Getting started on new BikeErg

[Rosko89]

Hi everybody

I’m new!

31yo, 6ft, 85kg male. My background is mainly gym in the form of lifting weights since my early 20s. I enjoyed the new BikeErg that arrived at the gym and so during lockdown I opted to get a BikeErg for home as a gift to myself for various reasons.

I’ve done the odd spin class many years ago and a few Wattbike sessions here and there (steady 10k) but as a newbie to concept2 and overall cycling I’m currently in unknown territory and looking for some advice from you more experienced goers

The main purpose is to improve my CV to build the engine, and get some output to burn some calories.

So far I’ve focused on setup and positioning, and done a few just ride 5k’s. Latest was 11.55secs, 2.23 / 1000m, avg 78 RPM. Although I’d like to get more nitty gritty focused on actual training instead of just quick hop on rides.

What I’m finding out most so far is that my quads get completely and utterly smoked. I feel I have more CV but my muscle endurance I’m majorly so pumped it’s holding me back to hold the pace. Despite trying to focus on smooth pedalling I’ve learned (push down, pull back, pull up etc). Note this is especially more so at higher pace. At 65-75rpm it’s bearable but trying to hold 90rpm even at lower damper 2-3 it completely smokes and blows me up.

This thing is ruthless. So Long term I would like to build up endurance to being able to do 20k well paced or say 45 minute sessions for some output.

I’ve read about the 20 minute FTP test and the 4000m power sprint but I don’t think I’m ready for that.

Otherwise from here I’m not sure what to do to get there endurance wise. Do I simply just need to build up time or distance at certain pace / gear or would I be better with intervals and other aspects like that?

Thanks for reading and any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers

[ampire]

Hi everybody

I’m new!

31yo, 6ft, 85kg male. My background is mainly gym in the form of lifting weights since my early 20s. I enjoyed the new BikeErg that arrived at the gym and so during lockdown I opted to get a BikeErg for home as a gift to myself for various reasons.

I’ve done the odd spin class many years ago and a few Wattbike sessions here and there (steady 10k) but as a newbie to concept2 and overall cycling I’m currently in unknown territory and looking for some advice from you more experienced goers

The main purpose is to improve my CV to build the engine, and get some output to burn some calories.

So far I’ve focused on setup and positioning, and done a few just ride 5k’s. Latest was 11.55secs, 2.23 / 1000m, avg 78 RPM. Although I’d like to get more nitty gritty focused on actual training instead of just quick hop on rides.

What I’m finding out most so far is that my quads get completely and utterly smoked. I feel I have more CV but my muscle endurance I’m majorly so pumped it’s holding me back to hold the pace. Despite trying to focus on smooth pedalling I’ve learned (push down, pull back, pull up etc). Note this is especially more so at higher pace. At 65-75rpm it’s bearable but trying to hold 90rpm even at lower damper 2-3 it completely smokes and blows me up.

This thing is ruthless. So Long term I would like to build up endurance to being able to do 20k well paced or say 45 minute sessions for some output.

I’ve read about the 20 minute FTP test and the 4000m power sprint but I don’t think I’m ready for that.

Otherwise from here I’m not sure what to do to get there endurance wise. Do I simply just need to build up time or distance at certain pace / gear or would I be better with intervals and other aspects like that?

Thanks for reading and any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers

I am not a cyclist, but as no one else has commented, I will offer some advice, I hope it is helpful:
-Make sure your preworkout nutrition and hydration is adequate, my father is a regular road cyclist and he only performs well if he eats a good meal before with plenty of carbohydrate.
-If you want more endurance, you just have to ride longer. Try to ride a little bit more each week.
-Try the C2 logbook with the ErgData cellphone app that lets you upload your workouts to the C2 logbook. This is helpful to compare against previous workouts and for online competition.
-Listening to music or watching TV can help take your mind off of the discomfort so you can go for longer periods.
-Zwift is fun for a lot of indoor riders, it might help as well.

[c2jonw]

I've been a cyclist for decades and I think ampire's advice is all good. Lots of comfortable time in the saddle with some pick ups along the way just to break it up. Make sure your seat height is right, and think about turning circles with your feet. Achieving smooth and comfortable high cadence pedaling takes a lot of practice. I used to train a lot at 100-120 cadence so that on race day it was very easy to ride at 80-90 cadence. JonW