Learn Cycling

Cycling shoes

Stiff-soled shoes that clip onto pedals to transfer power efficiently while riding.

Bike helmet

A hard-shelled head covering worn while cycling and riding bikes.

Road bike

A lightweight bicycle built for speed and efficiency on paved surfaces.

Mountain bike

A rugged bicycle built to handle rough, off-road terrain.

Water bottle

A refillable bottle for carrying drinks and staying hydrated during sport.

Facility

Velodrome

A steeply banked oval track for track cycling, with sloped bends that let riders hold high speeds through the turns.

Quick check: What you’ll need

1. In sport, what does “Aerobic” mean?
A request to a match official to make or reconsider a ruling, most formally in cricket where fielders must appeal before a batter can be given out.Relating to energy production that uses oxygen, powering sustained, lower-intensity activity over minutes to hours.The ability to control the body's position by keeping its centre of gravity over the base of support, whether still or moving.The scientific study of the mechanical principles, such as forces, motion and structure, that govern how living bodies move.
2. In sport, what does “Interval training” mean?
The concept that the body's segments act as a linked chain, transferring force from one joint to the next during movement.A competition in which a fixed set of teams plays over a season, with standings decided by accumulated results.Interval training alternates short bursts of harder effort with periods of easier recovery.A point which, if won by the leading player or side, wins the entire match.

Answer all 2 to check.

Practice checklist

Identify the essential equipment
Borrow or buy entry-level gear
Check any venue equipment rules

Common mistakes

• Overspending on advanced gear before you know you’ll continue
• Ignoring fit and safety in favour of looks

Practice goals

◎ Turn up with everything you need to play
◎ Know what each essential item is for

3

Learn the core skills

The fundamental skills the sport is built on. These are what to practise first — everything else builds on them.

Milestone: You can name the core skills and know which ones to practise first.

Lessons

Pacing

The skill of managing effort and speed so it lasts the whole distance or event.

Pedalling

The skill of turning the pedals smoothly and at an efficient rhythm on a bike.

Bike handling

The skill of balancing, steering and controlling a bike confidently in different conditions.

Sprinting

The skill of running or riding at maximum controlled speed over a short distance.

Quick check: Learn the core skills

1. In sport, what does “Aerobic” mean?
A request to a match official to make or reconsider a ruling, most formally in cricket where fielders must appeal before a batter can be given out.The ability to control the body's position by keeping its centre of gravity over the base of support, whether still or moving.Relating to energy production that uses oxygen, powering sustained, lower-intensity activity over minutes to hours.The scientific study of the mechanical principles, such as forces, motion and structure, that govern how living bodies move.
2. In sport, what does “Jersey” mean?
The lactate threshold is the exercise intensity at which blood lactate starts to rise sharply because the body can no longer clear it as fast as it is produced.The term used in tennis for a score of zero.The process by which practice and experience produce relatively permanent improvements in the ability to perform a movement skill.The shirt or top worn by a player, typically in team colours with a number, and in cycling a marker of race leadership.

Answer all 2 to check.

Practice checklist

Name the core skills
Practise the two or three that matter most first
Get feedback on one skill

Common mistakes

• Chasing flashy skills before the fundamentals are solid
• Practising without any feedback loop

Practice goals

◎ Perform the core skills at a basic, repeatable level
◎ Know which skill to work on next

4

Build your technique

How specific movements and shots are performed. Learn these once the basics feel comfortable, one at a time.

Milestone: You understand how the key techniques are performed and when they are used.

Lessons

Technique

Cycling Cadence

The technique of pedalling at a smooth, steady rhythm and choosing a gear that keeps the legs turning efficiently.

Technique

Standing Climb

A cycling technique for climbing out of the saddle, standing on the pedals to add power on steep gradients.

Quick check: Build your technique

1. In sport, what does “Aerobic” mean?
A request to a match official to make or reconsider a ruling, most formally in cricket where fielders must appeal before a batter can be given out.The ability to control the body's position by keeping its centre of gravity over the base of support, whether still or moving.The scientific study of the mechanical principles, such as forces, motion and structure, that govern how living bodies move.Relating to energy production that uses oxygen, powering sustained, lower-intensity activity over minutes to hours.
2. In sport, what does “Jersey” mean?
The shirt or top worn by a player, typically in team colours with a number, and in cycling a marker of race leadership.The lactate threshold is the exercise intensity at which blood lactate starts to rise sharply because the body can no longer clear it as fast as it is produced.The term used in tennis for a score of zero.The process by which practice and experience produce relatively permanent improvements in the ability to perform a movement skill.

Answer all 2 to check.

Practice checklist

Break a key technique into its steps
Practise it slowly before adding speed
Film or check your form

Common mistakes

• Adding power or speed before the movement is grooved
• Copying a pro’s style without the underlying basics

Practice goals

◎ Perform a key technique with sound, safe form
◎ Self-correct one common fault

5

Understand tactics & strategy

How the game is actually played and thought about — the tactics and bigger-picture strategy that turn skills into a game.

Milestone: You can follow how the game is played tactically, not just physically.

Lessons

Drafting

Riding, running or swimming close behind another competitor to save energy in their slipstream.

Pacing strategy

Planning how to distribute effort across a race so energy lasts the full distance without fading.

Negative split

A pacing tactic where an athlete covers the second half of a race faster than the first.

Breakaway and peloton

The cycling tension between the main pack riding together and small groups that break clear to gain time.

Interval-training strategy

Structuring a workout as bursts of hard effort separated by recovery to build fitness efficiently.

Strategy

Pacing and Energy Management

Pacing and energy management is the overarching plan for distributing a limited supply of physical effort across an event so you avoid fading early and finish strong.

Quick check: Understand tactics & strategy

1. In sport, what does “Aerobic” mean?
Relating to energy production that uses oxygen, powering sustained, lower-intensity activity over minutes to hours.A request to a match official to make or reconsider a ruling, most formally in cricket where fielders must appeal before a batter can be given out.The ability to control the body's position by keeping its centre of gravity over the base of support, whether still or moving.The scientific study of the mechanical principles, such as forces, motion and structure, that govern how living bodies move.
2. In sport, what does “Kit” mean?
A serve or rally that is replayed without penalty, often because a serve clips the net or a player is obstructed.The set of clothing and equipment a player or team wears and uses; in football it is the shirt, shorts and socks of the strip.A player who operates in the central area of the pitch, linking the defence and the attack.Information passed between teammates or from a coach without words — through body language, positioning, eye contact or gestures.

Answer all 2 to check.

Practice checklist

Learn one simple tactic or pattern
Watch how better players use space and timing
Try the tactic in a low-pressure game

Common mistakes

• Learning tactics before you can execute the skills
• Copying complex strategy without understanding why

Practice goals

◎ Apply one tactic deliberately in a game
◎ Explain why a common tactic works

6

Find your position or role

Where you fit in — the positions and roles players take on, and what each one does.

Milestone: You know the positions or roles and what each one is responsible for.

Lessons

Player role

Pace-Setter

The player who sets and controls the tempo of play or the rhythm of an endurance effort, dictating how fast the game or race unfolds.

Quick check: Find your position or role

1. In sport, what does “Aerobic” mean?
A request to a match official to make or reconsider a ruling, most formally in cricket where fielders must appeal before a batter can be given out.Relating to energy production that uses oxygen, powering sustained, lower-intensity activity over minutes to hours.The ability to control the body's position by keeping its centre of gravity over the base of support, whether still or moving.The scientific study of the mechanical principles, such as forces, motion and structure, that govern how living bodies move.
2. In sport, what does “Lactate Threshold” mean?
The term used in tennis for a score of zero.The process by which practice and experience produce relatively permanent improvements in the ability to perform a movement skill.The lactate threshold is the exercise intensity at which blood lactate starts to rise sharply because the body can no longer clear it as fast as it is produced.A rule that penalises an attacking player for being in an illegal forward position when the ball is played to them.

Answer all 2 to check.

Practice checklist

Learn the positions or roles
Try more than one to find a fit
Understand your responsibilities in a team

Common mistakes

• Locking into one position too early
• Not knowing what teammates around you are doing

Practice goals

◎ Play a position competently
◎ Describe what each role contributes

7

Train your body for it

The physical qualities the sport asks for, and ways to build them. Educational — not a personalised plan.

Milestone: You know which physical qualities the sport asks for and, in general terms, how they are built.

Lessons

Interval Training

Interval training alternates short bursts of harder effort with easier recovery periods, letting you accumulate more quality work than a single continuous push.

Steady-State Cardio

Steady-state cardio means holding one comfortable, continuous pace for the whole session, building an aerobic base without the peaks of interval work.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, packs short, hard efforts against brief recoveries into a compact session, making it a time-efficient way to train.

Tempo Training

Tempo training holds a firm, controlled 'comfortably hard' pace for a sustained stretch, teaching the body to sustain effort without tipping into a sprint.

Fartlek

Fartlek — Swedish for 'speed play' — mixes faster and easier efforts freely and by feel within one continuous session, blending steady and interval work.