Cycling speed tips: how to get faster on your bike

Everyone wants to ride faster – even those people who say they don’t! – and we have a whole load of articles here on road.cc that will help you get there. If you want to be fit and fast by the summer, you need to be focusing on it now.

Training

We’ve run a Six Weeks to Fitness series that shows you how to get into shape for a sportive or a big ride.

(NB this series was originally published in association with the now-defunct retailer Cycle Surgery, hence the company's logo appearing on the pictures etc)

Six Weeks to Fitness - getting started 
Six weeks to Fitness - Week 1, developing strength 1
Six Weeks to Fitness - Week 2, moving from strength to greater endurance 
Six Weeks to Fitness - Week 3, working on threshold 
Six Weeks to Fitness - Week 4, taking the intensity higher 
Six Weeks to Fitness - Week 5, leg strength work and sprinting 
Six Weeks to Fitness - Week 6, tapering 

Check out our article on 15 personal training and coaching apps to help you get fit too. There’s bound to be something that works for you, like Strava or TrainerRoad, for example

If you want to do some of your training indoors, find out how to get started with Zwift and make your home trainer sessions more fun.

But there's more to connected training that Zwift, deservedly popular as it is. Have a read of our guide to 12 of the best indoor training apps.

Fitness advice

What about if you just want to get thinner? Dave Smith’s article on fat burning myths will help you there. 

If you're planning long rides this year, here's our advice on how to ride further without breaking yourself!

If lower back pain is holding you back, as it is for many cyclists, check out Dave’s article on how to prevent and treat it... including a trick with a tin of rice pudding!

Take a look at Ric Stern’s Fitness Q&As too for some bitesized advice on everything from getting training back on track after illness to tackling knee pain. 

Don’t forget that your diet is crucial. Here’s our advice on how to eat right for sportives and longer rides.

Technique

If you’re lacking fitness, chances are that it’ll be exposed on the hills, so make sure you read our 10 top tips to becoming a better climber.

You can gain time on the downhills too if you get your technique dialled, so make sure you take a look at our 14 tips for better descending.

Fine-tuning your cornering skills will make you faster and safer. Here are our 11 tips for better cornering. 

Along similar lines, and particularly relevant if you're heading off to ride a Continental sportive this year, here's our video showing you how to ride hairpins.

If you're going to ride fast, you need to know how to control that speed effectively, so read our 12 tips for better braking.

Riding fast might make you nervous, so check out our guide to curing speed wobbles too.