Bike Fit
Recheck your fit. Cross-training can make your muscles a little shorter, says Joe Friel, author of Your Best Triathlon ($25, velopress. com). If your pedals feel farther away, don't stress your legs; temporarily lower your saddle and adjust other positions accordingly.Nutrition
Keep a food log. You'll notice if you're not eating enough of the best possible foods—namely fruits and veggies.
Fuel your rides. Going hungry compromises training. Plus, you need carbs for maximum fat burning, says sports dietitian Ellen Coleman, RD, CSSD. Fuel up preride, but trim up to 500 calories from other meals (lunch and dinner if you're a morning rider) to lose a pound a week.
Wrong way: So you want to lose weight? Don't starve yourself. "Eat better before you eat less," Friel says. In other words, trim the junk and replace it with fruits, vegetables and lean protein. Save starches for recovery food.
Recovery
Get enough rest: Adding hours on the bike may lead to earlier wake-up times, so don't skrimp on sleep, says Coleman. When you're snoozing, muscles rebuild.
Efficiency
Time off erodes your pedaling technique. To regain it, try Friel's tips: As you pedal, lighten the amount of pressure you place on your sole. Instead, try to maintain pressure on the top of your toes, "which encourages pedaling in round circles instead of squares," Friel says.
Increase your rpm until you start to bounce on the saddle. Back off a notch, then hold that cadence for one minute. This forces you to become smoother with your pedaling, which improves efficiency.
Wrong way: Don't mash big gears, which torture ligaments and tendons. Limit lactate-producing anaerobic workouts for now; they're less effective at raising a cyclist's aerobic threshold.
Motivation
Pick a goal. Sign up for a late-summer race or century that will inspire your daily workouts now. Plug in earlier events, too, to serve as rehearsals for your goal event, says Coleman.
Ride with a buddy. Pick someone compatible with your pace. You want the motivation a partner provides without the pressure to adopt counterproductive training levels.
Succumbing to inertia? Tell yourself you can quit after 10 minutes of riding. "People almost never do bow out," Friel says, "but having that option gets you pedaling in the first place."
9 Cross-training tips for cyclists.
Low on confidence? At night, review your workout and identify one high point. Relive that moment repeatedly to build a reservoir of success you can tap during tough moments later in the season, says Friel.
Wrong way: Skip group rides for three to four weeks. They tend to become little races, which is counterproductive, says Friel. And until you've re-honed your braking and cornering skills, pacelines can be hazardous.
Set a goal: Sign up for a cycling event.