Fitness levels in the northeast

Ti Designs · #1 02-20-2015, 07:10 AM

Looking out my window I see snow, about 5 feet of it. I've talked to a lot of cyclists in the area, some have the will power to get on their trainers, most say they should, but there's no program for them to follow. Almost half say their exercise this winter has been shoveling. I'm worried. Cycling events are on the calendar, there's probably not going to declare this a leap year and add another month between April and May, so where does the base mileage come from?

In this modern world of mobil everything and multitasking at all times, the concept of doing base miles has come under attack. At first it was "Time Crunched Athlete", now you have this: http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/...e-miles_360501 I've had a number of clients try to skip the base mileage part of the program, they've all come back to putting in the time. So the question comes up, what if you have 5 feet of snow, the roads are narrow and icy, and it's damn cold???

I have the will power to get on the trainer - perhaps a little too much. My Harvard riders start racing in two weeks, they set up times to get groups together where they have trainers - 'cause misery loves company. The way I see it, the only thing worse than a long, cold, snowy winter is a beautiful spring day that you don't have the fitness for a long ride.

So, what are y'all doing about this (talking to the people in the Boston area)? I know this is gonna get some cute responses from people living in Florida or California, don't make me come over there and rip your legs off...

merckx · #2 02-20-2015, 07:18 AM

I have never been fitter at the launch of the spring cycling season than when I've Nordic skied all winter. Nordic skiing fitness compliments cycling fitness well. The added benefit of skiing through the winter months is that the hunger for turning the pedals by March is hard to satiate.

Ti Designs · #3 02-20-2015, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by merckx

I have never been fitter at the launch of the spring cycling season than when I've Nordic skied all winter. Nordic skiing fitness compliments cycling fitness well. The added benefit of skiing through the winter months is that the hunger for turning the pedals by March is hard to satiate.

Good point. A lot of the benefit of base is aerobic conditioning, which also happens on skis or snow shoes.

William · #4 02-20-2015, 07:33 AM

I have no excuse.

I see a guy pass by the farm every morning and afternoon on his bike. Roads are crap with ice, slush, salt, sand, and no shoulder from all the piled up snow. This dude is insane...but he's getting his miles in. It's 1 degree out there right now and it's a 8:30 so he should by by anytime now. I'm going to make a hot espresso and hand it to him as he goes by...

William

Michael Maddox · #5 02-20-2015, 08:07 AM

Despite the disparity of temperatures, we cold-haters down here in the Southeast are hitting the trainer and cross-training.

I hit the weights hard this year, 3 days a week, spend at least an hour a day on the trainer, and purchased a Precor AMT 835 for indoor cardio work. If I'm outside, it's almost exclusively on the mountain bike, as the speeds are lower and the terrain more shielded from the wind. If I could run, I'd definitely be out there doing that on the trails, too.

While I think there are more and less efficient uses of time when training, the slow buildup of aerobic conditioning is beneficial to the rider. For myself, there's also a psychological benefit, as I don't become as disenchanted with training as quickly. Essentially, training becomes a habit before it gets difficult.

I will always coach people to work on their aerobic base and maintain psychological freshness through a variety of activities, including the notion of "base miles."

sandyrs · #6 02-20-2015, 08:08 AM

I've been riding the trainer- less than I should- and getting out on the weekends for 2-3 hours either on my road bike with fenders or my cross bike with studded tires. At this point there's so much snow that the studs don't even do anything meaningful on any surface except the Minuteman, so that option's basically out the window unless I just want to ride to RSC for coffee and commiseration.

That said, my girlfriend and I leave for five days in Austin tomorrow. It's not a cycling-specific trip but I plan to ride in the morning there. It'll probably be the first time I get over 10 hours of riding in a week since cyclocross season was at its midpoint. I'm anticipating light cycling traffic there- it's going to be overcast and in the 30s in the morning, which is about as bad as it seems to get in Austin, but that sounds like heaven to me right now.

I went to college in the Northeast too, and raced in the ECCC my junior and senior years. Those first couple weekends were always a total disaster in terms of fitness- the higher-level racers I know from college would basically just use the ECCC season as base for the summer, and the slow guys like me would thank Joe Kopena that the Stevens road race was only 19 miles long.

bcgav · #7 02-20-2015, 08:10 AM

I'm not a racer, but I've always felt that a strict base-only period is BS. Quality over quantity, most of all variability has worked well for me as long as I keep exercising year-round and hit the weights (free weights, TRX, Bowflex) pretty hard at the start of the winter after a transition phase and add in more cross training (WaterRower, running and CX skiing). Fortunately for me then my endurance comes pretty quickly early in the season once I get a couple of long rides under my belt.

I've also been hitting TrainerRoad hard (with and without Sufferfest videos) and going to CT sessions regularly this winter. Got a nice bump from the Tour of Sufferlandria.

I agree with everything they said and their conclusions in the video. Thanks for sharing.

tlittlefield · #8 02-20-2015, 08:10 AM

The condo which I live in has a pretty nice aerobic area at the clubhouse, a couple of treadmills, an elliptical and two recumbent bikes.

I am on the recumbent five days a week for 50-60 minutes. Keep the intensity fairly high and usually maintain an avg HR of 120, I am 63.

Not as good as being on the road but different and keeps my aerobic ability in check.

rnhood · #9 02-20-2015, 08:15 AM

Swimming. I love it almost as much as cycling. Base, intervals, technique, its all there.

Of course being in Florida over the winter, I get to ride plenty too.

ceolwulf · #10 02-20-2015, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by merckx

I have never been fitter at the launch of the spring cycling season than when I've Nordic skied all winter. Nordic skiing fitness compliments cycling fitness well. The added benefit of skiing through the winter months is that the hunger for turning the pedals by March is hard to satiate.

This was my plan, but first we had no snow for ages, then we had temperatures hovering between twenty and thirty below ...

JAGI410 · #11 02-20-2015, 08:25 AM

Warm clothes and a positive attitude can make any winter rideable. It's all in your approach!

shovelhd · #12 02-20-2015, 08:29 AM

We have a little less snow than you out here but that's academic, the conditions are similar. I haven't ridden outside for at least a month. I have been doing S&A work up until last week when I started base. Extended time on the KK is part of base up here if only because of the lack of daylight. I'm also in the gym twice a week but that will taper to once per week soon. Right now my base fitness is strong. My VO2Max is not where it needs to be to be in race form but that is expected. I will have 10 hours of meaningless racing in before I start build and that's fine. I'm actually a bit ahead of schedule with some fitness in the bank.

So you coach the Harvard team? I had a conversation with one of your riders at at Wells Ave last year because he was riding like a douchebag. No worries on my part, they're just kids and they're going to get yelled at.

stien · #13 02-20-2015, 08:34 AM

I've been hitting the trails on a fatbike as much as possible, sometimes even the snowed over bike path. Typically we do a spin class once a week as well. Haven't touched my road bike since dec 31st. I miss it.

But yeah I'm surprised by the number of people that just stay inside and don't do anything when it sucks out.

Climb01742 · #14 02-20-2015, 08:37 AM

I've been a wussy. No outside rides for at least a month, maybe a week or two more. Can't face my KK. Keep thinking about trying a wahoo kickr to see if it's any better. Have a concept 2 erg in basement. Hit that many days. Go to the gym other days to lift, swim, erg there too. But I ain't crushing it. Far from it. This winter has messed with my spirits. Hard to push myself. Doing my best to maintain and make it til spring.

zap · #15 02-20-2015, 08:42 AM

I grew up in Canada so��.ok, Boston did get a lot of snow this winter.

If I lived in NE, I would be xc skiing. That was my winter sport in Canada. I could ski right from the door of our house (near Montreal) and stay out for hours in the woods. Some of the best skiing was when it was -25C with no wind and the bluest of blue skies and the snow is nice and crisp and faaaasst. Loved it.

This winter has been a cold one in metro D.C. and I've been using the Computrainer quite a bit. I could have gone out more often but the one knee is a bit delicate and prefers warmth. Last month I tried something different, weights and easy z5 pedaling and weights again 5x week. Intervals this month. Power has been lacking the last few years so I'm desperate to get it back. Curious to see how that translates to the road next month.