There's a difference between burning calories and boosting fitness. While cycling to work spends calories, the intersections and obstacles that slow most commutes can leave your heart puttering far below its target rate. Turn activity into exercise with this techniques for building fitness even on the most stoplight-laden commute.

Acceleration. Go hard after stopping. While a red light might destroy your flow, think of it as a new starting line. When the light turns green, blow off the line with intense energy.

Anaerobic fitness. Burst midblock. From a moderate cruising pace, stand and sprint, reaching your top speed. Your sprints should last between 12 and 20 seconds.

Never-mind how experienced mountain biker you're or how careful you ride, one day you will crash. The most famous crash is probably over the handlebars.

On a downhill, your front wheel gets stuck in the dirt or you brake to intense with the front brake, or you ride into a dog running around. Whatever the reason, your mountain bike has stopped dead and you're heading over the handlebars.

Don't just hold on tight and aim your face at the ground. Instead get your leading arm towards the ground to start absorbing the impact, bow your head and tuck your chin into your chest, while protecting your head with your other arm.

People sometimes ask us often why they should keep the handlebar width a bit wider on a single-speed bike than on a geared bike. The answer is as some probably already guessed, the wider handlebars do equal more leverage. On a single speed, you need all the leverage you can find at both the cranks and handlebars.

Any time the terrain goes up on a singles-speed bike, you have to get out of the saddle and use all your strength and body weight to crank up the hills and keep whatever momentum you have going. On a geared bike, the extra leverage is not as noticeable or needed, since you have all those gears available for the varied terrain.

The manual, or wheelie is one of those moves that often eludes riders. It seems so simple yet it's still confusing. When you see a seasoned mountain biker making it look easy, it only adds to the 'dark art' tag that manualling or wheelies are often given. In reality, you don't need to coast your way down a trail on the rear wheel for 200 meters, all you need to do is loft the front wheel so you can clear obstacles, handle your speed and keep yourself planted to the ground.

Forget strength and hard graft, instead follow the instructions here and you'll realize that it's no more than a combination of a few simple techniques.

The Approach

This is an obvious one but often forgotten. The success of your manual will be directly related to how much balance and composure you had before you lifted the front wheel. Take your time, stop pedalling and get into you normal relaxed riding stance. Don't rush and if you're practicing a few in a row, compose yourself between each one. With your pedals level, look ahead and keep your elbows and knees relaxed.

Like most cyclists, you probably remember the exhilaration and freedom of hopping on a two-wheeler and speeding off down the block as one of the most powerful and enduring memories of your childhood. Pass that glorious feeling on to your children is sometimes not as easy as it looks.

Children between the ages of two and three, kids typically start to explore riding on a tricycle. By the time they hit the halfway point of their third year, many young ones will be eager to hop on a small two-wheeler outfitted with training wheels.

Most children this age have an intuitive understanding of how to pedal, but they still need to develop their balance and body position, and the ability to steer and stop the bike. Driveway games make great skill sessions. Challenge your child to steer around small rocks, or to stop before hitting a chalk line. It's great idea to get together with neighborhood parents and kids for a morning of fun riding at a local playground. Kids tend to learn when simply following the example of others their size.

The pre-jump is not just for downhillers. Oh no. It's a jump often encountered on a trail and, essentially, performed prior to the main take-off lip. It prevents both bike and rider going airborne and out of control at high speed, instead allowing you to maintain a constant speed, up or down, and over the other side.

The pre-jump is, as it sounds, beginning the jump before hitting the obvious take-off, to land on the backside of the slope, for example, on a downhill. It's basically a small bunnyhop maneuver to clear the lip of a jump with a controlled leap. A common technique applied incorporate into any riding situation, downhill or otherwise. It's key function is to keep driving the speed over a jump without overzealous mid-air antics.

Push the bike forward in the air, as if completing an up-and-over hop maneuver. Keep the weight fairly central over the bike once the initial weight thrust is accomplished, so that a smooth front-wheel landing can be achieved without pitching you over the handlebars.

Over recent years, Koh Chang has become famous for being a tourist destination untouched by modernization, and the National Park Koh Chang is blessed with fertile virgin rain-forest, unexplored jungles, high mountain peaks, breathtaking waterfalls, beautiful beaches and a spectacular coastline road which almost circles the whole island. A Perfect scenery for a mountain bike adventure.

Fresh from the ferry we arrive at Koh Chang, at a little convenience store we stop to buy some energy drinks, water and a few snacks. The ferry pier seems almost like a little village in its own right and an excellent starting point for our mountain bike trip.

Our goal is to circle the island within, not a easy task, even with the road being 95 percent paved, the coastal road is full of impossible climbs and dangerous downhills. After the first 5 kilometer we already feel our legs, nothing to worry about as we roll down to White Beach, a very touristic area of Koh Chang, with this flat road we can make finally some progress and after about 8 kilometers the road starts to go up and climbing is again upon us. After the flat road of White Sand our muscles are now warmed up and we now can do the climbing much easier, it then also not takes long before we reach a sign that says Koh Chang Viewpoint and we decide to check it out, the view is excellent.

The focus of the morning session was to examine handling skills and general riding techniques. The Hua-Hin Black Mountain was designated as our classroom and lesson one was given over to climbing and descending the road leading to the viewpoint on top of the mountain. Somchai led the way, constantly watching the guys and telling them the best ways to distribute body weight to get the most efficient pedaling stroke, at the same time making the correct gear selections. It all sounded pretty obvious, but as Thong intoned his uphill – he realized that there was clearly room for improvement.

At the top a quick U-turn saw Somchai demonstrating controlled descents and braking. He then sent the guys off to do likewise, adding, in the manner of a driving instructor, that when he made the appropriate hand signal they were to stop as fast as possible. A handful of lock-ups, skids and wobbles later, Nun and Thong had it under-control. Now for the steep, wet stuff.

How to correctly do switchback climbs? You'll find that switchbacks – that is, sections of track which bend sharply back on themselves – need accurate bike control and some forethought to navigate successfully.

On the approach to the switchback, select a gear that is low enough to carry you through it without spinning out. Look ahead for as many avoidable pitfalls as you can, such as rocks, roots and other slippery stuff. Work out how tight the bend is and look for the best exit point. Always maintain your momentum as you approach the corner.

Follow the outside line around the band until you reach the main turning point, where you have to begin going back on yourself. Stay relaxed and loose, as you'll have to be bit of contortionist for the next bit.

Due to the severity of a switchback bend, the key is to run wide into it. By initially following the outside of the band before crossing smoothly toward the apex of the bend – the racing line – you will have a better chance of maintaining balance. Don't try cutting the corner sharply, though.

Facing a steep, boulder-strewn climb on your mountain bike can be pretty daunting without the necessary skills at your disposal. Such an climb requires careful balance and canny weight distribution as the surface underneath your mountain bike wheels just never stays still.

Prior to hitting the worst of the climb – the loosest, rock-covered section of trail – provisionally plot the smoothest line through. Aim to skirt around boulders big enough to catch out a trails rider, and opt for furrows through the extreme of the rock field. Look for areas of smaller stones, which will offer additional purchase and a turn of speed on the way up.

Try to keep your rear hovering just out of the saddle, in a kind of power-climbing stance. This offers a subtle balance of weight between sitting down and standing up on the pedals. Sitting in the saddle and trying to spin up such a climb in the granny ring won't get you very far. Choose a momentum that allows both traction and power-down effort.