Three Things that Made YOU a better Rider...
TheBigYin
Posts: 5,686 Member
Go on, share you're knowledge and what worked for you...
for me, probably the three things that Improved me as a cyclist were:
1) Don't ride up a hill, Ride OVER it. by that I mean don't slacken off as you hit the crest - many hills actually go into a faux-flat - it looks like it's flat or downhill, but its not. So, pace your ascent, and leave enough in the tank that you can shift to a bigger gear for the last 30-60 yards and "give it the beans" - if you're in a group it'll make sure you get to lead down the hill, and even if you're riding "billy-no-mates" it'll let you get spinning on the descent quicker.
2) Ride With a Purpose. This DOESN'T necessarily ride like you're *kitten* is on fire every time - it just means that you know what you're intending to do on your ride - be that going out for 4 hours in z1/z2 for some base level training or half a hour of warmup followed by a hard intervals session and a gentle cooldown. Know what you're session is going to be - AND STICK TO IT - no matter how tempting it is to thrash it up that hill with the Strava sector in because there's a humungus tailwind - if your on a "recovery ride" then recover. To be properly focussed and do this with your riding, you do have to be a little more in touch with your body and state of fitness to make the decision before starting out - but it will pay dividends.
3) Test yourself. Get a HRM, Find your Max HR and work out your training zones. Find a Training Plan that fits your needs (or work with a trainer to establish a custom one built for you) and use that to help provide the Purposes for "Ride with a Purpose" And periodically re-test - that way you can keep track of your (hopefully) improving abilities.
So - over to you...
for me, probably the three things that Improved me as a cyclist were:
1) Don't ride up a hill, Ride OVER it. by that I mean don't slacken off as you hit the crest - many hills actually go into a faux-flat - it looks like it's flat or downhill, but its not. So, pace your ascent, and leave enough in the tank that you can shift to a bigger gear for the last 30-60 yards and "give it the beans" - if you're in a group it'll make sure you get to lead down the hill, and even if you're riding "billy-no-mates" it'll let you get spinning on the descent quicker.
2) Ride With a Purpose. This DOESN'T necessarily ride like you're *kitten* is on fire every time - it just means that you know what you're intending to do on your ride - be that going out for 4 hours in z1/z2 for some base level training or half a hour of warmup followed by a hard intervals session and a gentle cooldown. Know what you're session is going to be - AND STICK TO IT - no matter how tempting it is to thrash it up that hill with the Strava sector in because there's a humungus tailwind - if your on a "recovery ride" then recover. To be properly focussed and do this with your riding, you do have to be a little more in touch with your body and state of fitness to make the decision before starting out - but it will pay dividends.
3) Test yourself. Get a HRM, Find your Max HR and work out your training zones. Find a Training Plan that fits your needs (or work with a trainer to establish a custom one built for you) and use that to help provide the Purposes for "Ride with a Purpose" And periodically re-test - that way you can keep track of your (hopefully) improving abilities.
So - over to you...
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All 3 of those are lessons I finally learned this year!
1) for the long rides esp, hydrate more than you think you need to even starting a day or 2 before the ride and continue through the ride and after. It helps wit3h the ride and recovery
2) Surround yourself with people who are more knowledgeable about cycling. Most ppl are willing to offer support and help you learn
3) learn the basics on caring for your ride. and be prepared for things to happen, even on a short ride so you don't get stuck having to call for a pick up0 -
Ride in all kinds of conditions. Learn how the bike handles in the rain, wind and different types/quality of road surfaces. Develop the skills to ride with confidence in adverse conditions. Enjoy the fact that you're on the road when few others are. I've started riding more diverse conditions this summer and it has helped invigorate me when I've been feeling less than motivated.
Ride with people who are better than you. Watch them and learn. Accept that you're going to get dropped but fight it as long as you can. My group eventually waits for me and we regroup for a repeat performance...... The waits are shorter and fewer each season.
There is no off season. Watch your diet and keep training even in the dead of winter when there is three feet of snow on the ground. Lift weights, ride the trainer, run on a treadmill. Cross-country skis are fun and excellent for your health. Do something. You are either getting stronger or you are getter weaker... ("The Sufferfest" videos are one of my tools along with the previously mentioned activities.)
As TBY already stated, not every ride is a time to hammer it. Set your plan and ride to it. Work on what you planned on, base miles, intervals, hills or recovery.
I set some goals that are challenging but attainable. I test myself on a baseline route at least twice a month and compare results. I also track how I was feeling, how I'd been eating, what the roads, traffic, wind were like and if I'd been sleeping/resting properly.0 -
When I got into endurance riding, I was reading everything I could get my hands on. One book was awesome and I loved the way the author started out. I've take his advice to heart and follow it to the letter. He said to become a better cyclist there are three things you must do 1) Ride your bike, 2) Ride your bike, and 3) Ride your bike.
So that is what I do. Have fun!0 -
Interesting subject. I was not looking to be a better rider but a better racer.
1) Goal Setting
2) train with a coach (structure)
3) train with power (get faster physically)
4) the mental aspect (believe in yourself)
5) fine tune diet (why I use MFP)
Does it work ?? You bet it does. Lots of wins and 2 National Championship Jerseys last week. Now to worlds....for those bands.0 -
Interesting subject. I was not looking to be a better rider but a better racer.
1) Goal Setting
2) train with a coach (structure)
3) train with power (get faster physically)
4) the mental aspect (believe in yourself)
5) fine tune diet (why I use MFP)
Does it work ?? You bet it does. Lots of wins and 2 National Championship Jerseys last week. Now to worlds....for those bands.
Congratulations Matt, - Time Trial and Team Sprint ? - Plus a silver in the Flying TT if i'm not mistaken.0 -
Interesting subject. I was not looking to be a better rider but a better racer.
1) Goal Setting
2) train with a coach (structure)
3) train with power (get faster physically)
4) the mental aspect (believe in yourself)
5) fine tune diet (why I use MFP)
Does it work ?? You bet it does. Lots of wins and 2 National Championship Jerseys last week. Now to worlds....for those bands.
Congratulations Matt, - Time Trial and Team Sprint ? - Plus a silver in the Flying TT if i'm not mistaken.
Thank you. Gold - scratch race and TP, bronze in the points race. Funny side note - our impression of ourselves is sometimes not the same as others. My coach and I have disagreed on my "best" race, I lean to the points race and he toward the scratch race.0 -
1) Lose weight.
2) Leg weights in the gym.
3) Do intervals, threshold and tabata.
But all of this is for nothing if you don't go ride your bike loads.0 -
1. Get out and ride no matter the weather. It's not always going to be sunshine and unicorns, learn to ride in and not hate riding in poor weather. Riding in inclement weather like heat, humidiity, cold, rain, hail, snow, ice and wind all have different effects on you and your performance. Living in Oregon riding in the rain was commonplace so I had to get used to ridiing in heat and snow here in the mountains of AZ. (yes, it's a variation of rule 9, but so true). I hated waking up to snow until I learned how to ride on it and now I love it, too much fun.
2. Drivers are idiots who do not care about your legal rights on the road.
3. Stop and smell the roses. Take time off the bike, look around and see where you're riding, try different routes and methods. It amkes getting back on teh bike (back on the rivet) all the more fun.0 -
1. Ride by power or heart rate. Something that measures effort. Speed doesn't measure effort.
2. Train with a coach you trust.
3. It's about the engine, not the components. (Although pretty, sparkly things are fun)0 -
Okay - I'm going to use my "Thread Starter" Card and go for a Extra Bonus 3, just to keep the thread bubbling along...
Some great tips already BTW.
So - Bonus 3
1) - Keep A Diary, it'll provide inspiration (look where I've come from and how much I've improved), motivation (The weather's not as bad as it was this time last year, and I rode then...) and (true story time) can even help medical people in the case of an accident...
(time out for true story - I was once knocked off the bike, messed up pretty badly - Broken pelvis in 3 places, smashed femur etc, etc. When I woke up I was on the "machine that goes ping - monitoring my BP and HR... Nurses were fussing over me, checking things every 5 minutes - I asked 'em what the problem was "Oh.... your heart rate is really really slow - it's only about 49bpm and we'd expect it to be a LOT higher" - I said "my resting heart rate is usually around 40 when I'm lying in bed - call my parents and tell them to bring my training diary in, I record it every day...." - "Training Diary ??", "Yep - I'm a racing cyclist", "Ohhh - Let me talk to the Dr. in charge...." (I hasten to add, that I'm not a Racer any more - that accident pretty much ended my career full stop!) - end of true confession time)
2) Ride with Faster People - here's where I have to give advice from past experience, as I'm currently too slow to join a club, and i've only one friend who rides anymore - and he's one of those mental Triathletes, so the only time I ever get to ride with him is if he's doing some base training in the depths of winter - I take the opportunity, and he gets a nice Z1 ride for 80 miles or so, and i'm thrashing around at Z3/Z4 the whole distance, get home in a complete lather, and end up taking to my bed for the rest of the day!.
3) Mix up your Routes - Something I'm really guilty of is just riding around the same route - it's a groove, that can occasionally become a rut - generally in the winter, when you're a bit short of motivation at the best of times, riding the same roads can ocasionally become "work" rather than "pleasure". It's okay to have a "Test Route" that you do on a regular basis as a yardstick of performance - but add in extra loops, or if it's a circular route, ride it clockwise instead of anti-clock (or vice versa) - just basically mix it up and keep it fresh. Even with commuting it's usually possible to have a "detour" that you can drop in on the way home (or - admittedly unlikely if you're as terrible at getting up for work as I was - on the way in if you've had an early start.0 -
2) Ride with Faster People - here's where I have to give advice from past experience, as I'm currently too slow to join a club, and i've only one friend who rides anymore - and he's one of those mental Triathletes, so the only time I ever get to ride with him is if he's doing some base training in the depths of winter - I take the opportunity, and he gets a nice Z1 ride for 80 miles or so, and i'm thrashing around at Z3/Z4 the whole distance, get home in a complete lather, and end up taking to my bed for the rest of the day!.
I need to fix a date with you to come and ride with you & vice versa mate...
What are your thoughts?0 -
1/ Indoor heart rate zone training in the Winter/Spring to build my endurance base before the cycling season.
2/ Losing weight!!
3/ Years of racing motorbikes - I've saved at least three nasty slides in the last year and stayed on! (Gravel on a bend / brake tested by an idiot car driver / complete stupidity on a fast descent by me!)0 -
1) Cross train - Running or swimming. You need a break every now and then and you WILL get better as a result (Actually cycling was my crosstrain to running, but now it's the other way around. Best compliment I got recently, slogging up a hill, I was just soft pedaling, chatting up a storm and the girl beside me said, "I HATE riding with runners")
2) Hit the weight stacks - There is a correlation between strength training and efficiency.
3) Ride with other people - I'd never have ridden 60 miles (96.5 km) by myself, let alone at 17 mph (27.35 kph) avg speed0 -
I'm not anywhere near the league most of you are in - I'm just someone who likes to ride my bike
However, it is important to me to improve and there was quite a period of time where I felt I wasn't improving at all.. and then about 2 months ago, I realized I AM improving! I'm up on the Big Gear for my entire ride (unless I'm going up a major hill - still working to improve on those) and I'm going much faster (even though speed isn't my real goal, I'm about distance and enjoyment). Lastly, I notice I'm not NEAR as tired after a long ride as I used to be!
So my 3 things would be:
1.) RIDE YOUR BIKE.
2.) Have patience, improvement comes slowly.
3.) RIDE YOUR BIKE SOME MORE.
... and enjoy the ride!0 -
I have 3 that are a little different:
1) Keep your bike in perfect condition. Nothing is more enjoyable than to glide along on a properly function machine.
2) Don't over eat after a ride. You burn less calories than you think, and should be taking in nutrition as you ride, even if it's a sports drink and an energy gel.
3) Visualize the hills and try and pace yourself up the climbs. Don't just power into them and die halfway up. If you do this you will find yourself passing those who burst ahead.0 -
1. The support and advice on here, far too numerous to list
2. Keep cadence up until you're up OVER the tops of hills, aim beyond not just as you approach the top
3. Clipless pedals and pedalling in a circular motion (figure of 8 thingy) rather than stomping0 -
1. Biggest improvement came after completing two events in back to back years. The Climb 2 Kaiser and the Death Ride. Each time I rode them they were spaced two weeks apart. My climbing, endurance and even speed increased significantly after both years (2009 and 2010). I have done the Climb 2 Kaiser the last couple of years as well but the improvement came in the first couple of years. The reason I believe was the 15,000 plus feet of climbing in each ride added to 155 miles of distance for Kaiser and 125 miles for the Death Ride.
2. Second, Strava... I am a competition junky and have been my whole life. Strava keeps me motivated in ways I did not think were possible. I know that it is stupid to those who are not competition oriented but it will get me out when I would rather stay home.
3. Third, interval riding (in combination with Strava). I found a route right outside my door that is one mile in each direction with a wide bike lane and no stops. I can hammer out one direction and recover without dropping too much speed on the return with a goal of upping the hour long average. Again, Strava has helped motivate and has given me a measuring device to make sure the ride doesn't become boring when it otherwise would.0
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