Build up your endurance slowly.
Nobody can go from zero to Olympian right away so don’t overdo it. You’ve got months before you leave to explore Ireland by bike, so start small. Start with shorter rides and slowly build up to longer ones. Remember, it’s a marathon not a sprint!
Create a schedule.
Based on your fitness levels, ability, availability, and current exercise, create a bike schedule that contains steadily longer, more challenging and more intense rides. And once you create it, make sure you stick to it as closely as possible!
Incorporate biking into your daily routine.
Whether that means biking to work, creating an early morning biking routine, going for long weekend spins, using your bike to take care of day-to-day tasks, or mixing and matching, make sure that you incorporate biking into your everyday routine!
Go for the real thing.
Try to recreate experiences that closely mirror your upcoming biking trip. So, try to avoid gym biking, or biking only on flats. Of course, these activities can complement your training, but make sure you’re challenging yourself to train outdoors on variable terrain, including ascents and descents.
Get your miles in.
Depending on which trip you’re planning on doing, make sure you slowly build up to the kind of daily milage you’ll be doing on your bike trip. You can have a look at our grading videos here for a better idea of daily distances.
Go for a trial run (or more accurately, a trial cycle!).
If you’re worried about a week-long bike trip, try doing a weekend of biking when you’re feeling more confident. Stay close to home – bike on an established, easy-to-follow path (like a canal or well-worn trail) and stay in a local BnB for the night.
Explore on two wheels!
Use your newfound biking abilities as a way to explore your local region. Not only will you get into better biking shape, you’ll have fun learning about your local area! This will put you into the right gear for enjoying Ireland by bike as well.