Cycling is a low-impact sport that builds endurance. Just like running and swimming, cycling builds a strong aerobic engine that allows enthusiasts to ride for hours at a time. To be competitive in a race or finish with a strong time at an event, a cyclist must have endurance and keep working to increase his speed. Speed and endurance are easy to improve. All it takes is time to dedicate to riding and a solid training plan.
Step 1
Define a cycling goal and include measurable steps to reach that goal. Start with something small, like being able to ride 50 miles a month from now or increasing your average speed by 1 mile per hour over the next month. Record this goal in a training log and track your progress.
Step 2
Devise a training plan to help improve your fitness. If you have the money, hiring a coach is one of the best ways to get an individual assessment of your fitness and to create a plan to reach a goal tailored to your needs. If you don't want to hire a coach, find a cycling book with training plans or locate sample plans online. Coaches Joe Friel and Chris Carmichael offer several books with training plans that will help increase your speed and build endurance.
Step 3
Make the most of your limited time. Try a few interval workouts to challenge your body. You can do these in 30 minutes to an hour. For a hard interval workout that builds speed and endurance, warm up on the bike and then ramp up to a very hard, but not all-out effort. Use a heart rate monitor to guide you. Hold this effort, which should be a nine out of 10 on the perceived exertion scale, for three minutes. Then recover for three minutes and repeat until you have done this three times.
Step 4
Find a group ride to challenge your cardiovascular engine and to increase your speed. Hilly terrain also will help you improve as a cyclist.
Step 5
Recover as hard as you train. You don't gain fitness as you ride. You gain it as you recover from the ride. This is when your body grows stronger and builds and repairs muscle. It's important to balance easy and hard rides so that you don't end up injured or over-trained. Get plenty of sleep and sneak in post-training naps whenever you can. Eat a healthy diet and always finish a training ride with a balance of carbohydrates and protein.
Things You'll Need
- Bike computer with speed
- Training log
- Heart rate monitor
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