The injured ex-runner

You used to love running until injury stopped you enjoying it. You’re well placed to make the transition to cycling…

l Many former runners and other athletes get into cycling after an enforced injury layoff. “Low-impact cycling offers a great way to channel your energy again and benefit your body and mind,” says cycling physio and bike fitter Bianca Broadbent. Serving up new kit and adventures, cycling will reignite your sporting spark.

Strengths

“Former runners, swimmers and rowers are excellently placed to cycle,” says Broadbent. “Many respiratory and muscular skills cross over to endurance cycling. And any competitiveness and determination helps. Look at Lucy Charles-Barclay, an ex-swimmer who is now Ironman World Champion.”

Making progress

You may have good base fitness, but start with long, slow bike miles to develop your technique and muscle strength. Over time, inject some variety. “There is a tendency for ex-athletes to stick in a Zone 3 middling intensity, but it burns through carbs and makes cycling a chore,” says cycling coach Mark Walker. “Do a mix of low-, middle- and high-intensity rides, with endurance rides, threshold work and hill reps, and you’ll really improve.” Don’t push too hard, too soon. “It can be easy to rack up miles on the bike, so don’t over-train,” warns Broadbent. And as you progress, consider the order in which you do sessions. “Put HIIT sessions earlier in the week, then low-cadence work midweek and save long rides for the weekend,” says Walker.

Technique

You’ll also need to learn some cycling-specific skills. “Practise taking food out of your pockets,” suggests Walker. “If you plan to do sportives, practise riding in a group, conserving energy by hiding in a bunch, holding a wheel, cornering, keeping a smooth pace, climbing on the hoods or sprinting on the drops.”

Bike fit

Ex-runners can boost their comfort on the bike with hipmobility work. “Road cycling involves working at your inner to mid range of hip flexion, but runners aren’t conditioned to hold that position, so they tend to sit more upright on the bike or come forward to open up the hip position,” says Broadbent. “Accept that there will be a process of adaptation.”

Step it up

Low-cadence sessions can help ex-runners build functional cycling-specific strength. “Start with seated 1min efforts at 50-60rpm (rotations per minute) in the biggest gear you can, at RPE 4-5 (rate of perceived exertion), with 2min rests in between,” says Walker. “Keep your upper body still and don’t grip the bars hard. You can do these on a hill, on the indoor turbo or on the flat in a big gear. Over time, increase the duration of the reps to 5mins in a single set of 8-10 reps.”