How to Increase Your Average Cycling Speed?

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Regardless of whether you’re a pro cyclist or an avid enthusiast, there are a few things everyone in love with their bike has in common. A goal for a number of cyclists is to be faster when riding their bike, and the internet is full of tips and tricks to help people reach this goal. It doesn’t matter if you’re chasing a personal record on a tracking app or you’re preparing for the most important race of your life, if being faster is what you are after, this article is for you. Read on to discover useful tips and trick that will help you significantly increase your average cycling speed.

Train indoors more

Simply put, the easiest way to improve not only your cycling speed, but also your strength and cadence is to train more at home. Riding indoors on a turbo trainer is an excellent way to get more stamina and be faster when you actually get on your bike and hit the road. Not only is indoor cycling good for improving your speed, but it will also allow you to work out in a more controlled environment. This means that you won’t have to worry about sharp turns, wind, traffic, and the state of the road you’re riding on. With so many different types of trainers on the market, you can pick the one that will allow you to track all of your progress. There are also many different training apps that you can use to monitor exactly how much you have improved over a period of time.

Get more muscles

Speaking of training, it would be a good idea to focus on getting more muscle mass. While at first getting more mass seems counterproductive if you’re hoping to get faster, it’s not exactly so. You don’t have to focus on getting a mean six-pack or working on your arms and shoulders. On the contrary, cycling muscles are more inconspicuous, and while they will certainly make you a better cyclist, developing them the right way will take a long time. If you’re looking to develop your speed and also get good technique, there are specific exercises you should focus on. Pedaling fast is a great way to be faster, so work on those leg muscles. Turn your legs as fast as you can, but slow down when you actually star bouncing on your seat.

Keep the right posture

If you’re happy with your speed indoors but keep slowing down when you hit the road, you might be working against weather conditions. Wind resistance is the biggest thing that’s slowing cyclists down, no matter if they’re professionals or beginners, and it can be really frustrating. The simplest way to reduce wind resistance is to discover and keep the right posture – namely, to “reduce” your frontal area. This way, you will “slice” through the wind with more ease and be much faster. Slightly lower your body position when sitting on your bike if you notice it’s windy outside. Sitting up straight might look nice, but it will definitely slow you down in the long run. Bend lower and tuck in your elbows, and you will notice improvement immediately.

Discover your perfect bike

Any experienced cyclist will tell you that desire and dedication will only get you so far. If you want the best results, you also have to have the right bike. If you’re going to ride your bike off road, you’re going to need a mountain bike, or you’ll risk an injury. On the other hand, if you’re going to ride your bike around town and even use it to commute to and from work, you’ll need a different kind of ride altogether. Fortunately, you can find road bikes for sale if you know exactly what model you’re looking for and what you’re going to use it for. If you’ll be taking it in and out of your apartment all the time, you need a bike that’s not just reliable, but lightweight, and if you’re hoping to ride it in different weather conditions, you need a model with dependable breaks. Do your research and find your perfect bike? Check out road bike size chart and you will find the right bike.

Lose weight

While we mentioned earlier that getting more muscle mass is a great way to improve your cycling speed, you might want to be careful and watch your weight. Of course, the weight of muscle and fat is much different, and if you’re struggling with extra fat, losing weight is a great way to improve your cycling results. By losing weight and putting in the same amount of effort into your cycling, you will notice that you actually got faster without actively working on it. Of course, when you’re not carrying all that extra weight around, you will find it easier to ride your bike uphill. Not just that, but being physically smaller will mean that you will have less wind resistance to worry about too. That being said, it’s important not to become obsessed with your weight and numbers on the scale – even the smallest change in weight will improve your speed significantly, so don’t overdo it.

Wear the right clothes

You’ve probably already noticed that professional cyclists always wear tight-fitting clothes. While it may seem funny and unnecessary to some, there are actually two big reasons why this is the general practice in the cycling community. Number one, cycling clothes are made of materials that are specially designed to keep the person cool and dry by wicking away heat and sweat. This means that you won’t feel uncomfortable while riding and you’ll be able to focus better. Number two, by wearing loose and baggy clothes, you’re adding plenty of drag, and this will only slow you down in the long run. Not to mention that loose clothes can be dangerous to ride in as they can get stuck and you might end up injured.

Find your group

Another simple way to improve your cycling speed without much effort is to join a group of cyclists and ride together. When you’re with other people, there is that innate need to keep up with others, and even if you’re generally used to cycling a bit slower, other people will motivate you to keep up. Similarly, when you’re in shape and feeling energetic, you can set up a great pace for the rest of the group to follow, and who knows – you might even end up improving other people’s cycling speed. In addition to this, being in a group will also help you with wind resistance because you will end up saving more energy when you’re surrounded with people. If your friends aren’t into cycling like you are, you can try joining a club instead. Cycling clubs gather enthusiasts of all ages and you will meet like-minded people.

As you can see, getting faster is a slow process, ironically, and this goal will test your determination and willpower. If you’re impatient and reckless, you’re only going to endanger your health and have to take longer breaks to recover, which will negatively affect your speed. You will be surrounded by gear, diet tips, and workout plans that will promise to improve your results overnight, but don’t fall for such promises. Increasing your speed takes time and patience, and if your goal is to be faster, you need to approach it carefully and be thorough.

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