't extert as much force but can do it for much longer, ergo endurance.

So essentially the longer you spend training your muscles in endurance, the more slow twitch fibres you'll build/convert and therefore your muscles will be naturally able to exert force for longer.
 
platypus said:
Oh right. The fast twich fibres in your muscles break down and convert to slow twitch fibres when you do endurance based training. Put in rather simplistic terms fast twitch fibres are for power and quick effort eg sprinting, slow twitch can't extert as much force but can do it for much longer, ergo endurance.

So essentially the longer you spend training your muscles in endurance, the more slow twitch fibres you'll build/convert and therefore your muscles will be naturally able to exert force for longer.
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I understood that the number of fibres was constant throughout your life, it was just a question of how big they are.
 
I wasn't clear either. Number of fast twitch fibres is constant and number of slow twitch fibres is constant. The ratio is different for each person

Fibres don't convert they just get stronger or weaker depending on which ones you are using.
 
Struggled with food I think today. Wanted to go out for longer but only managed 70 miles.

In case anyone didn't realise, its hot out there.
 
So, decided to have another go at that 100 miler though the Leadhills that went a bit wrong last Sunday.

Got it done this time:
http://app.strava.com/activities/65353984

Knackered now, and damn it's hot out there. It was grey and drizzling when i left the house this morning, but by the time i got to Sanqhuar it was scorchio - typically just in time for the real climbing to start.

Made it up the Mennock Pass to the highest village in Scotland. Was quite tough in the heat but felt alright once i hit the top. So decided to go up the private road that takes you to the radar beacon on top of the hill - about another 1000ft above the village. Was utterly brutal - 5km that seemed to go on forever, of just constant switchbacks on >10% inclines. I was out the saddle, grinding my way up for what felt like ages. Was 26deg up there too, so was slowly cooking. But i made it up without stopping - definitely the toughest climb i've ever done.

100 miles and 2000m of climbing later, I think ice cream and feet up for the rest of the day is now due.
 
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Really interesting, so the ratio of different types of fibres don't change then? So by doing endurance training alongside sprint training you don't harm your sprint ability?
 
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