Going from Riding to Training - What You Need to Know a Gravel Cyclist
You likely started riding because you love to ride your bike. You enjoy the open roads, the gravel cycling community, and time and space to think. I was the same way when I went from primarily racing triathlon to riding gravel. At first, I had zero interest in ‘races,’ but after a while, I decided to sign up for my first event. It was so much fun. Although the race had a podium, the focus was on the community rather than the winners.
I now encourage women to sign up for a gravel event because I think it matters that women show up, and I believe you learn a lot about yourself through training and racing. Endurance training translates across every discipline, and because I’ve been a triathlon coach for 7-years, I’ve been able to turn the principles of training over to gravel. Here are some things to know if you go from riding to training.
Have a goal
Your goal doesn’t need to be epic. It should just be a challenge for you. For a lot of people, the goal is only going to be to finish an event that might be their first 30, 40, or 50-miler. Some people might be ready to take on a more longer challenge - a backpacking trip, a 100+ mile ride, or a ride with some crazy elevation gain. Still, others will be looking to a time goal. Whatever your goal is, own it. Write it down and commit to it.
Create a Plan
The most significant difference between riding and training is that training requires a plan. When I’m just riding and the weather isn’t looking favorable, I’m going to beg off and sleep late. When I’m training, I’ll find a way to get it done.
Your plan should be progressive, meaning it builds week to week and has time for recovery along the way, and it should include different types of workouts. Claire wrote a great article about the two types of workouts you should be doing. Read it here.
A plan should also keep you from overdoing it. Often when people prepare for their first event, they will overtrain, and on event day, they’ll feel sluggish. Here’s a secret….you probably won’t ride your full event distance before your event. This is especially true if you’re doing a long distance. Riding 200 miles is going to require a lot of recovery time from your body. The primary goal of your training plan is to gain the endurance and the speed necessary to complete the event within the allocated time (or your goal time).
Pay Attention to Your Nutrition
As you go from riding to training, nutrition, both on and off time bike, become increasingly important. Your intake depends on how far your ride, your weight, the weather conditions, etc. but on average, you should be consuming at least one bottle of water per hour and 200 calories. The great thing about gravel events is you can use real food to fuel your body instead of lots of gels.
Eating healthy off the bike will help our performance on the bike. As women, it’s essential to get protein and carbs within 30-minutes of any workout lasting more than one hour. My go-to has always been chocolate milk, or I make a smoothie before I leave and throw it into a cooler.
When discussing nutrition, I also include hydration. If you train somewhere where it’s sweltering or you sweat a good deal, you’ll want to look at adding an electrolyte supplement to your training. I’m a big fan of NUUN. It doesn’t have all of the calories or sugars that you find in other drinks, it’s easy to pack, and it has delicious flavors.
Have an off-the-bike routine
If you’re preparing for an event that will have you riding longer distances or at a faster pace, you want to pay attention to your off-the-bike routines like strength training, stretching, and mobility. These routines don’t need to be super long, but they should address your weak spots and goals.
Strength
Your strength training program doesn’t require a full gym and 3 hours a week. When I’m training, I usually add 2-3 twenty-minute strength sessions to my week. I typically do those right after some kind of exercise (walk, run or even trainer ride) so my body is warmed up.
Stretching
Flexibility is one of the leading indicators of long-term health and good for the body as cycling is in low impact. It also means spending long periods in one position. You’ll want to release the muscles, especially areas that tend to get tight like the hips, glutes, hip flexors, and low back.
Mobility
People often confuse mobility and flexibility. Flexibility is about the muscle, and mobility is about the joint. I like having an active mobility practice in the morning to get my body and joints moving. Areas to focus on mobility for cyclists are the ankles, hips, and wrists.
Recovery
Often people think of ‘recovery as a beer after a long ride. Recovery is everything that we do to allow our body the rest it needs to support our goal. It can be taking rest days, naps, massage, compression boots, or any of the other things you read about. It comes down to what we need to do to allow our muscles time to repair and our minds some time to rest. There are many fancy recovery options out there, but the very best things you can do for recovery are to eat a well-balanced diet and sleep.
Everyone has their own goal as they choose to put an event on their calendar. To me, it's more about the person you become on the way to the starting line rather than the outcome of the event. That's why I encourage everyone to take their cycling from riding to training at some point. See what you can learn. Find out what your body can do! Become a different version of yourself!