Do you not have enough time to cycle? Would you like to get the most out of it? We’ve found the following tips to help you stay fit through cycling while taking control of your schedule.
Shortening daylight hours, work demands, family responsibilities, and social events can all crowd out the time we want to spend on our bikes. As a 2023 Mintel survey noted, a quarter of Brits cite “lack of time” as the key reason they compromise on their hobbies.
Meanwhile, a study by the British Heart Foundation found that of the 40% of Brits who own a bike, three-quarters say they don’t ride as much as they’d like.
Fortunately, with the following time-efficient exercise methods, strategies for incorporating cycling into your daily routine, and time management tips, you can find more ways to cycle, improve your fitness, and make significant progress without compromising other important things in your life.
Take a look at your life.
“For clients who say they want more time on the bike – whether it’s to prepare for an event, improve their fitness, or just to get more mileage on the bike – the first step I take is a lifestyle audit,” explains cycling coach Paul Mir. “I have them evaluate their week – work, family, social – so we can see how much time they have available for training.
Honesty is crucial here: it doesn’t work if you overestimate the time you have available. If someone says they have 20 hours to train, but they only have 10, I can’t plan a plan appropriately.” According to Mir, who has more than 25 years of experience training riders of all levels, once you’ve taken a look and have a realistic idea of how much time you have on the bike, there are smart ways to change the ratio in favor of riding.
Take a short, intense workout.
“Traditionally, increasing endurance meant putting in long hours of training, but with limited time, we turn to high-intensity training as a shortcut to endurance,” Mir explains. “If someone has 20 hours a week to ride, they’ll have better endurance than someone who only has four. But 20 hours isn’t realistic for most people. My job is to maximize the benefits in the time they do have while being careful because high-intensity training can cause fatigue.”
The key is that even 30 minutes of interval training has significant training benefits, especially if you build up to 10 minutes or more at a high intensity. Zwift has a lot of ready-made training sessions that are about 30 minutes long.
Get a coach
Becoming fitter so you can ride more while avoiding fatigue and injuries that can cause you to stop riding requires a balance between goals and riding time. Using a training plan is fine, but AI-driven training platforms like TrainingPeaks, while providing great training sessions, can’t tell if you’re mentally or physically fatigued. Having a coach will help evaluate the data and, more importantly, how the client is feeling.
Cycling for work
“Whenever I meet a new work contact, one of the first questions I ask is, ‘Do you cycle?’” says Jonathan Williams, a wellness expert at wellness consultancy Mindwork. “If the answer is yes, then I suggest an hour-long chat and ride the next time we meet. The positive vibes of riding together are sky-high, and you can agree on distance and intensity, and use stops at cafes to seal deals or resolve work issues.”
Commit to your commute.
Count your commute as training time, even if it’s not serious training. Commuting, especially in a city, doesn’t make it fair for someone to go all out on the way to work; they’re not in the mental state to do it. Commuting should be separated from specific training areas. However, that’s not to say you can’t combine your daily A-to-B commute with some serious training.
If you’re training for a major event, a long commute to work is a great opportunity to get in some basic training, as super cyclist and coach Jasmine Mueller can attest. “Cycle to work meetings and take a change of clothes with you,” she says. “That’s how I did a lot of my long rides when I was a management consultant – even from London to Wales.”
Work out at home
“A cycle trainer allows you to get a lot of training in without leaving the house,” says Mir. “In winter, it makes it easier to keep training.” Devon cyclist Gary Dunn believes he can get an extra hour of riding time per week because his cycle trainer is always available. “I have one bike permanently fixed to the trainer so I can ride it whenever I have a free moment. Plus, the bike I use for outdoor riding is always ready to go – just check the tires and chain regularly and you’re good to go.”
Spread out your rides.
“I use an Excel spreadsheet to track progress and forecast upcoming rides,” says Dunn. Using the Goal Seek feature in Excel, Dunn sets a target mileage number that automatically adjusts each time he updates it with the latest ride data. “For example, last week I rode about 30 kilometers more than I had allocated for that week—so this week the target number has been adjusted to include fewer, shorter rides. I check my updated goal in the morning, decide whether to ride indoors or outdoors, and then look through my Strava history for rides that match the distance.”
Ride with a Buddy
Having a riding buddy is essential to making sure you get out there and train. A riding buddy keeps you accountable to your training, and this relationship is a great motivator on days when you’re not feeling your planned activity—especially in wet weather. Once you’re on the bike with a buddy, you’ll want to ride more and harder. Don’t put it off until tomorrow.
“One minute today is three minutes tomorrow,” explains psychologist and time management expert Cliff Arnold. “Preparing drinks, checking tires, and checking the weather forecast will take three times as long tomorrow as it will today.” Rushing to prepare before a ride is likely to result in delays.
Arnold adds. “One of the best and cheapest time management techniques is to get things done now.”
Stop Busywork
A very common time-wasting habit is busy work. “This could be taking too long to get ready for a ride, playing video games for too long, or watching boring TV late at night when you should be asleep,” Arnold advises. “Using a simple countdown timer – rather than your phone or watch – will pay off handsomely in extra time, saving hundreds of pounds and bringing a calmer state of mind.”
He recommends allocating a fixed amount of time to each task. "Decide how long you think these activities will take, or how much time you're willing to spend doing them, and set the countdown timer. When it starts beeping or flashing, it's time to stop. After a few days of regular use, this will form a great new habit, and eventually, you won't need the timer anymore."
Wash your bike on time.
I would highly recommend trying to clean your bike as soon as you get home, especially in the winter. Yes, it's cold, but five minutes of hose-off can save a lot of time dealing with it when it's already wet and dirty. Getting your bike ready prevents a lot of procrastination, which is one of the reasons people stay on the couch.
Bike Vacations
Does your family want a beach vacation, but you want to go out for a bike ride? Why not please everyone by combining culture, food, water parks, relaxation, and great rides?