Some areas are now open enough to string together a decent day ride, and events like the Red Bull 24hr are approaching fast, so it’s time to make sure you’re fitness is up to making the best of what summer riding we have.

However there’s probably plenty of you already thinking “but I’ll never go fast what’s the point” or “I don’t want to do training. I’d rather just go for a ride” so lets get those attitude problems out of the way first.

Speed is relative. In terms of pro rider type velocity very few of us will ever even get close, but as a top coach said once, “you can’t make a donkey into a thoroughbred, but you can make it into a fast donkey”. Getting fitter means you can ride further, and over more challenging terrain, more comfortably, and that’s got to be a good thing whether it means you’re racking up 10 miles in a day or 100.

There’s no doubt that “just riding along” is more relaxing and fun than training but there are a few small changes you can make to your riding to turn it into a very effective way of getting fit without it getting in the way of you riding.

Anyway, we’ve already run a few Coach Potato articles about how to start winding your speed up so go and check out those before you hit the trails tonight. But to make sure we get these training tips right from the start mail us with your deepest speed desires, or your training troubles and we’ll do our best to sort them.