Sam Long has clocked up some incredible rides to establish himself as one of America’s top long-distance triathletes – and now he’s shared his top three tips to improve your cycling.

The self-coached 29-year-old won three times in 2024 to finish the year in the world’s top five and he’s now ranked #3 in the PTO standings in terms of his bike prowess, with only French superstar Sam Laidlow and great Dane Magnus Ditlev ahead of him.

The ‘Big Unit’ also claims to have the “strongest legs in triathlon” – and the Colorado native has now shared what makes his wheels go round in a new YouTube video, which is embedded below.

Long claims “these methods have helped me become one of the best cyclists in the sport of triathlon” and “if you stick with these three things you’re going to see a huge amount of improvement.”

So here goes with the advice…

1 – Have a clear purpose

Long says: “I’m riding about 15 hours a week. For most people that’s just not going to be possible. But even I have to get more purposeful with my training.”

He recommends doing a threshold-oriented ride, saying “that’s your key workout of the week”.

But he also advises dedicating a day to “improving your weaknesses” and “developing your capabilities beyond what you need to do for the sport”.

2 – Optimise the body and the machine

For Long, the human is the body and the bike is the machine, and he believes it’s important to make the best of both.

That includes riding different bikes and trying out different rides as he explains: “If you’re just on a trainer and then you get outside and you’re not used to steering or not sure how to balance, your brain is going to be using a lot of energy just to think, and you’re not going to have that energy to put into the pedals.”

He also insists bike-fit is important, adding: “Making sure you’ve got your biomechanics right. Making sure your aerodynamics are right. Making sure all those details are looked after.”

3 – Get comfortable being uncomfortable

Long’s last big tip is “a mental tip and a psychological approach to cycling.”

He says: “You’ve got to be able tolerate pain in your body and in your mind. If you can raise how much you are able to suffer in your brain, the threshold is going to go up because you’re going to be able to push yourself harder.

“If you approach it this way you’ll learn your body over time and you’ll learn you’re capable of more, and you will improve.”

What the video below for more details on all three…