Cycling Training

There are a million and one pieces of cycling gear out there that maybe, possibly, might make you a better road cyclist. How quick are we to open our billfolds for the latest bits of carbon to shave weight from our road bikes just because we believe it might make us go faster?

I’m just as guilty as anyone when it comes to focusing my attention on things that could possibly help my riding when what I really need to do is look in the mirror. There are three techniques I have used over the years to improve my road cycling, and they all center on the body and how it’s used on the bicycle. No purchase necessary.

Tip #1 Spin to win.

I recently went out on a road ride with a friend. Our fitness levels are similar, but she hadn’t ridden in a while due to pregnancy. I set us up on a moderate pace around 28 km/h. My cadence was was around 95-100 rpm. When we arrived at the first traffic light she indicated that she was having to brake to stay behind me.

I turned up the heat for the next three miles to about 33 km/h keeping my cadence at about 95rpm. When she came around to take a pull she mentioned pain in her knees and that she was tired. It took just one glance at her drivetrain to see the problem – she was in the 53×11 with a cadence of about 75.

This is an extreme example, but it highlights one of the most important things to remember when riding: cadence.

Get your cadence up to 100.

• Next find a gear that allows you to comfortably maintain this cadence.
• If your rear end is bouncing on the saddle, shift up one gear.
• If you have trouble maintaining 100 rpm, shift down one gear.

This technique works well in the flats and rolling hills – and yes, it means shifting a lot. (On a side note, keeping your cadence up also is better for overall aerobic fitness. If some weight loss is part of your cycling program, you’ll see greater success by improving your spin). The goal is to be able to keep your cadence up on those longer climbs, and when you are able to, those climbs that once seemed daunting won’t be nearly as tough.

Tip #2 You’re not a ballerina so don’t point your toes. Make circles not squares.

Sometimes when cyclists start to hone in on their spin they have an involuntary tendency to slightly point (or really point) their toes downward. I see this especially in runners who also ride–myself included.

The most efficient way to transfer power from your legs to the cranks is with a flat platform, in other words keep your feet flat. When your feet are level the entire way through the pedal stroke, you optimize power output using both the down force and up force on each stroke.

It’s easy to stomp on the pedals with your heels a little tilted down (especially when your cadence is too low), but where’s all that power you could be getting on the back side of the stroke?

Think of your cranks as the faces of two clocks and the crank arms are each a hand on the clock. When your foot arrives just before the “6 o’clock” position, you should be starting to pull on that pedal rather push. It will feel like you are scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe. Scrape that mud all the way until your foot is just before the “12 o’clock” position and then it’s time to push again.

With this technique, you’ll quickly realize any imbalance between the quadriceps (muscles that do the pushing on the pedal stroke) and the biceps femoris and semitendinosus muscles commonly known as the hamstrings (muscles doing the pulling).

Combining a bright cadence with using the entire pedal stroke will help get the most out of your legs.

Tip #3 A strong upper body and core.

After I offered the suggestion on my riding partner’s cadence, she experienced immediate improvement, and she asked how to fix her aching back and numb hands.

The numb hands are an easy fix. Don’t lock your elbows. Many times I see riders on the hoods or on the tops with their elbows locked in a hyper-extended position. Not only does this contribute to numbness, but it also is a very dangerous habit. If you hit a bump in the road and your elbows are locked, I guarantee that your hands will fly off the bars or the hoods (because you have no way to absorb the shock) and you will crash.

Fixing the sore back and strengthening your arms takes a little time in the gym or at home. (A stronger core and upper body will give your more strength so you don’t feel like you have to lock your elbows to hold yourself up on the bike.)

• Strengthen your abdominals — crunches, leg lifts, and my favorite, the Russian twist.
• Strengthen your back — back extensions with resistance as well as planks.
• Strengthen your arms — push ups for the biceps and tricep dips.

One of the ways I used to test my core strength on the bike was get into my riding position with my hands on the hoods, then keeping my body in the same position, I’d move my arms and clasp my hands behind my back and keep riding for as long as possible. Try it out. What ever gets sore first – back or abs – needs more work.

Putting it all together

Back out on the road, my friend and I were able to lay down a quick 60 in two hours with a rest stop. Getting her cadence up, her feet flat, and unlocking her elbows unleashed energy and fitness she didn’t know she had.

Even after years of cycling, on days when I’m not feeling so great, I check cadence, consciously analyze a few crank revolutions to make sure I’m pushing just as much as I’m pulling, and quickly take my hands off the bars and check out the core. It’s usually a pedaling issue and I drop my heel a bit and that output wattage I was missing reappears.

Money can buy a great many things that can help your riding, but investing in yourself – specifically your form – will yield the greatest returns and more podium appearances on race day.

Women cyclists all have one common dilemma: we participate in a sport that’s dominated by men.

On race days we usually don’t have to worry about this because there’s a group of us gathered to compete (although I have been to races where they grouped the women with the men because there weren’t enough female racers to constitute a race).

However, training days are another story…

How To Get The Most Out Of Training With Men

Unless each of us female racers get 10 of our closest friends on bikes and interested in cycling, we’re going to have to get used to training and riding with the guys and learn to make the most out of it.

#1 Men are stronger than women, usually. Use this to your advantage.

Yes, there are men out there that I can ride off my wheel, but when it comes to pitting me, a Category 2 female, against a Category 2 male racer, there’s no competition. I’m lucky if I can stay on his wheel.

I have spent many of my training hours working hard to stay with three of my male training buddies.

Each of these guys has raced professionally at some point in their careers and are anything but slow. An “easy” ride for them will find me in high Zone 3, and that’s all right by me.

Riding with the guys has greatly improved my endurance and ability to keep on their wheels.

• Ride with men even if they’re faster.
• Push yourself to stay on their wheels.
• Make a goal for every training ride to not get dropped.

Having the mindset and the strength to “hang with anyone” has crossed over nicely when it comes to race day in the women’s peloton. I have found that I’m stronger than many of my competitors, and I’m able to reel back breakaways or confidently take a break of my own.

I know it’s combination of actually being stronger because I’ve been training with people who are stronger, and it’s having the mental toughness to not back down from a challenge.

#2 Make the most of race day: race more than one race.

This suggestion depends a little bit on your rapport with the race officials, but can usually work at smaller races.

Not every race is a world championship, nor should it be treated that way. We all have races on our calendars that we compete in but consider them to be more of training race than something we’ll put on our racing resumés.

Many times a women’s criterium race will be 30 minutes plus 3 laps or a women’s circuit road race will be short, say 40 miles.

Why not race in another field in addition to the women’s race?

Yes, it is more riding with men, but it will give you a chance to ride extremely hard and improve your riding skills.

• Ride in a lower category men’s race or a junior men’s race.
• Bow out of the sprint points or finish lap, but stay in for the duration of the race.
• Hone your skills for riding in a bunch.

I wouldn’t be in way when it came to the finish, but I would mix it up in the field and be part of the field when it surged. Doing this taught me a lot about what to expect for my first professional women’s road stage race.

#3 Buy the best women’s cycling shorts money can buy. And buy five pairs.

This may sound like a novice tip, but it’s worth repeating again and again. There is a lot riding on your nether regions. An uncomfortable seam can take you off the bike for a week by way of a painful saddle sore. Untreated saddle sores can become infected and lead to vaginitis or bacterial vaginitis and even more time off the bike.

After you’ve found the most comfortable bike shorts available (keep in mind they could be a men’s short…my current favorite chamois are a men’s cut) buy several pairs. I always say five because I only ride six days a week and by the time I’m onto day six I’ve already done laundry.

Chamois time is NOT ride time.

In other words, being in your shorts for extra time post-ride doesn’t add to your training time.

As soon as you can, get out of your shorts. Sweaty, wet, warm cycling shorts are a breeding ground for bacteria. After a ride wash yourself as soon as possible and choose a pair of underpants (or none at all) that are moisture wicking.

Good ventilation is key after a ride. It gives your skin a chance to dry out and can prevent the festering of any friction related issues that may be developing.

Finally, don’t be intimidated when riding with the guys, they’re secretly stoked you’re there.

Cycling men are an interesting bunch. Even the guys who seem less than thrilled to see you hanging onto the peloton are probably impressed that you accepted the challenge to ride with them.

After a while, the guys will start to encourage you. I’ve ridden with a lot of men and one man I remember particularly well was one who’d always find himself next to me on a tough climb an would practically cheer for me saying “C’mon, Cece! Up-up!” as we pushed our way through the field.

Making little goals during the ride will encourage you to stay with the guys even when the pace is blistering. I used to not allow myself to be last up a climb. I also would force myself to contest every sprint, even if there was not even the slightest chance of me coming out ahead of the pack. The men appreciated my efforts and the hard work paid dividends for me.

With the men, we’re all on a quest to be the best on every ride. And, I believe, training at at levels much higher than your personal best will ultimately make you a much better rider.

More articles from Cecilia Potts:

• 10 Things to Add to Your Mountain Biking Gear Wish List
• 10 Must-Haves for Road Cyclists
• Mountain Bike Training for Beginners
• Mountain Bike Race Day Tips
• How to Improve Your Mountain Bike Skills

Imagine if there was a secure and legal way to improve your cycling performance within 6 to 8 weeks…

Think about it.

You can reach a new level if you are ready to take the necessary steps.

Are you ready?

There is one thing that we all know that can possible improve performance: more training.

Yes, it’s obvious and well known. But it is a proven method that has been successfully used for many years.

If you are able to add 20% to your current training volume, there is a good chance that you can ride much faster within 6 to 8 weeks from now.

What does that mean?

If you train 5 hours per week, you should increase your training volume to 6 hours per week. If you ride on avg. 10hours per week, you should increase your training volume to 12 hours per week.

There is no guarantee, but there is definitively a really good chance you’ll get closer to the best physical shape of your life.

However, finding time for more training is a big challenge. Therefore it is not uncommon that many riders say that ‘lack of time’ is the main reason why they don’t perform better.

Even though, I’m a strong advocate for time effective training, I totally agree that you can make significant better results with more training. For example if you are able to add 20% to your training volume, I would be surprised if that did not positively influence your performance within 6 to 8 weeks.

And it’s not that difficult to find 1 to 2hours per week if you try hard enough.

After all, it’s probably the easiest way to improve your performance.

So here is my training advice for you today:
Increase your current training volume 20%. Simple as that.

Here is a guest post from Cecilia ‘Ceal’ Potts who is a former professional cyclist. Her greatest cycling accomplishment was winning the Junior Cross Country Mountain Bike World Championships in 1997. She has made a list with 10 must haves for mountain bikers:

Mountain biking used to be a sport that we’d use the same bike, tires, and clothing for all types of riding. Today, mountain biking includes cross country, downhill, and all-mountain riding styles. And, of course, each riding genre calls for specific equipment.

My preferred riding is all mountain. The travel on the shocks is a little longer, component weight is less of an issue when compared to durability, and the ride is more focused on all aspects of mountain biking – climbs, descents, and single track — rather than just racing cross country or a winning time on a downhill run.

The following items are all things I think are “must haves” for the serious mountain bike rider. In most cases the brand of the product I’m recommending is also available for cross country or downhill applications. These are my suggestions based on my all-mountain experience and I am not sponsored by any of the companies whose products are listed below.

If you want to se my suggestions for road cycling must-haves you can find it here.

Please note that all links below are affiliate links which means Training4cyclists.com earns a small commission if you click the link and buy the product (there are no additional costs to you.)

Mountain bike suspension, shifting, pedals, and tires

1.) Fox Suspension 32 Talas RLC FIT 1.5? Forks 2012
The first time I rode with this fork, I realized how much my previous suspension fork had been holding me back. The trail I used to put it through its paces had a lot of wash board braking bumps and off-camber turns. The dampening was impressive and I felt like I was fully in control as I rolled over the bumps.

When cornering, there was no compression lag coming out of the turn. Riding this Fox suspension fork with the 15 QR was noticeably stiffer on accelerations. Fox makes an excellent product and I had this fork serviced twice by Fox’s tech support at local events free of charge.

2.) Gravity Dropper Classic Seatpost – Multi
One of the most important technical skills on a mountain bike is the ability to get your weight back on a steep descent to maintain equilibrium.

My friends used to call me a “high poster” and when I got off the back of the saddle, the saddle was in my chest — quite uncomfortable if things don’t go as planned. When I got my first Gravity Dropper Seatpost, the game changed immediately. With a quick push of a button I was able to drop the post and be off the back of the saddle in seconds.

I was able to push my speed on the downhills much faster because the saddle was out of the way. On the climbs it was just a quick push of the button and the saddle was back in its optimal climbing position. I believe the Gravity Dropper Seatpost is one of the greatest mountain biking innovations of the last decade.

3.) Easton EC70 MonkeyLite CNT XC Riser – MTB
Like I said before, my all-mountain bike isn’t the lightest bike out there, but when I do have the chance to go lighter on things, I will. The thought of carbon bars on a mountain bike is a little scary; however, if there’s any brand that I trust, it’s Easton. I can feel the difference in the front end with these lighter bars. It’s more responsive. The slight rise gives me a more balanced stance on the bike and relieves some of the pressure on my lower back that develops when I’m riding a flat bar.

4.) SRAM X0 9 Speed Twister Shifter
Call me old school, but when SRAM first came out with the twister shifter almost 20 years ago, I was on board. Since 1996 I’ve only owned one mountain bike, briefly, without SRAM Twisters (that bike had SRAM Trigger shifters) and I wouldn’t have it any other way. With the SRAM Twister, you always have your fingers and thumbs fully engaged on the bar. You can quickly shift on the fly–even while standing up and sprinting–and the mechanism is quite light. The left shifter is indexed so you can micro adjust the front derailleur, and the right is indexed for a solid shift every time.

5.) Time Atac Alium Pedals
These aren’t the lightest pedals on the market, but from my experience they are some of the most durable and easy to use. I bash my pedals on rocks and roots sometimes and only once in 10 years did I break one side of this pedal.

Fortunately for me, Time’s simple design allows you to clip in on either side of the the pedal’s platform. Another feature that I love is this pedal’s superior performance in muddy conditions. Even with a cleat that’s caked with mud, a couple mud-clearing taps and you’re able to immediately clip in without fear of spontaneous ejection.

6.) WTB Weirwolf TCS Tyre 2013
The Weirwolf TCS Tyre is built for speed and cornering. This tyre is the first tyre I’ve ever felt confident laying over in a corner and knowing that it would not break loose. The secret is in the design of the outside knobs are buttressed, which makes them stiff and able to hold their shape (not twist and break loose) in the corner.

The other excellent part of this tyre is the fact that it’s a true tubeless tyre. When used on a tubeless rim, just put in two squirts of WTB TCS Sealant, seat the tyre, and inflate. The tyre will make a snapping noise when its seated correctly and then you an choose a psi that’s optimal for your terrain.

Mountain bike clothing, hydration packs, and lights

7.) Dakine Prowess Womens MTB Short With Liner
I’ve always felt a little more comfortable riding mountain bikes with a pair of baggies. Yes, spandex is good for race day, but something about wearing a full road kit while riding a dirty trail just doesn’t appeal to me. I like the fit of the Dakine women’s shorts (I haven’t tried the mens, but I’m sure they, too, are comfortable). The liner isn’t too thick and it stays in place under the shorts.

Having a little extra durable fabric on my legs also appeals to me. I’ve crashed a few times with these shorts and have yet to tear them–they also do a good job at resisting cactus spines…not that I know anything about the business end of a cactus.

8.) Fox Racing Dirtpaw Glove
This is a repeat from my road recommendation. Yes, these are mountain bike gloves, and yes, I wear them for BOTH mountain and road riding. These gloves aren’t overly padded, which is something I really like about them. I have a solid feel for the handle bar and with their suede palms, I have great control when shifting my SRAM Twister Shifters.

9.) Dakine Amp 12L Hydration Pack 2013
I know when you’re racing cross country, the last thing you want is to wear a hydration pack; however, when you’re going for an all-mountain epic ride, carrying a hydration pack is key. I like the quality of the Dakine packs. There are built in zipper pouches for car keys, separate compartments for things like food, and room for a rain shell.

Having the extra water capacity also is useful. I won’t go mountain biking without a hydration pack.

10.) Nite Rider Minewt
Let’s face it, one of the fun parts of being a mountain bike rider is going out on a night ride. Even a trail that you know like the back of your hand can pose new challenges at night. I’ve used this Nite Rider system twice, and particularly appreciated the helmet light.

The system is much lighter, weight-wise, than it’s predecessors and is a must have for anyone whose rides are cut short during the winter months due to waning day light.

A few weeks ago I made a review of Matt Fitzgerald’s popular book Racing Weight – How to Get Lean for Peak Performance. I thought it was a great read with many practical examples and illustrations of how athletes can manage their diet to perform better.

However, many readers are not going to read the whole book, but want practical tips that are easy to implement now. So I decided to contact Matt Fitzgerald to ask for some easy digestible tips that you can implement today.

Interview with Matt Fitzgerald

Jesper: Many riders bulk 5 to 10 kg during the off-season. People train less and eat more. What is in your opinion the most valuable advice for road cyclists to limit excess body weight during the winter season?

Matt: Start by giving yourself a limit for off-season weight gain. A certain amount of weight gain is normal and healthy. If you set a numerical cap on it, though, you’ll be less likely to gain too much.

Keeping your diet quality high will help you stay within the limit you’ve set. In my book, I present a diet quality scoring system that makes it easy to stay on track in this regard. There’s also a DQS (for Diet Quality Score) app now available for iPhone and Droid.

Jesper: Can you provide a practical example of how my readers can implement such strategy?

Matt: In the book I talk about something I call the 8 percent rule. According to this rule, you are allowed to go up to 8 percent above your optimal racing weight during the off season. So if your racing weight is 68 kg, you may go up to 73 kg during the off season. This doesn’t mean you HAVE to gain that much weight, and some of it should be muscle, as I recommend maintaining a heavier emphasis on strength training during the off season.

Jesper: In your book you talk about body composition and the strong correlations between fat percentage, body weight and performance. For riders that are new to serious bike training it can be difficult to know what exactly target they are shooting for. Can you provide some numbers that are relevant for road cyclists that want to perform at their best in 2015?

Matt: All cyclists perform at their best when they have close to the minimum amount of body fat that is healthy for them. So even though body weight (or mass) is measured in kilograms or pounds, it’s body fat percentage that really determines an individual rider’s optimal racing weight.

There are several factors that influence the BF% that is realistically attainable for an individual cyclist. These include age, gender, history of being overweight, and genetics. Because so many factors are involved, it’s impossible to rigorously predict a rider’s optimal racing weight. It is possible to make reasonable estimates, though, and I’ve created a tool that does this.

Jesper: What is your argument for using these values?

Matt: The tool works very well. Athletes who actually attain their optimal racing weight (something that few do) typically find that it is very close to the number that the calculator predicted. I should add that the only way to determine what your optimal racing weight really is is to attain it, because racing weight is functionally defined. Specifically, an athlete’s optimal racing weight is his weight/body fat percentage at the time of peak racing form.

Jesper: In your book, you state that ‘the dietary habits and training methods of the world’s best performing athletes define what works’. I like the idea of using the leaders as role models. It’s pretty hard to argue against the nutritional strategy from an olympic champion…

However, there is now evidence that doping play a significant role in professional endurance sports including not only methods to increase endurance for example EPO or blood transfusion but also drugs that will manipulate body composition over time, e.g. insulin, growth hormone, testosterone etc. Should we still follow the leaders (without doping, of course)?

Matt:Yes. The six rules of the Racing Weight program (1. Improve your diet quality, 2. Manage your appetite, 3. Balance your energy sources, 4. Monitor yourself, 5. Time your nutrition, and 6. Train for racing weight) are not only practiced almost universally by elite endurance athletes but also supported by experimental science. They are proven to work just as well for athletes who do not use performance-enhancing drugs as for those who do.

I can assure you that, as a clean endurance athlete, you are not likely to reach your optimal racing weight by lowering your diet quality, failing to manage your appetite, etc.

Jesper: I know that IF there was a magic formula for optimal eating or training, everybody would use it.

However, if you were supposed to re-write your book today, are there any recommendations you would adjust now or expect to adjust in the future?

Matt: Actually, I got a chance to revise the original Racing Weight for a second edition that was published in 2013. I still consider this edition fully up-to-date and therefore would not make any significant changes.

Jesper: Are there any ‘trends’ in nutritional strategies you expect that will get more attention in the future, for example post-exercise practices or use of protein supplement?

Matt: Lately I see more elite endurance athletes engaging in the practice of carbohydrate-deprivation workouts. It entails doing a long training session without what would normally be considered adequate carbohydrate intake before and during.

It is done only occasionally, once a week or so, and its main purpose is to increase the fat-burning capacity of the muscles during exercise, but it may also have a very small favorable effect on body composition.

Jesper: Ok, final question. From my personal experience, practical tips and tricks are more valuable than ‘eat no more than 30% fat’ or similar. Instead, it’s more effective for me to eliminate all the kind of low quality food items I’d better not eat. Simply, make all cakes etc. out of reach.

Matt, do you have any tips in this category that you would share with my readers?

Matt: One helpful tip is a complement to the example you just gave. In addition to keeping unhealthy foods out of reach, try to keep healthy foods always within reach. Have healthy snacks such as fruit and nuts available everywhere: in the car, at your office desk, in your airplane carry-on bag, etc.

Thanks to Matt Fitzgerald for contributing with his knowledge about nutrition for endurance athletes here on Training4cyclists.

If you want to learn more about effective nutritional strategies there is a recent review of ‘Racing Weight’ on Training4cyclists and you can find a couple of other books from Matt Fitzgerald over at Amazon and his personal website here: www.mattfitzgerald.org.