Straight from France, pro cyclist Christian Vande Velde shares his training plan for The Nell’s fall Cycling Camp.
Hey Everyone, Greetings from the Tour de France! Now that summer has arrived, it’s time to start building up for September.
Plan –
That is always the name of the game in any endurance endeavor. I like to pull out the calendar and visualize how far I am from a specific event. Right now we have about 13 weeks before we get together in Aspen. That sounds like a lot of time and it is, but we all know how fast time the summers fly by, so start today! Look at the weeks or stretches of time you can dedicate to riding your bike and being active. Mark those down on the calendar and take full advantage of the time. Call some friends and organize a few weekly rides throughout the summer. Nothing like a little group ride to motivate and get your competitive juices going. When planning, be honest with yourself.
Keep your schedule within yourself but try to ramp it up little by little throughout the summer months. Meaning, don¹t start off guns blazing just to find yourself exhausted from trying to do too much too soon. Whether it is one more hour of riding a week or a month, as long as you are going in the right direction. Bonus-try to plan a ride or two a month where you challenge yourself a bit and maybe even take yourself out of your comfort zone you might be surprised of the end result.
Consistency –
Staying consistent is always the problem that I see people (and myself) run into. If you are one of the lucky few who have the luxury and foresight to ride regularly, I salute you. If not, start with trying to get out on the days that you have some free time, but wouldn’t get out on regularly. Believe me sometimes after a long day of real life the last thing I want to do is get on my bike. But without fail, I get home energized and extremely pleased at getting out the door and not sitting in front of the TV. The hardest part is getting dressed! Continue to tick off the days and weeks. You’re fitness will increase without you noticing it and funny enough your motivation will increase exponentially as the miles become easier and your body stronger.
These simple tips will see you arriving in Aspen ready to hit the road with confidence…and more importantly not falling asleep when Carlton starts opening up the nice bottles of wine and really, that is what it is all about!
My mantra for the week – and in general – Ride to eat and eating to ride. See you in September! – CV
Join us this fall for The Nell’s third annual Clip-In With Christian cycling camp by calling Cathy DeHaven at 970.544.6206 or emailing cdehaven@thelittlenell.com.
