If you just signed up for a healthier lifestyle and you are a beginner cyclist, then you should know that there are several things to avoid when it comes to your safety, comfort, and performance.
Without ado, let us jump into the list of things that you must avoid while improving your cycling game.
Read on to learn more.
Riding without a Rear Light
The first thing that you must avoid at all costs is to leave your house with your cycle without a rear light. Why, you might ask? Well, the thing is that cycling on the roads without a rear light, even on the quietest country roads, can potentially be dangerous.
The underlying reasons are linked with the potential speed and sizes of the cars going past you. Ideally, you must work at increasing your chances of being seen by as much as possible. This is also where the importance of having a rear light comes in.
A rear light is a small, inconspicuous, and cost-effective way to guarantee much-needed safety while you are out on the bike. There is a variety of different rear-end lights that you can use for this purpose. Some lights are exclusively designed for riding your bike at night, but we recommend using a light that can effectively manage all different weather conditions and can be used during the day.
Using a rear light can also help you get into crashes. However, if you do, make sure to get in touch with the Alpharetta Bicycle Accident Lawyer if you reside in Alpharetta so your lawyer can negotiate with the at-fault insurance company effectively.
You get the point – the rear-end light will give you the much-needed safety layer along with your helmet and pair of gloves.
Avoid Stiffing the Upper Body
As a beginner cyclist, your aim should be to become better at cycling. On that note, you should avoid locking your upper body. What it means is that you should always relax your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and upper body while cycling.
You should do this not only to feel comfortable when you are on the bike but also so that you are able to maneuver things that you might not be able to see coming up before, such as the door opening of a seemingly parked car or a sudden pothole.
When you relax your shoulders, wrists, and elbows, you will have more control over your bike, and you will feel that if you do come across an unexpected obstacle, you won’t get thrown around. On that note, you should learn to relax your shoulders, your elbows, and your wrists, which is not a process that happens overnight.
Establishing and maintaining a relaxed body posture while riding a bike is something that you will learn over the years. But – make it a point to start small. When you are outside cycling, start by thinking about relaxing your shoulders, upper body, and elbows.
Soon enough, you will find that you eventually pick up the habit of having a relaxed upper body while cycling, naturally.
Not Thinking About Fueling
Now, here is the thing: when you are on the bike, your body is burning through fuel like a car does with petrol. You should keep in mind that your diet plays a crucial role in your physical fitness. We recommend having a nutritious breakfast before you go on a bike ride.
But – you should also remember that because of the intensity of the cycling that you will be doing, you will be burning through fuel at a rate that your body might not be able to sustain in the same way it would do if you were sitting at home sedentary.
On that note, get some protein bars and make sure to eat every thirty minutes. Ideally, you should consume a small amount of fuel every thirty minutes when you are riding a bike. This way, you will be fueling your body the right way, and your body will perform all the way through your ride.
You get the point – fueling your body is a crucial part of effective cycling, so you should know how to use food as the fuel for your body.
Avoid Surging on Hills
Another thing that you should avoid as a cyclist is to surge up on hills, especially if you are riding your cycle in a bunch or with a group of friends. In other words, you should avoid going full gas when you are riding your cycle up a hill. When you surgeon hills, it means that you will be spiking your heart rate, which will cause you to take a break or slow down so that you can recover afterward.
More importantly, if you are riding in a group, the people around you won’t really know that you are going to surge, which is why you might find that you are constantly drifting slow and fast at the top of the group of cyclists.
Instead of surging, you should maintain the same level of power while you are riding your cycle on the flat. Allow your cycle to naturally slow down while you continue to push the same power. This is a very predictable way to ride a bike, as you will be able to smoothen your power throughout the entire bike ride.
Pro Tip: Practice Riding with One Hand
This is a pro-tip, which doesn’t fall into the category of things to avoid as a cyclist but things to learn for your own safety. On that note, we recommend learning to ride with one hand on the bars. There are several benefits linked with it, such as the benefit of being able to signal your way in traffic.
Also, riding your bike with one hand will enable you to eat and drink. If you are riding your cycle in a group, you can use your one free hand to point out hazards, such as potholes, to other riders that are behind you.
More importantly, this trick will enable you to handle your bike better in various situations. It is important to mention here that we aren’t recommending you learn this skill to use it whenever you want – but you can enjoy cycling more and get yourself in a safer position in various situations that can arise when riding a cycle.
