Guide to Training for Road Cycling on the Central Coast

Cycling is a blast, and training to improve your strength and speed is ‘goals.’ But just because you’re training doesn’t mean you can’t also enjoy epic and exhilarating views at the same time. The variety of terrain and inviting climate of the Central Coast blends work with reward—it’s an addictive setting for tuning your technique and toning your quads.

Steadily keeping up with your training routine, whether you’re using the Central Coast as your training grounds or preparing to take on its challenging hills and enduring stretches of paved roads, keeps you on track for the activity you love.

Long Rides—Endurance Training

The song of the long route calls to riders on the Central Coast, but we all know it’s not as easy as just hopping on your bike and powering through. Working your way up to long distance is itself an invigorating journey.

Start With a Routine

The best way to practice riding is to simply do that: ride! If your body takes you just a few miles out before you need a break, focus on consistency rather than intensity. Work on maintaining your routine, steadily adding more miles as you level up. Build those miles up so you can take in the full bliss and brunt of Highway 1, a key, scenic road and pinnacle of the Central Coast experience.

If you’re able to handle rides extending beyond 30 miles, consider checking our routes of varying distances for longer rides. Whether you Zwift similar distances at home, or feel you’re ready to take on the challenge in person, we’re happy to inform you that Highway 1 and the Central Coast are the perfect training ground for gains.

Increase Ride Frequency

Once you’ve gotten a feel for the pacing of pedaling, you can start increasing the frequency of your regular rides. To become a Central Coast crusher, start looking at more rides in a shorter span rather than focusing on your time—increasing your overall endurance will be more valuable here than pushing as hard as possible and potentially burning out. Try to include just one longer ride per week that’s equal or greater in length to your target route or goal.

Endurance Training Zone (Zone 2)

Getting just a bit into the more technical side of things, you’ll want to maintain your practice pace with the Endurance Training Zone, aka “Zone 2.” As the name implies, this is your natural endurance pace, and it’s ideal for improving your body’s aerobic conditioning for long rides. Finding your Zone 2 pace within your Functional Power Threshold (or “FTP”) is a little complicated, but basically, you should be shooting to maintain a pace that is continuously sustainable and allows for conversational breathing.

Threshold Training

Speaking of Functional Power Threshold, evaluating and training your FTP will benefit your overall endurance for those long rides. You can determine your FTP using your power meter via calculations or simple tests like the Ramp Test. Once assessed, you’ll be able to consciously train at or near your FTP to help improve your endurance and ability to sustain higher power outputs over time.

Strength Training

Cycling endurance is one thing, but to get the most out of that time on your bike, you’ll also need strength. Being able to power through all those miles takes its own training and development. Fortunately, the options for that effort slot in nicely with your riding endurance efforts.

Off-bike Strength Training

The cool thing about strength training is that you don’t have to set aside on-bike time to do it. Regular routines like push-ups, weight lifting, and core exercises will build up the muscles to help your cycling strength in addition to getting in better shape in general. Focus on exercises that build up overall strength and resilience, so you’ll be well-rounded for the variety of needs a long ride over different kinds of terrain will demand of you.

Benefits of Strength Training for Cyclists

Conventional wisdom states that building up strength will make you faster on two wheels, but strength training brings other benefits as well, such as making you sturdier and more resistant to injuries. Keeping up with the training enhances your overall physical conditioning, which will make you a more resilient cyclist, putting you further on the track to building up those endurance cycling miles.

Integration with Cycling Routine

As mentioned, the style of strength training means it can be comfortably (or strenuously) incorporated alongside your bike-riding routine. That’s great because it gives you something constructive to do during the off-season—when you’re on, you can perform strength workouts on the same days as your rides. Ideally, you’ll start with the strength training first, followed by your cycling session—a multi-layered workout, to be sure, and one that will be worth all that sweat in the long run.

Where to Fuel Up

Readying yourself for your ride isn’t all sweat and strenuous exercise—who doesn’t love carb-loading on some delicious fuel for the trip? This is another area where the Central Coast excels, offering some of the tastiest ways to top yourself up before you head out.

Linn’s Restaurant

This popular spot in Cambria offers a rich variety of food ideal for refueling on your ride. Fill up with one of Linn’s pot pies, or reward yourself for a successful cycling session with a slice of their famous olallieberry pie.

Old SLO BBQ Co.

What’s more perfect for filling back up after a ride than a hearty BBQ meal? This pit stop offers favorites like tri-tip and pulled pork sandwiches that are great for replenishing all those calories you burned training and riding.

Ocean Grill Avila Beach

Compliment your experience enjoying the beauty of nature on your Highway 1 ride with a pause at the Ocean Grill. Take in the scenic ocean view you’ve earned while enjoying some strong, nutritious post-ride refueling options.

Gravel Training

You’ll be taking on all types of terrains in your rides, with gravel being a standout that might test your training more than others. This “adventure cycling” is a unique and challenging experience, and it helps to prepare for the particularities of what these unpaved areas can throw at you.

Sustainable Strength, Thresholds, and Power

Thankfully, your previous training already gives you a leg up on the demands of gravel cycling. Sustainable power is crucial for getting up that gravel, and the endurance and strength training you’ve worked on provide just that. Keeping track of your different thresholds from the FTP training in particular is important, since you’ll need to manage different rates of riding for the uneven, varied terrain of gravel.

Varied Rides

Even before you get out on that gravel, you can prepare yourself for aspects of the experience by making an effort to diversify your riding experience. Lucky for you, the Central Coast offers its own variety of routes and riding experiences you can check out. Most of the routes that Cycle Central Coast highlights are fully paved, but some, like the San Simeon Creek Climb, offer gravel sections where you can get a taste of the unpaved experience. Check out our introductory guide to gravel cycling for more tips and route recommendations on this gritty side of cycling.

Plan Your Training Trip

Whether you’re focusing entirely on endurance or building up power as well, understand that training for different approaches requires time and patience. Working up to longer, harder rides will be worth it, but you’ve got to enjoy putting the energy into the process itself as well. Fortunately, the Central Coast offers such ample space and diverse selections of routes that you can refine your cycling skills while also having a great time exploring and finding new challenges.

Browse all of our routes, and start building your multi-day itinerary—you’ll be having so much fun going hard, you might forget you’re actually training!