Top coaches across cycling agree on five major training mistakes that are holding back both amateurs and pros—from chasing huge training volumes to fueling the same every day. Learn what the best in the sport actually do differently, plus honest takes on Canyon's new Arrow Road bike, how to help a crash-prone clubmate, and why ebikes might be perfect for getting fitter on limited time.
Key Takeaways
- Success is dictated by your worst weeks, not your best—focus on avoiding zeros (missed training due to injury/burnout) rather than chasing 20-30 hour training blocks that carry too much risk
- Response and adaptation matter far more than stimulus; track whether your body is actually improving from sessions, not just whether you completed them
- Fuel your training strategically by cycling carbs around your sessions—eat bigger on hard training days, not the same every day regardless of what's planned
- Don't rely solely on data (HR, HRV, power); pair objective metrics with subjective feelings about motivation and how you felt during sessions
- Strength training isn't optional for cyclists; skipping the gym leads to noticeable strength loss within weeks and opens you up to injury that derails long-term progress
- Lactate testing is easily contaminated—bad data inputs create entirely contaminated training plans, so be careful what sources you trust
Expert Quotes
"Success is rarely dictated by our best weeks, more often it's dictated by our worst weeks—you can think of success being dictated not by the ceiling but by the floor of your training"
"The goal of training isn't to complete sessions. The goal of training is to get an adaptation from completing the session."
"If you're somebody who is time crunched and you don't have a coach already, get yourself a really credible coach. There's so many things you can get wrong and put yourself into a really bad place."