Competitive cycling requires more than strong legs and aerobic fitness. The type of racing you do determines different strategies, techniques and movements you use. If you're interested in bicycle racing, do your homework before you begin practicing to train properly. First, determine what type of racing you'll be doing. A criterium race is usually a street race of less than 5K. A century race may take more than one day to complete. One leg of a triathlon consists of a cycling stage, which may or may not offer a prize for winning that leg of the overall race. BMX racing is done on dirt tracks with lots of jumping. A little preparation before you get started will make sure you've got all the right moves to make it to the finish line.
Step 1
Ride the course or track prior to the race to see what type of riding you'll need to do during the race and determine your fitness level. A criterium has more cornering, pack riding and sprints. A century race requires endurance and hill riding. BMX racing requires pack riding, jumping and landing skills. You may be hitting the cycling leg of a triathlon after a long swim---organizers may make the course easier or more difficult depending on whether it's a fun event or a competitive Iron Man race.
Step 2
Research the time of completion of each segment of a race, as well as the race finish time of the age or skill group you wish to target. If your goal is to win the race, find the previous finish time. If you are looking to simply meet the average time of seniors or women or beginner competitors, look for those finish times and splits.
Step 3
Work on the specific physical fitness required for your race. A century race requires hours of uninterrupted riding at a slower pace than a criterium, so you'll use your aerobic energy system. A criterium requires anaerobic conditioning to be able to complete sprints. Break your physical training into segments if your race has segments to condition your body to the race requirements.
Step 4
Practice the techniques you'll use in the race. For hills, you may want to stand on the pedals to add more body weight to your downstrokes so you won't need to rely only on your legs. When cornering in a criterium, you'll want to learn how and when to lean, as well as the acceleration and breaking needed to go in and out of turns. You'll need to learn how to jump and land and avoid wipeouts for BMX racing.
Step 5
Learn what food cyclists eat for endurance races and shorter competitions and begin mimicking those eating patterns a week or two prior to your race. On race day, eat the same way you've been eating during your preparation days.
Step 6
Set your bike up for the particular race you'll be running, paying particular attention to your seat angle and handlebar settings. Begin riding test races about two weeks prior to your race to learn how you will feel and perform during the race, which will allow you make any adjustments to your bike, technique or conditioning prior to race day.
Step 7
Follow the leaders to learn the pace at which you'll need to ride to win, finish or stay competitive if you are new to racing. Jumping out front and riding at your max may unnecessarily drain you, leaving yourself open to being passed toward the end or middle of the race.
Things You'll Need
- Race course layout
- Previous finish and split times
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