Get back into the saddle (so to speak) with some steady rides to start increasing your fitness levels. Depending on your goals aim to get out at least 2-3 times per week but preferably five times per week. It’s good to have a couple of days off from training each week to recover and ensure you don’t overtrain. But remember it is quality of training that is particularly important not just quantity. For example if you are preparing for a twenty kilometre ride training should involve more than just riding for twenty kilometres to build up stamina. Gradually increase the time you spend riding but because most people have limited time and you will naturally hit a training plateau by going for longer and longer rides, it is also vital to mix some short bursts of increased effort to extend your anaerobic threshold.

So to increase your fitness what should you be aiming for? Train at a heart rate zone of between 60 - 80%. At this level the heart is exercised and its ability to send blood around the body is increased. It can be difficult to know when you have reached the desired heart rate and this is where a heart rate monitor can come in handy. You should be able to purchase a basic one for less than $50 at a fitness store or online.

You might also consider supplementing your riding with some weight training or resistance training exercises to build up your muscle strength. This will help to power your aerobic activity helping you to ride faster for longer. You could try doing this for say twenty minutes on your ‘rest’ days. Think abdominal crunches, pull ups and push ups to strengthen the upper body. For the legs you could try stepping up on steps or lunges if you feel your cycling isn’t strengthening your leg muscles enough.

So when to train? Squeezing in time to train can often be the hardest part. You’ll want to look at training for at least seven hours in total each week to notice much improvement. Try cycling to work or getting up earlier and doing your training before you head off for the day. If your workplace has showering facilities you might want to train in your lunch hour. You can even train indoors at the gym by getting on a cycling machine although make sure you vary the intensity of the work out by putting the machine on the ‘random’ or ‘hilly’ settings to make sure you get those hard short bursts you need.