Remember to switch to an easier gear whenever you’re going uphill, so you can maintain the same pedaling cadence. You could get an RPM monitor for your bike to keep track of the exact number of rotations you are pedaling per minute and help you stay in the 80-100 range.
If you find it hard to pedal without moving your upper body side to side or leaning forward and back, try riding in an easier gear that allows you to do all the work with your leg muscles.
For example, if you’re going on a ride for 3 hours, pedal at a slow, comfortable pace for the first hour to avoid tiring out at the beginning. You can then increase your level of effort during the second hour after you’re warmed up, but don’t give it 100% yet. Once you pass 2 hours of riding, work as hard as you can for the last hour of the ride.
Every time you brake and slow down, you have to work harder to pedal back up to speed again. This lowers your overall speed over distances and causes you to use more energy unnecessarily.
For example, you could switch to a carbon fiber bike or change parts like the handlebars and forks for lighter versions to decrease your bike’s weight. If you ride with a backpack, take anything out of it that you don’t need before you get on your bike.
You can also use thinner tires for less rolling resistance. This is why road bikes have much thinner tires than mountain bikes, so they can go faster on flat, paved surfaces.
Wearing tight clothing also helps with your aerodynamics. Baggy clothing will basically act like a sail and catch wind, causing you to slow down. Tight-fitting clothing, like cycling shorts and jerseys, will catch very little air and create the least amount of drag.
If you have to ride into a headwind at some point, try to do so at the beginning of the ride when you are feeling freshest, then ride with the wind at your back towards the end of your ride when you’re more tired.
For example, if you have other friends who cycle, you can plan weekly group rides to mutually benefit from the increased speed that drafting provides. You could also look for a local cycling group on social media or a meetup-type app or site.
If you’re not overweight, don’t try to lose weight just to go faster on your bike. This can be very unhealthy. Focus on other methods and techniques for increasing your speed.
For example, if you’re riding along a street with a bunch of lamp posts, you could pedal hard until you pass 5 lamp posts, then pedal at a normal pace past 10 more lamp posts, then do another interval of hard work for 5 lamp posts, and so on. As an alternative to using landmarks to control your intervals, you can time yourself by counting in your head or using a stopwatch. Try pedaling hard for something like 2 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes before you do another interval of fast pedaling.
If you’re pedaling in a hard gear that makes you do less than 50 cranks per minute, put your bike into an easier gear. Otherwise, you can strain your knees and get injured, rather than productively build muscle.
If you’re going on a long ride where you won’t be able to fill up your bottle along the way, bring multiple bottles or wear a backpack with a water reservoir that holds more water than a standard bottle.
Aim to eat small, healthy foods that are high in energy and nutrition. Avoid eating large, heavy meals while you’re cycling. Feel free to eat a big meal after your ride, though! For example, if you know your ride is going to take about 4 hours, you can bring an energy bar to eat after the first 2 hours and something like a peanut butter sandwich to eat after 3 hours.
