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Get ready to ride for a cure
Riding
in the RONA MS Bike Tour isn’t as daunting as it
might seem at first. Follow these handy tips to get yourself,
and your bicycle, in shape to ride for a great cause!
Getting Started
If you haven’t ridden your bike
in a while, be sure to take it into a mechanic for a tune
up. Then just start riding!
Ride before breakfast, after work,
to school, wherever you need to go. Start slow then work
up to longer rides.
The month before your Bike Tour, ride
25 km twice, with one week in between each ride. Two weeks
before your Bike Tour, ride 40 km. One week before, ride
55 km.
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Eat Right
In the week before the RONA MS Bike
Tour, wean yourself off heavy foods. Consume small portions
rather than large meals. Eat complex carbohydrates such as
pasta, potatoes, whole grain bread and muffins and plenty
of fruit and vegetables. Have a ratio of 80% carbohydrates,
15% protein and 5% fat. Eat smaller amounts of easily digested
food throughout the Tour and stay well nourished.
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Training Tips
If you have the desire, you can ride
in the RONA MS Bike Tour! Recreational riders have no problems
finishing the tour by just moving any muscles the week following
the Bike Tour. With the proper training, you won't miss work
Monday morning because the floor is too far away from the
bed.
When starting any exercise program,
it is a good idea to check with your physician first. If
an injury develops during training, please seek professional
help to prevent a more serious injury from developing.
First, master the basics of proper
technique. Learn to ride a smooth, steady line and concentrate
on pedaling or "spinning" at a high cadence (90-110
strokes per minute).
Next, build your mileage base. Start
your training slowly with a few short rides to gain fitness.
When you're able to ride four or more times a week, gradually
increase the distance of your long ride to at least twice
the distance of your regular training rides (for example,
if you ride 20 km on weekdays, try 40 km on Saturday or Sunday).
After about 500 km of base building,
incorporate some hill work or interval training into your
schedule once or twice a week. Find a hill you can climb
without totally exhausting yourself. After a sufficient warm-up,
climb it, recover on the way down and then go up again. As
your fitness improves, add more repeats. Try sprinting between
telephone poles along a flat road. Intervals develop speed.
Gradually increase the number of sprints.
| Moderate
Days |
Endurance
Days |
Speed
Days |
| Forget about
the clock and ride moderate distances at a comfortable
pace. This will entail two or three 15 km rides per
week. Such a workout will burn fat, as opposed to the
carbohydrates that fuel short, intense efforts. |
To improve
your stamina, take one long ride every week. This might
be 30 to 60 km. Don't worry about time; your goal should
be to complete the distance. |
These are
crucial to cardiovascular improvement and muscle tone.
Twice a week, try to complete 25 km in an hour while
maintaining a cadence of 85 - 90 rpm. Gradually increase
the speed and distance as you become more fit. |
Allow at least one day of rest each
week. And write down your training schedule. It will at least
impress the other couch potatoes in the family.
Remember: You must wear your helmet
at all times during the Bike Tour.
Thank you to our national sponsors:
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