RAGBRAI May Be a Memory But the Cycling Season Rolls On

by Coach David Ertl

Congratulations on making it through RAGBRAI. I hope your preparation worked for you and my tips were useful. I’ve received some emails from people who said they accomplished their goals and appreciated the training plan provided.  It’s always good to hear that kind of feedback. If you have ideas for what I should cover next year in my training blogs, let me know.  I need new ideas and want to make sure I cover the topics of most interest to you.

Just because RAGBRAI is history for 2017 doesn’t mean you should hang your bike up for the season.  There is still a lot of riding season left and many good rides you can take part in. And the best riding weather is still ahead of us.  It would be a shame to waste all of your hard-earned fitness.  Coming off of RAGBRAI you are in the best shape of the season, and perhaps the best shape you’ve been in for years.  Put it to use and get out and do some more riding to enjoy this peak fitness.

Check out the web for rides in your area that you might like to try. True, none will equal RAGBRAI in all its magnificence but they all offer some unique attributes and go through some interesting countryside.  Whether it’s a metric century, century or multi-day trip, they can be a nice relaxing way to finish off your cycling season.  And I would be remiss if I failed to mention preparation for next year’s RAGBRAI. While it may seem like it’s too early to be thinking about that, keep in mind that it is easier to maintain fitness than it is to regain it next spring. So keep riding this summer and into the fall.  Then as winter hits, depending on where you live, either keep riding or do some alternate activity to maintain your aerobic and leg fitness. You will then have a head start next spring as you prepare for RAGBRAI XLVI (yes, I’m pretty sure there will be another one next year!).

Thanks for reading, and I’ll talk to you next year.

Coach David Ertl

David Ertl is a USA Cycling Level 1 Coach. He coaches the Des Moines Cycle Club Race Team, JDRF Ride To Cure Diabetes and individual cyclists through the Peaks Coaching Group. He also provides cycling training plans and ebooks at his website: http://www.CyclesportCoaching.com . He can be contacted at coach@cyclesportcoaching.com.

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