For cyclists, riding is the best way to spend their day, it’s as important as any other thing in their life. That’s why they spend lots of money on bicycles, bicycle gears, finding the right group, and the right hill to cycle, and even if it takes a ton from their finance, they smile through it.
But one thing only one thing can make a cyclist unhappy; spending money on all these and more and still not improving on their cycling. Being able to cycle very well and brag about the different feats you’ve achieved in your cycling is the utmost joy of every cyclist. But then you can’t have that bragging right when you are not improving right? You have done several things to improve your cycling but it still remains the same.
First of all, what does it mean to be improving in your cycling? Improvement is when you have more fun and enjoyment than you did previously. It means when your riding skills, stamina, and cadence increase more than the last time you went cycling
Here, I will show what it is you may be doing wrong that may be hindering your improvement, and a few reasons why your cycling is not improving;
1. You don’t ride enough
That practice makes perfect can never be over-emphasized. For you to get better at riding you need to go riding more often, try out new terrains, and break past your last limit.
If you gave up the last time just because you were injured or it got so hard and then you don’t go out to try again you will never improve. You need to spend quality time on your bicycle on the road.
2. You don’t give your body enough time to heal
It’s understandable that the passion and fire to improve is there, and then you go out to ride for hours every day, even when your thighs or arms are not healed from riding the previous day. This will hinder your improvement because going out to ride in that way will only make you be in more pain and won’t let you pass the limit you’ve set for yourself.
This is the most important because anytime you go out to ride you break your body down.
3. You are using the wrong equipment
Before you read this, check out Which Type Of Bicycle Is Best For Road and The Difference Between Road Bike And Bicycle to help you more. You need to have a bike that is appropriate for the type of riding you want to take. Trying to ride a bike that is meant just for flats up a hill will take a lot of willpower, may end up damaging the bike and injuring you, and will only frustrate you.
Make sure you have the right cycling cloth, the right wheel, and the right tires on your bike as these can make a whole lot of difference.
4. Not having a riding plan
As less important as this may seem to the other tips, this will help turn things around for you, especially if you have a job that takes most of your time thereby making you not have time to improve on your riding.
This is more like creating a one-week calendar or one-month calendar of the days you will cycle, how many hours, and where you will cycle to. A plan will help keep you focused, and will help you have an enormous sense of achievement.
5. Not using your energy efficiently
This will only make you get tired so fast before you’ve achieved anything. Knowing when to pedal is important. There’s no point in hammering up to a red traffic light and then having to stop, put a foot down, then start again, when a better-timed approach would see you ride through with less effort.
Avoiding unnecessary braking is just as important. Laying off the brakes is easier if you know how to corner with confidence. Learn more about gravity’s assistance as it can raise average cycling speed.
6. Going solo
Riding alone is good sometimes, but finding the right group and riding in a group is far better. When you have people who have the same goal as you do and challenge each other it will help you improve in your riding very fast than going solo would possibly have done.
If you’re with other riders, there’s the urge to keep up, so that even if you’re starting to derail you’ll hang in and keep going. Likewise, if you’re feeling fresh you can set the pace and help your fellow riders to keep going faster.
7. Not maintaining your bike
Your bike is the most important tool in your search for improvement. So if you do every other thing but don’t maintain your bicycle it will end up being useless at the end of the day. Cleaning your bike, and waxing your bike chain, may not be a particularly fun job, but it can make a real difference to your improvement.
A clean chain with the right chain lube will have less friction than one caked in grime, and a rubbing brake or rim that is out of true will slow you down, while worn brake pads will be less effective
8. Poor riding technique
If cycling is not much of a big deal to you, then your riding technique doesn’t matter too much as long as you can get to where you are riding to. But performance riding is completely different. Many cyclists just ride hard or far and don’t give a second thought to proper pedaling technique, cadence, or even body position.
This is an area where huge improvements come with just a little focused effort and time. You need to know the proper riding technique that works for you and start using it, that way you will be able to improve your cycling.
9. Improper bike fit
As a cyclist, you should know how important it is to have your bike adjusted to fit your body. If you are not comfortable you will not be fast or go very far. While riding a bike is not like sitting on your couch, it still doesn’t have to hurt.
When your position is adjusted properly there should not be any thought of the bike. What I mean is that you are not thinking about how the saddle hurts, or shoulders or whatever.
10. Not keeping fit
Cycling takes a lot of energy and needs a reasonable amount of stamina to get it done. If you are not fit or fail to work out ahead of your cycling you will obviously not improve because you will wear out very easily and very fast.
Cycling is a very demanding thing, and improving your riding takes a lot of effort and sacrifice which you must be willing to give. Do you do any of these? Try rectifying it today and see yourself get better at the sport you love so much.