After watching this year’s Tour de France and Olympic track cycling, it’s
hard not to be inspired to hop on a bike and ride. Whether the goal is to ride
down a mountain faster than a car, beat friends in a race,
lose weight,
get fit, or have an
excuse to buy a new toy — road cycling has it all. Here are the need-to-know
facts every aspiring road cyclist should grasp before hitting the open road.
Pedalling the Pavement — The Need-to-Know
Lance Armstrong makes it look easy, but don’t be fooled — road cycling is
no walk in the park. It
requires concentration, balance, strength, endurance, and a little bit of
craziness. It also requires a lot of energy, since it’s arguably the most
calorically demanding sport. A 150 pound dude can burn around 700 calories an
hour pedaling at a 14-15.9 mph pace (moderate effort). If our aspiring cyclist
increased the pace to a more vigorous effort of around 16-19 mph, they could
burn almost 900 calories an hour[
1]. While
other sports like running can burn just as many calories per minute, an elite
marathoner might use around 2,000 calories for the entire two-hour race, but a
pro cyclist can sustain this effort even longer. They can burn more than 6,000
calories in a single day of racing, and do it every day for over three
weeks[
2].
Cycling is also relatively easy on the joints, which makes it a great
exercise for overweight people or those with
mobility problems. But
don’t ditch the
strength training. One study found that
recreational cyclists had lower bone mineral density than runners, likely due to
the fact that they weren’t placing as much strain on their bones[
3]. Even pro
cyclists have lower bone mineral density than average Joes[
4]. Not only
will
strength training increase bone density, it can also improve cycling performance by boosting
metabolism, building lean weight and shedding fat[
5][
6].
Live Free and Ride Hard — Your Action Plan
Ready to start riding? Here’s a 12-step action plan to get you started.
1. Wear a helmet: This should be
a no-brainer (literally, if a cyclist crashes without one). Not all states
require cyclists to wear a helmet but it’s one of the easiest and
most effective ways to
keep the noggin safe.
2. Get the right fit: Work with
a local bike shop to create
a perfect fit on the
bike. This will avoid back pain and injuries and improve performance over the
long-term. Bike fits are highly individual, but a good rule of thumb for
determining saddle height is for the user to place a bare heel on the pedal and
adjust the saddle so that the knee is locked. Cyclists can adjust it from there
to suit taste[
7].
3. Bring a repair kit (and learn how to
use it): Buy a spare tube from the local bike shop, cover it in baby
powder (to make sure it slides into the bike tire in emergencies), and put it in
a plastic bag. Carry a bike pump and a patch kit to avoid getting stranded.
Practice
fixing a flat at home
before the ride to make sure it can be done in an emergency.
4. Find a place to ride: After
searching for a cycling club, look for
ride routes and maps on
the club’s website. These rides will be safer, smoother, and easier to follow
than random roads.
5. Find some cycling friends: The best way to learn road cycling is to ride with more experienced riders.
There’s no substitute for real-world instruction and most cyclists are happy to
teach newbies everything they know. Search the USA Cycling website to
find a club.
6. Bring some ID: Accidents
happen, and it’s a good idea to have some identification in case a cyclist
becomes unconscious or injured. Bring an old driver’s license, scribble some
information on a piece of paper, or use a fancy bracelet or anklet with contact
information on it, called a
Road ID.
7. Get comfortable with cars:
Cyclists have to share the road and not all drivers are as courteous as
they could (or should) be. Don’t get upset or flash vulgar hand gestures if a
driver comes too close. Stay calm, maintain control over the bike, and wave.
It’s better to make friends with drivers rather than be enemies.
8. Learn the lingo: Cycling is
not just a sport – it’s a culture with its
own language. The terms will come naturally after
a time, but here are two basics every rider should know: “drafting,” riding
behind another cyclist to limit wind resistance and save energy, and “peloton,”
a group of riders drafting off one another.
9. Spin up to speed: Aim for a
high cadence of around 90-100 revolutions per minute. This might not be possible
at first, but make it a goal. This will make the pedal strokes smoother, which
will reduce fatigue and increase speed[
8][
9].
10. Learn to love tight clothes:
It’s possible to get away with regular shorts for brief rides, but dawn
some tight-fitting, padded bike shorts for longer ones. This keeps the body
cool, cuts down on drag, and keeps the, um, “undercarriage” comfy.
11. Resist the urge to splurge:
Believe it or not, it’s possible to spend
more than $20,000 on a
bike. Don’t do it. Most beginner bikes will be around
$500 to $1000, which is
still a good chunk of change. Luckily, the rewards are worth the cost, as a
good bike will last several years. Start with a
lower-priced model and
resist the temptation to buy a super-bike… at least for now.
12. Think about joining USA Cycling:
USA Cycling is the official governing body of mountain biking, BMX,
track cycling, road cycling, and pretty much any other form of human powered
vehicle on two wheels in the United States. For those who are interested in
trying a bike race, a
USA Cycling license is
required. Joining USA cycling also has some
nice benefits, including
information on where to ride, bike shops, cycling news, tips, and clinics.
Feeling faster already? Go to the local bike shop (“LBS” in cycling speak)
and start testing some bikes. Ask lots of questions and be ready to
make a few mistakes —
that’s how road cycling is learned. Check out the list of resources below for
more information.
Will you try road cycling? Tell us in the comments below. Further Resources
Works Cited
- 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes
and MET values. Ainsworth, B.E., Haskell, W.L., Herrmann, S.D.,
et al. Exercise and Wellness Program, School of Nutrition and Health Promotion,
Arizona State University. The Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and
Exercise, 2011 Aug;43(8):1575-81 [↩]
- Nutritional practices of male and
female endurance cyclists. Burke, L.M. Australian Institute of
Sport. The Journal of Sports Medicine, 2001;31(7):521-32 [↩]
- Participation in road cycling vs running is associated with
lower bone mineral density in men. Rector, R.S., Rogers, R.,
Ruebel, M., et al. University of Missouri. The Journal of Metabolism: Clinical
and Experimental, 2008 Feb;57(2):226-32 [↩]
- Evaluation of the bone status in
high-level cyclists. Guillaume, G., Chappard, D., Audran, M.
French Professional Cyclism Team. The Journal of Clincial Densitometry, 2012
Jan-Mar;15(1):103-7 [↩]
- Resistance Training is Medicine:
Effects of Strength Training on Health. Westcott, W.L. Quincy
College. The Journal of Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2012 Jul;11(4):209-16
[↩]
- Effect of different bicycle body
positions on power output in aerobically trained females.
Hubenig, L.R., Game, A.B., Kennedy, M.D. University of Alberta. The Journal of
Research in Sports Medicine, 2011 Oct;19(4):245-58 [↩]
- Cyclists Improve Pedalling Efficacy and
Performance After Heavy Strength Training. Hansen, E.A.,
Ronnestad, B.R., Vegge, G., et al. Aalborg University. The International Journal
of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2011 Dec 2 [↩]
- Effects on the crank torque profile
when changing pedalling cadence in level ground and uphill road
cycling. Bertucci, W., Grappe, F., Girard, A., et al. Université
de Franche Comté. The Journal of biomechanics, 2005 May;38(5):1003-10 [↩]
- Effects of saddle height, pedaling
cadence, and workload on joint kinetics and kinematics during
cycling. Bini, R.R., Tamborindeguy, A.C., Mota, C.B. Universidade
Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. The Journal of Sports Rehabilitation, 2010
Aug;19(3):301-14 [↩]
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