I happen to be revisiting the Berkeley Wheelmen Newsletters I blogged about a few years ago and stumbled across the following article on training. This article was published in the June 1970 issue, Volume 5 Number 6. I was struck with how modern it seemed, as well as how simple, and wanted to share it with my readers. Obviously, this training plan, written for college age competitive cyclists, is of questionable relevance to me, a non-competitive old man.
The figure above was at the top of the first page of that newsletter and was drawn by my friend and roommate, Paul Rail, a very gifted artist.
A lot of atheletes believe that the harder one trains the better condition or performance he will attain. This is true for a short time only; the duration of this effect being dependent on the physical type, age, years of training and the native ability of the athelete. Most are willing to acknowledge that the rider can drain himself, but few seem to avoid it. I think that through proper training, nutrition, and a keen awareness of the body's response, overtraining can be avoided and superior performances can be achieved. Here are some basic guidelines for a long term training program.
To best avoid overtraining an athelete should devise a conditioning program that incorporates a maximum of variety. During most of the year he should train at a level which stimulates, not forces, development of his body. This type of training is called base training. It should include one day a week of training at a racing pace but concentrate on long rides at moderate pace. This combination should eliminate the tendency to slow down in the off season. Base training builds energy reserves from which a rider can draw during the racing season.
Base training effects are long lasting, slow to achieve and. difficult to maximize. When correctly carried out base training produces abundant health and energy without sore muscles, fatigue and other bummers. Building a base is a natural consequence of riding over a period of years, however the idea is to maximize the increase of basic speed. This is not done by training hard all year, but by training consistently at the fastest level your body can sustain without fatigue, sore muscles and illness. Almost as important is the regularity of training, daily at best. Heart and lungs, the controlling factors of base training, respond best to controlled daily exercise.
The natural compliment to base training is "sharpening" training. Sharpening is what really counts for the races. It involves hard, fast, long regular workouts. These workouts should be varied including hills, flats, rollers, anything you can think of to extend your muscles, heart and lungs. This training must also be done carefully; fully aware of how the body is responding. A good diet is extremely important and must be strictly adhered to. Weight loss should be avoided as it tends to weaken the body. This sharpening can only be done effectively for a few months once or twice a year. If kept up too long sharpening will result in slower performances due to overextending or using up the energy reserves you built up by base training. If you realize when your maximum sharpening has been achieved and at that point ease up on your training you will not dull before the end of the season.
In conclusion, always remember that the sophistication of training methods has produced four minute miles and Tour de France champions. It is more important to design your training program in terms of years rather than specific races or seasons. This involves year round training most of which is base training promoting the maximum develipment of the whole body. Only a few months a year can be devoted to the sharpening of muscles because this requires more than the body can endure over extended periods. Formally designing a year round training program may be a valuable asset for the Berkeley Wheelmen. If by consensus a flexible program is developed, new riders can be properly trained and seasoned racers can achieve their best performances.
