Is this the year you are going to get faster on your bike – a lot faster? Late winter and springtime is the time to put in the big work. There are many ideas to incorporate into your training plan which can boost cycling performance. If increasing cycling speed this spring is your goal then check through the list below for ideas to boost your miles per hour.

Improve Pedaling Economy During a two hour ride, an average rider will pedal over 10,000 times. Any energy savings made by improving the way you pedal one revolution can be multiplied by 10,000. That compounds into real energy savings, giving a good pay off to time spent doing economy drills. Pedaling drills should not make you tired nor will they enhance cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength development. i.e. they will not make you tired or sore. This tricks many riders into perceiving economy drills have no value, so they skip them. The purpose of economy drills is to train accurate timing of muscle activation sequences and correct application of the direction of force to the pedals.

Break a single pedal revolution down into four quadrants; the down-stroke, the back-stroke, the up-stroke and the top-stroke. Do one-leg pedaling drills and low cadence drills while focusing on improving a specific quadrant of the pedal circle.

Improve Biomechanics Two ways to improve cycling biomechanics are to correct any weaknesses or tightness in musculature and to get your bike properly fitted to your body. Typically cyclists have weak hip stability muscles. Here is an exercise routine to improve this. Seek out the professional services of a trained technician for your bike fit. Even a small adjustment in seat height can have vast performance ramifications. Check in for a refit anytime you drastically improve any of body biomechanical issues.

Increase Cycling Volume. Increase chronic training load (CTL). Reduce or eliminate cross training, make your long rides longer. Increase the frequency of shorter rides. Consider doing two-a-days to pump up frequency by riding before breakfast and then again later in the day. More time in the saddle will accumulate improvements faster.

Improve Bike Handling Skills Any improvement in bike handling skills will not only make you safer but also faster in a race situation. The ability to relax while descending a hill at 40 miles per hour will get you far ahead of the rider gripping his bike rigid with fear at 20 miles per hour. Improving your cornering speed may make the difference between getting dropped and staying in the pack. Dedicate some time in your training week to specific bike handling skill improvement. Attending a specific bike handling skills class, riding behind more skilled cyclists or participating in group rides are good ways to improve handling skills.

Convert Gym Strength to Bike Strength Make sure hard work done this winter in the gym, transfers to strength gains on the bike. Two main areas to pay attention to: on-bike strength training and core training. On the bike strength can be increased with big gear, low cadence pedaling and riding in the hills. Here are specific on-bike strength drills. Here are specific core training exercises to increase on-bike strength.

Improve the Nutrient Density of your Diet Keep a food diary for three days and check you are getting the recommended amount of carbohydrate, protein and fat to support your training. Also check you are getting the recommended amount of vitamins and minerals essential for good health. A high training volume is required to stimulate improvements on the bike. A high training volume requires the support of an excellent diet otherwise you will break down.

Improve Body Composition A decrease in the mass of you and your bike will make you faster at the same power output, especially when the course heads uphill. A decrease in body mass has a greater improvement on performance than the same decrease in bike mass. The reduction in body mass improves aerodynamics (you are smaller), improves the efficiency of the body shedding heat (less insulation) and increases speed at a given power output. A decrease in body mass will improve performance two to three times greater than a decrease in bike mass. Losing a few pounds is often a lot less expensive than slimming down your bike. There is a point at which too much body weight loss will create an undesirable reduction in musculature and muscle glycogen status, so a focus on tip #6 is required.

Get more Aero Reducing the drag factor will increase the speed you will ride at a given power output. The two ways to do this are to reduce the drag on your body and reduce the drag on your bike. Swap out those baggies for skin huggers.

Sleep at Least Eight Hours per Night This one is simple, no analyses needed. This is beneficial for every athlete at every level and that means you too! Improve your time management, clear your schedule and get this done every night. You will feel better, ride faster and get more out of each training session. You are wasting your time trying to train effectively while sleep deprived.

Treat Yourself to a Training Camp Need a vacation in a nice warm spot? Riding everyday for six days in a row will boost your cycling speed. Take your bike down to Arizona and attend one of the many spring training camps on offer there. Most training camps teach bike handling skills, pedaling skills, do some hilly rides, group rides, check your bike fit and biomechanics and feed you a healthy diet. A training camp will immerse you in almost every point above for a week and send you home focused and motivated for your fastest season on the bike yet.

If you have any training questions, please ask them on my forum