Training for Bike Touring

Goals:

1. To be able to bike for a full day.
2. To be able to bike for several consecutive days.

Training Priciples:

* Building up 'the long ride' over several weeks.
* Getting your weekly mileage up to three-to-four times your expected daily mileage (including two to three rides of medium length).
* Including light days and rest days.
* Including light weeks and rest weeks.
* Including some 'hills' workouts.
* Adjusting your daily routine to be as similar to your target routine as possible (including sleep-wake times, exercise times, diet, fluid intake, etc.).

A Sample Training Plan:
Week No. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. Total
1. 6 10 12 rest 10 30 9 77
2. 7 11 13 rest 11 34 10 86
3. 8 13 15 rest 13 38 11 98
4. 8 14 17 rest 14 42 13 108
5. 9 15 19 rest 15 47 14 119
6. 11 15 21 rest 15 53 16 131
7. 12 15 24 rest 15 59 18 143
8. 13 15 25 rest 15 65 20 153

Fluid Replacement:

* Your body loses 1.5 to 2 litres of fluid per hour in moderate temperature.
* Drink before you are thirsty! Also eat before you are hungry!

How to Recognize Overtraining:

* A significant increase in resting heart rate (e.g., 10 beats per minute) or decrease in weight (e.g., 2-3 pounds) from one day to the next.
* A lack of energy and desire. Frequently seen in procrastination before leaving for training or a desire to 'quit'.