Your First Three Years ~ Part 17:

Training:  What Kind of cyclist are you going to be?

A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!) Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling.  Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.

Before training can really begin, it's kind of important to figure out what one is training for.

Presumably you have recently started your exploration of cycling.  Perhaps you started following this series after you “got on the bike” last Summer.  Perhaps you are a more experienced cyclist who is exploring a deeper understanding of the sport and your place in it.  The assumption is that you rode last Spring and Summer, and that you are about seven to eight months along in this journey.  All of that would make this a really  good time to consider, or revisit the question,  “What do I want to do on/with the bicycle?”

A good bicycle salesperson will start the conversation with a question something like,  “What do you want to do with your bike?”  That salesperson is asking “How do you want to ride?”  and “Where do you want to ride?” and “What do you want to get out of this?”  (Sadly, more often than not, the answer to the question, “What do you want to do with your new bike?” is “Ride it.”  Duh.)

That series of questions is often tough for the new rider.  I’ve met a lot of folks who said that they wanted to moutnainbikeroadrideracetourplayrideonpathsexerciseandloseweight.  Sure they may want to do all that, but in fact they don’t really know what attracts them and where they wish to place their energy.  After a season of riding, most folks have developed some opinions.  They have learned some things that they like, and discovered some things that they don’t like.  A rider’s personality begins to inform the riding.  Perhaps now is a good time to revisit some categories and explore the sport a bit more widely. 

“What kind of cyclist are you?” Do you really know the answer to that yet?  How many different kinds of riding have you explored?  Perhaps it’s time to branch out and try something different.

On the other hand, there’s no real hurry.  You are young in the sport.  Take the time to become more deeply involved in the type of riding you  have been doing.  Drink it to the dregs, but be aware that there is more and different.

“What kind of cyclist are you?”  The answer to that question carries with it some implications and possibly some amazing revelations.  Bear in mind, very few cyclists are just one thing, and there are as many different styles of doing things as there air things to do.  In aid of your reflections, here are some categories and some qualifiers.

A (partial) List of Cycling Fields

• Beginner
• Recreational
• Event Rider
• Fast Recreational Rider
• Competitive Cyclist
• Endurance Rider
• Tourist
• Utility Cyclist
• Gadget Obsessed
• Mountain Biker
• Fixed Gear
• BMX
• Stunts and tricks
• Downhill

Some personality attributes which inform one’s riding:

• Gregarious
• Loner
• Individualist
• Minimalist
• Adventurer
• Tinker
• Non-technical
• Outdoors!
• Inside!
• Competitive
• Laid back
• Aggressive
• Active
• Easy going
• Social
• Budget minded
• Technically fascinated
• Mechanically inclined
• Hate to mess with machinery

Think about that first list for a moment.  Let your imagination roam freely.  What intrigues you?  What repels you?  How would you blend the attributes that you have from the second list with some of those Cycling Fields?

Don’t be too quick to answer.  You just could be exploring this one for the rest of your life.

Next Week: Indoor Training

Stationary Trainers, HR Monitors, Core and Abs, Strength training, pliometrics

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This series began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012.  It is intended to continue for three years.  Each week, we will discuss exercises, skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”) rider a high level of cycling competence.  We’ll address common problems, and (always) stress safe practice.

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A Note on Timing:  This series uses Mid-June as the starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”  We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start riding.  If you are following this guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three years.”  Do note that some of the posts will concern weather and seasonal changes.  When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to fit your personal timeline.