Any Cathlete road cyclists out there?

[tralaiven]

I don't see much about combining our Cathe workouts with road cycling and wondering if there are any out there.... I know that Dirtdiva is an MTB'er, but I don't like to break bones that much...having just broken some last year !

I have just started on a 6 week training program preparing for a century ride in July in San Luis Obispo with DH. I am also combining this training with STS....just started it for the second time.

What is your training schedule/ experience with doing Cathe and cycling?

 

[Fembot40]

Your century ride sounds great, beautiful area, looks like you may have some hill work in store.

I'm just starting STS for a second round, it seems to blend perfectly with cycle season. We live in NH, so our season is very short for the heavy miles. Since March, DH and I have been doing 40 to 45 miles on Saturday and Sunday. He also rides on Tues. and Thurs., which I'll start joining him on as soon as school is out for the kids. We'll also slowly add to weekend miles, we'd like to be doing 50 mile loops. We have some excellent climbing routes when we travel inland. This year is the first time I've really enjoyed climbing, partly because of the STS/Cycle Max rotation this winter, the other, I thank my new bike, which is really easy to climb with.

The only changes I've made to STS this time during Meso 1, is to put legs in the middle of the week. DH will not take excuses for sore legs on Saturday and loves to try and drop me (not so easy for him this year).

Do you live in California? DH and I keep toying with the idea of moving to a friendlier cycling area with a longer season, as soon as the fledglings leave the nest.

Good luck on your century ride! : )

 

[tralaiven]

Your century ride sounds great, beautiful area, looks like you may have some hill work in store.

I'm just starting STS for a second round, it seems to blend perfectly with cycle season. We live in NH, so our season is very short for the heavy miles. Since March, DH and I have been doing 40 to 45 miles on Saturday and Sunday. He also rides on Tues. and Thurs., which I'll start joining him on as soon as school is out for the kids. We'll also slowly add to weekend miles, we'd like to be doing 50 mile loops. We have some excellent climbing routes when we travel inland. This year is the first time I've really enjoyed climbing, partly because of the STS/Cycle Max rotation this winter, the other, I thank my new bike, which is really easy to climb with.

The only changes I've made to STS this time during Meso 1, is to put legs in the middle of the week. DH will not take excuses for sore legs on Saturday and loves to try and drop me (not so easy for him this year).

Do you live in California? DH and I keep toying with the idea of moving to a friendlier cycling area with a longer season, as soon as the fledglings leave the nest.

Good luck on your century ride! : )

Fembot40: I live in Livermore, CA which is very cycle-friendly. We have cycling routes all through our town and some of them are through vineyards which is my favorite part and beautiful. We also have some great hills for climbing. We just had the Amgen tour go through our town in May as well, because this can be considered a cycling town.

What kind of a new bike did you get? I also just got a new bike, a Giant, as that is what DH has too. On the weekends is when we do our longer rides too. I am on a training schedule for a century which just calls for me to ride 3x per week and then I add STS. How has cycling and STS together worked for you? I am interested to hear your experience.

I have been looking at the Route Verte in Canada and talking about it to DH. I would love to plan a cycling vaca in Eastern Canada for the two of us for next year.

Best wishes.

 

[Fembot40]

When I first purchased STS, I didn't think I'd use it during the summer, but after the first round, it really does compliment cycling. I'm always worried about thick legs, as mine are really muscular, so only using lower body weight once per week is perfect. I've been doing extra kickboxing, as this seems to thin out my upper thighs a bit. I'm normally a circuit junky, but STS has changed my thinking on this, especially after the great results I had with the first rotation.

My new bike is a carbon Cannondale Synapse, it's way quicker than my older Trek, which has been downgraded to the spin bike/bad weather ride. Right now, between all four of us in the house, we look like a small bike shop. The nice bikes are actually kept (gasp) in our living room. I just gander at our cycle fanatical neighbor to reassure myself we're not crazy. He often spends a sunny afternoon on his back deck (in his speedo, or so I hope) polishing one of his race bikes from his collection. He's in his 60's and up until last year, was doing the Mt. Washington bike race.

Canada sounds like a great vacation ride, one of many we'd like to attempt. Spain is DH's dream, and I really want to bike Ireland. So many places, so little cash flow. We'll get there eventually. The area we live in really isn't bike friendly. Just this week, in a neighboring town, they passed a law that you must run and cycle single file, offenders will be fined $25. The few bike lanes we have are sand and debris covered. I would love to try an area where cycling was seen in a more positive way.

 

[mini-natty]

I have been looking at the Route Verte in Canada and talking about it to DH. I would love to plan a cycling vaca in Eastern Canada for the two of us for next year.

Best wishes.

Hi Tracy,

It's so funny that you started this thread. I was just mentioning at my check-in that it would be a dream of mine to go mountain biking throughout trails in Canada and the USA . I was an avid biker before I had my daughter and hoping to get back into it soon.

Regarding Eastern Canada, I have lots of family/friends there. If you are interested one day, let me know and I can make some calls and hook you up with lodging if needed. I have a friend who lives in PEI and owns/rents out cottages.

BTW, I'm from Toronto and it is considered very bike friendly. The trails are absolutely amazing. The entire Toronto Lake Shore, east to west, accommodates walkers/bikers/rollerbladers, with designated paved paths. The trails are very beautiful also. They will take you across the entire Greater Toronto Area, throughout forestry, hills, ravines. You almost forget you are in an industrialized city with 3 million people. I did this bike ride every Sat & Sun, 3 hour stretches, cuz' once you start you wanna keep going!

Good luck & take care

Natasha

 

[tralaiven]

When I first purchased STS, I didn't think I'd use it during the summer, but after the first round, it really does compliment cycling. I'm always worried about thick legs, as mine are really muscular, so only using lower body weight once per week is perfect. I've been doing extra kickboxing, as this seems to thin out my upper thighs a bit. I'm normally a circuit junky, but STS has changed my thinking on this, especially after the great results I had with the first rotation.

My new bike is a carbon Cannondale Synapse, it's way quicker than my older Trek, which has been downgraded to the spin bike/bad weather ride. Right now, between all four of us in the house, we look like a small bike shop. The nice bikes are actually kept (gasp) in our living room. I just gander at our cycle fanatical neighbor to reassure myself we're not crazy. He often spends a sunny afternoon on his back deck (in his speedo, or so I hope) polishing one of his race bikes from his collection. He's in his 60's and up until last year, was doing the Mt. Washington bike race.

Canada sounds like a great vacation ride, one of many we'd like to attempt. Spain is DH's dream, and I really want to bike Ireland. So many places, so little cash flow. We'll get there eventually. The area we live in really isn't bike friendly. Just this week, in a neighboring town, they passed a law that you must run and cycle single file, offenders will be fined $25. The few bike lanes we have are sand and debris covered. I would love to try an area where cycling was seen in a more positive way.

I think that doing STS will compliment my cycling too. I also am concerned about the big leg issue because even though I am long and lean, I have seen my leg bulk up when I used the high step a lot. So once a week on legs will be just right for me too as of now.

I took a peak at Cannondale Synapse online. It looks like a great bike. I really love my Giant Defy. It is such a comfortable ride. We have a great bike shop in this area that is owned by a previous competitive racer and he fitted me to my bike.

That is a bummer that NH seems so hostile to cyclists! My town is so bike-friendly here. We have a national lab here and so many of them cycle to and from work and it is so fun/great to have all the bike lanes all through the town. Probably 60% of the lanes here are wide enough for 2-3 riders.

One of my dreams would be to cycle through France.

Too bad about your 60 year old neighbor in the Speedo !