Makeover your fitness

Stand up more

“Learning to stand as you sprint or climb hills is important for almost every cycling discipline. The fastest people stand a lot and are comfortable and efficient doing it,” says Smart Athlete coach Peter Glassford. It also gives your butt a break, so if you’re prone to saddle sores or numbness while pedalling, standing might be the solution you’ve been looking for. During rides, try to stand for just a few pedal strokes every couple minutes. To improve your standing sprints and hill climbs, make sure you’re actually practising them. Stand to sprint for the town line or practise an uphill sprint on that 10-second climb near your house.

Add variety to your weekly training

“Mix up the riding that you’re doing,” says Glassford. “So many riders, especially those with limited time, stick to one type of ride on the same roads every day. That one type of ride may have gotten them to their current fitness levels, but it often won’t get them past it, especially when they can’t fit any more riding into their schedules. To move past this level, start riding easier some days, but include skills, co-ordination and cadence work. Keep these rides low intensity so that on another day of the week, you can really attack a harder ride and hit your intervals feeling fresh.”

“Strength training can often be fit in at lunch in less than 30 minutes and adds a workout, plus training stress, to the weekly schedule without much disruption to family or work life.”