more speed less effort
The keys to cycling success…
Your Goal
That’s where it begins. Maybe you want to complete a metric century. Maybe you want to set a strava PR. Perhaps you want to win races IRL and upgrade categories. Almost every cycling goal can be can be boiled down to wanting to go faster with less effort. Once you have your goal these are the areas you need to focus on to make them happen.
Your Mindset
Your mindset is the only thing in your way of getting closer to your goal. Research has backed up what Bob Ross told us all along, “The secret to doing anything is believing you can do it.” Modern psychologists agree with Marcus Aurelius, “Your soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” Your inner voice is what you ultimately listen to. What’s yours been saying?
Improving Your Watts
It seems simple. What is your power profile? Is your training focused on the right areas? Are you working hard enough? Too hard? What is your fatigue resistance? Are you only riding your bike? What about strength training, mobility, hydration, and recovery? This list goes on which is why it is not so simple.
Your efficiency
Every competitive cyclist I know trains hard to go faster. I don’t know many who truly focus on the things that are slowing them down. Some cyclists train all year hoping for a fifteen watt FTP increase but don’t realize they could gain that speed by this weekend with attention to a few pieces of equipment they are already buying.
Your Tactics
Sometimes more power does not equal more speed. An obvious example is a sprinter who wins the race after sitting behind their domestique all day. Who averaged more power? The domestique. Who averaged the highest speed? The sprinter. Winning riders often pedal the least but when they do they pedal the hardest. It’s important to know how to use your watts.
Success
You can spend your lifetime breaking these main areas down into their smallest parts. The more you do the more success will come. Find your goal. Cultivate your mindset. Train the best way possible for the power. Limit what is slowing you down. Race smarter, not harder. After that you’ll probably have to find a bigger goal.