When is this going to start getting easier? I've gotten into cycling and ride daily...but am not improving!

Question

I started riding a coupple of months ago...throughout the month of June I did my best to get 10 miles in every day. Occasionally I would do more, if I went on a ride- like say between 20-40 miles on one particular day of the weekend. The following day I make a point to rest tho. Now that it is July, I'd hoped to up my miles to maybe 15 a day...but it feels like every mile I've done so far has weakened me! Every day it gets harder to get those ten miles in and thinking of anything past that point fills me with complete dread. My sister has been riding the same as I have for the same amount of time. She is doing so well, she's up to 20 miles daily without trouble. I am still struggling- and I wonder...when is this going to start getting easier? How long until my body and endurance start improving to the point where I can handle 10 miles in a day with no problem- then go from there?

Answer 1

Well I've been riding for 3 years now, racing all distances. The key to training is cadence, gears, technique, and heart rate. It's good to keep between 90-100 cad. it might feel weird at first but you'll adapt. As for gears constantly change to be in the right gear at all times. Technique comes down to pedal stroke. Keep your feet flat, and push down and pull up when you ride to get more out of you legs. Your heart will hurt for the first while but keeping between a 60-80% heart rate trains it to get in shape for harder effort.

Answer 2

Absorb all the suggestions here for working on cadence, learning to use the gearing to your advantage, etc...

And think about your diet.  You're asking your body to do extra work for you...and to do it regularly.  You need the right balance of good nutrition, not junk food.  If you really want to see a change in your performance, and you know you don't eat as well as you should, do some reading on nutrition.  It will be worth it.

Take a rest day regularly, even if you're taking shorter rides.  The rest will make you stronger and more eager to get out and ride again.  You want cycling to be something you enjoy, not something you dread.

Also, don't be overly concerned about your sister's progress.  You are different people.  If you feel she might be doing something more beneficial than you are doing, ask her questions and study her riding technique (if you ride together).

Answer 3

Change up your workouts. During the week do an easy warmup followed by a 20-30 mile hard ride twice a week to really raise your heart rate. Mix in some hills and sprints.

On the weekends do a long slow ride. This is where your mileage will increase. Every weekend add another 10 miles to your ride. Keep your cadence high for a good aerobic workout at about 80-90rpm.

It's good that you know the importance of good rest. Be sure to drink recovery drinks with a mixture of protein and carbohydrates in order to allow your muscles to recover. This is VERY important. Drink one within 30 minutes of your workout. Enjoy a healthy diet and you will see improvement in your fitness and recovery time. Good luck!

Answer 4

I have to agree with Matthew H on a few points.  The pedalling faster thing, for sure.  Use the mechanics of the bike to move you, not the strength of your legs.  The strength will come, but not if you get discouraged and quit.

You can buy gadgets to help you figure it out, but you have to know what you're looking for.  looks like Mathew gave you some good ideas, but the biggest thing is not do get discouraged... everybody is different.

Answer 5

You should be there by now, so I suspect it you need to change the way you are riding. Try something different.

1.  Try riding every other day or at most four days a week.



2. On two of those days per week when you ride; do wind sprints in which you ride as fast as you can for about 30 seconds; then ease up until you catch your breath; repeat only about three times, on each of the two days you are doing the sprints.  

3. Do a different exercise, such as walking, on your non-cycling off days.

Answer 6

Someone here said get the bike checked. A friend of mine had a similar reaction to cycling, then I got to see his bike. The tires were flat!! A quick lesson in inflating the tire to the right pressure and off he rode happily!

It's possible your bike does not fit well. If you're just generally feeling lethargic that's one thing but if you HURT, get thee to a LBS (local bike shop) and have them fit you up right.

Remember you are doing something new and harder than before. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating enough? You need quality food, good carbohydrates, protein, fruits and vegies and lots and lots of water. Make sure you are getting enough food and lay off the junk if you eat any of that rott.

When you're new to cycling gears are mysterious things. A sure sign of new riders is grinding big gears. It does not make you faster, instead it makes most tired. GEAR DOWN D@MN IT, shift down and spin! It will flush the lactate out of your legs, you'll feel better and actually may be faster.

And finally don't worry about or compare yourself with your sister or others. I've learned to just "ride my own ride". You gain nothing by straining to catch up with someone else. Just keep riding.

Cycling is a multi year sport. It takes time, years sometimes to build a solid base fitness. You're new and you should be building base fitness, don't worry about keeping up with others. Instead concentrate on nutrition, hydration, get sleep and learn good technique.

Keep training steadily and slowly .... you will be a rocket by the end of the season.

Answer 7

Just keep going and dont give up

Answer 8

Well, they key to improving your body cycling is the same as weight lifting-- diet and rest.  See, it works like this

if you do "work" within normal parameters-- lifting a pencil, walking to the car, biking to the store, etc your body views it as "normal".  When you do "work" that exceeds normal, lifting a heavy weight, running, biking long distances, etc your body gets stressed, muscles develop microtears, etc.  When you sleep and rest the following day your body rebuilds itself stronger than it was before.  Pretty soon you'll have to increase your "work" in order to stress your body again.  This process of imposing a load and then resting is the basis for all training.

For your body to rebuild and recover you have to give it sufficient nutrients (protein and vitamins/minerals) and sufficient rest.  Most serious athletes sleep 8-10 hours a day.

The last bit of advice-- pedal faster.  A really common mistake people make is to push a harder gear than they should, mashing down on the pedals rather than spinning effortlessly.  A lot of people think that to get a good workout they need to "feel the burn" in their legs.  This is the opposite of what you shoudl do.  The strongest cyclists I know look like they're barely pedaling (a fast, smooth pedal stroke uses your slow twitch muscles).  

I put a computer on my bike to measure cadence (how fast you pedal).   Your cadence should be in the neighborhood of 80+ rpms.  You can stop by a bike shop and pick up a computer that will do that for 40 or 50 bucks.

Answer 9

Get your bike checked, maybe its the bike not you... low tires, bad  bearing, etc.