Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The ride is only a month away! How's your training coming?

Of course you all know that the ride is only a month away and we're sure you've been training hard. Here are a few tips to help you out in your last push before the Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride on Sept. 13th and 14th at Callaway Gardens.


1. Eat, Drink and Ride
On all rides, you should drink 4-8 ounces of water or carbohydrate drink every 15-30 minutes. Drink more if it’s hot, humid or you are really riding hard. On rides more than two hours in duration, carbohydrate replacement drinks empty more slowly from the stomach, so the total fluid amount should be reduced to 2-4 ounces every 15-30 minutes.

2. Check in with one of the Official Bike Stores
The best source for bicycling information is one of the Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride's Official Bike
Stores
. Your Official Bike Store is also the best source for your mechanical questions.

3. Keep track of your mileage
Another key aspect of training is assessing your improvement. Keeping track of start and stop times will help you judge overall speed.

4. Sometimes double-up on miles
After working up to a moderate day, attempt an endurance day by doubling the mileage once a week. The purpose is to gain confidence and improve cardiovascular fitness.

5. Ride hills
After warming up with a moderate day ride, find a hill that you can climb without totally exhausting yourself. The power and stamina developed with hill work will assist you in taking the larger hills along the route.

6. Work on speed intervals
Interval training works the same way. Start with one sprint on each ride and then add more, longer sprints each time that you ride. Interval training will improve overall speed, endurance and your ability to recover.

7. Check out the event website for more information
The Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride website has all the info you need; map routes for day one and day two , rider services, calendar of events and more.

Let us know how it's going. Comment on your training and any tips you have.

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