Gravel is in fashion. For some time now, the cycling calendar is full of tests which are ideal for getting dirty, discovering new routes and arriving exhausted at the finish line.

If you are looking at this article surprised, we will fill you in: gravel is a cycling discipline characterised by routes of earth, gravel, rocks, mud and other non-paved tracks. It has become popular over the last few years due to the challenge it poses and the sense of adventure involved, as the cyclists must be prepared to face up to all types of climatic conditions.

In addition, a large number of the races held do not mark out the route: all you have is your GPS track which we carry with you.

The question is, can you use a Smart trainer for a gravel test? The answer is yes. Today we will cite a scientific study to back this up: according to ‘’The effects of indoor cycling training on outdoor cycling performance’’ by Mark R. Burnley and associates (2017), indoor training is related to an improvement in the cycling performance outdoors, as it allows you to specifically train different energy systems and improve your technique.

Advantages of using the Smart Trainer for Gravel: Simulate difficult terrains and intensity control

One of the main advantages of indoor training is the chance to simulate different gravel terrains, as you can adjust the resistance and speed to simulate different conditions. This means you can work on different energy systems and improve your technique in situations similar to those you would face during a race.

Also, training on the Smart Trainer allows you to control the intensity of the training accurately, in order to measure parameters such as power, heart rate and the cadence. This is particularly useful on gravel, as the races can be challenging and require a high level of physical effort.

How to use the Smart Trainer to Improve on Gravel: Specific exercises and training programmes

As mentioned above, in order to use the Smart Trainer to improve on gravel it is important to do specific exercises which simulate the different race conditions.

For example, you can do high intensity series with rhythm and resistance changes to simulate uphill and downhill slopes, or work on high intensity intervals to improve the anaerobic capacity.

Also, it is important to follow a specific training program which includes different types of sessions: the sessions at home should be combined with outdoor sessions to adapt the pedalling technique, and to get into the habit of avoiding parts of the terrain.

And of course, you will have to add in strength training, which will help with both technique and resistance.

An effective strategy is to combine training on the Smart Trainer with riding the bike through the countryside, alternating between days training indoors and days training on terrain.

BKOOL Technology and its App to Prepare for Gravel: Route simulation and virtual competitions

Fortunately, you have a travel companion who will help you to improve when riding on gravel: BKOOL. Not only because of the routes we have, which will take you ‘off the road’, but also for the context explained above, where you can design sessions to incorporate planned short sprints.

A clear example of this session would be like this, which comes with a video, where you can be practically two hours training on tracks.

Here is another example, which has a similar format, but slightly shorter (around an hour long):

Conclusion: Using the Smart Trainer is an ideal complement to improve on the gravel and BKOOL offers advanced tools to help you do so

In conclusion, indoor training is an ideal complement to improve on gravel, as it allows you to simulate different terrains and control the intensity of the training session. Also, the BKOOL technology offers advanced tools to simulate actual routes and virtual competitions, which allows you to measure progress and motivate cyclists to continue training.

Here at BKOOL we continue striving to ensure your routes are each more realistic. Try BKOOL FREE for 30 days!

The 2023 cycling season is already here, and the different teams begin to send their members around the planet to start earning the first UCI points, so necessary and so hard-fought at the end of the year.

Argentina returns to the international calendar this weekend with the Giro del Sol, a race that will serve as a prelude and qualifier for one of the most prestigious cycling races on the continent: the Vuelta a San Juan returns on 23rd January and, among many other teams, will feature our beloved Soudal – Quick Step with Remco Evenepoel, Julian Alaphillippe or Kasper Asgreen.

Taking advantage of the fact that the peloton will be stopping over the next few days in the land of sun and fire, let’s talk about its cycling routes. Although traditionally its mountain passes have not received the notoriety of those that can be found in Europe, Argentina keeps in its interior authentic treasures.

In fact, it seems to us an ideal destination for cyclists of all levels, with routes ranging from beginners to experts.
In this article, we present five segments that you can find in BKOOL and that, with an intermediate degree of difficulty, will delight you when you get on the trainer.

San Martín de los Andes

Undoubtedly, the most emblematic is the Andes Crossing, which begins in San Martín de los Andes and extends along Route 46 up to the Hua Hum Pass, bordering Lakes Lácar and Nonthue. From there, the route crosses into Chile and ends at Puerto Pirehueico, on the shores of the lake of the same name.

In BKOOL you have the most attractive part, but you should know that, in the original route, we are talking about 110 kilometres of circular route…

La Calera Natural Park

La Calera Natural Park is a natural reserve located in the province of Córdoba, in the center of Argentina. The park is located in the Sierra de San Javier and has a great variety of flora and fauna, as well as impressive landscapes.

The Calera Natural Park is, without a doubt, the mountain pass that all cyclists from Córdoba know by heart, with a large number of mountain bike routes. We, on the Smart trainer, will be able to enjoy the complete ascent, and even twice, as it is climbed on both sides.

IRONMAN Mar del Plata

For triathletes we have prepared a special route: part of the cycling segment of IRONMAN Mar del Plata, one of the most important races in the Southern Hemisphere. Do you want to ride fast, coupled, and give your best over forty kilometres? Well, here they are.

An ideal session to bring out the best in you.

Tafi Viejo

Tafi Viejo is a town located in the province of Tucumán, in the north of Argentina. It is known for its beautiful landscapes and warm climate, which makes it a popular destination for outdoor activities such as cycling.

It has a wide variety of routes for cyclists, from easy trails and dirt roads to more demanding mountain routes. Some popular options include the Tafi Circuit, which offers a panoramic view of the valley and the Andes Mountains, and the Tafi Valley route, which follows the course of the Tafi River and offers a unique view of the local flora and fauna.

In BKOOL you have a route inside the Valley that will make your quadriceps warm up little by little, almost without realizing it: 43 kilometres with almost 1,500 metres of accumulated elevation gain.

Ascent of Chubut

In Central Patagonia, cyclists can enjoy a route of more than a thousand kilometres that starts in Esquel and ends in Ushuaia, passing through some of the most impressive landscapes of Argentina.

Of all the points through which it passes, we are going to stay with the area near Los Alerces National Park: a few kilometres to the east we find the Ascension of Chubut. The route is known for its natural beauty and for its challenge, as it includes steep climbs and some dirt stretches.

The Ascension of Chubut begins in the city of Trelew and follows National Route 259 to the town of Sarmiento. From there, the route continues along a gravel road to the summit of Cerro Chaltén, at an altitude of approximately 2,400 metres.

If you haven’t had the chance to try BKOOL yet, you can try it for FREE for 30 days on our website

One of the most attractive challenges that a popular cyclist can face is, without a doubt, a Gran Fondo. Understood as a cycling tour that exceeds one hundred kilometres -and even two hundred on some occasions-, they are usually linked to the name of top cyclists, or to key routes in the history of our sport: you have them in Spain, you have them in Belgium, France or Italy, and you have them in Latin America.

Wherever they are, if you’ve signed up for one, it’s time to train, as they say colloquially, “put in the volume” and dedicate hours to the trainer. So today we’ve come up with five complete tips to ensure that your preparation is ideal and, on the day of the race, you arrive in the best possible condition.

Plan your training beforehand

Before you start training on the trainer, it is important that you consult a coach or cycling expert for guidance on which exercises and routines are best suited to you. In addition, it is important that you set clear and realistic goals and that you structure your training gradually, increasing the intensity and duration of the sessions progressively.

On the BKOOL platform you can even design the training plan that best suits you. All you have to do is fill in a series of data that we need (weight, height, resting and maximum heart rate, and the objective to be achieved, in this case to prepare for the Gran Fondo) and we will prepare a plan that is as tailored to you as possible.

Set yourself a fixed training schedule

One of the key points when preparing for a Gran Fondo is the volume you build up. Regularity is key to improving your fitness and endurance. Aim for training sessions of at least 45 minutes’ duration, three times a week, plus one session of between one and a half and two hours.

If you also have the opportunity to complete a long outdoor run, that’s perfect. And if not, you’ll have to get on the trainer and, for example, look for one of our routes of more than two hours. A few days ago we talked about 6 mountain passes for long runs.

Now it’s time to take on Pico Veleta or Mont Ventoux 🙂

Vary the intensity and type of training

The key to building up your work each week is to work on training variability, one of the keys that good coaches take into account.

Don’t just pedal at a constant, monotonous speed. Include sessions that work on changes of pace and endurance, as well as leg strength exercises. This will help you prepare more fully for the challenge of the cycle tour.

Perhaps replace one of the sessions in the plan with a BKOOL Fitness session? You’ll have a blast, and it’ll be fun!

Work on specific techniques

Take advantage of the BKOOL sessions to work on specific techniques and skills. For example, you can use the training to practice changes of pace, maintaining a proper position on the bike or even to simulate different terrains. This will help you improve your cycling performance.

Warm up properly, fuel and hydrate yourself.

A few weeks ago we talked about what to eat before, during and after. Now that you are going to accumulate so many sessions, some of them lasting more than two hours, you need to take into account that your body will need fuel and good hydration.

In addition, include a warm-up and stretching routine before and after each training session. This will help you prevent injuries and improve the flexibility and mobility of your muscles.

In short, BKOOL is a valuable tool for preparing for a cycle tour. Use it in conjunction with varied workouts, work at different intensities, different exercises and take advantage of the comfort and safety of training at home to work on specific techniques and skills. With these tips, you’ll be ready to enjoy your first cycle tour successfully.

If you haven’t had the chance to try BKOOL yet, you can try it for FREE for 30 days on our website.

You can read about it in our Magazine and you can read about it in any specialised magazine (and we would even say in general magazines): to improve in any sport, you have to dedicate an important part of your weekly work to strength.

We could give you a few reasons, but we are going to focus on just three to work on strength: we improve our performance, which seems to us to be the most fundamental of all. Why? Because we achieve more resistant muscles, which will help us to last longer on the bike and at higher intensities.

On the other hand, we will delay the onset of fatigue. And thirdly, we will minimise the risk of injury. These are three good reasons, aren’t they?

Which muscles need to be worked to improve cycling performance?

As a cyclist, it is important to work mainly the leg and gluteal muscles, as they are the ones that will take on the most load, although a good core workout, and even leg work to redistribute efforts, is necessary.

However, going into detail, some of the most important muscles to work are:

Quadriceps muscles

Responsible for knee extension and hip flexion, being as developed as possible is key for the first phase of pedalling. In addition, if you work on sprints or accelerations, it is advisable to exercise them as much as possible.

Calf muscles

Responsible for knee flexion, they are responsible for ensuring that the last phase, in which you recover the pedal to return to the highest point of the pedal stroke, is as fast and efficient as possible.

Gluteal muscles

Their fundamental task is to act as hip extensors and external rotation of the thigh. They will give stability to our position, and in combination with the core -as we mentioned at the beginning-, make our pedalling as uniform as possible and unload work from the lower body.

Abdominal muscles

As we said: they will help to provide stability and, above all, help to redistribute the effort.

How can I work on strength in a BKOOL session?

Even if you think that working your muscles is just a matter of lifting weights, doing squats or push-ups (yes, there are other options, too), there are other options, and one of the most important is to do it when you are on the trainer and enjoying a session at BKOOL.

To work the muscles in BKOOL, you can do exercises such as changing from sitting to standing position at high intensities. This allows you to work different muscle groups and improve strength and endurance.

In the session planner you can do this by including high gradient runs, or you can do it by planning a session that incorporates intensity blocks (close to your UPF data) with low cadences. You’ll be strengthening your quads, and working your extensors.

In addition, you can combine the work on the roller with dumbbell sessions, which allow you to work more intensely.

In short, a BKOOL session is a very useful tool for working your muscles, as it allows you to simulate the movement of the bike and perform strength and endurance exercises. With a good roller training routine, you can start to see results in a very short time.

Nutrition is part of the list of aspects to take into account to achieve a good performance in training and competitions. Eating habits have to be in accordance in order to see results, while enhancing all skills.

Eating the right products at the right time can make the difference with your rivals, if you know what will work for you. Despite the advice and ideas that will be offered in this article, you should keep in mind that each person is different and has certain characteristics that make these suggestions useless.

In addition, in the winter period many people turn to indoor cycling, and BKOOL is an ideal platform for pre-season planning. The inter-seasonal period can make you lose that much-needed shape for the time when the weather is fine and you can ride outdoors.

How do I find the best food?

When you are immersed in training and want to achieve the maximum, food becomes a constant concern. Meals have the function of satisfying the energy demands of cycling, helping you to rest properly and adapting to the hardest training loads.

However, when it comes to satisfying needs, you must return to the idea of individualization of the diet. Meals should be adjusted not only to the feelings of the athlete, but also to the conditions that will occur in a given training or competition.

The best thing you can do, if you have not yet found what suits you best, is to focus on trial and error, making specific variations to get the food is a plus so necessary when you’re on the bike. On top of that, indoor cycling gives you the time you need to consume quality, home-grown produce.

Nutrition in training consists of three phases:

What do I eat before training?

Given the process of digestion and assimilation of nutrients, the pre-workout meal is the main source of fuel for the workout itself. High intensity workouts will require a higher volume of carbohydrates. The higher the intensity level of the sessions, the higher the carbohydrate intake should be accordingly. The human body will rely on fast energy from glucose to keep performing.

Low-intensity workouts do not require a high carbohydrate concentration. You can use these training sessions as a test bench and see which foods, rich in different essential nutrients, suit you and give you the best sensations for the moments before getting in the saddle.

The exact time to eat is set in the three to four hours prior to training. This is the period of time necessary for the correct assimilation of complex carbohydrates and proteins. Among the usual foods you can find a multitude of options: legumes, pasta, cereals, sweet potatoes…

In the period between the main meal and the training it is normal for hunger to appear. Having a snack an hour before training is really useful to keep you satiated. Of course, these snacks should be easily digestible foods such as toast, energy bars or muffins.

What about during activity?

In the previous paragraphs, we have mentioned that the pre-workout meal is the main source of fuel for your body, but it is not the only one. Consuming extra calories is the key to ensuring that fuel sustains all performance. Continuing to ingest carbohydrates is the best way to sustain the level.

The easiest way to get more calories into your body is through beverages. The caloric contribution of beverages is recommended for when you are in the heat of physical activity: easy to ingest, difficult to forget and have a quick effect. Another form similar to liquids are energy gels, which can also be mixed with different types of beverages.

For some athletes, these “express” solutions during training seem less appealing when it comes to sessions lasting longer than an hour. This is why a large number of cyclists rely on solid foods, the same foods that you can eat as a pre-workout snack.

Finally, nutrition for recovery

In the two previous cases, nutrition had the duty to provide energy to the body to maintain a high performance. In this stage, nutrition must focus on recovery. The function changes, but not the essential nutrients. Carbohydrates also help to make the rest more effective.

Recovery shakes are perfect to consume after a workout. This way, you can quickly get more calories and control exactly how much carbohydrate and protein your body will assimilate. And how do you have to control the amounts? Simple.

bebidas de recuperación ciclistas — Foto: Canva

Measurements depend, to a large extent, on personal preference. There is no “magic” shake, however, research suggests that a 3:1 ratio (carbs:protein) is the ideal combination to give cyclists all the benefits possible without impairing performance.

As you may have noticed, indoor cycling needs the right nutrition to be able to give it your all. Simulators like BKOOL are going to demand the maximum and you will have to have a certain energy reserve.

If you haven’t had the chance to try BKOOL yet, you can try it for FREE for 30 days on our website.

The indoor cycling season is here and at BKOOL we want you to start it in style. That’s why we have released a new version of BKOOL Cycling available from Monday November 28th, full of new features, do you want to know more?

Ride with your favourite bike

This is undoubtedly the most awaited release by many Bkoolers, and after months of hard work, we can finally say that we have added the bikes to our online store.

Now you will be able to train on the thousands of BKOOL routes with the bike and jersey of your choice. We bring you five models to choose from:

Aurum Magma – Eolo Kometa

Magma is the bike that Contador and Basso wish they had had throughout their careers. It is the best performer on any road terrain, the one to be chosen no matter what the route profile and conditions.

Tarmac SL7

According to Specialized, this is “one bike to rule them all”, which features a significant level of aero optimization and a properly light frameset.

TCR MY22

This frameset is engineered to give road racers and riders superior climbing capabilities, aerodynamic efficiency and sprint stiffness for race-winning performance.

Langma MY22

An all-round performance race bike that excels at climbing and is designed to allow riders to push their limits with confidence.

Narai 50

The most famous BKOOL bike, a classic among our users who have been using it for years. If it works, who needs to change it?

Don’t get bored during the warm-up!

We know that the ten-minute warm-up before a Group Ride can feel a bit long with the nerves of the race coming up, wanting to start riding as soon as possible. To make the wait smoother, we’ve introduced a new feature.

On the routes of the Giro d’Italia Virtual you will be able to enjoy clips of the event to get yourself immersed in the event and feel like a pro from head to toe.

Get connected with new devices:

In addition, we have certified new devices with which you can enjoy BKOOL to the fullest:

Elite Justo
Bodytone V3
SALTER – PT-1591
SALTER – S-710

Improvements and errors corrected:

Correction of errors in Real Weather and wind.
Improved participation data in Group Rides.
You can take screenshots on Android and Ipad!

Professional and personal tasks take up a lot of time. For some amateur athletes, it is already a major challenge to set aside an hour for sport. It does not matter whether this time is spent in the gym or at home. For some people it is mission impossible to find space in their schedule for sport.

One of the favorite activities of cycling enthusiasts are cyclotourist rides, known internationally as Gran Fondo races. Although they are semi-competitive events, everyone wants to go fast and enjoy the stage in the best possible shape.

The desire to perform at a decent level combined with a lack of time is a fatal combination. This mixture fills anyone´s head with doubts, but that is where BKOOL comes in. One of the great advantages of indoor cycling is that it allows you to save time and manage your schedule better.

But there is more. We are going to show you a series of tips to be able to do well in this type of event with less than 10 hours of training per week.

What is a Gran Fondo?

Before going into how to prepare for such a competition, you will need to understand what they consist of and what their main features are. As mentioned above, these events are amateur races and are long distances, where there are usually refreshment points, mechanical support, and even a post-stage party.

Most cyclists think of the challenge of finishing a demanding route and enjoying the landscapes they pass through. These are inclusive events which both world-renowned professionals and amateurs who have just signed up for their first cycle tour can take part in.

How do I prepare these competitions?

The ambition of each person will determine the difficulty of the Gran Fondo: if you want to be at the front and elbow out the favourites of the race, an event of this type will be just as difficult as any other cycling competition. However, if your goal is to have fun, you couldn’t be more right in choosing such an event. For those of you who want to do your best, but don’t have a lot of time available for training, take note of these tips for your preparation sessions:

Adapt your endurance

The difficulty of these competitions lies in the duration. Although the stages are of high mileage and may seem crazy, given that we are considering people with little training time (about 10 hours a week), we must be calm; improvements in sustained power can be achieved with short duration sessions.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is ideal for building that sustained power over time. Several studies claim that a few 30-second rounds are enough to increase performance over an hour and a half.

In order to develop this sustained power, you will need to work on your FTP (functional threshold power, a cycling performance test to find out the amount of watts generated at the threshold) and aerobic engine. For this objective, two types of training are recommended:

Polarised training: although useful, it is not an example in this article, as it requires an increase in volume and would be more time consuming. Time that we do not have.
SweetSpot training: SweetSpot is the point at which the cyclist is able to maintain a sufficiently high intensity for a sufficiently long time. This type of preparation would consist of, for example, two 20-minute blocks, in a zone three high/zone four low intensity zone. During this session, ten seconds of burst should be incorporated or, in other words, two or three crowns should be lowered.

Increases intensity

The cornerstone of training is to start from a base (whether none or a slightly more advanced athlete) and improve with each workout. In order to see progress, the activities should be more difficult.

This increase in level can be done in two ways: either by applying a higher intensity to the exercises each week or by increasing the volume of load. And as the title of the article indicates, we are focusing on training for a person with no time to spare so you will need to focus on putting in more effort compared to the previous week.

Make your training as specific as possible

Look at the event you are going to do: does your area have places with the characteristics of the stage? No? Then start looking for terrain with similar conditions. A bike ride is not unpleasant for anyone, but when time is short you should focus on specific sessions to perform in the event.

For example, if you are going to tackle a stage of more than 100 kilometres that has a hilly profile, the first thing to do is to research the length and difficulty of the climbs. From there, the smart thing to do would be to train in similar conditions.

One of the advantages of BKOOL is that, in addition to having a large number of workouts that you can use to prepare for a Gran Fondo, our platform provides you with a workouts creator that allows you to design your own tailor-made sessions.

Step by step

The training is designed to take you from 0 to 100 through all the numbers. What do we mean by this? That you cannot skip steps and want to be ready for a Gran Fondo in a matter of a few days or weeks. Training should be based on progressive overload.

Sports experts say that you should not exceed 10% exercise volume or intensity from one week to the next. Due to the subjectivity of aspects such as the degree of intensity you are putting into an exercise, it is advisable to have a coach who will be able to guide you to achieve the perfect physical adaptation.

If you haven’t had the chance to try BKOOL yet, you can try it for FREE for 30 days on our website.

The well-known training studio specialised in cycling, Wattslab, joins forces with BKOOL to bring us different training plans in BKOOL Cycling, focused on improving our performance.

The second training plan that you will find available in BKOOL is the Anaerobic Power Program, which is aimed at those who want to develop anaerobic power in modalities such as XC or gravel, even for triathletes who have to develop changes of pace on the marked circuit!

During 12 sessions we will try to improve the anaerobic power and probably with this we will be able to improve the FTP later on, which often cannot be improved if the areas above them are not developed.

Ideally, this should be done twice a week, spaced at least two days apart. In this way, the training plan should cover a total of six weeks.

Here are the links to the 12 training sessions that make up this programme:

Sesion 1/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732500?sessionId=33145333
Sesion 2/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732510?sessionId=33145344
Sesion 3/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732513?sessionId=33145350
Sesion 4/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732519?sessionId=33145358
Sesion 5/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732535?sessionId=33145376
Sesion 6/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732546?sessionId=33145389
Sesion 7/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732562?sessionId=33145406
Sesion 8/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732572?sessionId=33145417
Sesion 9/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732576?sessionId=33145426
Sesion 10/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732597?sessionId=33145451
Sesion 11/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732601?sessionId=33145455
Sesion 12/12: https://my.bkool.com/profile/detail/14732609?sessionId=33145465

If you want to get the most out of these workouts we recommend having the ERG deactivated in order to be able to make changes of pace with development and not react to the resistance of the smart trainer.

Remember to do these workouts at the time of day when you feel you have all your energy and avoid training on an empty stomach.

Finally, don’t forget that Wattslab offers a personalised remote training service, through group video conferences in small groups, to help you improve from home. It’s the closest thing to having a personal trainer guide your indoor training sessions every week. Here you have all the information about the Wattslab X BKOOL LIVE Coach service.

At BKOOL we will continue working to make the simulation more and more real. Try it FREE for 30 days!

More and more two-wheeled enthusiasts are deciding to take up indoor cycling. And this sport offers a host of advantages and a great attraction thanks to platforms such as Bkool.

But today we’re not going to tell you about the advantages of indoor cycling, because we’ve already done that. And, if you’ve come this far, it’s because you already know about them and have decided to take the plunge.

In this article we offer you a indoor cycling guide with some basic tips to help you get the most out of your hours on the trainer.

Before training

Make sure your training space is accessible, appropriate and comfortable. Test and find out what works best for you.
Find the right place, choose a good trainer and don’t forget the accessories and BKOOL.
Set everything up in advance: Prepare water, nutrition, towels and everything else you will need.
Set goals: It is key to ensuring progress and achieving that consistency. It is important that they go according to your level and experience.
Be committed: most of the time it is hard to start, but be sure that the satisfaction afterwards will be enormous. Just make sure you start.

During training

Take care of keeping cool: Indoors, the absence of air flow causes a bubble of humidity that prevents sweat from evaporating and causes it to drip without fulfilling its function. The fan must become an indispensable element in your sessions on the Smart trainer.
Overcome demotivation: make your workouts social, make your sessions fun or take advantage of multimedia tools.
Make it social: BKOOL allows you to enjoy an infinite number of routes around the world, competitions, events and, moreover, to do it in the company of other friends and fans.
Use the Workout Planner: It allows you to design workouts tailored to your training zones and goals.
Take advantage of entertainment platforms: Movies, series, documentaries, podcasts, competition videos, social media content, etc. The options are endless and boredom is a myth!
Take care of your hydration: When we train indoors we sweat a lot. It is important to compensate the loss of fluids and not only with water: mineral salts are also part of the game.
Carbohydrates are kings: Carbohydrates provide our body with its main source of energy: glycogen. The amount of carbohydrates we should ingest varies greatly depending on the type of effort, duration, weather conditions or the athlete’s tolerance. We tell you all about it here.

After training

Trust the process: Consistency is the key. Don’t expect results in two days, but if you are patient and consistent, you will see that the effort and work is worth it.
Emphasise recovery: Adequate rest, as well as proper nutrition and hydration afterwards are essential to be able to face the next workouts with confidence.
Analyse: A good analysis of our sessions can give us a lot of important information when it comes to continue with our workouts. Take a look at your watts, your pulse and observe how your body responded and behaved to each stimulus. It may help you make the necessary decisions to improve your performance.
Enjoy: Either way, you’ve got a new workout under your belt. Be proud of it and enjoy the process.

bebidas de recuperación ciclsitas — Foto: Canva

We hope you found this indoor cycling guide helpful!

If you haven’t had the chance to try BKOOL yet, you can try it for FREE for 30 days on our website.

How much do you know about refreshments? Let’s see how you can improve your intakes during the race.

Let’s start off with a bang. Here are the most important factors to consider:

Digestive system capacity

Can you imagine coming from a months-long hiatus and wanting to reach your peak performance that same week? If only it were that easy.

With your digestive system the situation is similar. It takes time and training to handle high amounts of carbohydrate during exercise without discomfort.

The first step is to start with a fully tolerable load and work your way up from there.

Here are some possible strategies you can employ to train your digestive system:

Perform runs with high volumes of fluid in the stomach or immediately after eating.
Increasing the total carbohydrate content of the diet.
Progressive increases in the amounts of carbohydrates consumed during the race.

And these are the improvements you can make:

Decreased gastrointestinal problems during the race.
Tolerate greater amounts of volume in the stomach.
Improved performance due to increased energy capacity.

What about sodium?

Electrolytes, the forgotten ones. Of course, we lose water through sweat when we exercise, but we also lose electrolytes such as sodium. If we don’t replenish the sodium we lose over the long run, we will see our stress, confusion, disorientation and, in short, we will see our performance decrease.

Sodium can be replenished during exercise through isotonic drinks or salt tablets, although it can also be present in other forms of food supplies.

With sodium there are no excuses, as by simply using salt we can replenish our sodium needs. 1g of salt contains 0.4g of sodium.

With or without caffeine?

Caffeine is an interesting strategy for those moments when fatigue starts to set in because it can reduce fatigue and therefore increase your athletic performance. But be careful! This effect is temporary. Using caffeine at the start of a long run could lead to a greater feeling of tiredness at the end of the race if you do not continue to ingest it properly throughout the race.

In addition, it is important to be aware of the flip side. Excessive use of caffeine could lead to tolerating high doses without achieving the desired effect.

In short, it is important to control the dosage and number of caffeine intakes you take for the race.

There are different ways of consuming caffeine. Through gels, tablets, drinks or infusions.

Types of refreshments

Every cyclist has different tastes and tolerances for different formats. Below you will see different types of refreshments that you can consume depending on their texture:

Liquids: These are the easiest to ingest and absorb, but the ones that take up the most volume in the race. You can prepare your own flask with the quantities of water, electrolytes and carbohydrates you need.
Semi-solids / semi-liquids: here we would find the gels, which are easy to ingest and carry on the bike. A negative point is that you will have to adjust to the quantities of the product/brand you buy.
Solids: here we find from homemade bars to commercial bars, whole or dehydrated fruits and jelly beans. They are usually preferred by cyclists in the final stages of the race because of the stimulation of chewing them and the mix of flavours.

Most refreshments can be bought, as there are many commercial options, but we can also choose to prepare our own refreshments at home. In particular, we are going to focus on homemade energy bars.

Energy bars are easy to carry and, unlike gels and isotonic drinks, they have a slower and more gradual assimilation, which can be interesting for certain moments.

Bars usually have as a base ingredient a food rich in carbohydrates, such as oats or rice, but we can add many other ingredients. It will be the combination of ingredients and the adjustment of quantities that will allow us to achieve the texture, flavour and nutritional composition we want. And that’s the trick, to understand our needs before we start preparing a bar.

Now, let’s get going with two recipes for homemade bars for cyclists:

Rice cake bar, as a refreshment bar. Rice cakes are on the lips of all cyclists these days, as they provide quick and easy energy while we are on the bike. They are ideal for when we want to train the digestive system with solid food, especially at the beginning, when we are not used to a lot of training volume. In this link you can see the recipe in detail.

Recovery bar, as a post-workout. After training, it’s time for recovery, so here is the complete recipe for a bar that will help you recover after a demanding workout. Why is this bar a recovery bar?

Because it contains complex carbohydrates, quality proteins and antioxidants which will help to replenish glycogen stores and regenerate muscle tissue. Of course, it is very important to measure the quantities of each ingredient carefully, because depending on the quantities we use, we will be prioritising one macronutrient or another, and the nutritional contribution of the recipe will change.

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