If you’re returning to cycling after a long break, you might be wondering, “How long does it take to regain cycling fitness?”
Here’s some encouraging news: you won’t be starting from scratch.
Some studies 1 2 suggest that your muscles retain their adaptations to training for quite some time, which can mean a faster return to cycling after a long break.
You’ll still need to be conservative with increasing your cycling time so you don’t get injured, but you can expect to regain your fitness faster than someone who’s never been on a bike before.
Today, we’ll jump into the cycling tips on how to start cycling after a long break, including boosting your cycling motivation.
Let’s get started.
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HOW TO GET BACK INTO CYCLING AFTER A LONG BREAK
Getting back on the bike? Re-check your bike fit
Whether you’ve been away from cycling for months or years, it’s a good idea to recheck your bike fit because your bike riding position preference may have changed since the last time you rode it.
You may have had a racing bike fit, but today you’d like a more relaxed bike riding position.
Whatever your bike riding style is today, rechecking your bike fit will:
- Help you avoid cycling injuries such as knee pain, neck, and back pain, or numbness.
- Boost your efficiency because you can direct more energy into the pedals.
- Improve your comfort because your bike will feel more like a natural extension of your body so you can feel at ease on your return to cycling.
You can tweak your bike fit yourself and this will take more trial and error than a professional bike fit. Or you can swing by your local bike shop for a professional bike fit, which will cost more but you’ll get a comprehensive bike fit and save you time.
You’ll want to reassess the touchpoints on your bike because these are the essential areas to bolster your comfort and efficiency on the bike.
- Saddle. Your saddle height can contribute to knee pain if you can’t straighten your leg on the pedal. Can you straighten your leg when the ball of your foot is on the pedal? If you can’t, raise your saddle.
- Handlebar. The position of your handlebar can lead to back pain if the handlebars are too high or low. Do you have lower back pain? Your handlebar may need to be higher. Upper back pain? Your handlebar may be too high.
- Clipless pedals. Your foot placement on clipless pedals should feel comfortable with no pinching, numbness, or knee pain.
Get a new bike helmet
You can get by without a bike jersey, bike shorts, or any other cycling gear for a short while (though wearing these things will be more comfortable), but wearing a helmet is crucial to your safety when you’re getting back on the bike.
But not any old cycling helmet will do, especially if yours was involved in a crash (if it was, replace it now) or has been exposed to heat and sunlight.
Helmets have a limited lifespan, and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends replacing your helmet every 5 to 10 years.
Replace your old bike helmet when:
- You’ve been in a bike accident. Though your helmet may look fine after a crash, there’s damage you can’t see.
- Your helmet has damage and hairline cracks.
- The color of the bike helmet has faded from sunlight because it is more likely to break and split apart.
- The straps on the helmet are frayed because they’re less likely to hold your helmet in place.
The good news is with a new helmet, you’ll get better ventilation, fit, and newer technologies to reduce brain injuries.
Wondering how to start cycling after a long break? Ease back to cycling
Your mind may be ready to pick up where you left off, but your body needs time to adjust to cycling after a break, and it’s why it’s a good idea to resume cycling slowly and gradually.
For example, start with short 20-minute easy rides two to three times a week before extending your time on your bike.
You’ll gradually add more time on your bike each week, but starting with short bike rides will help you get back into a routine and let your body adjust to this new physical stress.
But ultimately, your cycling routine and cycling training plan depends on 3 things: your cycling goal, your schedule, and whether you’re injury-prone.
- What’s your cycling goal? Do you want to ride for fun? Do you want to ride your bike three times a week? Or do you have a goal ride you’ve got your eye on, such as a century ride?
- What’s your schedule? How much time do you have to ride every week?
- Do you get injured easily? If you do, you may have to adjust your cycling training plan to prevent an injury. If you’re returning to cycling after an injury, have a look at this return to cycling training plan. We talk about how to get back on the bike after you’ve had an injury, how to progress your cycling, and much more.
Use group rides for support and cycling motivation when you’re getting back on the bike
Joining a group ride can inspire you to keep at it after a cycling break because you’ll find support and encouragement from fellow riders.
And, you’ll reacquaint yourself with vital group riding skills—such as bike handling, riding close to others, climbing a hill, and riding your bike downhill.
The three best ways to find a group ride near you:
- Your local bike shop will have the inside scoop on the best group rides for your experience level.
- Your country’s national governing body for cycling, such as AusCycling, British Cycling, or USA Cycling.
- And if you want to find a virtual group ride indoors, Zwift may be for you. (Dig into more indoor cycling apps here.)
Boost your cycling motivation with these tips
Sometimes, a lack of motivation can be a signal to take the day off and rest, especially if you’re under stress, sick, or exhausted.
And at other times, a little nudge can inspire you to get going, and that’s where these 3 cycling motivation tips can help.
1| Gather your cycling gear as slowly as you can. You don’t even have to corral all your gear at once. Start with filling one bottle. Then, do the next. After that, check one tire. And so on.
You may feel some resistance, but doing these tasks at a relaxed pace may feel like a game. Plus, you’re moving forward even at a snail’s pace.
The result after finally gathering your gear? It’s a good bet you’ll want to ride because you won’t want your efforts to go to waste.
2| Ask yourself, ‘What am I capable of today?’ Any time you’re low on cycling motivation, it can be effective to pose a question to yourself.
What are you capable of today?
Can you do a 10-minute bike ride? A 20-minute bike ride?
Asking yourself a question can flip an internal switch—from dread to curiosity—to motivate and challenge yourself to get on the bike.
3| Recall your cycling accomplishments to help you stick with cycling after a break. It is never easy returning to cycling—you’ll move forward only to move backward—and it can seem like you’re not making progress.
And this can make your return to cycling massively frustrating. So to avoid this frustration, consider using a ‘wins’ list.
A ‘wins’ list helps you remember the things that have gone well so far with your return to cycling.
Anytime you think you aren’t making progress, or need a dose of motivation, flip through your ‘wins’ list to review the good things that have happened since your return to cycling.
Today, we’ve talked about how you can get back on the bike, but what you do off the bike is just as important—your recovery.
What you do right after your bike ride can also influence how sore you’ll feel the days after your bike ride.
And it’s why I’ve created a timeline of what to do after cycling to take the guesswork out of your cycling recovery, so grab the download today!
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