33 Cycling Training Tips

By Arnie Baker

The only way to get finished is to get started.

Keep in mind these tips during the course of your cycling, whether you are a beginning or seasoned cyclist, or you are training indoors or out. Come back to this list for a quick reference occasionally as a way of initiating a review of your overall program. The tips will help keep you on the right track

• Get a plan, set goals, and figure out what you need to get there.
• Keep a training log.
• Use an altimeter to track feet climbed.
• Periodize your week, training differently during different sessions.
• Learn to work harder on hard days, easier on recovery days. Plan for recovery.
• Work on different aspects of fitness in different workouts.
• Climb, climb, and climb. Learn to love climbing.
• Work on aerobics, endurance, and strength.
• Work on strength with heavy gears and one-legged riding.
• Train strength by riding hills or into the wind in big gears at about 50 rpm.
• Pull and push with the same-side hand and leg when climbing.
• Establish a breathing rhythm when working hard, especially when climbing.
• Ride with riders both stronger and weaker than you are.
• Play intensity games with friends.
• Improve your riding technique and skills though practice and from coaches.
• Generally ride with relaxed, bent arms. Time trial starts and sprints are different.
• Ride with knees up-and-down or knees in. Avoid knees-out riding. If you ride with knees out, you may need to raise your saddle or increase the distance between your feet using longer-axle pedals or pedal spacers.
• Train in different riding positions.
• Use a heart-rate monitor.
• Use a power meter.
• Wear a helmet and gloves. Keep your equipment safe and in good working order.
• Check your position on the bicycle, especially your seat height.
• Rely on food, not pills or supplements, for your nutrition.
• Maintain hydration; drink before you are thirsty.
• Keep carbohydrate solution in your water bottle.
• Optimize your weight.
• Redirect the stresses of your life.
• Have patience in your program.
• Do not try new equipment or foods for the first time on event day.
• When your group is warming up, or cooling down, ride in a smaller gear than just about everyone else to learn to spin better.
• Learn to work hard on a stationary bicycle trainer. Use online apps like Zwift or TrainerRoad if necessary to keep motivated.
• Practice skills such as pacelines, regularly.
• Watch good riders and how they flow without doing any more work than necessary. Try to learn from them.