• ROAD CYCLISTS NEED good fitness and mental steel, but the technical side of the sport is all too easily neglected. From bike-handling and braking technique to pedalling efficiency and group-riding etiquette, cyclists need to master a range of essential skills to get the most out of their rides. Perfecting these skills will make you a stronger, faster and more efficient cyclist, but it will also keep you safer on the roads and boost your confidence. Apply these seven tips to become a savvier, sharper and more skilful rider.
What the experts say...
How to boost your on-bike performance
01Pedal power
• Cleats can be terrifying for new riders, but they actually enhance your safety by preventing your feet slipping off your pedals in wet conditions. Cleats also make it easier to 'push' and 'pull' your feet around the pedal rotation for enhanced efficiency. Shimano SPDSL, Speedplay and Look are popular road cleats, but make sure you buy the pedals to match. Just push your foot forward and down to clip in, and twist your heel out to release. "Beginners could practise clipping in and out while on the indoor turbo [or a grass park area if they don't have a turbo] before hitting the road," suggests cycling coach Jason Streather of PDQ Cycle Coaching (pdqcyclecoaching.co.uk). "And set your cleats to the loosest setting while learning," advises Streather.
02 Get in gear
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2023 من Cycling Plus UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2023 من Cycling Plus UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
GANARY A COALMINE
The James Brown tune 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World' comes on the radio, filling the coach, and does nothing for my pre-event nerves as I sit surrounded by serious-looking, wiry, tanned men in Lycra. It's 6.30am, pitch black outside and I'm feeling very out of my depth as a relative newcomer to the world of clipless pedals and hurting for fun. Last night's stress dream involved being very unprepared to get married and being handed my great-grandmother-in-law-to-be's hideous silver dress with lace trim to wear minutes before the ceremony was due to start. I'll let you psychoanalyse that one.
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