Break on Through

How to defeat 12 common cycling habits that slow you down

BAD HABIT: I scramble to get ready, which cuts into my riding.
BREAK IT: Get organized.
Devote part of your closet or dresser to riding gear. No space? Donate to charity anything you haven't worn in a year. Then designate a spot for everything: a shelf for jerseys, a basket for shorts, a rack for shoes. Don't forget sunglasses and chamois cream. Do the same in the kitchen for water bottles and energy food. To keep the system viable, be a little anal: When you get back from a ride, return regular items--shoes, gloves, and so on--to their spots. Throw the laundry in the wash. You'll be set for next time.


BAD HABIT: I don't make time to ride.
BREAK IT: Do small things to put yourself in a better position to ride regularly.
Pick a time to ride and stick to it. If darkness or weather interferes, set up the trainer. And then recruit a friend. Numerous studies demonstrate that it's harder to bail on a workout if someone's counting on you to show. But also, be open to spontaneity. If you get a spare half an hour, get on your bike; that's 30 minutes you weren't riding before. Finally, make sure you have a goal you're working toward. A coach can help by offering specific workouts that fit your time window. As you improve, a positive-feedback motivation loop kicks in and you'll want to ride more.


BAD HABIT: I avoid intimidating group rides.
BREAK IT: Find easy, nonthreatening ways to build pack skills.
Here are a few: Work with a buddy on trading pulls, riding closely side by side, and other basics. Not enough structure? Take a class. Many of the nation's 24 velodromes offer beginner sessions. The tips you'll learn translate to the road. Go to for a list of tracks. Similarly, mountain biking and cyclocross improve balance and bike-handling techniques that will leave you more confident in a pack. Finally, find a shop ride with a no-drop policy.


BAD HABIT: I slack off on maintenance, and my bike keeps breaking.
BREAK IT: Learn to care for your bike.
"It's not you, it's me." You know that classic breakup line? This really is you, and it's time to mend your ways. Many shops teach maintenance classes, and step-by-step books like BICYCLING's just-revised Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair offer clear, illustrated instructions. Start with our cheat sheet at right.


BAD HABIT: I binge after rides.
BREAK IT: Make a plan.
Here's the problem: You not only overeat, you also sabotage your recover y by making lousy choices for that all-important refueling window. "A key to a successful diet," says Heather Mangieri, MS, RD, of the American Dietetic Association, "is thinking, Where is my next meal coming from? Maybe Sunday becomes a cooking day, and you spend a few hours making meals for the week and prepackaging them." Then if you roll home hungry, there's something healthy, and the right size, waiting.


Action Plan
A (Very) Basic Bike Upkeep Guide
Flats: After a ride, spin your tires and brush your glove over their surfaces to dislodge debris. Then rotate the wheel slowly to look for cuts or wear. A drop of a sealant such as Stan's can close punctures up to 1mm in size. (Clear out debris first.) Top off your air pressure before every ride, if necessary. If your bike sits on a concrete garage floor, put cardboard underneath to prevent dry rot in the casings.


Chains: After a wet ride, wipe the chain, lube it, and wipe again. In dry conditions, do this every few weeks: Put a drop of all-purpose lube on each link connector, backpedal for a minute, then wipe off the excess. A $10 chain checker tells you when you need a replacement.


Miscellaneous: Every few weeks, make sure brake and derailleur cables aren't frayed and housings aren't cracking. Wear indicators on your brake pads tell you when to change them; see page 26 to learn how. Spin your wheels and watch the pads for random rubbing. Wheel out of true? Take it to a shop.

Bad Habit: I don't address aches and pains, which limits my riding.
Break It: Build stability.
Think of your body as a series of stacked joints that are alternately stable and mobile, says physiotherapist Darcy Norman. For example, the foot is stable; the ankle mobile. "If a mobile joint gets stiff," Norman says, "the stable ones above and below compensate, and move in ways they're not intended to." Norman, who trains the HTC-Highroad team, says knee, back, and neck complaints are the most common among cyclists he sees. To combat this, try the exercises at left.


Action Plan
Building a stronger pedaling platform
Plank Lie on your stomach and prop yourself on your forearms. Curl your toes under and raise your hips, push-up-style. Flatten your back, creating a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Hold for up to a minute, drop your hips to the floor to rest, then repeat twice.


Side Plank Lie on your side with feet stacked. Prop yourself on one elbow, using your forearm for stability. Put the other hand on your hip. Slowly raise your hips off the floor to form a straight line down your spine and legs. Hold for five seconds, then lower to the floor. That's one rep. Do three, then repeat on the other side.


BAD HABIT: I cave to food cravings.
BREAK IT: Make it harder to give in.
"Forget just trying to stop cold turkey," Mangieri says. Instead, separate bags of chips, for example, into single servings. (Check package labels for portion sizes.) Or make problem foods less accessible. If ice cream is your weakness, don't bring it home. If you want it, you'll have to go get it. The point is to make yourself think before eating. And don't use good behavior as a reason to indulge. Aim for healthier rewards instead, like new music on your iPod.


BAD HABIT: I avoid hills.
BREAK IT: Build some power.
If you're intimidated, the best solution is to just face your fear and climb more. But floundering up hills only goes so far. To really excel, you need to build sustainable power, says Frank Overton, founder of FasCat Coaching in Boulder, Colorado. He recommends threshold-interval training, which means riding at a pace just a bit higher than what you can sustain for half an hour. That helps you adapt to all kinds of challenges--including climbs. Try the three workouts at right.


Action Plan
Climb stronger
Long Climbs Do two or three intervals of 10 minutes, taking 10 minutes of soft-pedaling between. On a scale of 1 to 10, your effort should feel like a 7 or 8. If the climb is steep enough that you can't soft-pedal to recover, turn and coast back down.


Shorter Climbs Two intervals of three minutes, with three minutes soft-pedaling in between. Go as hard as you can for the three-minute duration. Do two sets with a six-minute break in between.


Flats Try two to three intervals of 10 to 15 minutes, riding 2 to 4 mph over your normal pace (a 7 or 8 effort level). Do 10 to 15 minutes soft pedaling in between.


BAD HABIT: I always seem to flame out in midsummer.
BREAK IT: Re-examine your goals.
The number one cause of this condition? Too much too soon. If your goal is a cyclocross podium in fall, don't do regimented training in March. Another culprit: not setting goals. Riders looking for fitness alone might lose interest when it comes to threshold workouts. Take a one-week break from the bike, Overton says. When you start back, trade intervals for group rides, or go on long, unstructured rambles with friends. Have fun. After that, pick a goal and build a training plan around it.


BAD HABIT: I always seem to have five pounds to lose.
BREAK IT: Know thyself.
Watch for two culprits: small, under-the-radar snacks and alcohol. With the latter, try cutting your intake in half. With the former, try journaling your diet. Don't just chronicle what you ate, but also why and how: Did you eat some chips midafternoon because you were hungry, or out of habit or boredom? "Getting people in touch with why they eat helps them understand their habits," Mangieri says, "so they can realize if they're not hungry they don't have to eat."


BAD HABIT: I plateau midseason.
BREAK IT: Mix it up.
You're likely doing too much of the same thing, says Overton. Two possible solutions: more hours on the bike, or different riding in the time you have. If you can ride only eight hours a week, add intensity workouts, like the ones at left. If you often ride long and hard, take a few rest days then add some anaerobic intervals. Either w ay, all riders need to grasp the concept of periodization. Overton's workouts are mapped in monthly cycles. The intensity gradually increases for three weeks, followed by a rest week. Then the cycle resumes, only with slightly higher intensity levels.


Action Plan
Add Intensity
Endurance Intervals If you've been riding without structure, add the threshold-power workouts detailed in the climbing tips on page 64.


Anaerobic Threshold Do five intervals consisting of one minute of riding as hard as you can, each followed by a minute of recovery.


BAD HABIT: I quit early on rides because I feel lousy.
BREAK IT: Warm up wisely.
Try Norman's movement-prep technique to get the muscles firing. Just five minutes of this pre-ride pays major dividends. Lunge your right foot forward and drop your left knee close to the floor, hands on floor to balance. Bend your right elbow and bring it toward your right instep as far as is comfortable. Put your hands back on the floor (right one outside of foot) and push hips up and back; try to straighten your legs. Drop back into the lunge briefly, then repeat the sequence in reverse. Do three reps per side.

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