Cycling Tip Two - Do the Splits!
The 'splits' I'm talking about are the kind you measure with a stopwatch or, in this case, a cycle computer or wristwatch. You can divide your ride into as many parts as you like, but the most important split is between the first half and the second half.
On a moderate ride - say around 10-20 miles - it will be quite natural to do a 'negative split', which means you'll probably do the second half quicker than the first. This is because it takes a few miles to warm up and get into your rhythm. The difference can easily be five minutes or more.
On a longer ride, though, you will find you feel strongest long before half way, and it's easy to go out too fast because you feel so good, only to suffer at the end. Many a strong rider has 'bonked' (completely run out of energy) before the end of a long ride, when they felt great for most of it and were really flying at half way.
So, try to ride within yourself for the first half of a ride, even if you know you could go faster, so you do a negative split over the longer distances too. It's not always easy to hold back, but it will pay. Just one or two miles per hour less can be enough to save a significant amount of energy - enough to get you to the finish feeling really alive rather than half dead!
Roy
posted by Roy Everitt at
10:00
1 Comments:
For training rides, finishing exhausted is fine. After all, it's hard work that makes you stronger tomorrow. But you can do this by pushing really hard over the final stretch when you know the end is in sight and you can be confident you'll make it. On the big ride itself, however, or the long tour, those last few miles can be unknown territory for you and your body.
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