To get faster on the bike, you need three main things: a big aerobic engine, the stamina to hold speed, and top-end power to drive you over the finish line. 

While joining a group of faster riders will help you pick up the pace, learning other strategies will boost your overall performance too. Try these three key workouts. Done regularly, they’ll make you a speedier cyclist – guaranteed.

The Engine-Room Ride

WHY IT WORKS: Long, steady endurance rides are essential for building and maintaining speed. Also known as Zone 2, moderate, or base-building rides, these aerobic-intense, fat-burning rides aren’t fast, but they help you become fast by creating a massive aerobic engine. 

These rides develop your type-one muscle fibres, which house the bulk of your muscle’s energy-producing mitochondria. Long, aerobic-focused rides stimulate mitochondria growth and improve their function so you become an all-star fat burner, which helps you preserve the glycogen you need to hit the gas and go faster longer.

HOW TO DO IT: Do your engine-building rides at about 65 to 74% of max heart rate (MHR); 56-75% of functional threshold power (FTP); and about 4 or 5 on a 1 to 10 scale, where 10 is the hardest. A solid Zone 2 ride for most people lasts two to three hours. Aim for one of these rides (or more, if you have time) each week.

The Cruise Control Ride

WHY IT WORKS: Once you’re up to speed, you want to be able to hold that pace so you can hang with the pack without having to fade to the back. Or worse, drop off! This Cruise Control ride is meant to be ‘fun fast’ as opposed to ‘Ermagerd, I’m dying’ fast. By riding in Zone 3, you’ll also learn to hold your own in a fast-moving paceline.

HOW TO DO IT: During your ride, aim for two to four longer efforts (10-30 minutes in length, with 5-15 minutes easy pedalling in between). The efforts must increase your breathing rate. Aim to elevate your heart rate to around 80-85% of your MHR; 84-94% of FTP; and 7 on a 1 to 10 scale. It should feel as though you’re trying to hang with someone slightly faster than you. Aim for one Cruise Control ride a week.

The Throttle Twister

WHY IT WORKS: You can’t go mad fast if you never go mad fast; yes, you need to do some high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This ride is meant to be ‘Dear Lord, make it stop’ fast. But it’s short, so it’s manageable. HIIT work raises your lactate threshold, so you can ride faster and further before your legs slam on the brakes.

HOW TO DO IT: Warm up first with about 15-20 minutes of easy spinning. Aim to do 4-6 very hard or maximum efforts, ranging from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. In between, spin easy for twice the length of the interval. Complete these intervals at 95-100% of MHR; maximum FTP; and 9-10 on that 1 to 10 scale. Aim for one session a week.

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