This schedule is a suggested routine to help you get started training. The trip that we have planned for this summer is a beautiful, ride which begins in hilly/mountainous western Oregon, stretches through the Midwestern plains and finishes via the mountains and hills of Pennsylvania. Needless to say, besides being beautiful, the ride will be a strenuous one and we want to make sure that each of you is physically prepared.

Ten weeks is too short a time to gradually and fully (painlessly, is what I’m getting at) prepare ourselves for this trip. (Of course, some of you will join the trip for shorter periods along the way – please adapt the training schedule to fit your plans).  You will be sore – both during training and probably for part of the time on the road. The advantage to an activity like biking is that each day on the road strengthens you for the next. But, as we are anticipating a strong start (and averaging 80 miles a day from then on), participants need to be prepared to ride substantial distances each day from the get-go.

Ideally, you should intersperse all cycling exercise that you do with other, diverse forms of cardiovascular and strength training. Almost anything will do – swimming, jogging, weight training, hiking, recreational sports, exercise machines, etc. Any focused strength training that you do should center on the legs, abdominal muscles and the lower back.

Find a friend who enjoys biking and wants to support you in on this journey and ask if they might be an accountability partner. Just get outside and have some fun! Try to be on your bike as much as possible. Ride to and from work, to church, to the grocery store. Get physically prepared and forego a few gallons of that $3/gallon petroleum. Have fun and we’ll see you in Oregon!

Forward any questions (there are no dumb ones!) to Tim Showalter at tim@bikemovement.org.