| What if you could change your route to work AND | | | | the pack. |
| get in great shape at the same time? Are you lucky | | | | Did you perhaps have fun with the game 'run a street |
| enough to be in a position to cycle to your place of | | | | lamp, walk a street lamp' when you were younger? |
| employment? It can be a total chore on some days to | | | | As kids, whenever we had a long walk to do, we |
| have to traverse the same route and encounter the | | | | would start out at the very 1st street light, and run as |
| exact same obstacles every time. | | | | fast as we possibly could to the next, then walk to the |
| During winter months in particular, the ride to work can | | | | one after that... and then run the next, etc. As it turns |
| be the only chance a number of us get to be back in | | | | out, and we did not grasp this back then, this is the |
| the saddle, and we should try to maximise the benefit | | | | base of Fartlek exercise - alternating fast and slow |
| of it, in terms of both enjoyment and training | | | | elements, using and building up both the aerobic and |
| possibilities. Learn how to put variation and productivity | | | | anaerobic functions. However, with the Fartlek method, |
| into the every day journey simply by trying some | | | | the sprints and the recovery sections should ideally |
| different techniques and creating a well-balanced | | | | vary in length. Try this on your bike. |
| exercise program within the ride. | | | | Absolutely key to all of this is personal and road |
| Unless you are really lucky, your ride to and from your | | | | safety. We cannot encourage you to undertake any |
| work will include traffic, junctions and crossings etc, and | | | | of the above without you being totally aware of your |
| may end up being stop/start, fast/slow. Rather than | | | | safety and the existence and possible behaviour of |
| looking at these red signals as a disadvantage or a set | | | | the surrounding road users. Our motorist friend will not |
| back to be passed at maximum speed, think | | | | know why you keep flashing past them several times, |
| differently, take advantage of the stop/starts as an | | | | only for him to have to pass you again almost |
| opportunity to acquire extra cycling skills, like sprint | | | | immediately afterwards as you hit the slower phase... it |
| starts (on green, not amber!) or track stands. | | | | could even annoy him. And we know from experience |
| A first-rate well-rounded cycling training programme | | | | that this generally does not take very much! |
| must at all times include elements addressing the high | | | | So, enjoy your commute to and from work, enhance |
| speed sprints plus the stamina necessary for the more | | | | the training aspects, and arrive at the new cycling |
| prolonged stretches. | | | | season at a new cycling performance peak and |
| Very simply, your body demands and employs a | | | | armed with some great new training techniques. |
| range of resources for these 2 types of endeavour, | | | | There are two trends right now that can help |
| and the best all round cyclists have evolved their | | | | accelerate your cycling training levels beyond your |
| bodies to produce optimum efficiency across the | | | | previous expectations. For most of us, the use of a |
| board. | | | | cycling computer which can monitor your heart rate |
| Have you tried cadence training? Instead of making | | | | and match it to a known route can make the |
| those quick gear changes, try spinning the pedals | | | | difference between improvement and peak |
| round ten per cent faster than normal before you slip | | | | performance. A GPS enabled Cycling Computer can |
| into your next gear. Stay in the saddle and build and | | | | be bought for a very reasonable price online. For those |
| retain your stability while simultaneously increasing the | | | | of us who aspire to semi-pro levels and upwards, |
| cadence. This is a superb method of improving | | | | Power Meter Training is at the cutting edge of peak |
| pedalling technique and just about all elements of your | | | | performance cycling training. Starting prices for Power |
| cycling performance. It is no happy accident that the | | | | Meters are very reasonable, but can reach dizzying |
| leading riders utilise cadence training to keep in front of | | | | heights with some high end kit. |