To get the best cycling training, variety is important. For example, a cyclist should ride on the roads with her road bike and on trails with her mountain bike. In addition, she should take spinning classes at a local gym or recreation center. If a velodrome is available in her city, she should also ride there from time to time. For people who do not want to leave their homes, a trainer can be attached to a road or mountain bike for at-home cycling training.
Riding a road bike on the road is one of the best forms of cycling training. By training on the road, it gives the cyclist working knowledge of her bike and the way her body responds to certain conditions. For example, riding outside may allow a road cyclist to practice riding up steep hills. It will also allow her to see how her body and bike respond to certain conditions, such as rain, wind, and heat. The information learned through cycling training in these conditions may prove valuable in a race-type situation.
Another cycling training aspect is mountain biking. With mountain biking, the cyclist uses different muscles than she may use while riding on the road. As a result, it may enable her to get stronger. In addition, balance and fearlessness are essential when mountain bike riding. These traits can be learned and may help a road cyclist become faster and less apprehensive while riding on the road, particularly while racing.
Spinning classes are popular for cycling training, too. Participants ride on stationary bikes with an instructor directing the class. Generally, the class will adjust the tension on their bikes to simulate going up or down a series of hills. This type of class is a good way to build up speed and train when the weather is icy, snowy, or extremely cold, for example. They are also great ways to practice intervals, wherein the cyclist pedals as hard as she can for short bursts of time.
A few cities have velodromes, or indoor cycling centers. Cycling training is extremely popular in these centers. Generally, cyclists work on speed work while they race around a track on a bike created specifically for the design of the velodrome.
Many cyclists like to use indoor bike trainers for cycling training as well. The trainer is basically a stand that holds the cyclist’s bike in place. As a result, the person can ride her own bike in the same manner as she would a stationary bike. The main difference is that it allows her body to get used to the design and feel of her personal road or mountain bike.
