The 3 elements of cycling performance

As a coach, one of the points I want my riders to understand is that all cycling performance is based on three main elements: training, nutrition Y Recovery. You cannot be a successful rider unless you master all three.

1. Training. The most obvious element of cycling performance is training. You cannot improve your performance as a cyclist if you do not participate in some type of training program. Many books, articles, and magazines have been written on effective cycling training and most of them can be helpful, depending on your level of experience and your goals. However, the simplest way to think about training is through the FITT model, which stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type. Frequency is the number of times you cycle each week. One of the first decisions you must make is how often you want to travel. This will be based on several variables, including the time you have available to ride and your goals as a rider.

Intensity it is a measure of how hard you work during a given cycling session. Hour is the duration of the cycling session, such as 60 minutes or 20 miles. In general, there is an inverse relationship between intensity and time. The more you work on a given workout (for example, the higher your heart rate), the shorter the session and vice versa. The key to a successful cycling workout is constantly balancing intensity and timing in a way that facilitates better performance. Kind refers to the type of exercise you will do during a workout (eg, cycling, hill training, interval training, strength training). To optimize the training effect (that is, the performance benefits you get from your training regimen), you must make decisions about how to best apply each of the components of the FITT model based on your goals as a cyclist.

two. Nutrition. To maximize your performance as a cyclist, you must participate in effective nutritional practices. Good nutrition provides at least 3 benefits. First and foremost, and most obviously, it will improve your cycling performance by providing you with the energy you need to complete your cycling workouts and events like races and tours. Second, good nutrition will make the recovery process easier. The difference between feeling good during a workout and feeling like your legs are about to sag may be due to effective nutritional practices. Finally, good nutrition allows you to have a healthy and fit life beyond cycling.

3. Recovery. Recovery may be the most overlooked element of cycling performance. It can also be the most important. Simply put, you don’t improve as a cyclist because you train hard. You improve because you remain tough. Okay, you have to do both, but the physiological adaptation process that leads to better performance occurs during rest, not during training. This happens due to the body’s desire to maintain an internal balance known as homeostasis. For example, after a hard workout, you may feel extremely fatigued and sore because your body is not used to the physical stress you experienced during that workout. During recovery and rest, the body undergoes physiological adaptations that strengthen it.

The next time you do that workout, it will feel a lot easier because of these adaptations. The key is to allow a proper recovery from that initial tough workout. This is the essence of progressive overload and performance training. Work hard, get enough rest for your body to recover and strengthen, and then the frequency, intensity and duration can be gradually increased. Your main goal as a cyclist is to create a training program that pushes you to the limit and then allows you adequate rest and recovery so that your performance can improve. Always remember that hard work without proper recovery is a recipe for overtraining, which will have an extremely negative impact on your cycling performance.