Victoria Pendleton's top cycling tips

Victoria Pendleton and Lucy Fry take to the indoor bikes
Victoria Pendleton and Lucy Fry take to the indoor bikes Credit: Christopher Pledger

This week, I found myself on an indoor bicycle next to Olympic gold-medal winning cyclist, Victoria Pendleton

Thankfully, we weren’t racing so I thought I’d use the opportunity to pick her brains about life on two wheels and how to make every ride count. 

Victoria Pendleton and Lucy Fry take to the indoor bikes
Victoria Pendleton gives Lucy Fry a cycling lesson Credit: Christopher Pledger

This is her guide to cycling for beginners and intermediates. 

Build up to an hour’s consistent riding 

“Become comfortable with riding for an hour, two to three times a week for a couple of months, before building up speed or distance,” says Pendleton. 

“If you’re not used to cycling longer durations, then after an hour, your shoulders might start to hurt and you might feel saddle sore.”

Use your commute to build power 

When you ride in a city, you may stop and start a lot due to lights and traffic, so trying to reach an average speed [when you’re training for speed-endurance] can be hard. 

Pendleton says: “Build power and strength by using a higher gear to pull away from lights. You can also reduce stress on your muscles and still feel the burn by changing down a few gears and spinning [pedalling faster].”

Victoria Pendleton has collaborated with Halfords to produce a range of Pendleton bicycles
Victoria Pendleton has collaborated with Halfords to produce a range of Pendleton bicycles Credit: Press Association

Consider getting a bike computer to help with speed and accountability 

“If you’re serious about improving,” says Pendleton, “get a bike computer as it enables you to track your revolutions per minute (RPM) or cadence.”

You can then use it to help with interval training. “For example, pedal at 120RPM or 110RPM for five minutes, then drop it to 90RPM for five minutes.”

Repeat that five times, include a five-minute warm up and five-minute cool down. 

Consistency comes with riding on open roads and in the countryside 

“When you’re on the open road, play with gears and push yourself,” says Pendleton. 

To keep things varied and enhance your skill set by “breaking things up into blocks: do 10 minutes in a higher gear [so it’s harder to pedal] while riding seated, then spend 10 minutes in an easier gear, increase the cadence and repeat a few times”. 

Victoria Pendleton with her gold Olympic medal in London 2012
Victoria Pendleton with her gold Olympic medal in 2012 Credit: EPA

Don’t be afraid, however, to spend time on a bike indoors 

“With indoor cycling, you can train at an intensity that you might not feel comfortable with on the road. Without any distractions you can really be aggressive,” says Pendleton. 

“Some spin classes, such as the Victoria Pendleton ones at Fitness First, help you go all-out and build the maximum fitness in the minimum time. 

“Turbo trainers [a contraption you attach your bike to so that you can ride in your living room or garden] are also great for building endurance, although it can be tough to keep motivated. 

Combining these 'all out’ sessions with steady riding on the road provides your body with varied exercises that will enhance your fitness quicker than if you just did one or the other.”

Position yourself properly 

Beginners should choose a hybrid bike with straight handlebars for comfort and manoeuvrability. When switching to a road bike, positioning/set-up are essential. “Take a small amount of weight in the hands but not too much,” says Pendleton. 

“Try moving the handlebar stems to get this balance right. When you’re starting out, you might want the handlebars a little higher [to reduce pressure on the lower back]. 

“Consider your own proportions. If you get your saddle height wrong, you’ll rock from side to side as you pedal and won’t necessarily travel in a straight line. 

Riding with the saddle too low will put strain on your knees. If it’s too high so that you can’t extend your leg at the bottom phase of each pedal stroke, you won’t use the energy in your leg to full capacity.” 

Victoria Pendleton (right) at the 2012 Olympic Games in London
Victoria Pendleton (right) at the 2012 Olympic Games in London Credit: AFP

Increase your distance 

How far you should ride depends on the terrain, location and weather. In the cyclists’ mecca of Lanzarote, for example, the hills and wind are said to make every kilometre the equivalent, in training terms, of a mile. 

“You don’t have to increase distances as incrementally as you do with running because with cycling there’s less impact on your joints,” says Pendleton. 

“I think anybody can ride 30km, and if you can reach 60km, you are absolutely capable of completing 100km.”

Take steps to prevent injury 

When you cycle, you subject your joints to less impact than if you were running. This is particularly important if you are coming to exercise later in life. 

Pendleton adds: “If you feel tired, cut down your time and intensity for a bit. Also, build your core strength. I struggled with back pain at the end of my career. 

Pilates was my saviour as it helped me control my postural muscles. If you wobble a lot and your spine isn’t supported, weak muscles won’t be able to help you.”

Lucy Fry learns the ropes from Victoria Pendleton
Lucy Fry learns the ropes from Victoria Pendleton Credit: Christopher Pledger

Refuel and recover properly 

“Post-exercise nutrition is essential,” says Pendleton. “Replace fluids and protein to rebuild the damage you’ve done to your muscles. If you’re training outside your comfort zone, sleep is the best way to recover. 

“Also, if you’re going to do a 100-mile ride tomorrow, don’t spend all today moving – take time out to relax. Serious cyclists must be strict about resting as you won’t be able to benefit fully from your workout if you tire yourself in other ways. 

“In the final stage of my career, I trained for fewer hours than I did in the middle, and I finished the most powerful, fastest and strongest I’d ever been. I learnt to do things smarter – training hard and recovering well. Before that, I didn’t allow myself enough time to rest. 

“Thinking more is better is a common trap, but you can end up overtraining. You can get into a vicious cycle of building up muscle and then doing so much exercise that your body uses that muscle to fuel itself.”

Victoria Pendleton
Become an award-winning cyclist with Victoria's top tips Credit: Heathcliff O'Malley

Victoria's top tips 

  • Don’t race around city streets like a cycle courier. It’s dangerous. 
  • Don’t meander down the road. It drives motorists crazy and when they get  annoyed they take it out on other cyclists. 
  • When you go for a long ride, go out in a group, ideally with people who are a  bit better than you so that they can help to pull you into new  territory – both physically and geographically. Joining a cycling club  nearby might be a good option. 
  • Include sessions where you stay within your comfort zone and focus more on how  you handle your bike. The more comfortable you are manoeuvring your  bike, the better rider you’ll be. 
  • Don’t go out with a pair of slick tyres on a wet day, especially if it hasn’t  rained in a while as the road will be extremely slippery. 
License this content