How to get bike fit before your holiday

If you’re new to cycling or have a basic level of fitness, the most important thing you can do to get fit for your holiday is to spend more time on your bike (or buy a bike!).

It’s worth noting that you should build up your mileage gradually to avoid risk of injury. On training runs, try adding one or two kilometres a week to your rides and try and get out at least three times a week. Once on holiday, the guided bike rides range from a couple of kilometres all the way up to a leg sapping 60km. Decide which types of ride you’re aiming for and tailor your mile building accordingly.

As well as building mileage, try to ride day after day – this will get you and your body used to the bent over body position and to sitting on the saddle every day on holiday. That way it won’t be such a shock to the system and you’ll be able to make the most of the ride.

It’s not all about physical exercise, you might also want to start making healthy food choices, which in turn will give you more energy to help with the pre-holiday training. It doesn’t matter how much training you do, you won’t be able to maximise your training if you don’t fuel up properly.

You should be aiming to maintain constant energy levels to aid your fitness training. The best way to get to this point is to try cutting our refined sugars and if possible avoid processed foods (which contain high levels of sugar and salt). Eat plenty of lean protein and fresh vegetables and if you’re hungry between meals or need a healthy energy boosting snack try nuts, dried fruit and dried meat. Don’t forget to drink lots of water, water keeps you energised and more importantly hydrated.

If you don’t currently exercise and want to make the most of the cycling it might be a good idea to start doing some cardio a month or so before you go on holiday. It will give you a little extra strength to get up those hills.

Don’t be afraid of weights, hitting the gym and going consistently (at least 3 times a week) will quickly improve your power and strength, making those hill climbs oh so easy! To get the key muscle groups working hard, one of the best gym exercises you can do to improve your cycling is squats with a power bag, slam ball or barbell. If weights aren’t for you, skipping is a great way to warm up and develop muscle endurance in the calves and shoulders, it’s great for a cardio hit too. Don’t forget spinning classes, a great way to get cycle fit, they are dynamic and challenging and will improve your cycle fitness.

With all that endurance and cardio work, you’ll benefit from some stretching and yoga. Yoga is great for flexibility, helps improve concentration and gets you focussed on your breathing. The best yoga for cyclists are styles that use a continuous movement such as Ashtanga and Power yoga – both work through a full range of movement and build muscle endurance. Many poses also target the hop flexors and lower back, building muscle strength and helping to prevent injury.

We all have busy lives, so it may be difficult to find ways to fit cycle training into your routine. However, there’s lots of ways you can increase your mileage and cross training with a few small adjustments to your day to day routine. For example, you could start commuting to work by bike. If you can’t cycle all the way there, why not try cycling to the train station? At weekends, meet friends and family for a ride in the countryside or if you’re heading into town to do a spot of shopping jump on your bike rather than the bus.

Get up an hour earlier and do a quick HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), run or stretch session before the day normally begins. At lunchtime go for a brisk walk or jog and use stairs and walk whenever possible.

Don’t worry about being too slow, choose a ride that’s at a level and distance you feel comfortable with. On a Neilson holiday, you’ll be cycling in a group and everybody is generally a mix of abilities, so you will usually find someone who is of a similar speed to you.

There’s a guide on all rides, sometimes two (one at the front and one at back), so they will look after you and make sure nobody is left behind. Remember you’re on holiday, take your time, enjoy the ride and take in the views. There’s plenty of rest stops and time to visit local cafes and tavernas too!