And So It Begins - Jay Gump

With training races on the horizon, it’s already time to start thinking of the coming bike racing season. That doesn’t mean it’s time to put up the skis – there are still two months of winter and lots of snow ahead of us. But it’s becoming important to spend several days per week on your bike.

Wait, you’re already out of time. How will you find the extra hours for riding? The key is the 30 minute trainer workout. If most of your training time is currently spent doing “other” sports, put your bike on a trainer. Three days per week you should ride shortly after waking. My personal routine is to wake up, have coffee and breakfast, then ride. If your stomach is more fragile, you may choose to ride on a liquid breakfast. But ride before the day gets away from you.

If you’re severely time limited, warm up, ride 15 minutes of tempo, cool down and get on with your day. Even that is enough to speed your transition to bigger miles this spring. For those with more time, you may increase your tempo time to 20-40 minutes and finish with some yoga and core work. Regular riding will help the transition from general fitness to cycling specific fitness. Emphasize riding more days per week rather than more time per workout. Even though it’s not quite February, it’s time to start pushing the pedals. What you do now can have a big impact on your summer riding.