When a cyclist decides to take on the additional challenge of competing in a race, he takes on a lot of additional responsibilities as well. Whether you are competing as a cyclist as a portion of a triathlon or as a focused cycling race itself, it takes proper preparation and training to safely race the right way. 

 

You need to follow a training program that gets the go-ahead from your doctor. Don’t simply search for a program online, as anyone can place a training schedule on the Internet that may not be healthy or even thorough enough to prepare you for race day. Look in books or blogs from accredited trainers, established cyclists, or fitness professionals for training programs, or you may opt to join a local training group if you prefer not to cycle alone. Just make sure to first get a full physical to make sure you are in proper health for such a huge endeavor, and clear any program with your health care professional.

 

Keep a journal of your progress in order to gauge how prepared you are for the race. There are a few training journals on the market where all you have to do is input miles, speed, and other data points in a new template for each day. Don’t give up on other important exercises to only do cycling. Alternately, you can also just get a cheap notebook or a beautiful writing journal, whichever you prefer, and keep track of your daily progress on your own. Be sure to write how many miles you biked, the speeds you kept, the time of day of your bike ride, the weather, comments on the terrain, and how you felt before, during, and after the workout.