Cycling is one of the most popular leisure activities all over the world. It’s no wonder because cycling is a great way to stay fit, see new places, meet people, and even help save the environment.
While urban bikers can still reap the physical benefits of riding a bike, one can only truly enjoy all the benefits of the activity by taking it to the next level. You can do that by following these simple steps.
Set Cycling Goals
People who set challenging and clear goals are more likely to achieve something. Write your goals on paper, whether it’s something as big as joining the Tour de France or increasing your average cycling speed. Jotting down your goals also helps raise your motivation.
Setting challenging goals can push you to improve, but make sure that the difficulty level isn’t beyond your current ability. Otherwise, you’ll only end up getting frustrated and demotivated. Keep in mind the acronym SMART—which stands for the words specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time specific—when setting goals.
Goals are also necessary for knowing whether you’ve improved as a cyclist or not. Without them, you won’t have a clear way to plan for progress and measure your performance.
Build Your Strength and Stamina
Cycling is a physically demanding activity. If you want to improve your performance, you must build your strength and stamina. You don’t have to head to the gym and work out. The best way you can boost your power and stamina is to get out and ride your bike, gradually increasing your riding time and speed to train your body and endurance.
You can also use your goals to create a training plan that suits you. One of the best things about cycling is that there are so many ways to spice up your training. You can try taking different paths, riding with other bikers, and joining bike tours.
Monitor Your Performance
The only way to know your training is going somewhere is to monitor your performance. Consider getting an accurate power meter to track your cycling power and speed. A meter can be placed in five different areas of a bike: the rear wheel hub, the bottom bracket/spindle, the chain rinks and crank spiders, the crank arms, and the pedal.
Meters record exactly how much power you expend on your bike, which gives great insight for your training. High-tech models use an accelerometer and several sensors to provide an accurate measurement of your power.
The power meter will let you know if you’ve reached the goals you’ve set for yourself or how close you are to what you want to achieve.
Challenge Yourself Constantly
Once you’ve reached your goals, set new goals and keep challenging yourself, but not to the point of injury. Raise the difficulty of your goals by small measures. For example, if your goal is to increase your riding speed, aim to boost your speed by 1 mph one ride at a time instead of jumping to a much-higher number immediately.
Mini challenges will keep every ride interesting, but having an ultimate goal can give you motivation to work harder and achieve your little goals. Aim to achieve the century ride, finish a cycling race, or even win one. A tangible challenge can do so much to motivate and push you to improve.
Get out of your comfort zone too. Ride through different terrains, go with other cyclists, and go the distance.
Ride with Other Cyclists
Anything can be fun when you do it with friends. Cycling is a solo activity, but a lot of cyclists go in groups and organize tours or trips to the countryside or across far distances. If your friends aren’t into the same sport, you can join cycling groups. They usually have regular cycling activities that you can participate in.
Riding with friends or making friends through cycling can add fun and excitement to the activity. Interacting with people who share the same interest gives a feeling of reassurance, security, and belongingness, which are things that many people constantly search for in life.
Final Takeaway
Cycling has many proven benefits physically, mentally, and environmentally. However, like many forms of exercise, it requires constant and consistent practice for you to enjoy these advantages.
If your aim is to stay fit and boost your health, then being a better cyclist can help you achieve your goals. You only need to follow the tips listed above, and you’re well on your way to a good start.
