Bicycling Questions?

Question

I have always been an athlete, mainly distance runnerm (1-5miles avg.), and I got a bicycle and have been trying it out for the past few days. Yesterday I did 2 miles, today about 8 and it's not effecting me that much.

Due to my distance running will it take more miles?

Am I going to slow if I just feel a burn in my thighs and my lungs are not worn out?

Will it help me become a faster sprinter/ increase vertical leap?

Is it unreasonable to think I might be able to get 15 miles to a point were it's not burning to much in a little over a hour to ride my bike to town?

Anyother thoughts are great.

Answer 1

It depends on the type of bike you're riding.  2-8 miles on a efficient road bike is not really a long distance.

Rather than comparing distance, compare the perceived effort while riding and the time spent riding to that of when you are running.  That will give you a far better comparison than sheer "miles."  There is no formula that says "8 miles on bike = 1 mile running" because it neglects speed, physical fitness, equipment, altitude, etc...

Running and Cycling are two completely different beasts.  Keep in mind that they use different muscle groups so a great runner is not necessarily a fast bicycle rider.  My suggestion is that you ride for longer distances, for a person with a strong cardiovascular core already, you will probably have a pretty good base for cycling already and will be able to cover a decent distance already.  Go find some local trails in your area around 20-30 miles round trip and try it out.  If you feel good by the end of it, look for a 40-50 mile trail, if you feel good look for a... you get the point.

Ride as fast as you feel comfortable doing so  If you are shooting for a certain distance, you will know pretty quickly if you are on the correct pace.

I can't comment on whether it makes you a better sprinter as I'm not a runner, I don't know what muscles those use.

15 mph without burning is certainly reasonable... With the right gearing and the right bike.  20 mph is reasonable as well.  Anything above that may take a pretty strong amount of effort.

Answer 2

1st answer is what I always state regarding bike vs riding. Time and effort is how you can compare the two.

If you run, your cardio condition will be good. But cycling uses your leg muscles in a different way. You will need to work on the legs until you get used to the cycling. If you're not feeling the work out your simply going too slow, your effort is too low and your ride is too short. I guarantee you ride with some seasoned cyclists you will feel the burn, then get dropped.

Yes you need to do more mile 2 miles is just past my warm up period. 8 miles is short as well. A really good time for a conditioned rider will be a 1 to 1.5 hour hard ride. That's about 30 miles for me riding alone.

If you get you heart rate up to your running rate you will be getting a similar workout to running. Perceived exertion (like mentioned already) should work fine if you know your body, being an athlete.

So it's sounds like your legs aren't in shape compared to your lungs - that's expected. If you use an easier gear it will take some of the load off your legs and tax your lungs more. You may simply be pedaling too slow in too hard a gear. Try pedaling at a 85-95 cadence - that will tax your lungs and ease the work on your legs.

As far a cycling helping running, jumping. Sorry to say the cross over affect is little. In fact, if you cycle only for the next few months you will find running difficult compared to before you cycled. It's a well known fact.