Training tips to help get you started

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• If you haven’t ridden your bike for a while, ensure you book it in for a service before you start. Like your car,
your bike runs much better and is a more enjoyable ride if it is properly maintained.

• If you haven’t completed much activity for a while, it is advisable to consult your doctor before commencing
any training program.

• Most of your training should be done on a time basis, rather than worrying about distance.
However, attempt to make each ride non stop.

• Warm up and cool down – spin for 5 minutes at the beginning and end of each ride.
This 10 minutes is included in the times indicated on the program

• Stretch before and after each ride. This is crucial to being able to get back on your bike the following day.

• If you are feeling uncomfortable on the seat, you may want to get a new seat or else some cycling specific
clothing (bike pants that contain a well padded chamois) that will assist alleviate your discomfort.
Consistent time on the bike will also help you adjust.

• Wear sunscreen, even if it’s cloudy.

• Stay hydrated. During exercise, we lose significant amounts of fluid though sweating which helps keep us
cool. You need to drink about 750ml (one standard ‘bidon’ or water bottle) of water or sports drink for every
hour you train. And ensure you are well hydrated before you start.

• Train with a friend for motivation…it is much easier to get out of bed in the morning if you have organised to
  meet someone else. Training together can also assist in improving your speed as you push each other a
  little bit harder each time you ride. It can also help you get comfortable riding closely with other bikes, which
  will obviously happen at the event.

REFERENCE TERMS

INTENSITY – use a scale of 1–10, 1 being really light intensity and 10 being very hard. Easy intensity would be 1-4 (able to speak a full sentence), moderate would be 5-7 (able to say a few words) and hard would be 8-10 (able to say a couple of words).

HILLS – try and find a route which has some hills. This is great for endurance, power and strength. Make sure you don’t coast on the descents – keep pedalling, as this will give you momentum for the next uphill.

INTERVALS – mean switching between moderate, hard and easy intensity for designated periods (usually 30 secs to 2 mins). For example, start at a moderate intensity, then increase to hard intensity for 1 min, then easy for 30 sec to recover, before building again to moderate intensity. You may repeat this cycle a number of times during an interval training session.

SPIN – simply means spinning your legs at a high cadence, rather than grinding along in big gears. This helps prevent fatigue and lactic acid build up in your legs. For normal riding, you would aim for a cadence of 90-95rpm. During warm up and cool down, over 100rpm is the target. If you cannot achieve this rate, you may need to drop a gear until your fitness improves. If you don’t have an odometer on your bike to measure this, you can simply count how many rotations ONE leg does in a minute. Do this a few times so you start to become familiar with the spinning sensation.

SURGE – a surge is a gradual increase in power to your maximum speed, before then backing off to a moderate or easy pace. This differs from interval training as you don’t maintain the high speed for any length of time. It is useful for making sure everything (both you and the bike) are in good working order throughout the range of speed and gears prior to your event.

TRAINING PROGRAM GUIDE FOR 50K RIDE

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Day off	30 mins Easy	Day off	30 mins Easy	Day off	Day off	45 mins Easy
2	Day off	45 mins Easy	Day off	45 mins Intervals	Day off	Day off	60 mins Moderate
3	Day off	60 mins Easy	Day off	60 mins Moderate	Day off	Day off	60 mins Hills
4	Day off	45 mins Easy	Day off	45 mins Intervals	Day off	30 mins Easy	75 mins Easy/Mod
5	Day off	60 mins Moderate	Day off	60 mins Intervals	Day off	45 mins Easy	90 mins Moderate
6	Day off	60 mins Easy	Day off	60 mins Hills	Day off	45 mins Easy	Ride course Pace yourself
7	Day off	60 mins Intervals	Day off	60 mins Hills	Day off	60 mins Easy	90 mins Modrate
8	Day off	30 mins Easy	Day off	30 mins Spin	Day off	20 mins Spin & Surge	BRISSIE TO THE BAY

PREPARING FOR EVENT DAY

BEFORE EVENT
The night before
• Prepare all the gear you will need so there is no rush in the morning
• Pump up your tyres
• No alcohol and have a good dinner
• Get a good night’s sleep
The morning of
• Have a good breakfast at least 2 hours before the event starts
• Drink at least one bottle of fluid in the hour before the event
• Wear sunscreen and clothes appropriate for the weather
• Get to the event with enough time to check in without rushing

DURING EVENT
• Drink regularly, even if you’re not thirsty. Aim to drink 750ml each hour you are participating
• Pace yourself. Finishing in one piece is the most important thing – this is not the Olympics,
so look after yourself
• Enjoy it!

AFTER EVENT
• Keep drinking plenty of water, and grab some fresh fruit or whatever food you can stomach.
Try and eat within 30 mins of finishing to replace the energy stores you have used.
• Once you’ve started to cool down, take a few minutes to stretch all the major muscle groups to get the
blood flowing again and minimise muscle aches and pains later on.
• If the weather is a little cool, put on a warmer layer of clothing

BUYING A BIKE

It is important to choose the right bike. The key factors are: type, size and price. Different bikes vary enormously in weight and performance. It is important to purchase the type of bike that suits the type of riding you will be doing, whether that be racing, off road, touring or just riding around the river! It is also very important that you buy a frame size that fits you – it will make cycling easier, more efficient, more comfortable and much more enjoyable. Prices can range from $150 to $15,000. If you can afford it, aim to spend at least $500 on a new bike, plus allow another $150 for essential accessories like helmet, lights and a good lock if you need to leave your bike unsupervised. Still not sure what you should be looking for? Then drop into any one of the Bike Force stores located in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to get the RIGHT advice to get you on your way.