Training

Everyone has different ideas about exactly how training should be carried out, but one thing that we can all agree on is that if you plan to race seriously then some sort of training would be a good idea!

At the core of every mainstream training methodology is the principle of working your body then resting for a period to allow it to recover to a stronger physical state than when you first started. The two words to note are work and rest...

Beyond that is where things get more interesting and the Clifton CC is here to help you on the way. We not only have a lot of members who have "been there and done it", but also many that are "there and doing it". So the first thing to suggest is that you get out on some club rides and discuss your plans.

The club rides themselves offer a variety of intensities and formats that our members use in their training plans. In addition to the social cafe/clubruns we organise the following:

Saturday Morning Training Rides. Jan - Oct. Meet at 0900 in the Square for a 45-60 mile route on varied terrain. Depending on numbers/fitness there may be 2 groups, everyone sets off together and a decision will be made early where and when the group will split. That said these are group training rides and the aim is to ride together and allow everyone to get a workout. post on the message board to see what's going on.

Sunday Training Rides. Meet at 0900 in the Square (between Jan and March) for 3-4 hours of fairly serious riding on mixed terrain. Again this is a group ride with the purpose of riding together and sharing the load. The racing calendar after March will mean that these rides will become a little ad-hoc - keep an eye on the discussion forum.

Tuesday Evening Chaingang. These commence when the clocks change. Meet at 1815 (or 1800 for the first and last couple when daylight is short) at the B1224/outer ring road roundabout. This is a 30 mile effort with the second half completed in "through and off" mode. Most people would struggle to ride at this sort of intensity alone.