The number of people who have gone cycling in the United States reached a 13-year high in 2022 with 54.7 million. Although many of these individuals only went for an occasional ride, there were also a lot who became heavily focused on cycling as a way to improve their health. Once you’ve gotten used to cycling, though, it becomes important to improve your speed and endurance if you want to keep pushing your fitness goals forward. 

Cycling endurance training for beginners

As an absolute beginner, it’ll be most important to build up your endurance. Just as with every other type of exercise, it’s important to start with a short ride and build your way up from there. The way that’s most commonly suggested is by following a four-week beginner’s plan. 

Week One: 

During week one, the most vital thing to focus on is simply getting on your bike and riding. Therefore, it works well if you go cycling three times during this initial week. Take a ride every other day during the first six days, and increase the time you ride for from:  

• Day One – 15 minutes of easy cycling
• Day Three – 20 minutes of easy cycling
• Day Six – 30 minutes of easy cycling 

On the opposite days, try to fit in some walking or yoga. They’ll help your mobility, flexibility, and balance. On day seven, focus on fitting in some cross-training by lifting weights or doing any other non-aerobic workout. 

Week Two: 

By week two, you should begin to feel more comfortable riding your bike for 15-30 minutes. This week will focus on upping your intensity. 

• Day One – 15 minutes of moderate cycling 
• Day Three – 20 minutes of moderate cycling 
• Day Six – 30 minutes of moderate cycling

This time, you’ll use day two to focus on yoga or walking. Day four and day seven should be devoted to non-aerobic workouts. On day six, though, you should give your body a break by not working out at all. 

Week Three: 

Week three begins to teach you about the importance of doing interval training. This enables you to begin building speed into your workouts. 

• Day One – 15 minutes of easy cycling followed by 10 minutes of moderate cycling. 
• Day Three – 20 minutes of easy cycling followed by 15 minutes of moderate cycling. 
• Day Five – 10 minutes of easy cycling followed by 1 minute of moderate cycling. Repeat this process three times for a total of 33 minutes. 

Take a 45–60-minute walk or yoga session on day two. On days four and seven, focus on cross-training. Take day six to rest. 

Week Four:

This week, you’re going to focus on putting together the skills you’ve learned during the last three weeks. 

• Day One – 10 minutes of easy cycling followed by 20 minutes of moderate cycling. 
• Day Three – 10 minutes of easy cycling. Then find a hill that’s relatively easy to climb and use easy cycling to go up and down the hill 10 times. 
• Day Five -- 10 minutes of easy cycling followed by 30 minutes of moderate cycling. 
• Day Seven – Go for distance! You’ll be riding for 60 minutes, so make sure you’re prepared with water and maybe even some snacks. Take an easy to moderate cycling speed. 

You’ve reached the end of your four-week endurance training! When you first started, 15 minutes of easy cycling may have tired you out, but now you can go for 60 minutes. By completing this cycling endurance training for beginners’ program, you’ve learned to ride farther and at a higher speed at a relatively fast rate. 

Cycling training zones

Now that you’ve learned how to build cycling endurance, it’s time to take it to the next level. Using cycling training zones is the best way to continue your endurance cycling training plan. 

To get started, first you’ll need to figure out your heart rate and power percentage. The easiest way is with the Functional Threshold Power (FTP) test. Go as hard as you can for a full 20 minutes. Then calculate your FTP by taking your average power and multiplying it by 0.95. Use a training app or indoor bike with a pre-set FTP test to give you all the numbers you’ll need. 

Zone One – Active Recovery 

• Power – Less than 55%
• Heart rate – less than 68%

You can have easy conversations, your breathing will be light, and you’ll only put minimal pressure on your pedals. 

Zone Two – Endurance 

• Power – 56-75%
• Heart rate – 69-83%

Talking is still easy, but you’ll find yourself breathing a bit more frequently and heavier. Use this zone for endurance training, and you should be able to work your way all the way up to a three-hour ride. 

Zone Three – Tempo 

• Power – 76-90%
• Heart rate – 84-94%

Also known as the sweet spot, Zone Three should make talking a bit uncomfortable. You’ll need to concentrate more to maintain your speed, and your breathing will become sharper. 

Zone Four – Threshold 

• Power – 91-105%
• Heart rate – 95-105%

This zone should be maintained for 10-30 minutes. You’ll find it very difficult to hold a conversation. Your breathing will become heavy, but not to the point of straining. Mental determination and concentration are required as you begin to ‘feel the burn.’ 

Zone Five – VO2 Max 

• Power – 106-120%
• Heart rate – 107%+ 

Zone Five can only be maintained for a few minutes at a time. It’s painful, will make your breathing heavy, and will require a lot of effort to maintain. To reach this stage of muscle strength and responsiveness requires you to reach your maximum oxygen consumption (VO2).

Zone Six – Anaerobic Capacity 

• Power – 121%+ 
• Heart rate – N/A 

Hitting Zone Six during interval training is very painful. In fact, if you can sustain Zone Six for more than three minutes, you’re probably not really in Zone Six. For beginners, even 30 seconds will feel like a lifetime. 

Cycling Endurance Training

Riding in Zone Two is how to improve cycling endurance. However, keep in mind that Zone Two is not immediately as productive as cycling at higher intensities. For this reason, the less time you’re able to devote to cycling each week, the more time you should spend above the endurance zone. 

Of course, even professional cyclists can only spend so much time above Zone Two. In fact, those who train for approximately 25 hours per week will spend the vast majority of this time in Zone Two. 

The difference between Zone Two and Zone Three is how much time you can realistically devote to your cycling training. Doing two to three workouts a week in Zone Three will enable you to see results quickly, especially if you’re using the right gear and equipment for your body size. However, if you’re able to dedicate several hours per week to your training, it’s better to go with slower, consistent gains by staying mostly in Zone Two. 

Endurance cycling nutrition

It’s generally best to fuel up two-three hours before you begin Zone Two training. It’s wise to eat carbs so that your body has the fuel it needs to make it all the way through your workout. Another perk of eating carbs is that they’ll help your body avoid muscle damage. Of course, you shouldn’t eat just any type of carbs. Instead, try to focus on healthy carbs, including: 

• Oats
• Quinoa
• Bananas
• Buckwheat 
• Beets
• Sweet potatoes 
• Blueberries 
• Oranges 
• Apples 
• Grapefruit 
• Chickpeas
• Kidney beans 

Try to avoid eating unhealthy, or simple, carbs such as: 

• Refined or enriched pasta 
• White bread
• Refined or enriched dough 
• White rice 
• Pastries 

By providing your body with healthy carbs, also known as complex carbs, you’ll have the necessary fuel to make it through your workouts without crashing. 

Cycling Speed Training

Up to this point, we’ve given you several workout tips to build your endurance. Now, it’s time to learn how to improve cycling speed and endurance. A good beginning point is to find out how fast you should be going! 

• Beginner – 10 mph 
• Intermediate – 15.5 mph 
• Advanced – 20 mph 
• Expert – 25 mph

So, how can you achieve the speed levels listed above? By relying on the following tips: 

• Ride with a group – This will encourage you to ride faster and harder than if you were to ride alone. By simply being there, you’ll be able to help others, too! 

Use Energy Efficiently – Avoid unnecessary braking, and don’t speed up to a red light. Instead, slow down as you approach the light and try to time it out so that you don’t have to stop at all. Also, let gravity do the work for you while riding downhill. 

Ride Like a Tortoise – When you were young, your parents probably taught you to ride in an upright position. Unfortunately, this is not conducive to riding faster. Instead, use the aero, or tortoise, approach by reducing your front profile and by tucking your elbows and head in. 

Work on Your Cadence – Cadence means the number of times your pedals turn during a minute. Therefore, instead of trying to pedal harder, pay attention to pedaling faster. This provides less muscle strain and should leave you with more energy. You want a smooth, efficient style that helps you gain speed. 

Keep Track of Your Pace – Use a power meter to ensure you don’t let up on your pacing. There are many situations where it would be easier to ease up, and this is exactly what will happen unless you can see your actual pace. 

Use Your Bike’s Gears Efficiently – Take the time to learn about your bike’s gears, along with which gear should be used for what type of terrain, before you try to gain endurance and speed. Your bike should be working with you, not against you. 

Use Interval Training – As pointed out earlier in this article, interval training is a fantastic way to train yourself to go faster. For example, you could speed up to Zone Three or Zone Four for a few minutes, then drop back down to Zone Two for a few minutes, etc. 

Do Indoor Cycling – It might sound counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to speed up your pace is with indoor training. You won’t have to worry about the terrain or weather, and there are a lot of indoor training apps that can help you. 

Do Climbs – Climbing a hill is hard, and doing so can make your average speed take a big hit. Rather than avoid them, though, practice doing them until you get better at it. 

Ride Off-Road – Off-road riding is the best way to boost your bike handling skills and balance. By riding off-road from time to time, you’ll pick up more speed when you ride on a road. 

Remain Properly Fed and Hydrated – Staying hydrated is hugely important. It’s been shown that losing even 2% of your body water will make you less efficient. Furthermore, be sure to take in enough carbs to fuel your workout. Plus, don’t forget to eat after your workout too. 

Choose the Right Route – Check the weather and your route options. Try to select an option that won’t make you ride into any headwinds. 

 

How the Right Compression Socks Can Help Improve Cycling Performance 

Every item of clothing you wear can have a big impact on your overall cycling performance. When it comes to what’s on your feet, your best bet is to wear compression socks such as those made by TRUEENERGY®. 

Compression socks stabilize your calf muscles, which reduces muscle oscillation. In turn, you’ll end up with less muscle damage, plus the onset of fatigue will be delayed. Additionally, compression socks help with: 

• Blood circulation
• Muscle recovery 
• Delivering oxygen to your muscles 
• Supporting your Achilles tendon
• Reducing your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis  

Are you looking for a pair of compression socks that can help improve your cycling performance? Whether you’re a woman or a man, TRUEENERGY® can help! Our socks also feature infrared technology, strategic cushioning, arch band compression, a comfort welt top, and moisture wicking fabric to help keep your feet dry and comfortable! 

Purchase your compression socks today and experience how much of a difference they’ll make!