The first race of the season springs on unsuspecting cyclists in a little more than six weeks. After my relative success last season, I want to do well this season, but that desire is complicated by the fact that I upgraded categories, so the races, theoretically at least, should be harder.
So here is my problem. I missed riding most of September because I got hit by a car. I rode a little in October and November, but I kept thinking, “Hey, it’s the off-season. I don’t need to worry about training all that much.” Then, in November, I found out I had Lyme. That knocked out any illusions that I would be training very hard right away. Then, some bad weather made riding uncomfortable, and it got easy to put off the rides. A more truthful way of putting it would be that I got lazy.
During all of that down time, time away from serious training, I continued to eat as if I were still riding.
You know where this is going.
I am 6’4″ tall, so I normally carry a bit more weight than my shorter competitors. But that extra mass, if it is mostly muscle, should allow for a decent power-to-weight ratio. The problem now is the “weight” side of that ratio. My ideal racing weight–the weight I will probably never attain–is between 170 and 175 pounds. Let’s say 173. I can race really well at 177-180, though, and that is probably the best I can hope for in the real world. The other day I was 192.
Yup. Almost 20 pounds over that ideal.
Today was the real test, however. It was cold this morning when I set out on my ride–only 18 degrees (F) when I started, and there was still quite a lot of ice and salty slush on the roads. I knew I needed to ride, though, so I went out to do at least three hours. I was doing fine, generally managing to avoid the icier patches (though I went completely sideways after skidding on a slick patch, saved by my decent bike-handling skills), and feeling more or less like a real athlete.
Then I met up with two guys from the club who have been putting in some serious hours on the road lately, one of them because he knows his riding will end abruptly next month when his twins are born, so he’s been desperately racking up the miles now, while he still can.
They killed me. We hit a long climb out of Pawling, and I got dropped less than a quarter of the way up. Later, they were motoring on some flats, and I just couldn’t handle the pace. Lucky for me, they took pity and scaled it back. I ended up doing 60 miles and feeling like I do during the summer when I ride over 100. I was filleted, marinated, and cooked.
I tried to tell myself that part of the problem was that I did weights last night, and really worked the legs, with presses, extensions, and curls. The truth hurts more: I am fat and out of shape.
The Hobgoblin of Little Minds 
Oh gosh, me too. Now where are those running shoes again?
Good luck with getting back in form and racing in your new category.
My impression is that if you set yourself a goal, you have tremendous motivation and will-power to bring to it. It’s only January – my money’s on a trim, streamlined Hobgoblin by the spring.
This is the darkest before the dawn. Any other cliches I can throw out there? It’s not over till the fat cyclist sings?
I spend much of my winter riding getting dropped by people like my (now ex) husband and his friends, who ride ferociously hard all winter long.
You know the drill, get your base in, and once you start the high intensity intervals, the weight will come off.
You’d be surprised. Keep you heart rate in zone 1 or 2 for about 8 to 10 weeks with long slow rides, then start incorporating intervals. Bottom line, your race season doesn’t start until April or May. Good luck!!