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Cycling - A Great Cross-Training Activity for Skiers
(Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash)
I don’t know about you but one thing that really makes me smile and feel alive is to play outside. While I am totally passionate about skiing and snow, I also really enjoy cycling, downhill, enduro and bicycle touring.
The question is: Is cycling a great cross-training activity for skiers and snowboarders to stay fit for the ski season?
We will have a look at both road cycling and mountain biking (which I both enjoy). We will compare what muscle groups are used when cycling and when skiing.
Road Cycling - As a great Cross-Training Activities for Skiers
Let’s start by looking at the most used muscle group used when skiing. Based one both these sites (Mountain Warehouse & New to Ski), here is a list of the main muscle group used when skiing.
Photo by Alex Lange on Unsplash
Main Muscle Groups Used When Skiing
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Gluts
- Back (particularly your lats)
- Obliques (internal & external)
- Arms (Biceps & Triceps)
Based one both these sites (Bill Bone Bike Law & Training Peak) here is a list of the main muscle group used when cycling.
Photo by Nikita Ignatev on Unsplash
Main Muscle Groups Used When Cycling
- Calves
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Shoulders (Deltoids)
- Foot (Plantar flexors, and dorsiflexors)
- Arms (Biceps & Triceps)
As we can see, both skiing and road cycling use very similar muscle groups. Let’s now have a look at the muscle group used when mountain biking.
Mountain Biking - As a great Cross-Training Activities for Skiers
Based one both these sites (StretchCoach & BestSportsLounge) here is a list of the main muscle group used when mountain biking.
Photo by Alexandra Dech on Unsplash
Main Muscle Groups Used When Mountain Biking
- Calve
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Shoulders (Deltoids)
- Lower & upper abdominal
- Arms (Biceps & Triceps)
- Obliques
- Lower back
Both skiing and mountain biking use very similar muscle groups.
A post on the Skimag site adds one more important point, “By cycling in the off-season, you develop not only the strength to ski your best, but the endurance to shred from bell to bell. ”
Bicycle Touring - Travelling to Cycle and Cross-Train for Skiing during the ski off-season.
Who does not like to travel to enjoy their favourite sport or passion? I know I do and as a ski tour operator, all our clients like to travel to play in the snow.
I take it that you are probably like me. Just laying on the beach and roasting is the sun is not your cup of tea. When planning a trip for the winter off-season, have you considered cycling?
Bicycle touring is a great way to be active, discover a new country and cross-train while travelling. I recommend Taiwan.
As mentioned on CNN “Cycle Route No. 1 -- a two-wheeled circumnavigation around the island of Taiwan -- is not to be taken lightly. Inaugurated in 2015, this 602-mile (968-kilometre) epic is fast becoming one of Asia's greatest destinations”
Taiwan-cycling-tour.com
Photo by David Marcu on Unsplash
As I live in Taiwan, me, Yanik, founder of Skigulmarg.com, in partnership with my Taiwanese girlfriend, we created a new website: Taiwan-cycling-tour.com.
Our goal is to help as many people, local or foreign, to discover Taiwan on two wheels. At the moment we not only offer lots of valuable information on the site, but we offer a super 10-day cycling trip of the Taiwan East Coast.
The Majestic East Coast Tour
(Photo by Ben Mayrand)
If you feel like discovering this paradisiac tropical island, cycling and cross-training at the same time, but you do not know where to start, we have you covered. We want to simplify your life, we did the leg work. We did the research, select the hotels, the restaurant, the place to get the bikes, the support vans, the route. Everything is taking care of.
You just need to get to Taiwan, we will meet you and off we go for an unforgettable experience you will never forget, all this will cross-training for the ski season to come. You can read what past customers have to say about me on our Skigulmarg Tripadvisor page and read a review about the bike tour on our Google My business page.
We hope to meet you in Taiwan or Gulmarg. If you find this post instructive, please feel free to share it. (Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash)