{"id":687090,"date":"2026-05-22T20:35:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/687090\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T20:35:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:35:17","slug":"how-to-sharpen-your-form-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/687090\/","title":{"rendered":"How to sharpen your form this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

The winter was loooong, and we are technically in spring for another month. But so far this year, you\u2019ve had lots of rides on the weekends, steady weekday spins. You\u2019ve probably got a decent base.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But if you feel like legs aren\u2019t snapping the way they should during sprints or maybe longer efforts feel a bit flat, don\u2019t fret! It\u2019s still May, so there\u2019s still all kinds of summer ahead. Now is a good time to sharpen your form for the rest of the season. Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n

Hit up a group ride<\/p>\n

Cruisy weekend rides with friends are great. It\u2019s nice for catching up and grabbing a coffee mid-spin. But if you\u2019re looking to add some intensity, they may not be enough. Look for a fast-paced drop ride<\/a>. Maybe one that has you fighting to hang on. You\u2019ll still get the social side of group riding, but with the added benefit of being pushed to your limits. It\u2019s a fun, hard way to build top-end fitness without heading to the pain cave alone. Death lines with pals, suffering on the wheel, I mean, who doesn\u2019t love that?<\/p>\n

Cut back on never-ending endurance rides<\/p>\n

Long rides are the foundation of good form. But too many of them can leave your legs too drained to go hard when it counts. If you\u2019re stacking multiple five-hour days, chances are you\u2019re dulling your edge. So instead, once the summer really kicks in, maybe turn back the volume and focus on quality instead.That means shorter rides with targeted efforts that push your limits. The fitness is already there; now it\u2019s time to wake it up. That doesn\u2019t mean you should skip your long rides, but just mix it up more.<\/p>\n

Another tip? If you\u2019re already bored of your go-to training route, try doing it in reverse! All those uphills are descents but you\u2019ll be amazed at the new scenery from the other side of the road. It\u2019s like a brand-new set of roads, for real.<\/p>\n

Add interval training for efficient training<\/p>\n

Intervals are one of the most efficient ways to get faster\u2013especially if time is tight. First off, you\u2019ve gotta pick a goal. Want to work on your kick? Do you need to get better up the hills? Or do you want to take off some time in your local TT. Then design your sessions to match. If you don\u2019t have a coach, there are plenty of resources online (including here on Canadian Cycling Magazine.) Even a few weeks of focused intervals can bring real gains.<\/p>\n

Switch up the terrain<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got a \u2018cross, gravel or mountain bike collecting dust, now\u2019s the time to put it to use. Riding trails or grass forces you to accelerate repeatedly, work different muscles, and improve your bike handling. These are all good things for road fitness too. And know what else? It\u2019s just plain fun. Mixing in some off-road rides can shake up your routine and help round out your abilities on the bike. And it also keeps you sharp when it comes to cornering.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget to rest<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re feeling sluggish even with all the right workouts, you might just be tired. When you ride a lot, especially when you are given\u2019 er in the heat, fatigue creeps up. Don\u2019t be afraid to take a step back<\/a> for a few days. Cutting volume and intensity for a week can let your body catch up. You\u2019ll often come back stronger and more motivated.<\/p>\n

Summer has just begun, but man, it goes fast. Be sure to make the most of it! (And don\u2019t forget to wear sunscreen.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The winter was loooong, and we are technically in spring for another month. But so far this year,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":687091,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82,2001,9210],"class_list":["post-687090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-sports","tag-summer","tag-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=687090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/687091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=687090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=687090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=687090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}