Training & Nutrition

How Many Miles Does a Pro Cyclist Cover in a Year?

Pro rider for Rabo-Liv Lucinda Brand gives us the answers...

Have you ever wondered how many miles a pro cyclist actually covers during the year? So have we – and we were excited to hear that Rabo-Liv rider Lucinda Brand had shared her stats.

The data – which gives the Dutch rider’s stats from December to September – shows that she covered on average 1,527 kilometres a month, which works out at around 949 miles.

Rabo-Liv has been clear that the data shows only rides and races that Brand registered – and that not all sessions are recorded – but the stats still stack up pretty impressively.

The Dutch road race champion’s mileage peaked in July – the month she raced the Giro d’Italia Rosa – coming first in stages three and seven.

We were already pretty impressed with the distances – but the 26-year-old has also shared her climbing and power data.

The major climbing spike is in May – where she completed eleven times the elevation ridden in December (we wonder if she spent Christmas in the Netherlands?!).

Brand’s average power across all recorded rides is 204 watts – a massive figure considering how many of those miles would have been coasting in the bunch.

Everything You Need to Know About Powermeters

She said she hit her highest power figures ever this year – maxing at 940 watts, a massive increase on her 2014 maximum of 864 watts. Brand explained: “Last season I vastly improved in the sprint… I’m more explosive because my muscle strength has increased. The fun part is that if you see this progress, it gives you faith in your own abilities.”

3 Drills to Improve Your Sprint on the Bike

Brand is also particularly proud of her performance in the seventh stage of the Giro Rosa – when she solo-ed to victory – she tells us now holding 230 watts at the end of the 90km race. She says: “More than 50 kilometres from the finish I jumped away, on my own. [I know] if I [stuck to] 230 watts and keep kicking, then I could get away properly and could carry on.”

Brand’s average cadence of 95 also gives us reason to pay more attention to the coaching advice we always hear about aiming for over 90rpm – and will no doubt see us working on our pedal speed over winter!