Ride for AIDS Chicago might well be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of your life. This training section is a tool to help you get into shape. We strongly encourage you to set aside considerable time to train for the ride. You may think you can handle the ride and that you don't need to train for it. But the more you train, the more you'll be able to enjoy the ride. If you don't train at all, or don't train very much, you could be in for a couple of pretty long, painful days; so start training now! This guide will help prepare all riders, no matter what their fitness level is when they begin.

Our route is a very challenging one. While only 2 days, they are two very long days in the saddle.

Training Rides
A schedule of training rides will be posted on-line at www.rideforaids.org. The training rides organized by the training ride leaders are the best way possible to get into shape. These rides vary in distance and terrain, giving you the best approximation of what to expect on the ride. You'll also learn riding and safety techniques, experience group riding, see parts of your city you've never laid eyes on, meet other riders, and have lots of fun. Go on a few rides and you'll begin to look forward to waking up at 7:00 a.m. to fill up your water bottles for your 70-mile Sunday jaunt.

Where To Begin
Before you put together your training plan, you'll want to assess your current cycling abilities.

Determine what your cycling level is now, and then determine what training you'll need to do. Plan your schedule from now until the ride so that you can make time for training. Leave entire weekend days free several months before the ride to do longer rides. Cycling 80, 90 or 100-mile rides, when you've built up to that distance, will help tremendously. You'll also need to do a few back-to-back longer rides, so leave a few weekends open for those.

Do not wait until a month before the ride to start training. Your body needs the chance to build up endurance to keep going for up to ten hours. That's possible only if you start training early. Start training today.

Training Basics
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.

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 overtraining 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, longdistance 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.

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
Training charts are available on-line at www.rideforaids.org. 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.