There's a lot of fun about road cycling - first and foremost the speed, but also the ease, the range and the company of like-minded people. Cycling according to a plan, on the other hand, doesn't sound like fun to many people at first. Why should you do it? Especially as: if you regularly sit in the saddle, you will get faster on the road bike just by riding - even without a specific plan or intention.
And if you only cycle once or twice a week, you don't have to hold back, even according to experts, but can pedal as hard as you like. This is because the body always has enough time to recover from the exertion. It becomes problematic when the speed rides are so exhilarating that you always give your best, i.e. always ride as hard as possible. The new indoor cycling worlds also sometimes tempt you to always work too hard in your road bike training. After stormy initial successes, your own fitness quickly reaches a plateau and stagnates.
And if you continue to overdo it, after four or five weeks at full throttle, your form even goes into reverse. This happens when recovery is no longer sufficient to build up new strength and fatigue builds up more and more. If you then continue to step on the gas, this can lead to chronic exhaustion, from which only a longer, in extreme cases months-long break from sport can bring you out of it.
To prevent this from happening, the load must be dosed. Training means controlling the process of loading and unloading. At its core, training is time management: when do I cycle, for how long and how fast? And how long do I rest between efforts? The chosen pace and time are the key ingredients in the training recipe. The transition from "just riding" to training is fluid.
Road bike training: experience is in demand
You may already be training without realising it. If you go into a ride with a resolution - for example: "I want to ride so many kilometres or metres in altitude and do it easily" - then this is training. This is because you have set yourself goals for distance and speed, even if they are simply structured.
Even if you plan to go on a few longer tours in spring to get in shape, you are acting according to plan. This is also training. It is usually based on experience: You have observed that a method works and apply it again. This is also how top athletes work.
The relaxed training method works, but it also has its limits. When big goals are pending, when there is particularly little time available, when development is to continue after stagnation, new stimuli and a master plan are needed in road bike training in order to progress efficiently. The targets then become more specific, right down to training instructions for each day.
Logically, however, you don't always have the desire or time to do exactly what is written in a plan. Then you have to weigh up discipline - i.e. doing sport even if you don't really feel like it - against adapting the plan to the circumstances.
What type of trainer are you? Do you like things to be particularly organised or are you happy with rough guidelines? Do you find more fun in the freedom to do what you like on the bike, or do you derive satisfaction above all from achieving big goals to which you subordinate many things? The test on this page will help you to recognise what you really want. Regardless of which type you are, in this special you will definitely find suggestions on how to achieve your goals with (more) system.
Road bike training test: What type of athlete am I?
>> Evaluation (max. 70 points)
Are you a training professional?
> up to 20 points You love your freedom and don't like having structure imposed on you. That's fine. Follow the general tipsto benefit more from your trips.
> 21 to 35 points You are already flirting with the idea of training. Start with smaller training bites and see how this suits you. If you develop an appetite for more, venture into the expert plans.
> 36 to 50 points Training is your thing. Find a nice destination and follow one of the TOUR expert plans.
> over 50 points A professional cyclist could take a leaf out of your book. Plan your season and join the TOUR expert plans.
