How do you start cycling training as a beginner?

Regardless of age, we all started with road cycling at some point. Some people simply get on the bike or head out with a friend, while others take a fully thought-out approach. Either way, it never hurts for beginners and more advanced riders alike to follow a training plan. It helps you understand your performance better and optimize your effort. In this blog, we break down a solid cycling training plan for beginners. So you can get off to a strong start!

Preparing for cycling training as a beginner

Before you start training or begin riding more intensively, make sure you’ve already checked off a few essentials. Pay attention to the following four points:

• Did you buy a second-hand bike? Then stop by a bike shop to have it checked over. It’s important not to ride with worn components (brakes, gears, tires, chain, etc.). That way, you’ll be riding safely and comfortably from day one.
• Get a bike fit. Training puts stress on the body, and although cycling is relatively low-injury, it’s incredibly important that your bike is adjusted to fit you personally. A poorly fitted bike can cause pain in your hands, elbows and knees, neck and shoulders, and back. With a bike fit, you’ll train more comfortably and reduce the risk of injuries.
• Wear the right clothing. You don’t need to spend hundreds of euros on a professional outfit right away. But it is important to wear comfortable cycling clothing. Bike saddles are firm and unpadded because they are designed to be ridden with bib shorts with a chamois. In addition, cycling clothing is not made from cotton, but from moisture-wicking fabric.
• Wear a helmet!

Items you don’t need to get started

There is a wide range of products you can buy as a cyclist. As a beginner, it’s important to realize that you don’t need to spend a fortune. The following three things are not (yet) necessary when you’re just starting out:

Power meter: Training with power is remarkably effective and a power meter is a very valuable tool, but you can make a lot of training progress before needing to invest in one.

Heart rate monitor: Just like a power meter. Do you happen to have a wearable that tracks your heart rate? Then of course it’s nice to start using it right away.

Everything made from carbon (carbon fiber): carbon is light and strong, but also expensive and fragile. Start with more robust and affordable materials. As a beginner (and as pro), an aluminum frame is perfectly fine for riding on the road.

Cycling training: the first week

Start by riding three to five times a week. Between 30 and 60 minutes per ride. Then estimate how much time you ride per week. Also include your commuting on the bike. Then try to increase the time you spend on two wheels by 10 percent each week.

Important tip: don’t go too hard. For example, don’t jump from zero to four high-intensity spin classes in one week. Start by building volume and add intensity later. Begin with a pace you can sustain well at a moderate intensity level. That’s a 4-5 on a scale of 10, where 1 is sitting in the café looking at your bike and 10 is going as hard as you possibly can.

Cycling training: the first month

During the first month, you should also keep adding that 10 percent per week. Make sure to include one rest day per week – so no training at all. If you start reaching the maximum time you can spend on each ride, simply because work or family doesn’t allow for more, try to spend more time riding at the weekend. By doing longer rides, you create a significant training stimulus. This is the stimulus that helps your body adapt and become stronger.

Connect with the cycling community. Ask around to see if friends or colleagues ride too — maybe you can go out together sometime! Riding with more experienced cyclists is the best way to learn bike-handling skills. As with everything, there is a learning curve when you start cycling. Everyone started somewhere, and most people are happy to help a less experienced rider. Or look for a cycling club near you. They often organise weekly events at different levels.

If you prefer training indoors, or if the times you have available to train mean you need to stay inside, you can still connect with the cycling community through apps such as Strava and Zwift. Give an indoor cycling workout of less than 60 minutes a try.

Cycling training: the first three months

Riding more hours will maintain your fitness up to a certain point. Now it becomes important to increase intensity alongside volume. This is where interval training comes in. Interval training is a way to increase the overall load by alternating periods of higher intensity with recovery periods at lower intensity. Intervals can be long or short, a light challenge or tough, and everything in between. There is an inverse relationship between the intensity of an effort and how long you can sustain it. The harder the interval, the shorter it will be, and vice versa. Cyclists can use this relationship within a single workout, a series of workouts, or an entire training block.

How do you progress from here?

In the next blog, we’ll take a closer look at the transformation from beginner to advanced cyclist. Alongside increasing the intensity of your training, the right nutrition and clothing are also important. Keep an eye on the Acelera Blog to discover the next steps. Or explore other articles on cycling training.