DO ONE HARD EFFORT EACH RIDE Every time you go out on your bike , throw in a couple of two-minute high-intensity efforts during which you ride as hard as you can . The idea is to keep your effort just below your lactate threshold , which , in layman ’ s terms , is where you can only say one word at a time .
If you can ’ t keep up the initial effort for two minutes , you ’ ve started too hard , so knock it back for the next effort . A good way to do this safely is on a climb or along a quiet piece of road . Push hard on the pedals and you will notice the gain in fitness next time around . If you make yourself do it every time , you ’ ll start to see bigger gains in the long run .
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PRACTISE PEDALLING AT 90RPM ON THE FLAT Use a cadence computer or count your pedal revolutions for 30secs and double it to work out your revs per minute ( rpm ). We all have a different rate that we default to when we ’ re not thinking about it , but by forcing yourself to hold 90-100rpm on the flat you ’ ll get your legs used to spinning . Not only does spinning allow your legs to recover from effort , but a quick cadence will help you ride faster up hills , too .
LOSE A FEW KILOS The rough rule of thumb is that
10 you need a deficit of 3 500kcal to lose half a kilo in body weight .
If you want to drop that in a week , you ’ ll need to find a way to ditch 500kcal a day for seven days . Sound daunting ? It needn ’ t be ! Think of it as one less chocolate bar and a ride to work . You can burn off as much as 250kcal in half an hour of cycling , and your average choccy snack will contain that much again . You don ’ t have to go mad . Losing just one pound will take you in the right direction , make you feel good about yourself and will make a big difference on those hills .
PUMP UP TO 100PSI If you ’ re riding around with underinflated tyres , you will be expending far more energy than you need to . They may feel fairly solid to the touch , but underinflating your tyres by as little as 15psi can leave you exerting as much as 20 per cent more effort , depending on your body weight . For quality road tyres , between
100 and 120psi is usually perfect on a dry day , but never exceed the recommended pressure , which should be written on the tyre .
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