Elevate Your Ride: Tricks to Becoming a Fitter, Faster, Better Cyclist


Learn more about some valuable tips you should put into place to become a fitter and better rider.

Cycling should be enjoyable, so improving your fitness and speed doesn’t have to be a self-tormenting experiment. And don’t try to create a different you. Your only goal should be to enjoy riding as much as possible and, above all, get better.

The good news is that it’s not difficult to accomplish it, and you’ll have more enjoyable bike time than ever if you heed a few essential tips and exercise common sense. Some of the things you need to do include:

Ensure you are comfortable

Even though it’s common for bikers to have aches and pains, riding a bike shouldn’t be uncomfortable. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to prevent the discomfort.

For one, you must use the right bike for the surface. For example, if riding on the road, get a road bike. The same thing applies to when riding on gravel. Gravel bikes from Obed are a great option to consider for a gravel bike.

Since your bike must suit you mechanically, getting a professional fit from a recommended fitter is an excellent way to go about it. Get in touch with a professional who will advise you on the right bike to get and how to set it up for ultimate comfort.  

You must train your body off the bike to maintain your riding position. By strengthening the muscles that support your body, core exercises and techniques like Pilates help you avoid slumping in the saddle, maintain a sturdy platform to pedal against, and keep your upper body in place.

You can avoid many of the pains and niggles that result from bending over the bars for extended periods by developing a solid regimen of stretching and strengthening exercises to perform both before and after your rides.

Ride as often as possible.

Every biker struggles to find more time to ride their bike, and two strategies that can help are creativity and organization. You can take advantage of every opportunity if you possess these two attributes.

Riding your bike to work is the most obvious strategy to increase your bike time. If you don’t live too far, you can save money and spend more time on your bike by riding there.

Examine your other activities as well. Can you ride your bike to your next business meeting or your friends’ house for dinner? You can effortlessly look decent for any event with a bike backpack, a change of clothes, and a pack of wipes.

Work on increasing your speed.

Did you know you can quickly go a mile per hour quicker on your next cycle without getting fitter? It all comes down to your riding style.

Being an efficient rider and knowing how to carry speed will allow you to go faster while conserving energy. Therefore, it is a valuable skill to practice on every trip.

You can quickly lose speed when cornering, so you should work on it. Remember that what matters is not how fast you enter the turn but how much speed you maintain throughout it. If you come in too fast and have to slam the brakes, you will slow down significantly.

You should learn how to approach corners in the most efficient ways.

Another thing to work on is mastering descents, particularly those leading up to hills. If an incline follows a descent and you can tell it is safe, do not brake; otherwise, you will lose speed. Pedaling into a drop and maintaining your pace will let you roll up the other side with almost no effort.

Finally, consider the wind. Wind drag is the most significant slowing factor for bicycles; therefore, consider reducing your frontal area if you want to travel quickly. Hold the drops rather than the tops of the bars, and get low.

Ride through hills

There are many reasons to love hills. For one, hills make you fit. They may pain your legs and burn your lungs, but riding through hills regularly will increase leg strength and, by challenging you to work a little more than usual, will also improve your cardiovascular fitness. If you want to improve your speed, do not ignore them.

Adding hills to your rides adds variety, allowing you to see more from the top, push yourself up, and enjoy the descents. The more hills you ride, the better you’ll get, and you’ll begin to learn which hills work best for you.

Try timing yourself up a long hill, and repeat the test throughout the year to see how your time changes. 

Take a century ride challenge.

A century ride is a formidable challenge, but with patience and proper nutrition, it is within the grasp of any bike rider. There are a few actions you can do to make things easier. First, plan your route carefully, considering wind direction and slopes. Put the most challenging hills at the beginning of the ride (or avoid them entirely) and, if possible, finish with a tailwind to help you home.

Remember that the goal is to cover 100 miles rather than trying to complete the ride as fast as possible. This calls for you to set aside a full day, start early, and ride until sunset.

An all-day ride is a great adventure, and without time constraints, you won’t have to worry about speed or stopping every hour or so. If you’re not used to riding long distances, plan regular stops for a stretch, snack, or walk around.

Pacing is critical to ensuring you have the energy to complete the entire task. Conforming with other riders strongly indicates that your pacing is correct; if you are gasping or out of breath, it is time to slow down.

Parting shot

These are the valuable tips you should put into place to become a fitter and better rider. You should note that running out of energy while riding a bike can be scary and dangerous, but thankfully, you can avoid it by paying close attention to your nutrition before and during your ride.

You should note that sports nutrition doesn’t have to involve you consuming pricey supplements. Regular foods like bananas, granola bars, and jam sandwiches are enough. The cool thing is that they are easy to carry and eat and contain a lot of readily absorbed carbohydrates.

Remember always to carry more than you need. You never know, you might come across a needy rider that  will appreciate the extra nutrition.

Photo by Tuvalum on Unsplash

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