Why you should get bent… and stretch…
Stretching for cyclists is one of those topics that tends to divide opinion. Do you need a routine, and will it make any difference to your riding? The answer is not a simple yes or no: it depends on your training, your available time and what the rest of your life looks like. Covered […]
Does endurance training make us stupid?
Does endurance training make us stupid? In the long term, probably not. Regular endurance exercise can support mental wellbeing and cognitive function—but during a hard race or long ride, fatigue can temporarily turn even an experienced cyclist into a questionable decision-maker. Most of us have experienced it: forgetting to eat, missing an obvious turn, attacking […]
How to cope with the taper tantrums
You’ve grafted all year, potentially longer, for your most important cycling event. Then, just as it is time to reduce the work and bring everything together, cycling taper tantrums can make it surprisingly difficult to train less. This blog explains what tapering is, why it matters and how to cope with the urge to keep […]
How to burn fat and lose weight by cycling
If you’re reading this, it is probably because you need to, or think you need to, lose some weight. Learning how to lose weight by cycling is not simply about riding harder or eating less: the right approach depends on your available training time, performance goals and relationship with food. When you first start structured […]
Are you recovered?
Recovery is arguably the most important part of structured training, but how do you know when your body is actually ready to train again? This guide explains how to tell if you are recovered, using both the warning signs you notice yourself and the objective data available from wearables. It also covers the daily habits […]
How stress destroys cycling performance
Stress and cycling performance are more closely connected than many cyclists realise. Training stress is necessary if you want to improve, but when it is combined with work pressure, poor sleep, family commitments and other demands, the total load can quickly become more than your body is able to recover from. That can affect far […]
Cycling training and mental health challenges
Having spent my entire life learning to live with the swings and roundabouts of Bipolar Affective Disorder, I know that balancing cycling training and mental health can require more than simply getting out for a ride. I have also spent a lifetime coaching people, including ten years coaching cycling, and I want to share practical […]
How to perfect the family, work, and cycling training balance
Balancing cycling training with work and family is something I have been pioneering in the amateur cycling training industry for many years. Unless you are a professional cyclist, or an athlete who needs to devote every fibre of their being to a specific goal, it is understandable that training cannot always be your number one […]
How to correctly warm-up for cycling training
Failing to warm up properly before training can affect both your performance and your readiness for harder work. A good cycling warm-up prepares your body gradually, but it also gives you time to settle your mind, focus on the session ahead and arrive ready to nail it. Covered in this blog Why warm-up before […]
Seven Summits: a world record ride
It started in a goal-setting conversation with my coach, Aitor, as we looked for a way to test how my training was progressing ahead of a second attempt at the fastest crossing of Route 66. The Seven Summits cycling challenge became that test: climb the equivalent elevation of the highest peak on each continent, on […]