Road Cycling for Beginners - Training & Safety First - Last - And Always!
Monday, December 14, 2015
If you're just getting started on road cycling, here are some professional tips to help you get the most out of this great sports activity.
Be safe
Learn your local road cycling traffic rules, buy a good quality cycling helmet and never ride your bike without it. Accidents happen when folks are in too much of a hurry to even put on their helmet!
If you're starting from a poor fitness level visit your doctor for a check-up and explain your plan to take up road cycling. Begin your fitness training at an easy pace, biking shouldn't cause you pain and if it does you're pushing yourself too hard or have the wrong type of seat.
Some muscle soreness is natural at first but this'll soon disappear as your body adapts to exercising some previously unused muscles.
Be constant
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that a lot of mileage covered at the weekend and then several days rest will work. The best road cycling for beginners' training is carefully scheduled work spread out over the course of a week.
Stick to your schedule because only constant, regular exercise will build up your strength and endurance.
During your first year of training you will see the fastest gains in your level of fitness and your diet will change as you should be choosing the best types of food to give your body the correct fuel for regular cycling.
Be seen
Check your lights every day – you may only be planning to be on the road during daylight hours – but life's full of surprises. You don't want to find you've got to cycle home in the dark and your lights aren't working!
Being highly visible to drivers is vital, so be sure to wear brightly coloured clothes. You may be too cool to wear hot pink, lime green or fluorescent orange as your personal style choice for work, but the road isn't a fashion catwalk, it's a game of chess on wheels!
Be very cautious when riding by parked vehicles, because people have a nasty habit of flinging open the car door and suddenly jumping out - appearing before you like a sideways Jack-in-a-Box! If you're wearing a bright colour, they're more likely to see you coming and wait.
Road cycling is a great way to give your body the healthy exercise it needs – so stay safe and enjoy the ride!