RECOVERY MASTERCLASS Recover stronger

As much as we all want to keep riding longer and faster, allowing time for recovery is key to improving your performance

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THERE ARE PROVEN ways to help every rider come back stronger through rest and active recovery. First, it's essential that you listen to your body - it'll tell you when you're overtired and give your ego a break. You must respect the importance of time off the bike, because by overtraining you risk causing strains or injuries (as well as burnout), meaning you may have to spend weeks on the sofa. Time then for your recovery refresh...

What the experts say...

Make sure you include these elements in your recovery repertoire

Boost your core strength to help avoid back pain

01 Forge resilience 

●Building strength galvanises your body, according to coach and physiotherapist Nick Cutcliffe. "Firstly, undertake strength and conditioning work. This should include core strength, plus work on joints like the hips and shoulders." Having strong muscles helps protect your joints. "The second part of upping durability is doing long, slow efforts. These need to be easy enough to recover from S and repeat consistently." This builds endurance and stamina.

02 Mobility is key

●Cutcliffe highlights the importance of mobility, not only for performance but for staying injury free. "If you want to be more aero on the bike, you'll need good shoulder and spinal flexibility. These have a huge impact on performance, but if these aero positions are at your limits, you risk injury. Pilates, yoga and variations of these are a great way to get started, particularly if you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, in the car or both."

03 Massage it