Consistency is the cornerstone of any training program. Training for the ride is no different. Aerobic conditioning on and off your bicycle is the key to getting in shape. Strive for a minimum of four and a maximum of six aerobic workouts each week. As your condition improves, the length of your training rides and workouts should get longer and the difficulty level should increase. Don’t be content in May doing the same training you were doing in March.

Most of the training you do should be on a bicycle, and preferably on the bike you’ll be using for the ride. There is no substitute for in-the-saddle training.

The ride, while only 2 days, is 2 days of long mileage (and a few hills). Keeping that in mind, there are two important components to stress when you train:
* Focus some of your workouts on long and increasingly longer distances cycled at a moderate pace.
* Other rides should emphasize shorter distances, but with hill-climbs (hills are difficult to find in Chicagoland).

As a general rule, by the time you depart for the ride, you should be comfortable cycling at least two 60- to 65-mile days back to back, with two good climbs in each of those rides.

If you are new to cycling, you cannot possibly start out doing long challenging training rides and continue to enjoy them. Start and build your mileage base through consistency and dedication. Generally speaking, plan to increase your mileage (or cycling time) by 10% each week. To do less will inadequately prepare you; to do more may lead to over-training and overuse injuries.

Emphasize quality and not quantity in your training. If your time is limited, you would be better served by doing hard, shorter rides that focus on hill climbing or speed than you would be by doing a longer distance that presents no other challenge than its number of miles. Sure it sounds good to say that you did a 50-mile ride, but 25 hilly miles will prepare you better.

Pace Yourself
Take at least one day off from training each week to let your body rest and recover from your efforts. This is extremely important. Over-training pushes our bodies beyond what they are capable of doing without adequate recovery time to the point where tissue breaks down more rapidly than it can be repaired. Also, pace yourself when out on long rides; don’t let yourself be goaded into riding faster than your ability. The end result will be pain, injury, exhaustion, and lost training time.

BUILDING ENDURANCE

The key to building your endurance is to systematically increase your training base. What is the best way to do this? Do one increasingly longer ride each week at a slow, long-distance pace. The slower pace is important so that you don’t burn out or stress your body so much that it can’t recover from this effort. In addition to this, do one shorter but more challenging ride on another day where hills or speed work, or the combination of the two, are emphasized. On your other rides or workouts during the week, maintain a pace or intensity somewhere between these two training rides. Remember you cannot push hard constantly without paying for it; you’ll burn out physically or mentally - or both. Again, stress quality and not quantity in your workouts. Consistency pays off.

Remember during the ride, there are only so many hours of daylight to ride your bike. Speed workouts once a week will help to increase your average speed. Aim to work up to an average speed of 12-miles an hour over the course of a day’s ride. If you don’t, you won’t be able to finish the route before the sun goes down.

Below is a sample condensed 3-month training plan. Strive to do one or two rides per week of the following distances:
* Month 1: 10 to 25 miles
* Month 2: 25 to 55 miles
* Month 3: 55 to 80+ miles

These mileage guidelines are an ideal plan. If you can’t fit all of this into your schedule, don’t get so discouraged that you avoid riding altogether-just doing as much as you can will help your training quite a bit. Something is better than nothing. Again, consistency is the key to proper training. The more you train, the more you’ll enjoy the ride. Approach your training by working your way up to riding 100 miles in one day and being sure that you feel OK the next day to be able to ride again.

CYCLING TECHNIQUES

When you are cycling a long distance in a single day it’s crucial that you conserve energy. You’ll need something left in your lungs and legs for those last few miles. If you push full-speed from the start you’ll exhaust yourself.

Try spinning your pedals. Rather than pushing the biggest gear as hard as you can (”gear mashing”), try shifting down to a lower gear at a higher number of revolutions per minute, somewhere between 80 to 100 rpm. Spinning uses significantly less energy, eases up stress on your knee joints and enables you to pedal longer before exhaustion sets in. Learn to use your gear shift levers. Shift down, and spin. This is especially important for riders with knee and lower back problems. “Gearing down” is also important when climbing hills. Spinning in your lowest gear while climbing is a tremendous energy saver and really protects your knees over the long haul. Another tip; sit as far back as you can in your saddle. This way, you use the large muscles in both the front and back of your legs (the quadriceps and hamstrings), instead of your quadriceps alone, while you climb.

Chart Your Progress
A training journal is available for download (see right). Use them to log workouts, mileage cycled, where you’ve cycled, how you felt and overall health. It will keep you focused and honest. You’ll know exactly where you are in your training and how far you’ve come.

Training and Your Schedule
Most of us find that it’s hard to fit time on the bicycle into our busy schedules. You’ll have to make some choices, set priorities, and use what training time you do have wisely. If you work Monday to Friday, your weekends will be a central part of your training. Set aside large portions of Saturdays and Sundays to train. If you have a couple of hours to ride once or twice during the week, it will greatly enhance your progress. If not, you will need to be more creative. Your local gym may offer indoor cycling classes. These classes, lead by an instructor use stationary bikes with adjustable resistance to take you on a group “ride” set to music. Usually 45 minutes to an hour long, you will simulate climbing hills, sweat through sprints, and practice good cycling and pedaling form. Also, if your gym doesn’t limit the time you can use an exercise bike, then try to put in hour-long workouts on a stationary bike two or three times during the week in addition to your weekend rides.

Another option is a wind trainer or rollers that use your own bicycle. You can train at home at any time and condition your butt to sit on your own bicycle saddle. As with a stationary bike, one or two hour-long rides on your wind trainer or rollers during the week will help you tremendously. You can also try riding your bike to work. It’s a great way to get in some training miles every day.

CROSS TRAINING

Other types of aerobic conditioning will help you to train for the ride. In-line skating and cross-country skiing are good cross-training activities for cycling because they use similar muscle groups. Stair-stepping is also a good way to strengthen your legs for climbing hills. Running, swimming, rowing, aerobics, or any other activity that elevates your heart rate consistently for at least twenty minutes per workout will improve your aerobic condition and your stamina.

Need more options? Try adding strength/weight workouts to your training to beef up your preparation. Strengthening your leg and buttocks muscles will increase your cycling power. But cyclists also benefit from strengthening their abdominal, back, shoulder, arm and chest muscles as well. Strength in these body parts really pays off when hill climbing.

Cross-training is an effective way to train if you can’t ride four or more times a week. It’s also a good idea because it lessens overuse injuries by working other muscle groups and at the same time increasing your aerobic training base. Cross-training also lessens boredom by varying your workouts. Your body and your mind stay motivated to train as the months fly by.

But don’t fool yourself! Because of the hefty mileage on this ride, the time spent on your bicycle on the road is extremely critical and the best way to prepare for the ride.

DIET

There are an array of sports drinks and foods available. These supplements are helpful in sustaining energy. Consider experimenting now to find ones that best suit your needs and tastes; the last thing you want on the ride is to find you’ve brought along three pounds of powdered drink that tastes like chalk.

Before you start buying food supplements by the case, make sure your regular diet is well-balanced. It’s important that your body gets the quality fuel it needs to perform the extra work of cycling. The Ride for AIDS is not a diet. You need to eat. Complex carbohydrates are the best source of fuel for your muscles-pasta, beans, rice, whole grains, fruits, and veggies, too. Consult with your physician or a registered dietitian for diet planning assistance.

Your diet should be composed of the following:
* 60% carbohydrates
* 20% protein
* 20% fat
* Plenty of water