After a long absence of being in great condition, I've decided to jump into cycling. I have a mountain bike that I enjoy, but I've come to the realization that being on the road is what gives me the most satisfaction. I know what it's like to be at peak conditioning for a sport; I used to play Division I basketball in the Pac-10...but that was 10 years ago.

Now I'd like to put myself to task on the bike. I feel I can attain my goal of participating in several century rides next spring/summer...so if you don't mind, I have some pretty general questions.

Training
1. What frequency should I be riding?
2. How long does the body usually take to recover from a good ride?
3. If I push myself too hard, what are some signs (lack of leg strength?, poor endurance?)?
4. How crucial is the balance between miles and time? For example, is it better to ride for an hour of tough hills...or two hours of relatively flat roads?
5. If I can't make it out on my bike, is the lifecycle at the gym worthwhile?

Nutrition
1. What are some general rules I should follow if I know my body could stand to loose about 15 pounds? (I currently am 6'9", 238 lbs...and back when I was in b-ball shape I played around 220~225 lbs.)
2. What food groups are best for providing energy while on long rides?
3. How important are nutritional additives to the water bottle?
4. What should I stay away from?

Advanced thanks to all who are willing to tackle my questions. :)

-Thanks, Todd

Your questions would require a book to answer - so just get the book and start studying. I would start with Friel's "Cycling After 50". Forget the 50 part and he gives you a year long training plan. If you can stand more, his "Cyclists Training Bible" is very complete (and complicated). - TF

Training
1. What frequency should I be riding? - should be "several" days per week, depending on what other exercise you're getting. To really adapt to cycling, 4X per week, one hour each would be good. Need to put in some longer rides to prepare for a century - roughly 3 hours, once per week.

2. How long does the body usually take to recover from a good ride? - Depends on how you define "good." If you've pushed yourself really hard, then the next day should be a recovery ride (easy spin for 30+ minutes) or a day off. Real hard workouts should be limited to, at most, 3 per week. Most would be better with a max of 2 per week.

3. If I push myself too hard, what are some signs (lack of leg strength?, poor endurance?)? - For a single hard effort, it will be sore muscles the next day or two, or perhaps running out of steam mid-ride. The latter could be dehydration/bonk if over 90 minutes. If you accumulate too much effort, called overtraining, you will experience general fatigue, evelvated resting pulse, possible illness, lack of interest in riding, irritability, poor sleep, and/or rapid rise in pulse with exercise or inability to elevate pulse with exercise.

4. How crucial is the balance between miles and time? For example, is it better to ride for an hour of tough hills...or two hours of relatively flat roads? - Mix it up. Neither is better, both are good. Generally ignore miles and go for time, whether it be in the hills or on the flats. You can go just as hard on the flats as in the hills, but it is a different workout.

5. If I can't make it out on my bike, is the lifecycle at the gym worthwhile? Sure.

Nutrition
1. What are some general rules I should follow if I know my body could stand to loose about 15 pounds? (I currently am 6'9", 238 lbs...and back when I was in b-ball shape I played around 220~225 lbs.) - Simple - eat less and exercise more. Some tricks to help fool your body a bit are to always go to bed slightly hungry, eat continously (but lightly) throughout the day rather than 3 large meals, drink lots of water, and eat less processed food. Whole wheat rather than white bread, fruit rather than juice, raw rather than cooked vegetables (where appropriate), etc.

2. What food groups are best for providing energy while on long rides? - On long rides, you need mostly carbs, hydration, and electrolytes. Some prefer gels/energy bars/sports drinks while others like things like fig bars, salted nuts, and water. Personal preference really. Food is food and calories are calories. The "prepared" stuff just costs more and some find it more convenient.

3. How important are nutritional additives to the water bottle? - See above

4. What should I stay away from? - processed foods, high fat, all the stuff your mother told you. Nothing new here.