Overlooked ways to cycle faster

By John Swindells 21 Jun 2013 | Comment

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Cycling is extremely simple as a concept: all you need is a working bike! But cycling fast, or efficiently, gets a whole lot more involved. Here's a summary of techniques and checks that you must do, to give yourself the best possible ride. These are inspired by a racer-oriented list published in Cycling Weekly, but most will apply to you regardless of your inclination to race.

The ride

Wear decent kit
Light wheels, please
Keep equipment to a minimum
Get a proper bike fit Including your shoes and sole inserts
Don't scrimp on tyres
Check tyre pressure

The body

Train a lot
Avoid "recovery rides"
Do core strength exercise such as weight-lifting
Get your thresholds measured
Be race-ready: taper!
Eat and drink enough
Try beetroot juice, beta-alanine and sodium phosphate These are good, respectively, for blood pressure, lactate absorption, and peak oxygen uptake.
Split up endurance and intense training

The mind

Be SMART with goals
Identify your weaknesses
Be comfortable with group riding
Learn to descend
Spin the gears
Learn to pedal
Take control of the race
Cage the Chimp
Learn from a coach
Write stuff down! Include data where possible (such as heart rate zones and weather conditions) to help you fine-tune your analysis.
Get a power meter
Get over the hill Don't stop pedalling hard until you've levelled off or are starting to descend.

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About the author

My name is John Swindells and I'm a keen recreational cyclist with a preference for long one-day rides. I've also previously dabbled in time trialling and cyclo-cross. See more of what I get up to on Strava!

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