[QUOTE=SaltheSalmon,Thu, Aug 20 2009, 06:36pm][QUOTE=rustyo486,Thu, Aug 20 2009, 05:05pm]Wow, I never pretended to know what you were talking about, so I hope you're not talking to me.

u should be doing intervals regardless[/QUOTE]

just to let you know SaltheSalmon I may not be as keen or know all of the cycling terms so I was just guessing that you meant for me to vary my routes lol oops my bad I should've asked you
anyways I'm still a noob cyclist and so far nowhere near able to enter a race.. atm I find cycling to be a fun sport and enjoying what I'm getting out of it :] if I ever get good enough why heck I just might enter a race but until then I'm an avid explorer ;]

ok to do an interval set. find a flat section of road (or a hill if u wanna cry at the end) and ride as fast as u can for 30 seconds, then a normal pace for 30, then as fast as u can for 1 min, normal pace for 1 min, then 2 minutes with 2 rest, up until u feel like ur gonna die. if u can make to to a 5 min interval ur doin well.

when i was training hard i would do 8 intervals per week. usally the day after my rest day and the day before my rest day.

ohh i seeee cool ill have to try that :]

I've been cycling for a little while. I raced for about 2 years, am not currently racing.

I have a 2007 Cannondale Six13 w/ Ultegra.

oh v nice bike sir how did you prep for your races btw?

I'm going to start cycling very soon, as I have a bike coming into my possession through inheritance.

It's a Trek 2200 that was used as a triathlon bike for 3 years.
It doesn't have clips as of now, but depending on how much I ride I'm willing to invest.

What would you say are some good distances to start riding?
As far as my fitness, I've played Provincial level soccer and basketball.

nice so atleast you are fit in those categorical sports imo start with 5-10 mile rides prob 3 times a week or as many as you can do.. really it depends on you on how much you increase those rides.. and if you want to train oyour to increase your speed.. do trials like what SaletheSalmon said.. 10 sec sprints.. 10 sec normal speed and keep doing this during your trips to help increase your avg speed and max speed its helped me quite alot so far like everyday i see a change in either 1 mile at most or .5 , .3 mile increase from the mile before if you have a speedometer / odometer you can keep track of all of this important data for training :]

Yeah I have a speedometer. The bike is fully equipped except for clips, which aren't necessary at this point imo.
I wanted to ride 3-5 times a week depending on my schedule. Possibly even to school (which is about 20 km).

I've ridden a Gary Fisher Wahoo mountain bike around the city lots and I don't find distance to be a problem, although that may change depending how I pace myself.

yes pacing yourself is very important so whatever feels right to you dont over do it because you could hurt somtin
gl with your riding :]

measure ur riding in time and intensity, not in miles. 2-3 hours of average intensity or 1-2 hours of high intensity is good for a base. as u get more fit work ur wayinto 4-5 hour rides if u have the time.

also, get some good clipless (aka clip in, yea its ass backwards) pedals and shows. i myself use crank bros, but there are lots of good pedals out there at all price ranges. get a set that has good float to avoid knee problems.

it is very important to take ur bike to a good shop when u get ur first set of pedals and have them dial in ur postion on the bike. bad position is a good way to hurt urself and not get maximum power from ur pedal stroke.