{"id":328587,"date":"2025-12-21T19:04:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T19:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/328587\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T19:04:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T19:04:17","slug":"5-ways-cycling-makes-you-a-stronger-faster-runner-proven-by-an-olympian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/328587\/","title":{"rendered":"5 ways cycling makes you a stronger, faster runner \u2013 proven by an Olympian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Georgia Hunter Bell didn\u2019t grow up in a cycling family \u2013 \u2018I think I probably went on a bike to do cycling proficiency when I was in primary school at some point\u2019 \u2013 but now she\u2019s crediting the sport, which she took up during lockdown, with being key to her running<\/a> success.<\/p>\n

Currently one of the top middle-distance runners in the world, Georgia\u2019s journey to the top wasn\u2019t plain sailing. She showed promise as a junior athlete, but after \u2018years of stress fractures<\/a> and injuries<\/a> related to high mileage,\u2019 her \u2018body just couldn’t handle it,\u2019 and she stepped away from competitive running. <\/p>\n

However, after dipping her toe back into running during the pandemic, Georgia quickly found on the way to a comeback \u2013 but she was experiencing the same issues. \u2018When I got back into running, I was finding that I was getting the same pains again, and I was just really nervous that I was going to have a stress fracture and I’d be going to work on crutches,\u2019 says Georgia. \u2018And my then-boyfriend, now-husband was a big cyclist, and he was like, \u201cYou should just get a bike. It’s a way that you can exercise if you can’t run.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

To start with, though, she says \u2018I was very, very green. I would wake up at 5am to go around Battersea Park on my own because I was just so nervous about interacting with anyone or meeting cars or other pedestrians, that I had to start from the very bottom,\u2019 she says. <\/p>\n

In the following years, Georgia began cycling competitively (although she says she enjoyed the fact cycling started as a social activity), and was successful in duathlon \u2013 a multi-sport endurance race combining running and cycling in a run-bike-run format. And soon enough, she was back on the world running stage, and has since won an Olympic 1500m bronze and a World 800m silver in Tokyo in September this year. <\/p>\n

The formula to that success? Doing most of her training on the bike. \u2018I truly think it\u2019s allowed me to build an endurance engine that running could never have allowed me to do,\u2019 says Georgia. \u2018I’m staying out here with Keeley [Hodgkinson] at her house, and she just got into it as well, and she’s in that period where you just want to cycle \u2013 I don’t know what it is, but it is really addictive and fun.\u2019<\/p>\n

5 benefits of cycling for running It builds endurance without running any extra miles<\/p>\n

Georgia says swapping her running shoes<\/a> for the bike has allowed her to increase her training volume without running extra miles. \u2018My endurance has gone up loads with cycling,\u2019 she says. \u2018Being out for hours on the bike \u2013 I would never be able to do that with running.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Being able to take that endurance base that I\u2019ve built on the bike and then add in the fast speed track work I think has made me a really good middle-distance runner.\u2019<\/p>\n

It reduces impact and injury risk <\/p>\n

In the same vein, increasing volume without increasing running mileage has reduced the impact on Georgia\u2019s body and allowed her to recover better. She runs and cycles five days a week and has one day per week which is purely cycling.<\/p>\n

\u2018I really need, and look forward to that day where it\u2019s just a cycling day\u2026 I\u2019m [still] getting my heart rate up, but I like to recover from the pounding impact.\u2019<\/p>\n

Related StoryIt helps runners balance endurance and speed<\/p>\n

If you run regularly, you\u2019ll know that the key to building speed is to vary the types of runs you\u2019re doing, from long, easy sessions to effort-based intervals. Well, you might want to consider varying the sports you\u2019re doing, too, says Georgia.<\/p>\n

\"groupThomas Barwick\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Cycling helps runners build a solid endurance base<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s all about balancing endurance and speed, and if you do too much running endurance, then you’re not going to have that same kick when it comes down to it in a race,\u2019 says Georgia. Combining running and cycling has allowed her \u2018to build endurance without losing that kick.\u2019<\/p>\n

Related StoryIt builds mental toughness and pain tolerance<\/p>\n

\u2018I also just think it\u2019s a different kind of pain – some of the cycling I’ve done, it’s so painful and it really puts things into perspective,\u2019 adds Georgia. \u2018I’ve climbed Mont Ventoux, which is one of the stages in the Tour de France, and that was so painful, and went on for hours, so for me, it really puts it into perspective of, okay, well, I can brace my hardest for two minutes in the 800m. It changes the way you think about pain.
<\/p>\n

It adds variety and prevents burnout <\/p>\n

Cycling has also brought variety and a whole new sporting culture (which involves a lot of coffee stops and \u2018meeting up with people and going for a ride and sitting in and chatting\u2019) into Georgia\u2019s life. <\/p>\n

\u2018It opened up my mind to a completely new sport, a completely new way to be competitive, a completely new community \u2013 a new challenge,\u2019 she says. \u2018For lots of women who maybe did a sport when they were younger, it’s quite a transferable one. It\u2019s \u2018a cool way to get you back into sport.\u2019<\/p>\n

How to start cyclingStart small <\/p>\n

\u2018Cycling can be a bit of a scary sport. It has got quite a high barrier to entry compared to something like running, where you just need trainers,\u2019 says Georgia. \u2018If you have a friend who\u2019s good at cycling, start there, and go off one-on-one. At the beginning, when I was not very good at cycling at all, it would be my husband that would take me, and he would build me up, my confidence, and take me out on rides until the point where I could then cycle with the group. Start small and build up from there.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Consider indoor options <\/p>\n

\u2018In the winter in the UK, you\u2019ve got to be careful with safety and cycling outside on the wet road. So I have my Turbo Trainer, which I put my Canyon [bike] on, and that means I can do some indoor cycling to get the fitness benefits,\u2019 says Georgia. \u2018Those are always being sold for cheap on eBay, and it\u2019s a way to stay safe throughout winter.\u2019 You can also join a local gym for the indoor cycling equipment. <\/p>\n

\"womenFatCamera\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Explore indoor cycling options for the same fitness benefits<\/p>\n

Choose quiet times<\/p>\n

\u2018Choose quieter times, which might be earlier mornings, but it\u2019s worth it to be able to have a bit more peace while riding around,\u2019 says Georgia. \u2018Just just making sure that you\u2019re in a safe learning environment while you build that confidence up.\u2019<\/p>\n

Replicate running sessions on the bike<\/p>\n

\u2018It’s amazing to see so many people running, I have so many family and friends who weren’t runners, and now they’ve signed up for marathons<\/a> and half marathons<\/a>, and I love how running has become part of social culture,\u2019 says Georgia. \u2018But at the same time, I’ll listen to their training, and they’re like, \u201cOh yeah, I wasn’t doing anything, and now I’m doing, like, 60-mile weeks,\u201d and I’m a bit like, oh God, I just know that in a month or two, you’re gonna have some issues because you can’t have that increase so quickly and it not have an impact on your body.\u2019<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where the bike comes in. \u2018Replicating a couple of sessions that you would do out running on the bike is a way to stay healthy, because that is the main thing \u2013 as long as you can stay healthy for years, that allows you to build fitness<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n

Indeed, one study<\/a> published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that cycling-based HIT is an effective way to improve running performance. <\/p>\n

Like with anything, says Georgia, practice makes perfect \u2013 you don\u2019t need to worry about being \u2018bad\u2019 to begin with. \u2018The communities, the places you get to see, and the fitness that you can take with you for your whole life is totally worth it.\u2019<\/p>\n

On that note, I think it may be time to get back on my bike.<\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women\u2019s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. \u00a0She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner\u2019s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. \u00a0A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She\u2019s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Georgia Hunter Bell didn\u2019t grow up in a cycling family \u2013 \u2018I think I probably went on a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328588,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,128490,10695,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-328587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-georgia-hunter-bell","tag-running","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}