The bicycling Training Journal - Review


If you've been looking to get more serious with your cycling, need a better organised way to record your cycling training, performances and your progress one great way is to keep a training journal. The Editors of Bicycling Magazine have come up with a great solution to enable you to keep track of your progress. They've produced the "Bicycling Training Journal" a handy spiral bound diary in a week to view double page spread.

There are no chronological dates, you set your own. So you can start recording your progress at the start of the diary straight away no matter when in the year you decided to start. Each week is listed over a double page spread starting Monday to Sunday. There’s also space at the end of the week to total up the hours training, mileage for the week, etc.

Each day of the week is divided into sections to put your notes under these headings: distance/time, weather conditions, thoughts, and goal for the day. For me personally I like the way there is a line devoted for your daily goal, this is great to really hone in on what you would like to achieve during your cycling session.

I would have like to have seen some space to follow up on this daily goal, it can also be very rewarding writing up about it, whether you think you’ve achieved it for the day, how easy was it to achieve and plans for your next goal, etc. I like to write a lot of additional notes, such as how I’ve responded to training during and after (typical noting of any re-occurring aches and pains I need to be weary of for example!) and recording my other fitness activities such as running, walking, and yoga. And unfortunately there’s very little additional space to do that in the areas provided, without scrawling notes everywhere!

However this aside, there is great upshot to the dairy. Each weekly page spread has motivational, and informative titbits included! There’s a quote for the week from the pro’s in the field of cycling, authors and other noted figures; Here’s one from week seven from the five times Tour de France winner, Bernard Hinault: "I never raced to break records, I raced to enjoy myself." and one from Lance Armstrong in week two of the journal, "Everybody wants to know what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass 6 hours a day. What are you on?". Each weekly page spread also has a tip of the week, and another block stuffed with further tips and suggestions.

Also included in the diary are sections write up your bigger goals for the year ahead, space to log your equipment, favourite rides, and a space where you can record your favourite bike set-up, the height of your bike seat, steam length etc.

Overall:
This diary certainly caters specifically for the bicyclist, and aims to hone in on recording the various components relating to your ride. It would have been great to have a little extra space, to set aside your own notes, but the journal is stuffed full with additional motivational quotes, and hints, tips and suggestions each week, that alone keeps you picking up the diary and it makes a pleasure when recording at times humdrum progress.