For steppes towards improved cycling, why not head for — well — the steppes? We see in this video people riding camels and horses there. Why not bicycles?

Crossing Mongolia on two wheels sounds like a marvelous adventure. Wide open country has always appealed to me, maybe because I don’t get to see much of it. It would be great to ride where the racket of everyday life in “civilization” is far away.

What steps does a cyclist need to take to prepare for such a trek? Or even for a comparatively short one such as a century? How can we improve our cycling abilities? Well, maybe exercises on an aerobic stepper would be a good start. 

Actually, I think it depends on what you mean by “improve”. Do you want to get faster? Be able to ride longer, letting speed be what it may? Spend weeks riding across a faraway land?

If you want to improve your speed, you’ll need to work on short bursts of riding several miles per hour faster than your current pace, gradually increasing the length of those intervals. Or do you merely want to be able to ride for longer at a time? Then add a few miles per week until you’re able to ride the mileage that you desire.

I’m at sea when it comes to preparation for several weeks of riding; especially when it means packing along cooking equipment; sleeping bag, tent, and so on. This book might help you to get started. RUSA is another good source of info about long-distance riding.

Even just starting to ride a bicycle for short errands, or to work, is steppes towards improved cycling.