Skip to main content

How To Improve Your Cycling Speed and Ride Like the Wind

Person riding a bike fast with blurred background.
Pixabay

If there’s one thing that cyclists of all levels want to improve upon, it’s speed. Whether you want to keep up with a faster group ride, be able to pack more miles into the day, or simply want to cover more ground every time you go out, then it’s time to consider how you can improve your cycling speed. With a few adjustments to your riding style and stance as well as by adding in some training sessions from time to time, you can pedal faster in no time.

Related Readings

Ride Aerodynamically

Cyclist riding aerodynamically.
Pixabay

One of the easiest — and most immediate — ways to improve your cycling speed is to ride aerodynamically. To do this, you can start by pulling your arms in closer to your body. Make sure they are not fully extended and that your elbows are not poking out. So, bend your arms and pull the elbows in toward your sides. This will cut down on the amount of wind resistance you are fighting against.

To really become more aerodynamic while riding, you should utilize the drop bars if your bike has drop handlebars. By using the drop bars, your body will be forced to bend over and farther down, making your upper body smaller in addition to closing your limbs in. This will minimize wind resistance even more so you can move more quickly down the road.

Use Interval Training

Close-up shot of cyclists legs.
Pixabay

The best thing any cyclist can do to improve their speed is to incorporate quality training time. That certainly includes interval training. To get faster, try adding two to three interval training rides into your week. These training sessions should be sprint blocks that gradually add on time. Spend five minutes sprinting for 30 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest. Once that block is over, ride at a steady, easy pace to recover for three minutes. Continue building up by 15-second intervals until you are sprinting for up to two to five minutes at a time with half the amount of time to recover.

When you are not interval training, pay attention to your cadence on casual rides. Try to hold a slightly faster cadence, adding just five RPMs each time, for the whole ride until you can comfortably hold your desired pace. In addition to intervals, this will help you build endurance so you can hold a higher speed for longer periods of time. Weight training is also helpful for building muscle so you can train better and ride harder.

Read more: Best HIIT Workouts

Ride in a Group

A group of cyclists riding together.
Pixabay

Riding in a group can also be very helpful for improving speed. When you join a group of people, they can encourage you to keep up and ride stronger for the duration of the ride just by being together. The jovial energy between cyclists enjoying the road can push everyone to pedal faster without anyone even noticing.

If you have access to cycling groups that are set based on speeds, then you might want to start riding with the next fastest group up. By joining a group that rides slightly faster, it can push you to ride faster to keep up. Be sure to check if the group is on a no-drop ride, though. Otherwise, you might end up riding alone. If it is a drop ride, that can be helpful, too. You can ride with the group to the best of your ability and if you are dropped, then you can always recover and ride alone. There’s always another ride that will allow you to try again and push harder.

Incorporating a couple — or even several — of these tips will ensure that you are on the way to becoming a faster cyclist.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Molly Harris
Molly Harris is a freelance journalist, cyclist and outdoor enthusiast. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, Lonely…
Tent Buying Guide: How To Find the Best Tent for Your Trip

Choosing the right tent is a big decision. When purchasing a camping tent you have to consider the variety of models, features, and purposes. To make it easier, we composed this convenient and practical tent buying guide to help you find a good shelter, so you can get off the computer and be back outdoors.

The main thing to consider is what you'll be doing. Will you be car camping with lots of space and no weight limits? Or will you be backpacking with limited weight and space? You don’t want to discover you’ve made the wrong choice while camped above tree-line in inclement weather. Fortunately, there’s a perfect tent for every type of adventurer – whether you’re a fast-and-light backpacker, a dedicated car-camper who prefers to travel with a cache of creature comforts, or still in the process of planning your very first night out under the stars.

Read more
The 11 Best Gifts for Cyclists to Enrich Their Bike Riding Experience
A male cyclist with water bottle checking his watch in a park on a sunny day.

Cyclists love getting gear. But, there are a lot of options, from essentials like socks and patch kits to specialty items like trail lights and pint-sized inflators. So, here are just a few of the best gifts for the cyclist in your life.

Related Guides

Read more
The Best Cold Weather Cycling Gear to Buy
A man cycling in winter surrounded by snow.

Credit: Cheap Snow Gear Pixabay

While there are plenty of fair-weathered cyclists out there on the roads, those who love the sport and form of exercise too much to give it up during the harsh winter months know special gear is needed. Whether you are commuting to work or riding your favorite route to keep in shape so you are ready to ride when the weather turns in the spring, there are a handful of essential cold-weather cycling pieces no one should be without. From your fingers to your toes, these exceptional items will make crushing the pedals all the more comfortable this winter.

Read more