4ucycling

If you want to use a high intensity training model then I would recommend the following guidelines: Aim to do three high intensity training sessions per week, ideally with a rest day between each session. High intensity training sessions are defined as intervals efforts at or above threshold intensity.a Each session should last between 45 and 90 minutes. Each high intensity phase should be rotated in blocks of training in order to manage the workload. Begin with two weeks of high intensity training to one week of low/moderate intensity. This can be progressed to three weeks of high intensity with one or two weeks of low to moderate intensity. I still recommend at least one aerobic low/moderate intensity ride during high intensity weeks. Most people will have four or five training days a week, so stick to three high intensity sessions to avoid over-reaching and use your other training days for low to moderate intensity rides in order to recover, enable your muscles to help adapt t...

What can I do to improve my bike handling skills? So you want to improve your bike handling skills? Here are six tips to make you feel more comfortable and controlled when out on the bike. 1. Practice makes perfect Needless to say, one of the best ways to improve bike handling is to actually get out and ride your bike – the more often you do, the more natural it will become. However, if bike handling is a particular issue for you then having a quiet space to practice troublesome skills on your own is a great way to do improve your skill on the bike. 2. Think ahead The key to being able to react to obstacles and hazards in good time is to think – and look – ahead. It’s so easy to ‘chew your stem’ when working hard at the front of a group or grinding up a climb and miss important and potentially dangerous hazards. 3. Watch others They say one of the best ways to learn is by watching others. Not just anyone, however – you need to watch those who are well-versed in goo...

4. Use your gears and switch them before you get on the hill and have all the tension on the chain and cogs: All that popping and grinding and inability to shift gears under load is normal. You wouldn't shift your manual transmission car without putting the clutch in, so why would you shift a bike without letting up on the pedals a bit? And that goes for shifting in and out of the front chain rings as well as changing cogs on the rear cassette. 3. Keep your head up, and relax your elbows, shoulders, and hands slightly: Keeping your head up too high, with all the tension in your hands, neck, arms, and shoulders, will give you some aches and pains that are unnecessary and put you at risk for erratic handling of the bicycle in adverse conditions. Being loose allows your bike to respond just the right amount to stones, gravel, or wind. Looking where you are going is pretty obvious. After all, you wouldn't walk down the street in NYC looking at the sidewalk just in front of your fe...

In light of this upcoming long-weekend ride, I present my top 11 tips for improving your cycling technique: Pedal with flat feet: Some people think of keeping their heels down, and some point their toes towards the sky. A couple of analogies we use are to picture the linkage on an old steam engine and visualize your foot as the linkage come up and staying flat throughout the revolution of the wheels. The other is to picture an equestrian rider, riding a horse with heels down, while toes are in the stirrups. Toes down is a no, no in my book, and you'll see why in the next two tips, as they all go together. Get on the pedals early: This means you start pushing forward on the pedals before they reach the top of the arc or 12 o'clock. With your feet flat to slightly toed up/heeled down you'll be able to increase your power band from two to three hours if you look at the face of a clock. With left foot, start pushing at 10 o'clock instead of one o'clock. With toes down...