Cycling World Magazine January 2017 | Page 65

Training and Nutrition :

New Beginnings

by Tim Ramsden . Tim is an Association of British Cycling Coaches ( ABCC ) Level 3 Coach and owner of www . blackcatcyclecoaching . com
January 2017 | 65

Flashback to this coach as an eleven-year-old boy …. knowing that a new cycling top , ( wool and acrylic mix , bearing the name and colours of an exotic Italian sponsor ) was POSSIBLY the soft-wrapped present under the Christmas tree , labelled “ To Timothy With Lots of Love ”…. dreaming of riding my Falcon Reynolds 531 second hand racing bike up the East Chevin Road in Otley , W . Yorks , clad in this Continental beauty … despite the 1970 ’ s snow on the ground ( somehow it always seems that the 70s had more white Christmases … particularly in Leeds )…

Flashback to the coach as a young man …. overweight and with a twenty-a-day habit at eighteen-years-old , kicking the smokes on New Year ’ s Day and being “ saved ” by the local CTC section ( Café-to-Café , as we used to affectionately nickname this fantastic organisation ) with 70-90 mile regular all-day Sunday rides , always in great company ….
Flashback to the coach in his 30s …. a winter of turbo training …. a new bike and deep section carbon wheels … enjoying the festivities but aching for Jan 1st and the chance to get fit for “ just one more season ” ….
New Year = New Beginnings . And this month ’ s column is more about the mental side than the physical …. but one thing holds true , always . If you want to ride further or faster - whether that is club runs , Gran Fondos , touring or racing – you need to be fitter or lighter … or both . And anything that gets you motivated to do either , or both , of these things is a winner .
So … What do you need to kick start things ? Well … new bikes / wheels / kit are always great motivators , but what about specifics ? And the physical side ?
Using heart rate for bike training … invest in a basic heart rate monitor , use a hill to get your max heart rate , deduct 45-50 beats per minute from it and - hey presto ! - you have your training “ floor level ” for 2-4- hour training rides .
Running …. shift the excess Xmas Pud Kilos with some steady running x 3 a week … start off doing 1 min jog and 90 seconds walking up to 15 minutes , then build slowly from there … why not try a couch to 3k plan ?
Treat yourself to a turbo trainer to do 30:00 sessions in January x 3 a week … that ’ s all you need to keep sharp at the heart rate described above , plus 10 beats per minute .
Home gym …. try some core and own bodyweight exercises – lots of them out there ( I will describe an ideal circuit in the next column ) and if you only cycle you should work the areas of your body that don ’ t usually get a workout … and improve your overall tone and posture .
And most importantly this New Year take one bicycle , add a group of like-minded friends with their own bicycles , wrap up warm , choose a route with a great tea or coffee stop at the end , and pop the cork on another year of enjoying the greatest sport and pastime in the world !