Cycling
10 ways to train like an elite endurance cyclist
Tom Barras, a professional rider and cycling coach with 15 years of experience, shows you how to gear up for a better bike performance.
Long-distance road cycling is a great way to boost your cardio. Whether you’re pushing hard to lead the peloton or simply want to measure your fitness against the pros, Tom Barras – a former professional cyclist with over 100 road wins under his belt – has 10 essential tips for you.
1. Optimise your aerodynamics
Overcoming air resistance is a huge part of the battle – and it’s largely to do with your position on the bike. At around 30kph, two-thirds of a rider’s effort is used to overcome air resistance.
“Riding with forearms flat and hands on the lever hoods has been proven to be the fastest position on drop handlebars,” says Barras. “With a bit of practice, it’s pretty comfy too.”
Perfect form
© Jarno Schurgers/Red Bull Content Pool
2. Drink and ride
If you’re heading out on a long ride, don’t wait until you feel depleted to top up on carbs and energy drinks. You'll feel more alert and better able to focus on that PB – and some caffeine will ease muscle fatigue.
3. Start fast
“For those looking to max efforts up to 4km – short track events, for example – you should forget trying to save something for the end and instead go full out from the start,” says Barras.
Sport scientists have discovered that those who start faster than their average pace (rather than try to conserve energy) can actually increase their time to exhaustion for short, high-intensity events, such as a 4km pursuit on the velodrome.
4. Hold a powerful position
Getting the correct riding position will not only mean you’re more comfortable, but will also allow you to make the most of your power.
“Make sure your riding position is comfortable for the duration of your longest rides,” Barras advises. “If you have a power meter, use it to see how tweaks in position affect power.”
Get comfortable for maximum power
© Patrik Lundin/Red Bull Content Pool
5. Stretch after the ride – not before
You might want to stop stretching before a ride, as a growing body of research suggests that pre-exercise stretching actually causes muscles to relax, reducing your force and power output for longer than an hour.
One needs a stretch after hours in the saddle.
© VA Images/Red Bull Content Pool
“Try swapping stretches before the ride for stretches immediately after, concentrating on quads, hamstrings and glutes,” Barras says.
6. Don’t just hit the road – do HIIT at the track
Introducing a weekly short session of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) will boost your endurance and help you maintain high speeds for longer.
Endurance rides only develop your slow-twitch muscle fibres, but HIIT training helps you call on your high-speed fibres. HIIT training also teaches your body to tap into your fat stores to refuel, making it a more efficient fat burner.
7. ‘B’ at the top of your game
If you’re lacking B vitamins, your body struggles to build muscle and can’t produce oxygen-carrying red blood cells.
If you’re after a combination of speed and endurance, make sure you eat foods rich in B vitamins, such as fortified cereals, Marmite, whole grains or dark-green vegetables.
8. Squeeze out a couple more reps
The best way to ensure you can finish strong is simply to train your muscles to perform even when you feel depleted.
So, at the leg press or squat rack, instead of calling it quits after your last rep, just drop the weight slightly lower and squeeze out a few more. The bonus set will work the slow twitch fibres, having exhausted your fast-twitch earlier.
9. Give yourself the jump
Plyometrics training (consisting of explosive jumping and hopping) is your passport to muscles that can move on demand and to developing strength at speed.
Quite simply, it gives you more power to transfer into speed.
10. Dig deep strategically
Focusing your big efforts at the right time makes all the difference in races. Often races are won not by the rider who rides the fastest, but the rider who slows down the least. The smart rider knows when to save energy and when to dig into their reserves.
Elite cycling pushes the body to its limits
© Robert Calin/Unsplash
