{"id":19252,"date":"2025-11-13T12:01:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T12:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racefinder.pt\/?p=19252"},"modified":"2025-11-13T12:01:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T12:01:31","slug":"common-mistakes-cyclists-make-and-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/common-mistakes-cyclists-make-and-how-to-avoid-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Mistakes Cyclists Make \u2014 and How to Avoid Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Road cycling is one of the most rewarding sports out there \u2014 the freedom, the speed, the challenge, the views.<br>But even experienced cyclists fall into habits that can slow progress, increase fatigue, or make rides less safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are <strong>five common mistakes<\/strong>, why they matter, and how to avoid them so you can ride stronger, safer and with more confidence this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1) Riding with the wrong tyre pressure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Too soft = slow, unstable and higher puncture risk.<br>Too hard = harsh ride, poor grip, more fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to fix it:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check the PSI recommended on your tyre sidewall.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adjust based on weather (rain = slightly lower PSI).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Re-check before every ride \u2014 tyre pressure naturally drops during the week.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2) Overtraining \u2014 ignoring recovery days<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cyclists love volume\u2026 sometimes too much.<br>Fatigue builds quietly and can turn into injury, loss of power or burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to fix it:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Add at least <strong>1\u20132 low-intensity days<\/strong> per week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make room for sleep, fueling and flexibility\/mobility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use long weekend rides for endurance \u2014 not intensity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3) Poor bike fit and postur<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hands numb? Back tight? Saddle discomfort?<br>Most of the time, it\u2019s not the bike \u2014 it\u2019s the fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to fix it:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Adjust saddle height and fore\/aft position.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Relax shoulders and keep elbows slightly bent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider a professional bike fit if you ride often.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4) Braking incorrectly on descents<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Grabbing both brakes hard = skidding and loss of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to fix it:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Look ahead, not down.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use the <strong>front brake for strength<\/strong>, the <strong>rear for stability<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feather the brakes before corners \u2014 not during the turn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5) Not fueling enough (especially in colder weather)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cold rides trick you into thinking you\u2019re not thirsty or hungry \u2014 but your body burns more energy to stay warm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to fix it:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Start fueling <strong>after 45\u201360 minutes<\/strong>, then every 30 minutes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Carry electrolytes even on cool days.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eat a balanced meal soon after finishing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udc9b <strong>Ride smarter, ride safer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Small adjustments make a huge difference \u2014 more comfort, more speed, more confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ready for your next challenge?<br>Find upcoming road cycling events at \ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.racefinder.pt\/events\/cycling\/\">racefinder.pt<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Road cycling is one of the most rewarding sports out there \u2014 the freedom, the speed, the challenge, the views.But even experienced cyclists fall into habits that can slow progress, increase fatigue, or make rides less safe. Here are five common mistakes, why they matter, and how to avoid them so you can ride stronger, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":19253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycling"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}