Fitness planner | Long-distance cycling: from couch to 50K in 12 weeks - Month 1

The first month of training is all about getting used to the cycle and getting to know it well.

Cycling has emerged as the second most popular "active lifestyle" choice, after running, since the pandemic started. Despite traffic returning to somewhat normal levels now, interest in cycling is still on the rise.

As with any fitness activity, a little bit of guidance can go a long way to improve performance and avoid injuries while cycling. We asked Bengaluru-based cycling coach, M.S. Sriram, to put together a 12-week training programme, to take you all the way from your couch to 50km in the safest and smoothest manner possible.

“This plan will take you through a 12-week coaching programme with varying levels of intensity and enough number of rest days each week. The goal through this plan will be to ensure each one of you can comfortably and strongly finish a 50km bicycle ride on a flat course,” says Sriram, also the founder of Sprocket Science India, a company that offer doorstep servicing of cycles and carries out science-based personalised bike fit for cyclists in Bengaluru.

Like running, cycling is also a very simple activity that most of us might have done at some point in our lives. But long-distance cycling, or riding distances like 50km—which is roughly the distance between Andheri to Churchgate and back in Mumbai, or from Gurgaon to Noida, or from Hebbal to Bengaluru Airport and back—is not the same as going for a joyride around the block just as a half marathon is not the same as running casually in the park.

To begin with, you will need some basic equipment. You need a geared bicycle and cycling helmet or this endeavor is going to be a non-starter, says Sriram. “Other than these two things, it would be very useful to get a sipper bottle, a tail light (especially if you ride at dusk, dawn or when it is dark outside), padded cycling shorts, saddle bag to carry spare tubes and puncture kit, and a mini pump,” he adds.

Also, before you start your first session, get the saddle height setup correctly. “One quick way to do this would be to sit on the saddle and ensure the leg is straight with the heels of your feet on the pedal and the pedal is at the lowest position of its rotation path. This would put you at an optimum saddle height. However, we always ride with the balls of the feet on the pedals. A slight bend at the knee, roughly 25-35 degrees, is what we are aiming for when the pedal is at its lowest position,” says Sriram.

The first month is all about getting used to the cycle and getting to know it well. It is also useful to learn how to fix punctures as just about every rider has a great puncture story to tell the world. The first few days are also about gaining confidence.

Deepti Bharadwaj, 41, had been running for six years before she decided to give cycling a serious go. The Bengaluru resident who works at Infosys had been gifted a hybrid cycle for her 40^th birthday, and while she was comfortable riding a cycle, she lacked confidence when it came to riding on the busy roads of the big city.

“I approached Sriram to coach me, and even though he lives on the opposite end of the city, he came over and rode with me for the first few times till I overcame the fear of cycling among Bengaluru’s infamous traffic. Now, I usually ride alone or with some other women cyclists who I met along the way over the last year,” says Bharadwaj who is training to ride 60km.

Just as with a 10km run, you get to the 7km mark without realizing it, getting from couch to 30km is fairly easy, says Pranjal Neog, 50, head of human resources at Goodricke in Kolkata. Neog walked into a local cycle store and walked out with a hybrid bike within 15 minutes. “I had no clue about what I was doing back then,” he says. “I went from cycling for a short while to covering 20-30km within a matter of weeks, and didn’t feel any distress.”

However, how smoothly and quickly you progress depends on how active and fit you are when you start out on this programme. If you've been engaging in some sort of fitness activity regularly, you may find the first few weeks easy. Things do get progressively challenging as you get closer to heading out for your first 50km ride. For now, get to know your new wheels well.

Read more: Fitness planner | Long-distance cycling: from couch to 50K in 12 weeks - Month 2