Beginner Tips | Winter Riding | Cross Training | Training In Earnest | Special Hill Training | Additional Training Links 

The New Jersey Ride Against AIDS schedules training rides throughout the spring and summer. Check the Calendar of Events page for dates and locations.

• Participate in the organized training rides. Ask the ride leader or other experienced cyclists for guidance on riding form, clipping in and out of your pedals, hydrating, and other issues.
• Don’t stop for more than 10-15 minutes. Longer rest breaks can make you stiff and sap your motivation. If you do stop for longer, then be sure to stretch before riding again and warm up again by riding easy for a mile or two.
• Build up to higher speeds and longer mileage, but ride regularly.
• Be sure to ride hills, even in your early rides.
• Improve your cycling by pedaling faster one day of the week, not riding faster. Shift the chain to an easy gear and keep it there on flat terrain. Concentrate on spinning the wheels smoothly.
• Learn to read a cue sheet. Don’t just follow other riders. Riders who do not put cue sheets on the bike where the sheet can be easily read while riding get lost! If you are following one of these riders, then you will also get lost. Follow the road signs on the cue sheet, as mileage is approximate. Use the map only if the cue sheet is not clear or you are lost.
• Brake before corners and take the corners slowly (if at all possible, do not brake while in a corner). Accelerate when straightening out. When cornering, keep your inside pedal up, away from the road.
• Occasionally take one hand off the bar and shake it. This relaxes your shoulder and elbow. And keep your shoulders out of your ears! Don’t hunch your shoulders, keep them down and bend your elbows down for correct riding posture.
• Develop your abdominal muscles to stabilize riding position and balance strong low-back muscles.
• Out of breath? Slow your cadence by shifting to a higher (harder) gear.
• Tired legs? Speed up your cadence by shifting to a lower (easier) gear.
• Wet road? Double your normal braking distance.
• Leaves? Gravel? Ice? Relax, anticipate the road condition, keep the bike underneath you and stay centered over your bike. Try to keep the wheels straight. Don’t brake or turn unless you have to.
• If you fall, do not put your hand out to stop yourself. Rather, roll as you hit the ground.

return to top

• Continue to ride, weather permitting. Ride at a slower speed and work on riding skills. When it’s cold, don’t stop for more than a few minutes. Ride to stay warm.
• Cold hands? Take one hand off the bar and snap it out to the side. This will quickly force more blood into the hand. Also, make sure your gloves are not too tight so that your circulation is not cut off when your hands are gripping the brake levers. Numb feet from the cold? Walk or run one minute for every 20 on the bike.
  

return to top

If you cannot ride, do other exercises, such as taking spinning classes; using a rowing machine, stair climber, cross-country ski machine, or stationary bike; running or walking, or even ice skating (speed skating is excellent for cycling).

Stretch. Stretch at the gym, at work, while watching TV. Have someone show you correct stretches for quads, hamstrings, buttocks, calves, Achilles tendon, arms, neck and shoulders. Stretch your calves again. Do plenty of abdominal work.

Weight train. Have an experienced trainer or weight lifter show you correct weight training technique. You do not have to lift heavy weights, but correct technique and full range of motion is essential. Always warm up with light weights for each exercise. Try 2-3 sets (not including warm up sets) of 12-15 repetitions for each exercise. If you do not have time to go to the gym three or more times a week, then at least try to do some leg exercises, squats and lunges, with light weights. Lunges can be done at home with no weight or with dumbbells.

If you can go to the gym three or four times a week, then try the following basic routine using light weights and higher reps:

Ride once or twice during the week. If you can’t ride, cross train. (Spinning, running, etc.)

Ride consistently and try to ride the distances listed below. If you cannot ride these distances, ride what you can and cross train.

One-Leg Workouts. One-leg workouts will make your legs stronger, smooth out your spin, increase your leg speed, and boost your anaerobic power. Do the workout once a week. Warm up for 15-20 minutes with easy two-legged pedaling. Cool down for 10 minutes with easy two-legged pedaling.

• “RPM” is the revolutions per minute, or cadence.
• “39” means the small chain ring (or the middle ring for a triple chain ring set)
• “53” means the large chain ring.
• The second number, 13, 15, 17, etc., is the rear cassette ring.

Beginners & Casual Riders:

Proper pre-ride and during-ride nutrition is essential to climbing hills.

Smile! A more positive attitude will relax you and help you get up that hill. Don’t think about surviving the hill, your pain or fatigue, because you will inevitably slow down. Instead, take control of the hill and think about how much stronger you are getting by doing the hill. Don’t anticipate the top, but focus closer and expect another bend, then another.

Ease into hills so you don’t use all your energy early. To maintain momentum, downshift to a lower gear before you have to. Loosen up and change positions, such as middle of saddle, back of saddle (more hamstrings and glutes), front of saddle (more quads), and standing.

To develop more power and speed up a hill, practice staying seated in your saddle for as long as you can continue pedaling. If you have a triple chain ring, try to stay in the middle chain ring and not use the “granny” gear. Over time, you will notice that the hills get easier as you develop more power. If a hill is just too much, then use your granny gear or alternate sitting with standing.

Stand (get out of the saddle) when you start losing power. Stand so your weight is over the pedals. When standing, slightly rock back and forth establishing a gentle, rhythmic, swaying motion, like a metronome. Keep your hands on the hoods when you stand. When standing, you should shift into a higher gear as you have your body weight to help you pedal. If you are standing as you reach the top of the hill, continue to stand until you are over the crest, increase momentum, and then sit down. If you sit down before reaching the crest you will slow down and the person in back of you may not expect it and run into you. The same applies if you are standing to pass someone on a hill.

Other tips:

• Don’t tightly grip the handle bar. Don’t climb in the drops.
• Keep your head up and look forward. It’s harder to breathe when you drop your head. Remember to breathe, and breathe deep.
• Relax the shoulders and keep them down and back, so your chest is open for strong, deep breathing, and keep your elbows bent and down.
• Keep knees close to down tube to maximize your quads’ power.
• Keep back flat to help lower back muscles, quads and flexors work together.
• A shorter ride (20 miles) over hills will make you a faster rider than a 30-mile flat ride.

return to top

Additional Training Links

• Active.com
• Cycling Education

return to top