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London-Paris 2010A Cycle Diva’s training guide to achieving your dreams!

Part 1 - Style Over Speed

Training - sound’s like hard work, doesn’t it?

Yet, it’s not really. It’s simply a process where you ask your body to repeat some form of movement until you get really good at it!

It’s called muscle memory. And simply by asking your body to do a little bit more each time you train, and then giving it time to rest and recover, you can achieve things you never before dreamt possible!

But firstly, we’re going to ditch the word ‘train’ for something a little more easy on the mind. We’re going to use the power of positivity to help keep you geared up towards crossing the finishing line in Paris!

So, from hereon in, training is out, dream making is in!

We guarantee that you are going to be amazed at the gains you’ll make really quickly! By coming with us on our dream making journey, you’ll be soon be riding high with ease and style as your muscles remember a level of fitness that will simply astound you!

Over the coming months, Cycle Divas will be supporting you every step of the way, from dishing out dream maker schedules to techniques for getting your bike fit too, style tips to the secrets of assertive cycling and load of other cool stuff too.

This month, we kick off with “Style Over Speed” a brief look at what the Great Fashion Cycle is, what it’s not and some things you can start doing right now to make your dreams come true! ⓒ Cycle Divas All Rights Reserves

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Part 1 - Style over speed

Your challenge is not to get from London to Paris in the quickest time!

The Great Fashion cycle is not a race, it’s about enjoying the journey and experience while raising much needed funds for a worthwhile cause.

That being said, the 300 miles will be a test of your ability to keep turning those pedals without tiring too early.

So, your dream making plan is all about getting your legs used to the action of pedal turning and building up stamina to eat up those miles.

Cycling is a low impact sport - it doesn’t put the same strain on your body’s skeletal core as running does.

As cycling burns more calories per hour than about almost any other sport, the key to developing your pedal power stamina is to take sufficient fuel and water on board while turning those pedals. Not forgetting of course, to keep pursuing your dream making!

To start, your dream making will be done on quiet, flat roads so that you can get used to your bike; how it handles and what it is capable of with you as its engine.

Now would be a good time to book that cycle lesson that you’ve been putting off for a while just to help you progress from quieter to busier roads.

Once you get the hang of things and feel a little more confident in traffic, you’ll start to vary the terrain and distances.

Be prepared to notch up your dream making to an intensity that gets you warmed up and breathing a little heavier.

Consistency is the key - no fast or slow spurts - just a steady rhythm, comfortable enough for you to be able to hold a conversation without being out of breath!

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October Things for you to do now!

TLC for your bike and for you!Whilst what follows is aimed at novices or social cyclists, it might be a good time for all you experienced or regular cyclists to give your bike some TLC. After all, it’s worked hard for you all summer and may well just need a little bit of kindness!

1. Take your bike into a bike repair shop for a service. Most cycle shops offer a repair and servicing offer, and for around £30, these magicians will give your bike a once over. If your bike is in poor repair, be prepared to spend a little on getting it fit!

2. Once your bike is fit, you need to keep its muscles in good working order with regular weekly checks. Click here for our BASICS guide.

Christmas Wish List Ideas

1. If you don’t own a bicycle at present, it’s a good time to put one on your Xmas wish list! However, a bike cannot be the ‘surprise’ present from your loved ones since you must ensure that your bike is the correct frame size for your height and suits your build and personality! We’ll be doing a separate article in November on choosing and buying your bike.

2. At this stage, you may wish to consider purchasing a helmet. The debate on helmet wearing for cyclists still rages on with evidence for and against abound. However, it still remains your choice and is not law (at time of writing) in either France or Britain. It is worth noting, however, that the tour organiser is currently insisting on all Great Fashion Cycle participants wear a helmet, although we are working to change this from mandatory to optional. Download our advice about choosing and fitting your helmet.

3. Book a lesson or two with a qualified instructor. You can find a list of registered instructors in your locality here. For an investment of about £20 to £30 per hour, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your fear of urban traffic makes your fearsome to ride assertively in all types of traffic conditions. Download our Cycle Flirt guide to basic maneuvers.

Legal Diva

1. Get familiar with the Highway code as it applies to cyclists. Cyclists often get a bad press for the simple reason that they don’t adhere to the Highway Code. Pavement riding, light jumping etc are all NO NO’s. Download parts 1 and 2 of our guides to staying legal

ⓒ Cycle Divas All Rights Reserves

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October Dream Maker Plan Terrain: Flat

Week Av. Speed

Monday Mileage equivalent

Thursday Mileage equivalent

Saturday Mileage equivalent

1 6mph 25 mins 2.5 miles 25 mins 2.5 miles 60 mins 6 miles

2 6mph 25 mins 2.5 miles 25 mins 2.5 miles 90 mins 9 miles

3 8mph 30 mins 4 miles 30 mins 4 miles 120 mins 16 miles

4 8mph 30 mins 4 miles 30 mins 4 miles 120 mins 16 miles

Tips

1. You can vary the days to suit your lifestyle but do make sure that you leave at least 1 day to rest before venturing out again.

2. Maintain an even rhythm - use your gears to make sure that you keep turning your pedals at the same revolution speed irrespective of slight up or down hill gradients. And yes, you do keep turning those pedals going downhill!

3. If you are unsure how your gearing works, think about car gears. Most modern bikes have a 24 speed gearing system. On the left side of your handlebars, you’ll have gears 1, 2 and 3.

1 is Low, just like a car and great for starting off and going up hilly terrain. It’s a good idea to try and finish your ride in a low gear so that when you next ride, your gearing is set for an easy push off !

2 is usually the cruising gear

3 is usually preferred for high speed and going down hills, dependent upon gradient

On the right hand side of your handlebars, you’ll find gears 1 to 8. These help you to regulate your pedaling revolutions rhythmically. You will need to experiment to find the ones most comfortable for you for different traffic, cruising and high speed riding.

As a guide, the combination of gear 1 on the left and gear 1 on the right is the easiest gear available on your bike.

Conversely, gear 3 on the left and gear 8 on the right is the hardest to turn. Have fun experimenting but experiment on quieter roads.

4. To regulate your speed, consider buying a bike computer. These can be picked up fairly cheaply for the wired versions (around £6.00) or anything from £40 upwards for the wireless versions. They are really easy to fit and are a great way to monitor your speed, distance and time.

5. Keep a diary and jot down your experiences and emotions after your ride. This is a great way to track your progress an make a keep sake of your achievements.

6. Finally, if you have any questions, contact us. We are only ever an email or phone call away!

Happy dream making! ⓒ Cycle Divas All Rights Reserves