Bahrain Victorious Rider's WorldTour Step-Up: The Training Behind Pro Cycling

A Bahrain Victorious success story

Dunwoody’s step-up caps a standout 2026. He won the Irish national road race title and, on the track, the European points-race championship for under-23 riders, finished runner-up at both Paris-Roubaix Espoirs and Gent-Wevelgem for the young pros, and picked up WorldTour racing experience at the AlUla Tour, the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes and the Ename Samyn Classic. Bahrain Victorious said those performances “confirmed his readiness for the sport’s highest level,” while Dunwoody called the promotion a “dream come true” and thanked the team, staff and his family. It is exactly the pathway the team built its development squad to create — moving young riders from the junior ranks up to the WorldTour.

It is not just mileage: the training behind pro cycling

Watch a WorldTour rider and it is easy to assume the job is simply riding for hours. The hours matter, but the modern professional spends a serious chunk of the year in the gym, too. Endurance builds the aerobic base; strength and conditioning builds the durable, powerful body that can put that base to work in the final kilometres of a race — and stay injury-free across a long season. That off-bike work is where a recreational rider stands to gain the most, because it is the part most amateurs skip. Learning the movements properly with a personal trainer is the fastest way to start.

Strength training for cyclists: what the evidence says

The research backs it up. A peer-reviewed study found that adding heavy strength training to normal endurance work improved cycling performance in well-trained athletes, including after prolonged submaximal efforts — in other words, when it matters most, late in a hard ride. Strength-training guidance summarised by Rouleur explains why: lifting helps you recruit more muscle fibres into the pedal stroke, raises the power you can put down, and builds the supporting muscles that protect against the overuse aches long hours in the saddle can bring. None of this is about becoming a bodybuilder; it is about a stronger, more resilient engine.

You can build that engine in a structured class as easily as in a solo gym session. A barbell strength class covers the big compound lifts, while an indoor studio cycling class keeps your legs turning on the days the roads are too hot to ride.

What a weekend rider in Bahrain can borrow

You do not need a pro’s schedule to train like one. A few habits carry over cleanly:

1. Treat strength work as part of training, not an optional extra — build it into the week.
2. Prioritise the basics: squats, hinges, lunges and core, done with good technique.
3. Keep riding indoors when the heat spikes, so your aerobic base does not slip in summer.
4. Respect recovery — sleep and easy days are when the adaptations actually happen.

How often should you lift?

Less than you might think. According to strength-training guidance summarised by Rouleur, two focused sessions a week in the off-season are enough to build meaningful gains, and those gains can then be maintained through the racing season on a lighter schedule. For most recreational riders in Bahrain, two well-run gym sessions alongside their rides is a realistic, sustainable target.

Ride stronger with GymNation Bahrain

You may never race the WorldTour, but the training that gets riders there is open to everyone — and it starts with your first strength session. Ready to build a stronger engine? Join GymNation and put a pro’s habits to work.

Sources:
newsofbahrain.com
bahraincyclingteam.com
rouleur.cc
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.