Cycling Training Tips
The first dose of racing can be intensely exciting and nerve racking. If you feel like you’re in a funk at the beginning of the season, just realize that it takes Lance Armstrong a few races to get into the groove. One exercise to get back into the groove is spend some time refreshing your cornering skills.
You don’t want to strap on your cycling gear and notice that the first corner you’re going to take this season is going to be at your first race. Go to a parking lot that doesn’t have a lot of vehicle and practice your cornering. Use curbs or cones to simulate tight corners that you’ll have to take in races. Be sure to watch out for cars and people and be sure to respect traffic laws. As you continue practicing, change how the corners are set up. Change them at 90 degrees, 120 degrees, and 180 degrees. When you begin to feel good about your turns, lean the bike further than normal, cut the corners closer to the inside and farther from the outside, or try changing your line in the middle of your corner. The cornering exercises don’t have to be complicated. Do them in recovery rides or on the way home.
Just remember it’s a long season, and it would be highly recommended to add speed focused rides into your training. If you train five days a week, adding two speed workout rides to your regimen would be good. Duration is the key to speed drills. You want your power to remain stable through the drill. If you use too much power too soon and it falls as the interval progresses, you’ll get more out of this if you start out slower. The goal is to make good time at this intensity rather than achieving a stronger power that cannot be sustained for long periods of time.