How to cycle faster?

How fast you should cycle depends on a number of factors, such as:

- How many years you’ve been cycling

- Type of terrains you typically cycle on – ascents & descents, technical difficulty

- Time of riding – morning vs evening vs night

- Total distance you are going

- The weather and wind speed on the day of cycling

- Your age, gender and menstruation cycle (if applicable)

- Any illnesses or other medical condition

- Type of cycle – pedal vs electric, with or without gear, number of gears, etc.

- Type of nutrition and hydration you consume en route


Depending on these factors, a “good speed” can be as follows:

- Beginners – 8mph - 12mph (13km/h - 19km/h)

- Intermediate - 13mph -16mph (20km/h - 26km/h)

- Expert - 17mph -24mph (27km/h - 39km/h)

- Professional – Anything above 24mph or 40km/h



Now let’s look at the tips on how to cycle faster than these times for your unique performance level.

Make a mental note of these the next time you head out for a ride!

Mobile apps like Strava and Bike Tracker or your smart watch can help you keep track of your speed splits across kilometres/miles, thereby helping you maintain your speed, speed-up, or pull-back as needed.

Constantly pedaling will give you the consistent speed you need to keep increasing speed in increments.

The speed you naturally pick up while on a descent, can be used to propel you further both on an ascent and on a flat road. 

Use the descent to your advantage by picking up speed.

The cadence refers to how many pedal revolutions you make per minute. 

Most advanced smartwatches such as Garmin, have the technology to calculate your approximate cadence. 

You can use this information to increase your cadence to gain speed.

Water is essential to healing faster after workouts and it's integral to your performance too. 

Experts say that you need on average 0.14mL–0.27 mL of water per minute, per kilogram of body weight on any rides that go long or are very fast. 

Tour de France athletes have been observed drinking as many as 10 large bottles of water during their race. 

Use that as a measure to determine how much you should drink.

Both fartlek and interval training are speed workouts. 

You should include both types of workouts in your cycling schedule. 

The more you experiment with different speeds and the sooner you learn how to rest without slowing down, the easier it is to pick up more speed.

A cycle that is in good working condition can automatically reduce half the challenges that slow you down. 

Change the tires, check the air, fix the brakes, and oil your cycle regularly.

Cycling – just like any endurance sport – is often a question of mind over matter. 

So, it's important to get yourself mentally ready to ride at your fastest. 

Practice meditation before the ride and say positive affirmations to yourself during the ride to hype yourself up.

The shoes you choose will help you maintain good posture while cycling. 

You can avoid pronation, supination, and knee injuries by wearing the right shoes. 

Get a tread test done at your local sports shoes shop to find the perfect shoe for you.

Finally, remember that rest is your friend. You don’t have to be “on” all the time. 

Sometimes, the best way to pick up speed is to stop, take a rest, and start again.