How To Improve As A Cyclist
Written by Sarah Beerman, Triathlon Coach at Grit Endurance. Learn more about Coach Sarah here!
When I first started triathlon, I quickly learned that cycling would be my biggest area of opportunity. On training rides with my Grit teammates, I found myself being passed on climbs as if I was standing still. Right away, I decided I needed to improve my skills and got to work. Here are some steps I took that may help you as well:
Make sure you have the right equipment
While a fixed gear bike with flat pedals may get you through a triathlon, you will likely find more enjoyment with a proper road or triathlon bike. Your local bike shop, like our partners at Mox Multisport, can give you guidance on what size and type of bike will best fit your needs. You will also want to invest in clipless pedals, cycling shoes, a helmet, and a cycling kit to ensure you are ready for your first ride.
Get an understanding of your baseline skill-level
To become a stronger cyclist, you have to know where you are starting. If you have access to a cycling trainer, you can use an app like Training Peaks Virtual, Zwift or TrainerRoad to take a Functional Threshold Power (FTP) test, which will establish how many watts you can push for an hour on the bike. Your FTP can then be applied to other workouts to support improvement. If you do not have a cycling trainer, you can also establish a baseline by riding your bike on a continuous, flat path for a pre-determined distance and see how quickly you cover it.
Vary your Workouts
Once you have established your baseline, you can start to engage in different types of workouts to improve your skills. Different types of rides will support different goals, but in general, spending time on your bike will lead to improvement. Types of cycling workouts include:
Endurance: supports building aerobic fitness; good for recovery
Tempo (Zone 3): steady, moderately hard effort; supports making race pace feel more manageable
Sweet Spot: increases sustainable power without causing extreme fatigue
Threshold: increases lactate threshold and feels challenging
VO2 Max: short explosive intervals to build overall strength and aerobic capacity
Max Power / Anaerobic Capacity: improving your sprint speed and maximum power creation
A coach or a cycling app can provide guidance to support you in building the right training plan for your goals and abilities.
Get Outside!
Triathletes often earn a reputation for being chained to their trainer meaning they do all of their workouts indoors. While riding the trainer is efficient, it is also useful to practice cycling outside to improve bike handling skills. Bike handling skills include:
Taking corners safely and efficiently
Holding a steady line
Clipping in and out of your pedals
Grabbing water bottles
Shifting gears properly
Climbing efficiently
Descending safely and quickly
Being a good bike handler can lead to a much faster and more enjoyable bike ride. Riding your bike outside also leads to improved confidence and is frankly, more fun than staring at the wall while sweating it out indoors.
Come ride with us
If you want to improve your cycling, come on a group ride with Grit Endurance! We support all levels and our coaches can offer in the moment feedback to support improvement. We look forward to having you join us!
If you'd like some help improving your cycling, reach out to us today about personal coaching and 1 on 1 bike skills lessons!