Professional cycling requires both skill and endurance to perform well. Though skill is something that can only be learnt on the track, endurance is one factor that you can build no matter where you are. Good endurance strength means you have the edge over other players at critical stages of the circuit such as uphill climbs, and finishing stretches. So how does one go about improving his endurance cycling strength, and which regions to focus on to ensure success? Well, let’s find out.

Dodging fatigue – the indispensible gift for a cyclist

Now the first thing you have to understand about your body is that, no matter how trained you are, fatigue is inevitable. But with proper training, it can nevertheless be postponed. Technically it’s what technicians call the lactate threshold. When you cycle, or perform any other physical activity, your body generates lactic acid which causes soreness of muscles and tiredness. The lactate threshold is the point at which your body generates more lactic acid then it can effectively remove, eventually causing fatigue if you push any further. But by slowly working beyond the lactate threshold every day, the limit can be increased significantly. So focus first on improving your weaknesses. Head out to the hills and try to sprint up as fast as you can and see how well you can keep up your power. Try it over and over till you feel comfortable and move on to an even steeper hill. Also try your luck at the dirt track to improve control and have good weight distribution. A word of caution here; with the gift of endurance endowed on your body, you might want to make your bicycle as sustainable with the right servicing and bicycle insurance!

Hit the right weight to power ratio

One of the key factors to having good cycling endurance strength is weight-to-power ratio. It determines how much power your body can produce for its weight. For instance a lean and fit cyclist may be able to keep up his pace much longer than a well-built person, thanks to the well balanced weight-to-power ratio. So try to balance your weight and focus more on increasing power than mass of your muscles. Weight training can also improve your endurance strength significantly, since stronger muscles result reduced fatigue. So focus on training the muscle groups that contribute most to the cycling effort such as your quadriceps and core. But be sure to only train them during the off season time to avoid injuries and over straining.

Rest, diet, sleep – superb ingredients for the perfect cycling fitness cocktail

Training for endurance is a continuous process and doesn’t really have an end. But that doesn’t mean you can just keep on training without taking adequate rest. Endurance improves only when you rest and nourish yourself, so no matter what your schedule may be, find time to sleep for at least 7 hours. And maintain a balanced diet, focusing equally on obtaining carbs as well as proteins. Though you friends may advise you to stay off the carbohydrates, on heavy workout day lack of essential carbohydrates can cause severe muscle damage. So to summarize, improving endurance strength involves dedicated training, homework, proper nutrition and a long, comfortable rest. So get these things right and you will see your endurance improve in no time.

Saving money on holiday plans takes time, patience, and a little tenacity. It’s also worthwhile to know the tricks of the trade too, because that way you can get around them and find money saving options where you didn’t know they existed! There are plenty of ways to save cold, hard cash on your travel plans, and if you’re looking to grab a bargain this summer, or even on a winter jaunt, don’t discount the idea of flying indirect.

Before you roll your eyes and say ‘no way’, let me explain.

Yes, you will add a bit of time onto your travel day, but if you only book a flight that doesn’t add hours and hours onto your day, and if it saves you massively, then what is the problem?

The way I look at it is this – your travel day is practically a day lost on your holiday anyway, because even if you arrive in time for a bit of the evening, you’re too tired to go and do too much anyway, so what’s a couple more hours if it saves you money?

Cutting out the time you’re spending at the airport before you fly is also a good idea, and by that I am talking about looking at how you get from home to the airport. Early flights can be the devil when it comes to staying calm and not being overly tired during your travel. To combat this, I always book a night in an airport hotel if I’m leaving early or flying long-haul. I regularly use the Glasgow Airport hotels, but this is a service that is available at most large UK airports, and if you combine your airport parking needs with a hotel, you can save even more – check out Airparks for bundles such as this.

Adding extras such as these onto your travel plans enhance the whole palaver no end, and will mean you are in a much better frame of mind. In this case, adding a couple of hours extra with an indirect flight won’t be a problem.

It’s a case of weighing up the pros and cons basically – I wouldn’t go for this idea if there was more than a three hours’ wait for a flight, because you’ll just be getting agitated and fidgety, but if it’s a short lay over, I don’t see the problem. If you book with the same company for your entire flight, using Skyscanner is always a good idea here, then you generally don’t need to check in again, and you generally won’t need to collect your luggage at the stop-over; do check this out with the company in question, but I’ve recently flown with Delta and Turkish Airlines, and I checked in for both flights at the initial check in, got both boarding cards, and didn’t have to pick up my luggage. The whole thing was surprisingly easy.

So, the next time you see a major bargain that flies indirect, and you’re umming and ahhing, don’t discount it completely – think it through.