After seeing the comments on our recent post on their How to Become a Professional Cyclist, wikiHow decided it was time to revisit their article to address some of the concerns. Placing emphasis on the quality of their content and taking reader feedback seriously, the team at wikiHow stepped up with a new and improved version to loosely guide you through climbing the amateur and professional ranks.
Check out How-to version 2.0 after the break!
From wikiHow:
Part 1 of 4: Preparing Your Body
-
Cycle every day. Training and experience are the foundation of any sport, and for a professional cyclist, this means making lots of miles on the road. On average, you should train at least two hours a day for six days a week if you want to become a professional cyclist. If the weather is too cold to cycle outside, train on a stationary bike in at a gym or at home.
- Training for pro cycling usually takes up about 4-6 hours a day, though sometimes that might include time at the gym doing weights and building strength.
-
Build your strength. Do a 60-minute strength-training workout a couple of times a week to build your muscles, specifically your leg and core muscles. You will generally need to be in great shape, with lots of lean muscle.
- Good example exercises include squats, leg curls, and lunges.
-
Eat right. You’ll need to eat right in order to maintain your body through the grueling challenges of the sport. Get all of the nutrients your body needs, both at home and during a race, to help your body keep up.[1]
- Your diet should be rich in fruits and vegetables, as well as carbs and lean protein.
-
Increase your power. Pro cyclists need to be able to chug up a hill even when the end of a race is near and their body is already tired. Work on increasing your power so that you can cope with situations like these.
Part 2 of 4: Participating in the Community
-
Start as young as you can. Not only will this help you develop the skills and strength that you need to succeed, but it will help you help get your name out there in the community. You’ll have the head start you need and friends in all the right places.
- You’ll have to start young in general though, as the US has rules stipulating age for cyclists in some races. [2]
-
Cycle with others. Join a local cycling club and participate in weekly trainings. This will help motivate you and also give you the opportunity to learn from others. You can find local groups by searching internet forums, checking with your local gym, or looking through your local parks and recreation department.
-
Have friends that cycle too. The pro cycling life can get very lonely. You’ll have intense schedules and very little free time. If you want to maintain a social life, you’ll want friends who are right there with you.
-
Ride with people who are better than you. You will feel the need to rise to the challenge, the sense of competition helping to push you harder down the road
Read the rest of the updated how-to on wikiHow.
Thanks to Thom Scher for sending this in!
