According to Joe Friel, in The Cyclist’s Training Bible
Neck check: if your symptoms are runny nose, sneezing, or a scratchy throat (all symptoms above the neck), start your workout, but reduce the intensity to zones 1 or 2 and keep the duration short.
3 July was the last day I cycled, before this horrible cold got the better of me. This afternoon, I will set up the turbo in front of the Tour de France on Eurosport and push a low gear for half an hour.
On Tuesday, I joined 12 Glendenes and several dozen other riders at North Weald Airfield for the weekly circuit race promoted by The League International.
The estimable Colin King showed me round the track, which is very different from Dunton. It’s not exactly technical, but it does have a tricky turn into the back straight, because the course gets quite narrow at that point, and a sweeping U turn at the other end, which is a lot of fun. Because the airfield is very open ground, the wind can be problem: Colin stressed that sheltering in a good mid-pack position on that long back straight is an absolute essential.
For the first few laps, I managed just that, but as the pace quickened, I found myself at the back of quite a long drawn out peleton. I knew that was no good and determined to move up, but, with everyone lined out, I couldn’t find a gap. Still, I was feeling pretty good and the speed was thrilling and… oops, I am on the front. Again! How did that happen?
With Colin’s words, and my own, ringing in my ears, I yoyoed back and forth between too near the front and too near the back, having a great time, but starting to tire pretty rapidly. At about 35 minutes, I followed the wrong wheel and lost a good three or four hundred yards on the bunch, but I managed to get back on pretty quickly, surging down to the U turn where the pack was forced to slow dramatically.
At 55 minutes I was off the back again, this time for good. I took a couple of slow laps, before pulling off the track to watch the finish. Even with the slow laps, my average speed was 23mph and I spent 57 minutes at or above threshold. With good recovery, and a bit more “race craft,” I should be able to stay in to the finish next time.
Chewed the fat with Barry, the Glendene captain, before heading home, for a total of three hours in the saddle.
Becontree Wheelers changed the rules for its weekly 10 mile time trial on Friday, with aero kit heavily penalised. The so-called “athlete’s rules” led to all but three testers riding standard road bikes - no tri bars, no deep section wheels and definitely no pointy hats.
As this is how I ride every time trial, I came to the line highly motivated: if I was ever to make a good showing against my usually more aerodynamic clubmates, this would be the night. Plus, I have so consistently raced 28:40-something on this course that the timekeeper now predicts my time on the start line, which was getting beyond a joke!
Physically, however, I was concerned that I had only managed to ride twice in the last two weeks, and only one of those sessions was at race pace (3×5 power intervals, 5R; was going to do 5×5, but the rain came on and I just wanted to get home).
On the course, I followed the advice of fellow Becontree Wheeler, Gary Tyrell, and really blasted the corners, going as far as I could safely go to the right before swinging left through the apex and getting the power back on as quick as possible. I overdid this the second time round Tysea Hill, smacking my inside pedal on the tarmac and coming unclipped. The bike leapt about three feet sideways, but I stayed on, clipped straight back in and stamped on the pedals up the short incline.
It turns out that motivation, lots of rest, and near-crash adrenaline make me faster: 59 seconds faster, in fact.
First off: eat and drink a lot more (No, really. A LOT more). Ideally, you need to get some protein into you as soon as possible after you stop riding, plus high GI (easily digested) carbs.
I didn’t fancy the burgers on offer at the finish of the Orchid, but I polished off my unfinished malt loaf and a cold can of Coke, cycled home, drank two pints of chocolate milk and ate a full roast dinner. Of course, you can Google healthier approaches to post ride nutrition!
It’s easy simply to plonk yourself down in the shade and stiffen up after the ride, so try to keep moving, even if you just potter about chatting with other riders as they finish.
In between the eating, drinking and pottering about, do some stretching. During your build up training, you will have figured out the stretches that work best for you. Do them immediately after your ride and at least once more later in the day. I also stretched a lot on Monday and went to bed early on Sunday and Monday nights.
How soon should you ride again? Give yourself a bit of a break, but don’t make the mistake I did, which is to miss training sessions because of a lack of committed goals. Set your sights on your next race or ride, commit to it, and continue your training.
… and that’s the final part in the series on How to ride a century. Please do share your post-century recovery tips in the comments and, if you found this useful, do consider making a donation to Orchid, the male cancer charity.
So here you are on the start line, signed on, chipped up and ready to go. Of course, you will be tempted to go off like a bat out of hell, especially as other riders pass you, but resist the temptation. It’s important to get into a good rhythm early on. And by good, I mean good for you.
You will probably see various groups forming in the first few miles, but don’t let your tempo be dictated by the other riders on the road. Be prepared to go past slow groups, but don’t blow your brains out chasing the racing snakes. When you find a group that is going at your pace, introduce yourself and show willing, as soon as possible, by doing a decent turn on the front.
Group riding is more social and more efficient, but don’t be afraid to go off the front or off the back if you decide the tempo is no longer right for you, or if you simply don’t feel comfortable. You can always find another group. Normal group riding rules apply: take your turns on the front; make sure the rearmost riders are comfortably “back on” after turns or climbs, and communicate clearly about road junctions, potholes and other obstructions.
Keep pressing on. Don’t dawdle at rest stops (you just stiffen up) and don’t let long ride boredom rob you of concentration. Stay on tempo. Find ways to motivate yourself: the “eat and drink every five miles” game worked really well for me during the Orchid 100
Above all, remember to enjoy the ride!
This is part six of a series on How to ride a century. Share your riding tips and sportif stories in the comments and, if you are finding this useful, please consider making a donation to Orchid, the male cancer charity.
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Working as a freelance copywriter; cycling with Becontree Wheelers and the Glendene. A 4th category roadie, usually to be found coda del gruppo - at the back of the bunch.
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I just rode 100 miles in the Orchid Essex Century. Why? Because male cancers claim at least one UK life every hour. Orchid fights male cancers, through research and patient care. Please make a donation now.
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