| Developing a successful bicycle century training | | | | your bike. Amateurs often make the mistake of simply |
| program for yourself can be a daunting task. It can be | | | | riding in what is know as the dead zone - about 85% |
| very difficult to know where to begin, let alone know | | | | of maximum effort. Continuous riding at this kind of |
| how to get yourself in shape to ride for 100 miles. | | | | intensity over a period of a few weeks can lead to |
| Many people who decide to ride a century get | | | | stagnated fitness and general tiredness caused by |
| information overload and simply abandon any formal | | | | overtraining. |
| training schedule in favour of simply getting out there | | | | Instead the pros always have a plan when out riding. |
| and riding as often as possible. | | | | Whether it is a low intensity endurance ride, a very |
| In order to get the best from your body it is absolutely | | | | gentle recovery spin or a hard interval session each |
| crucial that you train in a structured way. Getting fitter | | | | ride will be pre planned in terms of length and intensity. |
| is all about stressing your muscular and cardio vascular | | | | Completing the goals you set for yourself on each ride |
| systems to a certain level and then allowing recovery | | | | will boost your motivation massively. Without doing this |
| time. A well planned training schedule will ensure you | | | | it can be easy to find an excuse to cut rides short, |
| optimise both the stress and the recovery to allow you | | | | slow your pace or not ride at all. Having a schedule |
| to get the maximum benefit. | | | | gives you lots of short term goals to achieve which in |
| Always have a purpose toy your training rides | | | | turn will help you reach your long term goal of riding a |
| One thing every professional rider will tell you about | | | | century. |
| training is to always have a purpose when you get on | | | | |