Road cyclists: What to do in times of the coronavirus crisis? - Six suggestions for road cyclists

1. train with professionals

Even before the coronavirus lockdown, many professional road cyclists were keeping fit on virtual training platforms. Since Paris-Nice was the last professional race to be held in mid-March and some professional cyclists are no longer even allowed to train alone outdoors (>>more on the legal regulations in Europe<<), the number of pros active on the home trainer is once again skyrocketing. In addition to the first online races on the weekend of the Tour of Flanders (>>more about the competitions on Bkool and Zwift can be found here<<), the teams offer regular training rides. For example, world champion Mads Pedersen and Lotto-Soudal pro Philippe Gilbert, among others, will be demonstrating on Zwifthow to prepare for the toughest one-day races of the year in a focussed manner and how to use the software Bkool the professionals from Circus-Wanty are challenged by amateur riders.

>>Elite, JetBlack, Kinetic, Tacx, Technogym, Wahoo... - 22 Smart roller trainers in test<<

A precise overview of when which virtual group rides and races with professionals are taking place can be found on the Event page from Zwift and the Community overview of Bkool. What you need to use the virtual training software is shown in our Zwift guide for beginners, you can find more about Bkool in the large TOUR-Indoortraining-Test.

Which training software is right for me? Our comparison of leading offers shows you.

2. baking

Spending more time in your own home also means having more time to make things yourself. Also suitable for beginner cooks is our Recipe for homemade muesli bars. They taste delicious, are healthy and can be easily varied with other ingredients. Also quick to prepare and perfectly tailored to the needs of athletes: our Recipe suggestions for sports meals in 15 minutes.

More You can find varied recipe ideas from our colleagues at BIKE magazinewho stood at the cooker together with star chef Christian Henze.

Need a refill but don't fancy baking yourself? Then you will find here one gLarge selection of energy bars in the TOUR test.

3. read cycling books

The stress of everyday life and the nice weather on the road bike mean that there is rarely an opportunity to read, especially a whole book. Now is the right time to stretch out comfortably on the sofa again and devote yourself fully to a longer text. How about one of our ten best cycling books? >>to the book tips<<

Do you already know the books presented? Then you can find more here Ten reading tips for road cyclists. Of course, our current magazine is always a good read, which provides you with in-depth reports, tough tests, fascinating pictures and fantastic tour suggestions for the time after the lockdown, either as a print subscription, a digital subscription or as a combined offer every month. Click here for the TOUR stay-home offers.

4. watch cycling films

Not a bookworm but addicted to Netflix? No problem, because we've put together the best cycling films, series and documentaries on Netflix, Amazon Video and YouTube. Perfect for a cosy evening at home! You should have seen these ten bike films.

5. screws

Are the gears not working properly? Is the wheel running out of round? Or you want to convert to tubeless tyres? You can find lots of tips and tutorials for road bike repairs in our instructions and YouTube videos to improve your tinkering skills. Whether it's fine-tuning the gears, a brake service or centring the wheels - TOUR workshop manager Christoph Allwang shows you how it's done. When is there a better opportunity to tinker with your bike than during the coronavirus lockdown? Tinkering tips from the pro (click for detailed instructions in the video):

• Wrap handlebar tape correctly
• Change tyres quickly and safely
• Centre the impeller
• Correctly adjusting rim brakes and changing brake pads
• Changing the chain and cash register for beginners
• Fitting tubeless tyres
• Adjusting the gears: Everything you need to know about derailleurs and front derailleurs from Shimano, Campagnolo and Sram
• Disc service: What to do if the disc brake grinds?
• Problems with the disc? Bleed the disc brake correctly
• Replace brake pads on disc brakes quickly and safely
• Electronic circuits: How to set them correctly

6. get off to a flying start with athletics training

If you want to train for cycling, you have to ride a bike - an old training adage that has long been outdated. If you really want to make progress on the road bike, you must not neglect regular athletic training. The importance of targeted stretching is demonstrated by professional cyclist Marcus Burghardt from the German team Bora-Hansgrohe (>> to the professional workout by Marcus Burghardt<<). The upper body should not be neglected either - after all, better stability helps noticeably when pedalling on the bike. Which Exercises for beginners ex-professional cyclist Johannes Fröhlinger shows us how well suited they are.

>>Athletic and stretching exercises for road cyclists as a free download<<

The perfect complement to stretching, especially after demanding cycling sessions: Fascia training. A full-body workout that is specially tailored to the needs and problems of racing cyclists. Eight exercises that speed up recovery after training.