Elsewhere
in the training section I promised you information regarding
how to perform strength training on the bike, well here it is.
There are two methods that I use. The first involves the use
of my fixed wheel bike. The second involves hills, or a hill,
and a 52 x 12 gear.
Fixed Wheel
I prefer this method personally because I just love riding my
fixed wheel bike. Also I live fairly near Northamptonshire where
small hills or reasonable drags are pretty much the order of
the day on most rides.
Choosing a lumpy route and a gear ratio of 42 x 17 in the early
part of the training period is good for strength training as
well as the other benefits of riding fixed wheel. As one gets
closer to the season, if I'm still riding fixed, which I often
am, a session on a 42 x 16 just puts that extra strain on the
hills and gives you that extra gear to go with the extra fitness.
If you've never tried fixed wheel riding I highly recommend
it. I don't know what it is about it, feeling at one with the
bike, no gears to go wrong, or what but whenever I'm feeling
a bit "off-cycling", a session on the fixed wheel just brings
the enthusiasm flooding back. It's just a different experience
to riding a bike with gears.
Hills and a 52 x 12 gear. Two
ways of doing this one:
Whenever
you reach a hill, select the highest gear you have, stay seated
and pedal your way up the hill. Concentrate on pedalling in
circles, you therefore use your hamstrings, calves as well as
your quads. Staying seated also makes sure you use you glutes
also.
Alternating between seated and standing is allowed as this helps
both sets of muscle groups involved in cycling but the true
key to this type of training is to stay seated. Once you reach
the top of the hill change back to the 42 x 17 you were probably
riding and continue until you reach the next hill. This approach
means you can incorporate strength training in a normal ride.
The other approach involves a hill, which you ride to as a means
of warming up. Ride up the hill making a note of how long it
takes to ride up it, add 10% to that time. Then ride back down
and up and down etc. until you cannot ride the hill within the
time period. You'll then probably want to ride home and I wouldn't
blame you if you did.
