How To Cycle Further And Faster
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- How To Cycle Further And Faster
How to cycle further and faster is probably the thing that pretty much every cyclist alive would like to do. No matter how fast or how far you can ride at the moment, I would be pretty surprised if you didn't want to improve one or both of those things.
Anyone can Improve their cycling ability. It all boils down to your lungs, legs and mind.
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I returned to cycling after almost 40 years at the beginning of lockdown. I was a pure couch potato who got out of breath putting my socks on. Happily and with the help and motivation from your channel I'm riding 5 days a week with distances of upto60+km rides. Thanks for your tips and hard work on your channel as I must not be alone with the motivation it gives 👍
Sounds like you are doing well.
Johnca I hear you! I have a similar story, although I haven’t made a 60k ride yet. Well done! Keep going!
Snap. I bought a bike this week. I live in Bahrain where the temperature has dropped to mid-high 30's. Fortunately everywhere is pretty flat and I've not ridden a bike for 50 years so a bit wobbly. I have been inspired by Leonard's channel and dry humour for more than a year now while I lost enough weight that I wouldn't exceed the designers specified weight limits. As they say, you can't out train a bad diet so having backed up the 25kg weight loss with zero exercise, my first few days have been tough (at 37C). Dunno if this is too logical, but started at 5km then 10km yesterday and 18km today. Tomorrow only 20km. Also doing a RYA sailing qualification found that I can use windy.com to forecast best time of day to ride as well as sail.
@@jaderodrigues5987 personally i recommend being very comfortable on a one hour ride for a month or more, then upping it slowly, like to 1.5 hours etc...but take a few months to increase. Only try one "long ride" a week is what i do, and be sure to recover. If you ride say 20-24 Km an hour taking as an example about three hours, i will drink one bottle of water (rarely need more, but depends on the heat) and eat one food item at one hour and two hours. i personally use a nutribar, bananas are good. whatever you like. oh yes, wear cycling shorts lol or you will die.
I decided that getting up off the floor was a strain so i had no option but to start working on strength and fitness.
Definitely the mental part is the hardest... glad you talked about that... too many times people stop the conversation at the physical part and ignore the connection... 🙌🏽🍻
In many ways it’s the most important part.
@@jollygoodvelo exactly, its the emost important but not the hardest. Thats why cycling is so good to strengthen one's mind to achieve things or to endure hardship. I don't think one of us would ever return half way up a mountain climb , make a u-turn and go down again. We may stop 5 times to recover, even push the bike, but we will make it to the top, no matter how long, steep or whatever, RIGHT???
There is a hill near my house that I consider to be quite ferocious. Having listened to what you said about to train the mind to go further as soon as it stops bloody raining, I am going to give it a go! watch this space.
And you will find that once you have ridden up it, it will suddenly become much easier.
😂😂 I'm surrounded by those hills. Everyday a challenge. Got to keep going.
Glad you mentioned the 'mind' because without mental attitude and drive it's so easy to get unfit mentally.which translates to not pushing your legs to their limits.
Exactly.
Personally I'm shocked at how little emphasis cyclists put on hydration! Try drinking before you feel like you need it. Staying hydrated is crucial to riding efficiently and for longer distances. I'm very impressed with Leonard's 100km rides!
Hey Leonard. Another great video. the subject of lungs was important to me. Thank you. Your oh so British understatement in your speach is hilarious.
hurbit123 Glad you liked it.
🚴♂️💨
Lovely! I used your leg strengthening exercises before you arrived in Tuscany to great effect. I'll take this on board for our next ride together ... whenever that might be! 😎
Looks like it worked. I couldn’t keep up with you on the climbs.
What a great motivational video, I get completely the mind games, on more than one occasion I have convinced myself to take an alternative route and avoid some very challenging climes in my area, but as you commented I have climbed these regularly so I know the pain but also the joy at the summits. Again some great advice concerning measuring your lung and heart capacity, look forward to your next presentation, regards Bill
Thanks Bill. No biggie avoiding the big climbs, we all have days when we fancy an easier ride. If you know you can do them that is very empowering too.
Oh, you explained this really well - thanks 😊
I've recently changed up my routine. I used to ride 2-3 times a week and ride between 60-80 kms each ride.
This is going to sound silly but I got too much tuned into endurance. The downside is that I couldn't really have fun with accelerating or making crazy sporadic efforts.
Now I go out twice a week on the bike. One endurance and one HIIT. The HIIT session is SO MUCH FUN! Brutal but fun 😈
I walk most days and I also go running once or twice a week. Then I do some sort of strength training 3 times a week, nothing serious just push-ups etc.
I'm starting to feel the benifits on the bike now. I'm a better climber than before, for example.
I'm going to rewatch this vid 🤗🤗
Blimey, sounds like you are pretty fit with all that exercise. Hopefully you are also having fun doing it.
@@jollygoodvelo Yes, I am. I'm in my early 40's and I'm the fittest I've ever been in my entire life. I started cycling about 4 years ago and lost 12 kilos in 18 months. It's just progressed from there really. Started running 2 years ago and I enjoy it.
Since I changed my routine, I cycle about half the kms I used to because time wise, it's not possible to keep doing so many kms. Plus there are other sports I enjoy doing. You've helped me understand a lot about cycling on this channel. Thanks 😊
Spaize Munkie Thanks Marie, sounds like you are doing great. I know what you mean about cycling being very time consuming but just imagine the people that sit on the sofa for the same amount of time!
@@jollygoodvelo Ah, very true...! 😀
my body type is similar 178 cm, 100kg. did more riding this year and got a used carbon fibre bike, which i really like. longest ride this year (i ride non stop basically almost always, and solo in this covid world) was 3.5 hours and 80 km. no prize for speed, but so fun. a couple of years ago 20 km was a good ride. the more you do, the more you can do. lots of channels say you need fancy devices... with a limited budget i am far better off spending on bike, trainer, tubes, tires, shorts! (hard to find in XXXL) and jerseys than power meters or fancy heart monitors. At age 64 now I am longggg past my racing days, but can figure out cadences and heart rates easily enough by experience. unfortunately my wife got pretty sick so i had to stop road riding to be close to home but i still do intervals on trainer 30 minutes a day. FOR ABSOLUTE certainty the power to weight ratio will be the biggest impact on your speed. I can remember in racing days putting on five pounds and getting dropped as a result. Now i crawl up 18 percent grades (but i get up them if only a few hundred metres), and huff and puff.
Rule number one for me: ENJOY RIDING, or don't bother. I subscribed, thanks!
Spot on with the power to weight being very noticeable. I've recently lost a couple of kilos and my climbing has really improved.
Great info, thanks Leonard.
Glad you’re still able to get a ride in. The weather here in the Midwest (US) has turned rainy and cold.
Same here in the U.K.
Speaking of hills... where I live in the land of the Yankee it seems the downhills feel like uphills😁. Keep them videos coming, stay safe and Well. Keep those pedals and videos turning my friend!
Will do!
enjoyed the video. GCN reports it is not directly lactic aid but hydrogen ionization that makes the legs tired, lol
Interesting, although I get the feeling they are always out to disprove something!
nicely explained leonard...3 key areas to focus on and some good tips to work them into rides - cheers
They all work together but it’s good to focus on each.
Perfectly broken into 3 parts. Inspiring vids as always
Thanks
Great video Len.
Back in the day when I was racing and at my fittest I ran to work along the canals into the city 7.5 miles each way and did an 18 mile run on the Sunday; that’s 93 miles per week from October to April. I had the worst cycling season ever and never really got competitive all year. The next year I did a long ride at the weekend or on a trainer and just two gym sessions during the week. Plenty of leg presses and then a little spin on one of the gym bikes before knocking it into a vey hard gear and sprinting for 10 seconds or so until my legs died. Had my best season ever. If you’re a lightweight climber type like me then weights are the way to go.
That is very interesting that you say about running and having the worst season. I think there is a lot of benefit in doing weights over the off season.
Where in the country do you live? Not in a weird way just seems like a load of good, quiet roads that I can’t seem to find where I’m from
Fab video m8 as always a lot of great info I noticed recently I gotten faster but noticed the legs have gone more muscle looking tuna with mayo after every ride seems to help me
Depending also how I feel I take a day or 2 off
John Rodriguez sounds like it’s full of protein. Just what you need for muscle building.
That was good content very well presented.
Glad you liked it!
Nice video Leonardo!😀
Thanks Linda
Spot on Leonard. Lungs than legs. In the beginning if you ride almost everyday the aerobic part comes first because you usually can only ride in lower gears. I got back on the bike after almost 25 years. I had forgot how much I enjoyed it. The fist threshold I noticed was that I started to be able to continually peddle. After almost 4 months I went from 10 km to a metric century on a relatively flat surfaces. I can ride as long as I want and not get tired especially since it's gotten cooler, my aerobic base is in a good place. I've now started to climb more hills in higher gears and my legs get tried buy my lungs come back after every climb. I was wondering I usually ride everyday if I can because it really burns the stress off. Should I rest my legs more for them to get stronger? I've read that giving them a break might help but so far riding everyday seems to be working. Any thoughts?
Yes, aerobic fitness is the important base. Once you can sit and spin the pedals for hours on end, thats the time to start using higher gears and train the mind. Resting your legs is very important but its going to be a very individual thing. Have a look at my film on recovery and next Tuesdays vlog where I talk about percussion therapy as an aid to recovery.
@@jollygoodvelo Thank you, I keep seeing improvements which keeps me motivated. So far few setbacks maybe a little knee pain when I'm exerting myself on a few hills. I'll take a look at the recovery film. Cheers!
Scream if you wanna go faster!!!!!!!
Indeed!
yes. Or upon reaching the hill top!
Great tips in this video! Hope you’re doing well.
Thanks Helen, doing great thanks. Hope you are too.
I've covered nearly 1600km on different rides over the last six months, with 77hours in the saddle and 11,000m elevation gain. At 63 years old and weighing 100kg, I'm quite pleased with that and with the performance of my heart and lungs. My legs are getting stronger and they will have to, as my bike weighs in at a hefty 18kg (Canyon Grail:ON E-Gravel bike). I hardly ever use the Bosch motor and could go a lot further than the 70km rides that I'm doing now, if it were not for one thing and that is pins and needles in my hands of all things! I've tried all sorts of gel padded gloves, no gloves and even recently had a Retul bike fit, but to no avail sadly. Have you any advice on the gloves front? Keep up the good work Leonard :-)
Hi Paul, not sure its the gloves. I also suffer from hand numbness from time to time and it can vary from bike to bike even though I m wearing the same gloves. My guess it is reach so maybe have a look at that.
Try carbon bars. i and many others in the MTB discipline suffer arm pump and hand pain and numbness that is virtually eliminated with carbon bars. Carbon absorbs vibration much better than alloy.
@@jamesuk9 Hi, thanks for that, but my Canyon Grail:ON CF8 already has those carbon double decker drop handlebars and I still have issues even with that. I used to have a hardtail MTB and I put Ergon GP3
grips on the ends of the straight bars and that was far more comfortable. Maybe I just don't get on with drops?
@@jollygoodvelo Thanks Leonard, but the Retul bike fit I've just had went through all of that. Whilst a number of position issues were sorted out, the hand numbness persists. Maybe it's just my biological makeup?
Possibly. It can be very hard to pinpoint it down.
Mental strength is everything, ask a marathon runner about mental stamina about 20 miles in.
Yep, got to be mentally tough to run a marathon.
👌
Leonard, where was that beautiful place you rode with the fir/pine 🌲 trees in the background?
That’s the New Forest in Hampshire.
Great video Leonard. Whats your take on weight training to improve leg strength?
Have a look at the comment from michael432 below. I think he presents an excellent case for the benefits of weight training.
first one is the mind for me
I agree it’s very important.
I'm new to cycling and went out last Saturday for approximately 10 miles , I was caught out by a very steep hill and had to dismount and walk the bike uphill . What is the best way to train for uphill climb? Obviously improving lung and leg power is essential but some hills are very steep
Just keep doing them. Many times it’s a mental thing. Once you have climbed that hill once it will get easier and easier.
At the risk of sounding stupid (a trait), I have two questions (1) is riding in the direction of traffic internationally mandatory eg LHS in UK (2) how do you know what your maximum heart rate is and once you know, is there a psychological thing to push it to make it more?
As far as I am aware, bikes have to ride with the flow of the traffic here in the U.K. As for max HR you can do the Karvonen Formula of 220 minus your age but it’s a bit hot and miss. Alternatively, ride as hard and as fast as you can for as long as you can and then push it a bit harder and the number on your HR meter will probably be your max.
@@jollygoodvelo Maybe the formula was not as bad as you may think, for me anyway. At full tilt at the gym I was recording 145 HR which if I follow the formula 220-61 gives 159 so maybe I wasn't at full tilt, but if I was that's only 8.8% out, so not a bad rule of thumb. What worries me more is that after the rides I've had since new bike 3 days ago is my blood pressure dropping dramatically but only once I'm finished.
Which of these factors, weight, mind, legs, and lungs (or others? carbon frame, ceramic bearings…) is going to deliver or make the most difference for someone who rides 6 to 12 hours a week (for health, fun, but not racing)?
Without doubt it will be weight. For every kg you can lose it becomes much easier. The next is definitely your mind. You need to believe you can do things like getting up climbs and riding further than you would like.
Butter Makes Your Pants Fall Off is the best video out there on weight loss
Sounds like a comedy sketch.
I'm new to cycling. Can you recommend a turbo trainer please?
Any trainer will do to get you up and running indoors but if you want to do Zwift you may need a smart one. I’ll be posting a film about them soon so stay tuned.
@@jollygoodvelo that's great, thanks. Don't know what Zwift is either! 🤦♀️
Its the saddle thing which gets me about 60k in. No bike shop near me do a "try and see" it scheme. The inside top of leg is where it starts to hurt. Now trying chamois cream to see if that helps.
It could possibly be the shorts as well.
Those legs look familiar somehow. Have I seen them in advertisement?
Funny you should say that!
Great video Leonard!
Thanks Nathan,
“Enjoy the odd treat from time to time”. No kidding! ; )
I can only imagine that you are some super healthy 800 cals a day raw vegan. No, I thought not.
leonardmlee I don’t think eating a vegan would even get me 800 calories.
Mike Brown I’m sure you get the point.
leonardmlee Yep. Good videos but little humour, mate.
Mike Brown Its not all that easy to distinguish between comments that a genuinely well meaning and the trolls sometimes.
did i hear you say it gets easier? still waiting for that..
kiting and biking over 50 keep at it!
"It never gets easier, you just go faster" - Greg Lemond
Are clipless pedals worth it for beginners?
Clipless pedals are really good but if you are really new to cycling I would suggest giving yourself a little while to get used to riding and then move up to clipless.
@@hcw199 for casual.cycling yes but for high speed group cycling you get more efficiency from cleats.
yes, by all means, even falling down with them is much easier and more often ;-) but once you start getting used to you will NEVER ride without them - you feel connected to the bike
@@hcw199 Try pedalling with one leg only and compare efficiency.
I do.
I wanna go fast😎
Have fun!
Lungs legs mind and carbon fiber
It always helps,
But i have a aluminium hybrib specialzed im 44 at ride at 25 km per hour which is good in Pakistan as per the roads and traffic
Napanapanapa Napa Nice bike.
I try to improve my lungs . . . As i have asthma
Good luck. If Chris Froome can do it...
@@jollygoodvelo Cheers 👍 I just do it out of enjoyment 😁
@NewCyclist 2020 Hope it works for you, I've been riding for many years and have found that my asthma has improved dramatically and I very rarely need to use an inhaler. I guess it depends on what your triggers are; it used to be exercise for me but no longer, it's mostly the change in seasons that gets me now.