Road bike training without a plan - Easy Going: Road bike training without a plan

There are people who set their alarm clock for four o'clock in the morning and then cycle for four hours before work - strictly according to heart rate or watts, because that's what their training plan says and they're working towards a big goal. And then there are others who do everything they can to ensure that their sport doesn't feel like work. Like TOUR travel author Jörg Spaniol, who says: "I don't want to get better, I want to have fun!" Nevertheless, Spaniol is a good cyclist who enjoys dragging his friends over a 130-kilometre "Frühschoppen", including the final shoot-out.
If you drill down, however, a pattern emerges in Spaniol that can also be found in other recreational athletes who are well "in the juice": as a young track and field athlete, he came into contact with trained coaches early on. He also often rides with people who have a planned seasonal build-up - and he is versatile: "I take it easy on the bike, because I do a whole range of other sports that involve intensity," says the 50-year-old. And he reveals another trick: "In late spring, I try to cycle for five hours at a time a few times, and then it's on."

Patterns emerge from experience

This approach can be called planned, even if no exact structure is worked through. These are rather loose patterns that arise from experience and self-observation. They are typical of a mature athlete who, even if he is striving for higher goals, does not need a coach to dictate every metre he has to cover on the bike.

Marek Bosniatzki, who has won the German Cycling Cup three times without following an explicit plan, is just such an athlete. However, he started cycling as a nine-year-old and says: "I still benefit from the training I received as a youngster, where I learnt the basics of when and where to ride and how to move through the field. You can see that with the amateur riders: If you lack this foundation, it doesn't seem to be so easy to catch up." Bosniatzki had talent, but lost interest in cycling at the age of 16 and stopped. He got back into it at the age of 33 with the aim of competing in road races.

Around 50 races per season now structure his sporting year and are also part of building up his form. "The intensity mainly comes from racing," says the 39-year-old. "After six or seven races, I can feel the form coming on. I can then usually maintain it well throughout the season, I don't slump. I think that's because I take it easy."

Bosniatzki trains around 20 hours a week to keep up with the young lads in the Bundesliga. Even if he doesn't follow a written plan, he still has his rules: "I mostly train quietly and organise myself according to how it fits in with my family. But if I've got a lot of weeks behind me, I sometimes go shorter and more intensive and do five times five minutes in the development area."

Following plans means work

Bosniatzki's training mix is therefore based on what he learnt as a young cyclist: a lot of foundation, a little intensity and lots of races - classic cycling school. Sprints? "I never train, I just can't motivate myself to do that in training," says the competitive Bosniatzki, who has nevertheless won many of his races in sprints. His driving force today is to create a balance between family and work. "I mainly want to cycle and support my team in national league races."

Bosniatzki trained according to a training plan for two years on a trial basis. "Above all, I learnt to pay more attention to regeneration, but ultimately I wasn't any more successful. I found it difficult to combine a plan and family," he recalls. "This created additional pressure, which is why I didn't continue training according to plan. I need more flexibility."

Christoph Allwang, laboratory and workshop manager at TOUR and a former very successful amateur racer, agrees that following a plan is more work than fun. For the 46-year-old, a plan only comes into question when a big goal is on the agenda: "If you're going to put in the effort, then the rest should also fit in to realise your full potential: perfect nutrition, targeted regeneration and working part-time at most," says the family man. "That's not compatible with my life, and it's not necessarily fun either - and that's what I want from sport. I want to cycle with my friends and not realise my plan alone."

Allwang deliberately forgoes a bit of fitness: "I have trained according to a plan for two years. I know that I can get myself into top shape on the day." Without a plan, he says, it's difficult to get into shape precisely, but he can do it in two to three weeks: "I'm not as fit as with a plan, but I have the freedom to sprinkle in other sports from time to time. When the weather is bad, I simply enjoy running for an hour and a half instead of spending three hours on the bike - regardless of whether that's better or worse for my cycling form."

It doesn't get any better without a plan

Allwang is not completely without a plan, he has learnt over the years what works for him and if he wants to race, he knows what to do: "To get in shape, I have to race or simulate racing."

The common denominator of our three protagonists is that they all trained in sport in their youth. They know what they are doing and what is good for them. They have internalised the mechanisms of building up form, but do not apply them strictly, but rather loosely - just as it suits their current life.
It is probably a myth that you can become good without a plan. Once you have the knowledge of what works, you will automatically train correctly if you are pursuing a goal. And even if there is no explicit goal, you cannot escape what you have learnt and therefore unconsciously act according to plan.

For anyone who didn't learn how to dose their sport sensibly at a young age, we have tips on the following pages on how you can get more out of your cycling without having to follow a strict plan.

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How to get more out of your sport

Training is planned action to achieve certain goals. However, you don't have to follow a fixed, daily plan to get better at cycling. But a few basic rules and key training sessions will help you to get going in the long term.

First weak, then strong: Training is a sequence of fatigue and recovery with the aim of making the body stronger in the medium to long term. The special art here is the timing of loading and unloading - in short periods of time, such as from day to day, but also over the course of a year. Learning how much recovery the body needs after which type of exertion is the key to being successful as an athlete. To do this, you need to listen to your body and take a break when you are flat, but slowly increase the stimuli overall.
TIP The body is weakened after a hard cycling trip. Allow yourself a day or two of rest when your muscles are tired. Or just take it easy and cycle for an hour, this will help you regenerate.

How often? You can achieve a lot with three workouts a week, this is the start of systematic training. Continuity is more important than isolated super workouts. The time required is manageable if you train in a varied way. In three months, you can get yourself going with 5 hours of training per week - that's around 60 hours or 1,500 kilometres. For comparison: world-class athletes need around 10,000 hours to reach top level.

How fast? The pace determines the intensity of the training and the metabolic state in which you train. For endurance performance, it is important that a calm to moderate pace dominates (basic training); this applies all the more the higher the training volume. Ideally, you should complete at least one longer (at least 2, preferably 3 hours) steady training session per week at a steady pace. However, if you want to become fast, you also need to practise riding fast. Ideally, on another day you should start from your basic pace and ride at a significantly faster pace for 20 to 60 minutes at a time. The highest possible speed must also be trained for competition form. This is done in the form of short intervals lasting a few to ten minutes.

Which profile?
The profile of the training route dictates the rhythm of the training. It's not possible to do steady build-up training on an undulating route with steep climbs - especially if you're not in good shape. This is because you then ride too much in the "red zone", which is detrimental to your endurance after an initial boost because you are too often training the wrong metabolic state. Flat routes are more suitable for basic training. An undulating profile is more likely to train the ability to bang over small inclines in the red zone; this is a good addition, but should not be the training content every time. It is best to alternate the routes, which will automatically provide different training stimuli.

How many mountains? A matter of taste. What you practise a lot, you can usually do particularly well. The best way to train for long climbs is to ride long climbs at a steady pace. The pace is crucial for the training effect. A high continuous pace over 20 to 60 minutes has a very big training effect. Climbs of around 10 minutes are even more intense. Repeated tempo runs of around 10 minutes also increase endurance performance.

Recovery times: Cycling is a very gentle sport for joints and muscles. There is usually no muscle soreness and you can train again the next day. However, it can take a few days to recover after very hard exertion and the deep depletion of energy stores.

Stay cool: Haven't had time to train? Good, then you are fresh for your next workout and will probably feel great. However, if the training stimuli are absent or too infrequent for a long time, the body will regress. Fitness can only be saved up to a limited extent, and unfortunately it disappears faster than it arrives.

VarietyThe most common mistake is the monotonous routine - running the same route at the same pace over and over again does not give the body any training stimuli to develop. However, too much of the same thing can make you tired and therefore slow. Therefore: vary the pace and distance, and do so significantly.

Too much? If you often feel tired, unmotivated or notice that your performance is stagnating, try riding less and recovering better between training sessions. What you are looking for is the ideal balance between stimulation and recovery. This varies from person to person.

Suddenly time: The family has travelled to Grandma's for the weekend - without you? Such time slots are great for a mini training camp: Then you can build on the foundations of your form by doing some real kilometres. Doubling or tripling your weekly hours is manageable if you reduce your pace accordingly. You should also give yourself more time to recover after such weekends and take it easy for a week or even take a break. This is the only way to emerge stronger from the short-term overload.

Which order? Always train the following rides in quick succession with decreasing intensity: first short and fast, then long and slow.

Short on time? Then step on the gas. Intersperse sprints into your rides and challenge your muscles to the point of total exhaustion from time to time. Studies show that this can improve your overall endurance performance. Uphill sprints lasting around 30 seconds are ideal. You have a clear goal: the crest. This motivates you. Go all out and literally fly up the hill. This gives you strength and power. And makes you happy when your breathing has calmed down.

In addition: cycling is not just about cycling. The sporty riding position is easier when the torso is strong. And the legs pedal more efficiently when the torso is stable. So don't just cycle, but also take care of your upper body. Under the keyword "functional fitness" you will find many exercises on the internet that you can do at home at any time with minimal effort.