Ride for yourself is the most important...i ride for more than 45 years,im 61 almost 62 and cycling and taking care of my bikes its my therapy for many years,sometimes i train with pro´s,but riding alone or with two or three friends its the best.Cycling is the best sport ever and the bike is one of the best inventions ever.
I simply like riding my bike. I like looking at it.... I like knowing how it works. They are fun devices that capture my curiosity. I also like going place and riding my bike. It's fun to cruise through an area, town, over bridges... the scenery is nice when going through back roads and over hill climbs. I do enjoy the challenge of the endurance and a little bit of the pain. Mostly though, I like to ride my bike. I will do group rides on occasion but I only try to keep up to a certain degree. My goal is always to just get where I am going and enjoy the sights on the way. I do check my strava and measure myself against others but it only goes. as far as knowing where i sit with other riders. Every once in a while I get a bee in my bonnet and go on a quest to ride a route faster than I have before and when I do It feels better than when I see that I am faster than someone else. Somehow that's not a lasting joy so much as out doing my own efforts.That's a long way to go to simply say.... try riding your bikes to support an adventure. Like a car trip or a train ride it can be fun and enjoyable... pick a destination and go.
I agree with your thoughts in your video. Over the years I've done group rides, two hundred km rides and it comes down to enjoyment. I stay at the back of the pack for safety and just want to ride with no chatting. Whether riding one of my roads bikes, girly shopping bike or my new e-assist gravel bike and as the stoker on a tandem. Riding solo or with a friend plus touring on our tandem as a stoker with my captain as a team riding is the best way to spend your life. Forget the gadgets and enjoy the views ahead! ❤
You are not a racer. What some people racing bike (or other thing) don't get is you should not do it for the joy of winning because only a selected few have the gene pool for that. A racer is first and foremost someone who must enjoy racing. I do enjoy riding my bike the way you enjoy it but i love racing. And that why i have been able to do it for 25 years.
Good one man, I’ve never seen someone describing so perfectly all the things that I enjoy about cycling, even down to the sightseeing part, crossing bridges and stuff, that is super specific 😂😂 For some reason I like to cycle to railway bridges in the countryside, usually the surrounding area is super pretty with rivers and forests and whatnot.
Going at it alone is very tough 😔 I would know. You have to keep yourself motivated, focused, and confident. Remember you are an army of ONE. Do what you like and like what you do. Stop when you like. It's not about time, distance, watts, kit or the bike. IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY
"Dont chase metrics at the expense of feel!" Is probably the best advice I've heard since the emergence of smart bike computers. Putting one's "data" over your own body sensation is just insane. This micro development is almost a text book case for macro: Machines take over and we lose control and sensation.
I needed this video! My biking journey started on BMX, then Downhill racing, then cross-country, and endurance road cycling. I have ridden the huge drops on an expensive bike and 300+ miles in a weekend on a borrowed sub $400 bike. Got married and sold all 4 of my bikes to pay bills. Over the past 10 years, I have gained weight being at an office job. Now, I have 3 kids and my weight has yoyo-ed during the past year. My wife and I decided I needed to bike again because I miss it so much and I need it for my health. I need to "embrace the season" I'm in and start small with slow, more frequent rides.
@BOBFudge It’s great to hear that you’re getting back into riding-sounds like you’ve had quite the journey on two wheels! You're right about starting small and focusing on consistency, especially when life and responsibilities have changed so much. A comfortable bike that suits your current needs, regardless of style or price, will help you ease back in. Prioritise frequent, enjoyable rides over long or intense sessions at first. Embrace this season, take it one ride at a time, and enjoy the process-welcome back!
4:43 Best Tip on this whole video...That is why I ride solo..EVERYONE that is close to me that do group rides their times are WAY off the times I ride. So its either ride when I can or the time I want or rework my whole schedule to fit in someone else's schedule. I tell these people my work schedule ect. and they will not budge an inch to adjust their schedule...Like really???...Screw that, I ride alone...I do multiple of different rides...Zone 2 with Sprint every so often, than a max threshold ride, also a climbing ride, etc..They just do the SAME group ride with no changes.
I do group rides, and you're right. They're the same each weekend. However, during the weekdays I do Z2 training, threshold, sprints, races at max FTP, climbs etc for roughly 6 to 8 additional hours each week. So, don't be under the impression that guys on group rides do that and nothing else. We actually do.
@@Huetheman Actually not...Because Group rides aggravate the drivers because they take half the road..Single riders are off to the right/left. Drivers get more angry with group riders.
Great advice! Road cycling can be a very snobby sport! and there is no place in my life for snobs . Just ride and enjoy it ,even if your on a £500 entry-level bike.
I bought a Nike lycra top that I think is intended for running, but I use it as an underlayer when riding in the cold. The seams are glued together with something crappy. It lasted about 4 rides before the seams around the shoulders started coming undone.
Good advice. I knew most very early on. As a kid when on holiday in Italy at the Riviera I knew I wanted to cycle the coastal mountains. The Netherlands the country I am from has no maintains or real elevation. Twenty years later I managed to cycle there for one week, as a preparation for the Marmotte in France. It was the best cycling week I ever had. I was cycling with a vriend of mine. We encountered some Italian cyclists the way up a few times and raced them to the top. It was really terrific. I knew instantly as a kid that racing up the mountains was what I wanted to do. Self motivation was a speciality of mine. Reading the mountain road another. It is the absolute best feeling riding on the edge climbing out of the tree zone on hairpin road.
When I started cycling, 55 years ago, we even couldn't know how fast we were riding or the distance. I think people now focus on periferic things rather than having joy on pedalling. And cheating through Strava ahah!
Great vid. I appreciate your advice. The harder/faster you go, the smaller the group becomes. Riding your own ride, and finding joy through the experience of riding and training becomes more and more important. I'm someone who works really hard, but is also past my racing prime (43y/I). It's really nice to hear your perspective on what you do. Thanks
Best video yet. Except for the last point. Always follow the rules ;) There is no one right way but there is better ways, hence your point on kit! For example, Alibaba is not a place for new cyclists
Outside i mostly ride alone, with my flat pedals and normal shorts. I also dislike sun glasses, so only a helmet and im ok. If not on my racing bike, im on an over 15 year old Trecking Bike. Why use fancy stuff when not racing anyway?
That’s the thing about cycling. Use what you like and don’t listen to what anybody else says about what you’re supposed to use. I like all the fancy stuff, but more power to you if you don’t (and your wallet will be better off for it.)
... trekking* bike. And cycling glasses are not "fancy", they just protect your eyes. Proper cycling shorts are not "fancy" they are just so much more comofortable than regular shorts.
@@einundsiebenziger5488 It's not that i don't have this stuff, but most weekdays with only 1 hour rides and not much time i just hop on with regular stuff. I can enjoy my ride more like this. Less barrier to getting ready and so on.
I have been riding bikes for over 50 years. I completely agree with this youtuber: do not submit to the tyranny of metrics like Watts and HR (unless you are a high-level competitive cyclist whose livelihood depends on them). Your body always knows better. I stopped using a heart rate monitor years ago. All it did was raise my stress level. I will never use a power meter either for the same reason.
I carry 35kg of heavy bag on my VTT up a climb for 20km. I put two in my handle bar and one on my back. Is this considered as weight training, and will it help with bone density?
"You don't get strong by running. You have to be strong to run." I feel the same idea will apply to putting a bunch of weight on the bike. Doing proper weight training will likely show much more benefit than trying to ride with weight added. Cycling is an endurance sport and you're probably more likely to injure yourself with moving a bunch of extra weight for a much longer duration. One is that your joints have to work harder for possible hours to move that weight. Second is if you're doing a lot of descending the weight makes your brakes more likely to overheat and fail. Not to mention extra weight can just make the bike handle awkwardly which can put you into various bad situations.
@scopie49 That's my job to do that. I sell peanut cake once a week. I was supposed to go sell that day, but I got late. I'm going to the gym instead. I have a road cycling competition in 8 days. Can you please tell me what I should do tomorrow?
@@MiguelLerace If you have to carry weight on the bike it's not like it's going to ruin you or anything. I just wouldn't recommend doing it consistently with the sole intent of training. If it's something you need to do for a job then so be it. But proper weight training in a gym would be more effective for actual strength progress.
Hi @MiguelLerace, 24-hour recovery isn’t always needed, adjust cycling intensity and recovery based on the strength session’s impact. Focus on balancing fatigue and performance within your broader training plan. Also, recovery is crucial. Heavy strength workouts can impair muscle function for up to 96 hours, deplete glycogen for up to 6 hours, and cause muscle damage from 8 to 72 hours. This affects cycling if not managed well will impact your time on the bike. Training like high-intensity work, especially above the threshold, can suffer from strength training fatigue. To optimise performance, schedule lower-intensity endurance sessions several hours to days after strength training.
@semiprocycling The other day was my rest day. Yesterday, I did strength training at 8 pm, and today, I will do 70km zone 2 with 1500 elevations at 1pm . Tomorrow, I will ride full gas with 1800 elevations for 100km. The day after will be my rest day. Is that good. My strava is Miguel Lerace
I recover very well, maybe because i used to do very hard things for myself, like carrying heavy rock and heavy bags of soil for a long distance, and I eat a lot of protein. I don't drink and smoke.
I agree, you speak with a lot of experience, I can tell. The only thing I disagree with is riding for yourself. Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.
Just ride your bike & enjoy it!! You not a pro or have the body to be one so stop fooling yourself & spending a lot of money on something you never going to be. If you a young & tested & have the talent you get picked up & sponsored over 23-25 years & you not elite winning races in that Cat forget it. Just enjoy riding you bike!
Ride for yourself is the most important...i ride for more than 45 years,im 61 almost 62 and cycling and taking care of my bikes its my therapy for many years,sometimes i train with pro´s,but riding alone or with two or three friends its the best.Cycling is the best sport ever and the bike is one of the best inventions ever.
you are spot on !
@@johntormey8169 💪👍keep riding.
I simply like riding my bike. I like looking at it.... I like knowing how it works. They are fun devices that capture my curiosity. I also like going place and riding my bike. It's fun to cruise through an area, town, over bridges... the scenery is nice when going through back roads and over hill climbs. I do enjoy the challenge of the endurance and a little bit of the pain. Mostly though, I like to ride my bike. I will do group rides on occasion but I only try to keep up to a certain degree. My goal is always to just get where I am going and enjoy the sights on the way. I do check my strava and measure myself against others but it only goes. as far as knowing where i sit with other riders. Every once in a while I get a bee in my bonnet and go on a quest to ride a route faster than I have before and when I do It feels better than when I see that I am faster than someone else. Somehow that's not a lasting joy so much as out doing my own efforts.That's a long way to go to simply say.... try riding your bikes to support an adventure. Like a car trip or a train ride it can be fun and enjoyable... pick a destination and go.
Similar vibes here. Seeing a mountain range way off in the distance and with a nice cadence, steadily reel it in. Ride to ride.
I agree with your thoughts in your video. Over the years I've done group rides, two hundred km rides and it comes down to enjoyment. I stay at the back of the pack for safety and just want to ride with no chatting. Whether riding one of my roads bikes, girly shopping bike or my new e-assist gravel bike and as the stoker on a tandem. Riding solo or with a friend plus touring on our tandem as a stoker with my captain as a team riding is the best way to spend your life. Forget the gadgets and enjoy the views ahead! ❤
You are not a racer. What some people racing bike (or other thing) don't get is you should not do it for the joy of winning because only a selected few have the gene pool for that. A racer is first and foremost someone who must enjoy racing. I do enjoy riding my bike the way you enjoy it but i love racing. And that why i have been able to do it for 25 years.
Good one man, I’ve never seen someone describing so perfectly all the things that I enjoy about cycling, even down to the sightseeing part, crossing bridges and stuff, that is super specific 😂😂 For some reason I like to cycle to railway bridges in the countryside, usually the surrounding area is super pretty with rivers and forests and whatnot.
Well done, lad! As a cyclist of over 50 years, I approve of this message. Nice, grounded approach.
Going at it alone is very tough 😔 I would know. You have to keep yourself motivated, focused, and confident.
Remember you are an army of ONE. Do what you like and like what you do. Stop when you like.
It's not about time, distance, watts, kit or the bike. IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY
"Dont chase metrics at the expense of feel!" Is probably the best advice I've heard since the emergence of smart bike computers. Putting one's "data" over your own body sensation is just insane. This micro development is almost a text book case for macro: Machines take over and we lose control and sensation.
I needed this video! My biking journey started on BMX, then Downhill racing, then cross-country, and endurance road cycling. I have ridden the huge drops on an expensive bike and 300+ miles in a weekend on a borrowed sub $400 bike. Got married and sold all 4 of my bikes to pay bills. Over the past 10 years, I have gained weight being at an office job. Now, I have 3 kids and my weight has yoyo-ed during the past year. My wife and I decided I needed to bike again because I miss it so much and I need it for my health. I need to "embrace the season" I'm in and start small with slow, more frequent rides.
@BOBFudge It’s great to hear that you’re getting back into riding-sounds like you’ve had quite the journey on two wheels! You're right about starting small and focusing on consistency, especially when life and responsibilities have changed so much. A comfortable bike that suits your current needs, regardless of style or price, will help you ease back in. Prioritise frequent, enjoyable rides over long or intense sessions at first. Embrace this season, take it one ride at a time, and enjoy the process-welcome back!
4:43 Best Tip on this whole video...That is why I ride solo..EVERYONE that is close to me that do group rides their times are WAY off the times I ride. So its either ride when I can or the time I want or rework my whole schedule to fit in someone else's schedule. I tell these people my work schedule ect. and they will not budge an inch to adjust their schedule...Like really???...Screw that, I ride alone...I do multiple of different rides...Zone 2 with Sprint every so often, than a max threshold ride, also a climbing ride, etc..They just do the SAME group ride with no changes.
I do group rides, and you're right. They're the same each weekend. However, during the weekdays I do Z2 training, threshold, sprints, races at max FTP, climbs etc for roughly 6 to 8 additional hours each week. So, don't be under the impression that guys on group rides do that and nothing else. We actually do.
Agree 💯
I do solo all the time it’s the best
group rides are so fun I can't be f'd to do any.
benefit of group rides safety in numbers
@@Huetheman Actually not...Because Group rides aggravate the drivers because they take half the road..Single riders are off to the right/left. Drivers get more angry with group riders.
Great advice! Road cycling can be a very snobby sport! and there is no place in my life for snobs . Just ride and enjoy it ,even if your on a £500 entry-level bike.
Shoot, both of my vintage road bikes have-wait for it-DOWNTUBE SHIFTERS!
I bought a Nike lycra top that I think is intended for running, but I use it as an underlayer when riding in the cold. The seams are glued together with something crappy. It lasted about 4 rides before the seams around the shoulders started coming undone.
Good advice. I knew most very early on. As a kid when on holiday in Italy at the Riviera I knew I wanted to cycle the coastal mountains. The Netherlands the country I am from has no maintains or real elevation. Twenty years later I managed to cycle there for one week, as a preparation for the Marmotte in France. It was the best cycling week I ever had. I was cycling with a vriend of mine. We encountered some Italian cyclists the way up a few times and raced them to the top. It was really terrific. I knew instantly as a kid that racing up the mountains was what I wanted to do.
Self motivation was a speciality of mine. Reading the mountain road another. It is the absolute best feeling riding on the edge climbing out of the tree zone on hairpin road.
There's nothing else like riding a bike!
Perfect encapsulation of keep things in perspective and balanced, between performance and health and happiness 🙏
When I started cycling, 55 years ago, we even couldn't know how fast we were riding or the distance. I think people now focus on periferic things rather than having joy on pedalling. And cheating through Strava ahah!
ride for personal satisfaction , best advice ever especially for those who keep telling me im terrible if i didn't get the most best dated gear 💪💪💪🚴🚴
Great vid. I appreciate your advice. The harder/faster you go, the smaller the group becomes. Riding your own ride, and finding joy through the experience of riding and training becomes more and more important. I'm someone who works really hard, but is also past my racing prime (43y/I). It's really nice to hear your perspective on what you do. Thanks
Well said!
Really nice video. Simple and straight to the point
Love #2. Thanks for reminding us of that point.
Top advice. I am a mediocre recreational cyclist but also a strength coach by profession & I couldn't agree with you more.
This was Gold advice from start to finish. 👍
Wonderful video - from a cycling (serious since 2019), as a internal medicine/critical care doctor - excellent ideas and important points;
+1, the advice here is sound.
Best video yet. Except for the last point. Always follow the rules ;)
There is no one right way but there is better ways, hence your point on kit! For example, Alibaba is not a place for new cyclists
I ride for my personal satisfaction and love to go different places
Thank you for these wonderful advices !
Great video and key points, thanks!
Great video.
now we need a video about your best performances :)
Good advice.😊
Outside i mostly ride alone, with my flat pedals and normal shorts. I also dislike sun glasses, so only a helmet and im ok. If not on my racing bike, im on an over 15 year old Trecking Bike. Why use fancy stuff when not racing anyway?
It s good to have glasses even clear to protect eyes from bugs, rocks, etc.
That’s the thing about cycling. Use what you like and don’t listen to what anybody else says about what you’re supposed to use. I like all the fancy stuff, but more power to you if you don’t (and your wallet will be better off for it.)
Who needs eyes anyway
... trekking* bike. And cycling glasses are not "fancy", they just protect your eyes. Proper cycling shorts are not "fancy" they are just so much more comofortable than regular shorts.
@@einundsiebenziger5488 It's not that i don't have this stuff, but most weekdays with only 1 hour rides and not much time i just hop on with regular stuff. I can enjoy my ride more like this. Less barrier to getting ready and so on.
I have been riding bikes for over 50 years. I completely agree with this youtuber: do not submit to the tyranny of metrics like Watts and HR (unless you are a high-level competitive cyclist whose livelihood depends on them). Your body always knows better. I stopped using a heart rate monitor years ago. All it did was raise my stress level. I will never use a power meter either for the same reason.
@@randydevoe4803 that's why I wrote unless you are a competitive cyclist. At 60 I could not care less about being the fastest or fittest
I carry 35kg of heavy bag on my VTT up a climb for 20km. I put two in my handle bar and one on my back. Is this considered as weight training, and will it help with bone density?
"You don't get strong by running. You have to be strong to run." I feel the same idea will apply to putting a bunch of weight on the bike. Doing proper weight training will likely show much more benefit than trying to ride with weight added. Cycling is an endurance sport and you're probably more likely to injure yourself with moving a bunch of extra weight for a much longer duration. One is that your joints have to work harder for possible hours to move that weight. Second is if you're doing a lot of descending the weight makes your brakes more likely to overheat and fail. Not to mention extra weight can just make the bike handle awkwardly which can put you into various bad situations.
@scopie49 That's my job to do that. I sell peanut cake once a week. I was supposed to go sell that day, but I got late. I'm going to the gym instead. I have a road cycling competition in 8 days. Can you please tell me what I should do tomorrow?
@@MiguelLerace If you have to carry weight on the bike it's not like it's going to ruin you or anything. I just wouldn't recommend doing it consistently with the sole intent of training. If it's something you need to do for a job then so be it. But proper weight training in a gym would be more effective for actual strength progress.
Ok thanks. Love your videos 🔥🔥
No it’s not.
captioned how cycling should be approached!
When i do weight training, should i weigh 24 hours before cycling training?
Hi @MiguelLerace,
24-hour recovery isn’t always needed, adjust cycling intensity and recovery based on the strength session’s impact. Focus on balancing fatigue and performance within your broader training plan. Also, recovery is crucial. Heavy strength workouts can impair muscle function for up to 96 hours, deplete glycogen for up to 6 hours, and cause muscle damage from 8 to 72 hours. This affects cycling if not managed well will impact your time on the bike. Training like high-intensity work, especially above the threshold, can suffer from strength training fatigue. To optimise performance, schedule lower-intensity endurance sessions several hours to days after strength training.
@semiprocycling The other day was my rest day. Yesterday, I did strength training at 8 pm, and today, I will do 70km zone 2 with 1500 elevations at 1pm . Tomorrow, I will ride full gas with 1800 elevations for 100km. The day after will be my rest day. Is that good. My strava is Miguel Lerace
I recover very well, maybe because i used to do very hard things for myself, like carrying heavy rock and heavy bags of soil for a long distance, and I eat a lot of protein. I don't drink and smoke.
@semiprocycling I won the race the other day with 6min advance. Check your dm
@@semiprocycling Whats your Instagram?
This is like a guide to life, not cycling!
What they don’t tell you. Your results = Diet / Body composition
I agree, you speak with a lot of experience, I can tell. The only thing I disagree with is riding for yourself. Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.
!!! TX :-)
Are you in Malaysia?
Hi @melbexdeleon8951 I'm in Timor-Leste
@@semiprocyclingmy goosh…we’re close..greetings from Jakarta
did you earn a lot of money as a pro rider or was your annual income like you were doing some ordinary medium paid job
I quit racing
If that's what you're into.
👍👍👍
Coaches become the student at some point. Are below that point
Well done
Just ride your bike & enjoy it!! You not a pro or have the body to be one so stop fooling yourself & spending a lot of money on something you never going to be. If you a young & tested & have the talent you get picked up & sponsored over 23-25 years & you not elite winning races in that Cat forget it. Just enjoy riding you bike!