Inspired to take up cycling? Here are some top tips before you hit the pedals
From young children on stabilisers, through to adults going for long countryside rides, cycling is for everyone. And it’s one of the easiest ways to fit exercise into your daily routine.
BENEFITS OF CYCLING
There’s plenty of health benefits from cycling:
• Low impact, high intensity – Cycling is perfect way of raising your heart rate but being low impact there’s less risk of injury.
• Social/therapeutic – Cycling gives a great opportunity to exercise at the same time as a good natter. And don’t forget the coffee and cake stops to fuel up!
• Sense of achievement/fulfilment – There’s no better feeling after conquering your furthest, hardest ride.
• Explore the world – Cycling is a great opportunity to find new places. And rather than travel alone you can always hook up with a local cycling club who will no doubt be very welcoming.
STAY STATIC
Nervous about cycling out in the wild? If you want to build your fitness up and don’t fancy going out onto the road, why not get on board a static bike. There’s plenty of apps out there to support you and there’s some added benefits form cycling indoors.
• It is safer exercise in your own home.
• You can ride with people across the globe 24-hours-a-day.
• You can race.
• Or do organised training programmes.
• And it’s any-weather!
It’s worth investing in getting a static bike set up properly as it’ll be a lot more enjoyable. It makes sense to speak to a bike fit specialist prior to purchasing a machine as they can tell you which best suits your build and requirements.
TOP TIPS
So, you’re on board with getting into cycling. Here are a few more tips to make it plain sailing:
• Use your local bike shop to purchase your machine. It’s not only great to support local businesses but also they are usually happy to do a deal. You can pick up a well-specced bike for less than £1,000. Don’t forget you can save up to 42 per cent on a new bike if you use the ‘bike to work scheme ‘. See more details at cyclescheme.co.uk
• Girls… don’t get sucked into to purchasing a ‘ladies’ model – it actually may not suit your body type and you may even find yourself paying a premium for female-specific bikes!
• Invest in a good tyre. Continental Grand Prix GT Folding Road Tyre are geared up to prevent punctures as much as possible. You could also add a tyre sealant which will help you get home if you do get a puncture and can’t fix it.
• There’s no need to go crazy on lots of expensive kit. Buy a well-fitting cycling helmet, set of lights – even if you don’t plan to go out after dark always have a rear light on to make you more visible – make sure you get a good tool-kit and a windproof/waterproof jacket. The brighter the better to be seen!
• Download the free social app Strava to your phone. It will track your ride and you can compare your progress as well as see how your friends’ training is going.