Preparing for Our Bicycle Rides

Training for your Body

Bicycle Rides Northwest offers a fun-filled vacation that is physically challenging and requires preparation. Our rides will be more enjoyable with training in the months preceding July and August. Don’t let winter delay your training; start now. Depending on the climate, winter training may be difficult.

Dress appropriately for winter rides by wearing enough layers of modern fabric garments such as: lightly insulated tights, toe booties, long-sleeve jersey, fleece or wind vest, ear warmers, and gloves. These items may require a modest investment, but they will add many more rides to your bicycling season. For more information on cycling during winter, click here.

Riding outside during the winter may not be for everybody. There are a couple of indoor alternatives:

Set up a wind-trainer in front of your TV and make sure you have some good movies to occupy your mind; or
Sign up for spin classes at your local gym. Click here for more information and workouts for indoor cycling.

Whether riding outdoors or indoors this winter, remember to drink plenty of fluids before, during and after your workout. Keep up the good work!

Training Comments from an Oregon Bicycle Ride Veteran

Many cyclists that plan to participate in the Oregon Bicycle Ride (OBR) for the first time will probably wonder whether they are fit enough to make it to the finish. When I first started participating in this ride, I wondered how fit a person needed to be to ride 450+ miles in one week. Now, I recognize that the fitness required to complete this ride is far less that the fitness required to thoroughly enjoy this ride. With a bit of determination it appears that a wide range of fitness levels can complete the distance. However, those with consistent cycle training leading into the ride definitely increase the likelihood that they will enjoy the experience (e.g., decreased risk of injury, illness, and severe fatigue). Additionally, those that have prepared themselves for OBR will find that their energy level will bounce back quicker.

It is important for each rider to consider health and safety issues. Get a good physical by your doctor before you start your training program. The basic idea is to gradually refine your exercise program so you become specifically prepared for OBR.

What are you training for?

Total Distance	450+ miles
Total Days	7
Daily Distance	70 miles
Daily Climbing	1000 - 6000 feet per day
Daily Ride Time	3-8 hours per day

What should you do to get ready?

How to train for this ride depends on your age and your goals. Let's assume you are around forty, in reasonable shape, and that you want to have a comfortable ride. You could use the following recommendations to guide your training:

As an absolute minimum, start 8 weeks before the ride and spend about 6 hours per week in the saddle; work up to 20 or more hours two weeks before the ride.
Drop your mileage and intensity the week before the ride.
Try to work in two 60-70 mile rides on two consecutive days in the last three weeks prior to the ride.

I have found that it can be difficult to follow a progressively increasing mileage chart. So work around what you can do, even 10 miles per day is a great help.

Enjoy your training and we will see you at OBR.

Submitted by: Bill Martin, OBR Participant
Reviewed by: Dave Martin, Australian Institute of Sport