Firstly, we need to define what you mean by better cyclist. Do you mean faster, stronger, able to ride further, climb quicker or simply look better?

Let’s look at an area that lots of people can relate to – how can I get faster, or rather, how can I increase the average speed of my rides.

Firstly, you need to take a step back and look at your ride in its entirety. Each moment spent stopped is dropping that average speed. Spend as little time as possible stationary. You’ll see that your average speed isn’t just distance/ time. It is impacted by lots of things, some in your control, and others out of it. We always focus on controlling what we have control over. You can’t influence how steep the roads you ride are, but you can choose where to ride. You control the frequency of your stops, how efficient you are when you stop, the frequency of your mechanical stops and how long it might take to get moving after a flat. Each of those are aspects that can be controlled and big time savings made. And the best thing, getting better at them will barely cost you a penny.

To improve your on-bike performance, unfortunately there are no short cuts or easy options. There are good and bad ways to learn though so here are a few of our tips to make your improvement a little more straightforward.

It has been pointed out many times that the only way to get good at riding a bike, is by riding a bike. However, there are lots of things that you can do to make your training more effective – things that are relatively easy to do so why not try them in tandem with your training and see how you get on;

Pedal and position. Learn to pedal. It seems obvious but if you can’t pedal, you’ll never be a good cyclist. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been riding for, looking at your technique and the position on the bike is an effort free way to improve your speed without having to do any work.

Manage your efforts. On a 4 hour ride, you need to gauge your efforts and manage your fuelling so that you are still able to ride strong in the last part of the ride. This takes time so don’t’ be disappointed if you get it wrong a few times – it’ is all a learning experience.

Share the work – it isn’t always possible to do so but where you can, ride with a group. Learn how to ride on a wheel and how to ride ‘through and off’. Doing a long ride in a group is so much easier than riding solo but only if the group is disciplined. If you do ride with a group of mates and it always seems like hard work – maybe get some advice on how the group needs to behave?

Corner and descend quickly and safely. Riders will train for hours to improve their climbing only to lose all of those hard gained advantages when the road goes downhill. Spend time to learn good technique for cornering and for descending. It isn’t just a matter of going as fast as you can and not touching the brakes – learning the right line to take through corners as well as when and how hard to brake is just as essential as learning to climb fast.

Learn how to get the best from your bike. Spending some time learning how the bike works – what gears you have and when to use them, how the brakes work as well as some simple basic mechanical skills like removing a wheel and changing a tube / fixing a flat will potentially save you hours of frustration and time spent waiting for a lift.

If you live somewhere flat – make sure you have appropriate gears for the terrain you are using. Likewise, if you live in the mountains, make sure you have gearing appropriate for that. Don’t assume that bike manufacturers have specced a bike to be suitable for you.

Fuel. An average person needs about 2500  /2000 calories each day to exist. Throw in a load of exercise and that number goes up. For some, a big breakkie is all that is needed, for others carb drink works, others prefer gels. Everyone is different so take time to learn what works for you. Learn to drink and eat while riding.

Kit. If you are planning on riding regularly, be prepared to get the right kit. As a minimum, shorts and a jersey will make you comfortable. Then be prepared to treat yourself to some nice (comfortable) cycling shoes, clipless pedals, gloves, jackets, glasses, winter kit, summer kit, etc, etc… Having the right kit really does make a difference.

Care for your bike. As you ride, especially in bad weather, the bike will attract dirt and grit and eventually things will start to wear out.

Learn some very basic bike care and maintenance and keep your bike riding smoothly as well as extend the life of your components. With chains costing upwards of £30 and cassettes coating over £100, extending their lifespan by a month or two will soon add up to a decent saving over a year, and your bike will look and sound better too. A clean bike is an efficient bike.