Your Best Cycling Body Ever

1. Train Your Brain

Spread out a jigsaw puzzle, setting aside the border pieces. In 10 minutes, do as much of the puzzle as you can. Repeat nightly until the puzzle is complete. (Do the edges last.) Cycling elite coach Stephen Thordarson of Smart Cycling, Inc. says this sharpens your ability to read a pack. “Using a little mental energy can spare a lot of wasted physical effort,” he says. “Scan the crowd and quickly put together the pertinent information: Who’s working together, who’s working their way up from the back, who’s low on fluids, who’s solo and might work with you.”