5 Tips for Building Endurance | Getting Ready for Epic Rides

Whether you're a seasoned cyclist or just starting out, these five essential tips will help you boost your cycling endurance and prepare you for more epic rides!

If you want to cycle further and faster, join Hank as he gives you training strategies, fuelling advice and overall tips to help you unlock your endurance potential!

Welcome! 0:00
Importance of training consistency 0:28
Low intensity long rides 1:58
Higher intensity intervals 3:19
Utilise polarised training 4:17
Nutrition and hydration 5:08

Useful Links:

Any endurance training tips we forgot to mention? 🚵‍♂️

Let us know in the comments! 💬

Watch more on GCN...

🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Feeling So Good - Off the World
Glowing In The Dark (Instrumental Version) - Loving Caliber
Hey You (Instrumental Version) - Lvly
Immersione - VELDA
Nattkatt (Slowed Version) - Chibi Power
Never As Lonely (oomiee Remix) (Instrumental Version) - Saint Mikel
Still Not Sure - Crystal Shards
Ur Karma (Instrumental Version) - Craig Reever
Where Are You Now (Instrumental Version) - Loving Caliber

#gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #endurance #longride #training #endurancetips

📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sirotti Images

The Global Cycling Network (GCN) is the largest online cycling channel in the world, bringing together a global community of road cyclists to celebrate everything that’s great about the world of cycling.

Our videos bring fans compelling daily content including expert tutorials, techniques, training, racing, cutting-edge bike tech, unparalleled behind the scenes event coverage, humour, entertainment, and more.

Presented by ex-pro riders, GCN offers a uniquely qualified insight into the world of cycling, and most importantly it’s fuelled by our passionate and enthusiastic fans – everyone who makes up the GCN community. We also bring the latest and greatest tech to your attention, showcase the best places in the world to ride and get exclusive access to events and races.

Welcome to the Global Cycling Network | Inside Cycling

Thanks to our sponsors:

Watch our sister channels:

[gcn]

What has your experience been like with endurance cycling? 🚵‍♂ Let us know your endurance goals and any training tips we forgot to mention down below! 👇

[snowballingnunu]

Tip - listen to your body, I was getting neck and knee pain on rides over 1 hour long, I had a proper bike fit and now I'm happy to say I completed a 40k sportive in just under 2 hours pain free, was so much fun, wasn't something I thought I'd be able to do 6 months ago after spending almost 10 years of my life not moving sat in an office, until I discovered the joys of cycling!

[Hur]

I know that not everyone is okay with riding in terrible weather, but I’ve found that investing in high quality deep winter and wet weather gear so that you can go out every day is the best way to be consistent. Ride every day unless the weather is bad enough to actually kill you. It’s so satisfying to be the only person on the road on a crap day.

I ride in cold and wet weather down to around -5°C (it doesn’t get colder than that in the daytime where I live), and will only turn around when the wind goes over 40 kph (sustained), blizzard conditions, heavy sleet, or heavy thunderstorms. I have snow tires to keep upright, and wear layers (sometimes as many as four of them). I even wear ski goggles instead of cycling glasses (to avoid frostbitten eyeballs), have winter cycling boots, and use pogies and chemical handwarmers to keep my hands warm. Finally, I carry a serious amount of emergency kit, including a Mylar blanket, chemical body warmer patches, a packable puffy jacket, a satellite messenger, and a full first aid kit with a wrist/ankle splint and a tourniquet (no, that’s not overkill.)

Sure all the extra stuff is heavy, but, um, training?

[jaikgladstone]

Its worth considering training the mental side of endurance, particularly if you are looking at endurance across multiple days. Being familiar with your decision making while fatigued is incredibly important and you can become familiar by building up your length of rides. Its quite simply been a life saver for me. Another benefit is that you will encounter the natural highs and lows of endurance cycling. Take opportunities to know what those highs and lows feel like. If you are going to be adventuring with others then how the dynamic works with all of the highs and lows is really important too. I have found it to be incredibly beneficial to train that aspect of my endurance alongside all of the physical aspects. Something else I would consider training for to improve your endurance is kit. That could be trying out bike fit variations and clothing for comfort across long or multi day rides or bits of equipment like bars, bags, etc. Whats comfortable for a couple hours isn't necessarily comfortable in hour 6 or beyond. Summary... use your physical training to learn as much as possible about the experience before you're in the adventure of your dreams

[jacksonbangs]

The way I fit in a bicycle training ride into my work day is to ride my bike to and from work. Most of the time my commuter bike is heavier than the bike I ride on the weekends. This helps me improve my cardio and leg strength in a shorter time period.

[WarrenPlayZ_YT]

Just what I needed, I am 12 Years Old, I am preparing for a races in the Summer

[richardmiddleton]

Eddy is correct. To put it another way, "all roads lead to Rome". Do whatever allows you to ride more.

[Reever]

Thank you for the tips. I'm just looking to improve my base and build up my endurance and this is great information to get me on the right track. Thank you again. Something that I experienced recently, dehydration, not easy to recover from at my age.

[francisrizon]

These are the tips that we need ❤ Thank you, GCN 🙏

[andrewcharlesworth]

Really good succinct summary of what you need to do- thanks 👍🏻

[MarkSmithSa]

Bananas, dates, dried figs, coconut water. A ham and cheese sandwich. All much healthier, effective and wallet friendly than gunk out of a tube of gunk. They provide fat, protein, as well as carbohydrates all of which are essential for endurance riding. Also essential are the key electrolytes such as calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium that these foods provide. My current average is 90 Km a day at 30 kph. I have been riding virtually around the world since 26 April 2023 (355 days) and clocked up almost 20, 000 Km so far. So they are much healthier than swallowing ultra processed junk that has no nutritional value other than simply empty calories.

[kevcroft]

Great video with some excellent advice. Just a little too late for me, I’m off to the States at the end of May for the Trans Am Bike Race. Just 6700km of unsupported road riding! Wish me luck, never done anything like this before so it’s needed. 😬

[WCIIIReiniger]

My training is commuting with my selfmodified tracklocross bike. Everytime I need to cycle uphill or get headwind the highintensity training starts :D
Although I did install a power meter this year and can also track the numbers.

[poltem]

going to do a 24hr race end of june on a fixed bike, will try this out next to my regular and quicker rides 👌

[markricketts]

My best tip is to get to bed. Because of my work I have survived the last three weeks on 4 hours sleep a night and my athletic performance has halved.

[geoffreyhoney]

Thanks so much for this super helpful content Hank & gcn!! I had been doing some regular (alternate days) HIIT but I have omitted the longer low intensity rides! Oops! I want to do some multi day bikepacking/touring in Ontario this summer, so this will help me condition properly for it. Love this helpful content! More please!

[Bazza]

60km is my minimum outside...kept it going with Zwift again this winter with some 100km rides(monthly Strava gran fondo) and the Festive 500 done indoors... Goal this year is the 161km/100 miles but want that to be outdoors on a nice glorious sunny day...(Here in Scotland that means I've a few days to chose from before winter is back!)

[gamegreet]

Just what I needed! Am preparing for a race this may!

[Thezuule]

As the proud owner of a San Remo 76 I always enjoy when Merckx is brought up.

[julianmortel]

Great advice for the body, but as we know, to get the body to move, you need the right head. I always choose the right head before going on a long ride. Believing you can do it is so important. This has changed my positive outlook generally, so much so, that I only have one head now. No need to change before long or challenging rides.
I believe this is a feature @GCN should dive into.