While there are many courses and tutorials online, learning from a book is still one of the best ways to greatly improve your skills. Below I have selected top Cycling Training books.
- The Cyclist’s Training Bible: The World’s Most Comprehensive Training Guide (2018)
- The Time-Crunched Cyclist: Race-Winning Fitness in 6 Hours a Week, 3rd Ed. (The Time-Crunched Athlete) (2017)
- Training and Racing with a Power Meter (2019)
- CLIMB! Conquer Hills, Get Lean, and Elevate Every Ride (2018)
- Tom Danielson’s Core Advantage: Core Strength for Cycling’s Winning Edge (2013)
- Fast After 50: How to Race Strong for the Rest of Your Life (2015)
- Bicycling Maximum Overload for Cyclists: A Radical Strength-Based Program for Improved Speed and Endurance in Half the Time (Bicycling Magazine) (2017)
- The Bicycling Big Book of Cycling for Women: Everything You Need to Know for Whatever, Whenever, and Wherever You Ride (2015)
- Cycling Science (Sport Science) (2017)
- The Bicycling Big Book of Cycling for Beginners: Everything a new cyclist needs to know to gear up and start riding (2014)
- The Mountain Biker’s Training Bible (2000)
- Cycling Anatomy: Your Illustrated Guide for Cycling Strength, Speed, and Endurance (2019)
- The Cyclist’s Training Bible (2009)
- Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body (Second Edition) (2019)
- Get Fast!: A Complete Guide to Gaining Speed Wherever You Ride (Bicycling) (2013)
The Cyclist’s Training Bible: The World’s Most Comprehensive Training Guide (2018)
Joe Friel is the most trusted coach in the world and his proven cycling training program has helped hundreds of thousands find success in the sport.Joe has completely rewritten this new 5th Edition of The Cyclist’s Training Bible to incorporate new training principles and help athletes train smarter than ever.
The Time-Crunched Cyclist: Race-Winning Fitness in 6 Hours a Week, 3rd Ed. (The Time-Crunched Athlete) (2017)
With elite cycling coach Chris Carmichael’s innovative, time-saving approach, busy cyclists will develop fitness, speed, and power in just 6 hours a week.
Training and Racing with a Power Meter (2019)
A power meter can unlock more speed and endurance than any other training tool―but only if you understand the data. This new third edition of Training and Racing with a Power Meter updates the comprehensive guide that was last published almost 10 years ago. Using this updated guide, any rider can exploit the incredible usefulness of any power meter.
CLIMB! Conquer Hills, Get Lean, and Elevate Every Ride (2018)
Drop pounds (and your rivals!), get fast, put more power in your pedals, and gain know-how that will make even the hardest hills feel faster. Bicycling fitness columnist Selene Yeager has experienced and enjoyed the transformative power of climbing-and she has made it much of her life’s work to learn the secrets to riding uphill.
Tom Danielson’s Core Advantage: Core Strength for Cycling’s Winning Edge (2013)
Tom Danielson’s Core Advantage offers a simple, highly effective core strength program for cyclists. This comprehensive approach shows the 50 essential core workout exercises that will build strength and endurance in the key core muscles for cycling–no gym membership required. Professional cyclist Tom Danielson used to have a bad back. He shifted in the saddle, never comfortable, often riding in pain.
Fast After 50: How to Race Strong for the Rest of Your Life (2015)
Fast After 50 is for every endurance athlete who wants to stay fast for years to come. For runners, cyclists, triathletes, swimmers, and cross-country skiers, getting older doesn’t have to mean getting slower. Drawing from the most current research on aging and sports performance, Joe Friel–America’s leading endurance sports coach–shows how athletes can race strong and stay healthy well past age 50.
Bicycling Maximum Overload for Cyclists: A Radical Strength-Based Program for Improved Speed and Endurance in Half the Time (Bicycling Magazine) (2017)
Bicycling Maximum Overload for Cyclists is a radical strength-based training program aimed at increasing cycling speed, athletic longevity, and overall health in half the training time. Rather than improving endurance by riding longer distances, you’ll learn how to do it by reducing your riding time and adding heavy strength and power training.
The Bicycling Big Book of Cycling for Women: Everything You Need to Know for Whatever, Whenever, and Wherever You Ride (2015)
It’s a fact: Women are built differently than men. That means that women’s bodies react differently to training, nutrition, and sometimes even riding itself. Yet most bicycling books are written without addressing any of these differences. This comprehensive cycling book addresses how to gear up and prepare for any goal-whether you want to ride for pleasure, complete your first 100 miles, or line up at a race.
Cycling Science (Sport Science) (2017)
Finally, the authoritative resource that serious cyclists have been waiting for has arrived. The perfect blend of science and application, Cycling Science takes you inside the sport, into the training room and research lab, and onto the course.
The Bicycling Big Book of Cycling for Beginners: Everything a new cyclist needs to know to gear up and start riding (2014)
Bicycling is undergoing a renaissance in this country as millions of people are taking to the streets in this nostalgic, beloved pastime. From purchasing one’s first bike to learning all its different components, Bicycling Big Book of Cycling for Beginners is the go-to guide for any beginning cyclist’s collection. The vast territory of cycling and its facets will become a welcome terrain for any rider who wants to ride smarter, faster, and safer using this incredible wealth of knowledge.
The Mountain Biker’s Training Bible (2000)
Mountain biking presents unique challenges, and noted expert Joe Friel addresses them all in his latest book. Covering every aspect of training, he helps riders maximize their experience and minimize problems.
Cycling Anatomy: Your Illustrated Guide for Cycling Strength, Speed, and Endurance (2019)
From steep inclines to slick terrains, Cycling Anatomy, Second Edition, will ensure you are prepared for every challenge that comes your way. Using the same methods that elite cyclists use, you can employ this well-rounded collection of 89 strength and conditioning exercises to maximize cycling power, speed, and endurance to improve your cycling performance.
The Cyclist’s Training Bible (2009)
This new edition of the bestselling book includes all of the latest advances in training and technology. Using this book, cyclists can create a comprehensive, self-coached training plan that is both scientifically proven and shaped around their personal goals.Friel empowers athletes with every detail they need to consider when planning a season, lining up a week of workouts, or preparing to race. This fourth edition includes extensive revisions on the specifics of how to train and what to eat.
Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body (Second Edition) (2019)
If you want to be fit, lean, and strong as quickly as possible . . . regardless of your age . . . you want to read this book.Here's the deal:Losing fat and building lean muscle isn't as complicated as the fitness industry wants you to believe. This book is the shortcut.
Get Fast!: A Complete Guide to Gaining Speed Wherever You Ride (Bicycling) (2013)
Every cyclist wants to get faster. Whether they’re a weekend warrior, a crit specialist, or a charity cruiser, speed is the X factor that lets a rider ride strong, feel fresh, and thoroughly enjoy each ride.Get Fast! is the cyclist’s go-to guide for gaining speed.
Best Cycling Training Books that Should be on Your Bookshelf
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some cycling training books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Strength Training for Cycling Performance: The Vortex Method’s Ultimate Training Program
Author(s): Brodie, Menachem
ID: 3104961, Publisher: Hobart Street Press, Year: 2021, Size: 12 Mb, Format: pdf
The secret of cycling : maximum performance gains through effective power metering and training analysis
Author(s): Dijk, J. C. van; Megen, Ron van; Vroemen, Guido
ID: 2178711, Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport, Year: 2017, Size: 48 Mb, Format: pdf
The secret of cycling: maximum performance gains through effective power metering and training analysis
Author(s): Dijk, J. C. van;Megen, Ron van;Vroemen, Guido
ID: 2671786, Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport, Year: 2017, Size: 62 Mb, Format: epub
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are absolutely hot items according to Los Angeles Times, others are drafted by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant books you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.