Yoga for Cyclists

Yoga and Cycling – Putting it Together

At the start of the fall season the Boulder Cycle Sport/YogaGlo Ambassador Cyclocross team put YogaGlo’s Yoga for Cyclists center to the test. The team is mostly comprised of master’s athletes that are still racing at an elite level against much younger competition. Most of the team members are parents and work full time jobs in addition to trying to race on the weekends. The team embraced the idea of using the YogaGlo classes to support their Cyclocross season.

You might know that Cyclocross is a cycling discipline in the Fall/Winter that combines the elements of road racing, steeplechase and mountain biking in an intense circuit that lasts 45-60 minutes.

Cyclocross is considered one of the most challenging cycling disciplines with incredible physical demands and is frequently run in adverse weather conditions. One of the fastest growing cycling sport, it is used to help racers maintain fitness in the off-season as well as offer spectator friendly viewing of the races.

We felt that yoga would be the perfect elixir for the team to do several things:

  • Help prepare the body for physical demands
  • Improve recovery in between events
  • Maintain durability from week to week races against younger competitors
  • Produce more power.

So far the results are encouraging with the team off to an amazing season. We can’t definitively say the yoga classes themselves are making the difference from race to race as the riders are amazing athletes; however, the riders themselves are reporting benefits.

Boulder Cycle Sport/YogaGlo Ambassador team member Kristin Weber articulates how YogaGlo has helped her reach the podium this season:

“YogaGlo has proved to be the perfect counter balance to Cyclocross. In a sport that is so demanding on the body– filled with explosive power, running, twisting and torquing, having the flexibility and a la carte offering of YogaGlo has really helped me maintain a healthy and strong body through a demanding season. As I get older the time I spend stretching, stabilizing, and supporting my body has become almost equal to the time I spend training and racing on my bike. I love that I can download a class specific to my needs onto my iPad and take it with me anywhere–when I travel, when I am outside at a park, when I am in my living room with my kids. I love that I can say, oh my hips are tight and I can spend 15 minutes doing a cycling hip opener class. It’s like having a personal yoga instructor at your beck and call.”

Yoga and Cycling – Putting it Together

Boulder Cycle Sport/YogaGlo team member Kristin Weber celebrating a victory

It’s feedback like this that keeps us motivated to spread the benefits of yoga for all cyclists. In my previous articles I’ve outlined the myriad of benefits of yoga for cyclists along with easy to perform practices.

If you are a cyclist and haven’t started doing yoga than what are you waiting for? Yoga could just be the missing piece in your daily routine.

Boulder Cycle Sport

Chris Case running over barriers during a Cyclocross race en route to a strong finish – Photo courtesy of Terri Smith

About Taro Smith, Ph.D

Taro is a physiologist, yoga teacher, and former bike racer. He designs specialty content for YogaGlo to benefit a broad range of yoga practitioners. He is the co-founder of Boulder Cycle Sport, a nationally renowned cycling retailer and 90 Monkeys, a professional yoga school. Connect with Taro on the bike via Strava TSmith and on LinkedIn Taro Smith – See more here.