This is an older article that came out last year, but I think it’s a really good one to bring up at this time of year, when everyone has started racing, assessed where they are, and — let’s be honest — panicked that they aren’t where they wanted or expected to be. This is the time of year when people stop thinking about base miles and start looking for quick fixes, which often ends with overtraining and getting injured or starting a crash/fad diet and getting sick. But there are some small things you can be doing to get you and your bike smoother and speedier with minimal effort. The Rally Cycling team ran me through a few of their favorite small ‘hacks’ that they incorporate into their daily lives to stay strong and improve on the bike without a ton of added effort. Unsurprisingly, most of these are easy to incorporate and won’t cost anything—they may not be as exciting as something like a drastic diet change, but they will actually work.

Click to read: 8 Little Ways to 10x Your Cycling