Improve your race-day bike skills

Use this skills-focussed bike session to get you dialled into your race set-up for next season, says Nik Cook

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Nik Cook

Published: May 20, 2020 at 11:43 am

As we slide into the off-season, it's time to take advantage of that spare time and focus on some key skill work. Here, Nik Cook introduces a useful bike session that'll help you do just that.

For this session, you’ll need a loop that should take about 10mins to ride, include steep climbs, plenty of corners and challenging descents.

If you’re not 100% relaxed and comfortable on your race set-up and your bike handling isn’t up to scratch, you’ll be haemorrhaging minutes on every leg and wasting precious energy for the run. By challenging yourself on your race bike on an intentionally technical loop, you can develop those key skills and ensure that riding fast in your race position becomes second nature. By riding these efforts at or just below threshold intensity, you’ll be testing those skills and your position under duress.

Top 3 tips for the session

Climbing

When out of the saddle, avoid excessive rocking. Anticipate gear choice as, unless you have satellite shifters, shifting on a TT set-up will require sitting back down.

Descending

Experiment staying down on your extensions when safe, as the free speed gains are significant. Build up your confidence and learn to feather your rear brake while staying aero.

Cornering

The basics of cornering still apply on a TT bike. Brake before turning, push down through the outside pedal and
look where you want to go as you make the manoeuvre.

The session

Warm-up

5-10mins building from easy to moderate

•

3-5mins easy

•

Your warm-up should take you to the start of your skills loop

Main Set

10mins vigorous ride over your skills loop

•

5mins easy

•

Repeat the above for a total of 3-4 loops. Try to go faster, not by upping your effort but by riding smoother and more skillfully.

Cool-down

5-10mins easy

How to adapt the session for beginners

Skills are crucial for novices. See if you can find a more experienced rider to shadow as, by following them, you’ll
learn loads.

How to adapt the session for Ironman

Include a technical loop into your longer endurance rides and really push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Nik Cook

Freelance bike writer

Nikalas Cook is a writer, author, coach and athlete based in the Peak District. He specialises in health, fitness, endurance and adventure sports. Having studied a postgraduate degree in Health and Exercise Science, he worked for eight years as a top personal trainer in London. He was the editor of Totally Active magazine and writes for numerous specialist magazines and websites including 220 Triathlon, Outdoors Magic, Trail Running and Trek and Mountain. He has also edited the British Cycling member’s website, the Insight Zone. He’s written for national newspapers and magazines including The Times, The Financial Times, The Daily Mail, GQ, Men’s Fitness and Red Magazine. But he’s probably most proud of being Derbyshire Life’s beer correspondent. Nik has written two books (Marathon Training: Get to the Start Line Strong and Injury-free; Peak District Trail Running: 22 off-Road Routes for Trail & Fell Runners) and his third, entitled The Road Cycling Performance Manual, was published by Bloomsbury in June 2018. He has also worked with Nigel Mitchell on his book, Fuelling the Cycling Revolution, and with Martin Evans and Phil Burt on their book, Strength and Conditioning for Cyclists. He’s completed numerous cycling challenges including the Trans-Wales MTB stage race, the Fred Whitton, the Raid Pyrenees and both the Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders sportives. Competitively, he likes to combine his cycling with running and has previously won gold in his age-group at the ITU World Long Course Duathlon Championships at Powerman Zofingen.
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