Fancy becoming a better bike rider this winter?

A few years ago when I was taking a ‘break’ from triathlon I learned how to cycle better, harder and with a little bit more proficiency.

I had become a bit disinterested with triathlon and with the swim training in particular and then after a very miserable experience at the London Marathon (arguably the worst endurance event I have ever had the misfortune to do, great race but I had a shocker) I began to focus all of my energies into riding my bike.

It seemed to me as though I was getting a better return in terms of perfomance for the work that I was putting in, and as many of you will understand this is all about results. When you are doing a discipline that you enjoy and are becoming more and more efficient you will tend to naturally do more of that discipline and therefore I decided to take a break from triathlon.

I began riding with people who did not do triathlon, known as ‘roadies’, and finding bike specific events such as cyclosportives. These are usually 1 day, challenging and often hilly races where you simply race against the clock. There can be a slightly more laid back approach than with road racing but as this type of event has grown in popularity they have become more competitive.

A particular race that I was very fond of was the Granfondo Campagnolo, this is a 130mile ride in the Italian Dolomites with a total of 4,500m climbing, for those of you not sure if that is a lot of climibing trust me it is.

Another great ride in the UK that I have down a couple of times is the Autumn Epic, in mid Wales. Fantastic organisation and a real challenging route.

My point to this blog is that if you ever want to become a better cyclist, you MUST cycle with other people who also want to be better cyclists. You can learn from each other, understand how other people handle their bikes, learn the techniques of climbing, descending and cornering, and usually have a good chat on the way round as well.

You only improve by working with others!!

Yes, you are right in thinking that in triathlon you are not allowed to ride in packs or draft off each other so learning how to ride in close proximity to other cyclists may not seem the best way to spend your time, however you will learn more from riding in a group than just spending hours on your own.

It also is a great way to boost your ‘base’ level of aerobic fitness ready for the harder training sessions that you might do in the spring.

So why not come and join RG Active on their Winter Training Rides.

Take a look at the specific page on the website to find out more about what is involved.

Happy Training

Dermott