How to get the most out of your cycling
Get a bike fit.
If you fall in love cycling as much as I have, you are bound to spend countless hours in the saddle. Being comfortable is a number one priority as you can certainly dread jumping on the bike if its giving your back pain, knee pain or a saddle sore! Not only can a bad bike fit mess with your comfort but it can also mess with your performance. The right bike fit can ensure you are getting the optimum pedal power, conservation of energy and aerodynamic performance. See someone who is reputable in bike fitting who using video analysis and possibly even someone who is offering a computerised fitting.
Improve Your Road Handling Skills
Not only does improving your handling skills do wonders for your confidence but it also gives you an edge over your competitors. If you are a master at handing corners, gearing and are confident pushing through that corner, you are ten steps ahead of the majority of athletes. Too many times do athletes ride an out and back bike course in a training session with minimal cornering and at a pace. Come race day you have at least a couple of very sharp corners to take at a pace and the majority of athletes have not prepared for this, working on speed and technique and not on tactics. Take the time to practice cornering, braking and gearing starting slowly and gradually getting quick as you become more confident. Races can be won and lost with these skill sets.
Recovery Recovery Recovery
There is always the issue with cyclists and triathletes alike pushing through and continue training without breaks for fear they may loose some of their fitness. Its always a constant challenge for coaches to convince their strong minded athletes that rest is a incredibly important part of the training and is just as important as a training session itself. Rest is important as your body heals and rests and actually makes you fitter and strong providing you are following the direction of a good coach.
Find a good coach
Many coaches and clubs offer cycle coaching which can vary from velodrome training, road cycling and programming. Embrace this! This is one of the biggest tools you can have in helping to become a gun cyclist. Not only do coaches offer advice and coaching in all the things listed above but they also can see what particular areas you need coaching in. I have had some gun athletes come to a velodrome cycling session however immediately can see where they need improvement. For example, someone might be bouncing in their seat from a cadence which is just a little too high. This is wasting valuable energy and is normally a quick fix however it was a gradual progression for the athlete to learn this bad habit and it makes the athlete feel as though this is completely normal and would not know of this slight error unless a coach has picked it, called it and rectified it.
There are many issues that might arise simply from a bad habit arising or from starting out in cycling. It simply comes down too if someone isn’t looking at you that knows what they are doing, you can’t see it either to correct it.
Be safe
I have been given a hard time once by one of my cycling buddies for a fluoro cycling jersey. After a few near misses and a couple of cycle crashes you can never be too careful. My response.. “it doesn’t look cool to be dead” and although it might sound a bit extreme, being visible on the road is a number one tool you can use to keep yourself safe. The second bit of advice is “be reactive” You need to think that ‘that car hasn’t seen me’ and try and read the driver. Always looking over your shoulder and listening to where the traffic is. If you are listening to music whilst riding.. Ditch it. You cannot hear what’s going on behind you with The real slim shady blaring in your ears.
Find your motivation
There is nothing like a bit of motivation to get you out of a warm bed in the morning. Knowing you could potentially let your cycling buddy down by staying under the blankets and ignoring the 5.30am alarm clock or that you know you can beat your time in the time trial session your coach has set for the velodrome tonight are all valid reasons to get off your butt on your bike. We can all come up with excuses but find your ‘non excuse’ This can be cycling with your squad buddies, ticking the boxes off your training diary, a weight loss goal, riding a one new road every session km of your to mix it up, completing an overall km goal target and ride 60km of your 5000km for the month, trying to beat you km per hour average. There are many different ways of motivating yourself. I highly recommend having a training diary to record your sessions. It makes those sessions just a little more real and validated when you write, track and record your sessions. They are also a great motivation down the track too. If you are having an off day go back and have a look at when you first started and see how far you have come.
Train Safe
