With the better weather and some easing of pandemic restrictions, going outside and riding to our heart's content is both necessary and fun. But now is NOT the time to ditch your strength training. Here’s why and how you should be looking to turn UP your strength training as riding season swings into force.

For cyclists, this has been the strangest of all springs. Instead of races and group rides, events are cancelled and most are forced to stay indoors to train. A new survey wants to learn how COVID-19 has affected your training, and we'd like your input.

Solitary cycling on trainers in the garage, basement, or back-of-the-dining room may be a far cry from a morning ride with your cycling friends through your favorite route.  How do we mentally cope with this drastic change in our lifestyle?

TOOLBOX: Yes, training does make you fitter, but how does it actually improve your fitness? How much comes down to increasing haemoglobin and blood volume to improve oxygen delivery? How might we test this?

Positive thinking for COVID-19 lockdown. Negative thinking, especially during difficult rides, will certainly hurt your cycling confidence and prevent you from riding your best and achieving your cycling goals. Your goal is to retrain your negative thinking into positive thinking and high confidence that propels you to your very best rides.

Toolbox: The occasional or seasonal use of virtual cycling training such as Zwift is now our normal routine and as such, nutrition and hydration may need to be adapted accordingly. Should we be drinking and eating as we would outdoors?

TOOLBOX: Static Stretching doesn’t resolve muscle tightness, and neither does strength training alone. Soft Tissue work is the missing linchpin, but you don’t need your own personal soigneur, using a foam roller can have significant benefits for warm-up, flexibility, recovery and better overall cycling performance.

Coach Interview: Aldo Sassi was one of the best coaches at a time when many riders were relying on more than 'pane e acqua'. Sassi wouldn't touch a rider if they 'dabbling', but he did produce stars... and Ivan Basso.

Ed Hood thought it would be a good idea to speak to one of the most respected coaches in the North of England, Jody Warrington, about how riders can cope with ‘lock down.’