Secret revealed: Not too long ago a member of our team did not know how to ride a bike. She was married, had 2 young kids, was running an agency - accomplished in every sense- except - yet she did not know how to ride a bike.
Fast forward this story - she did learn to ride a bike eventually at 37 and fell in love with cycling. She rode every where and all the time.
She enjoyed cycling but grew increasingly frustrated that every outing she was "being schooled" or #mansplained on how to ride, what to wear, what to do, what to say - heck she was even hassled about the "brand & type" of helmet she wore.
Who knew a mountain bike helmet with a visor is "tabu" to use for road cycling....or so they said....our motto: #rockwhatyagot
After attending a Cycling safety course given by a local cycling LCI legend we came up with the following best top cycling safety tips to us who wanted to share with beginner cyclists and triathletes.
Here are #SwimBikeRunFun's top 15 Road Cycling Bicycle Safety Tips for having safe fun on wheels while riding and training on the road:
Wear. A. Helmet. Always.
Follow the rules of the road, just like if you were driving a car
ALWAYS wear a headlamp and a rear light when riding at night. We like to use a small clip on light and stick in the back of our helmet for added visibility.
Slow down at intersections. Green lights and cars turning right - right in front of you - is the #1 reported highest cycling incident scenario,
Wave your arms if you are unsure of your visibility, especially at intersections or with cars turning right, into your lane
Ride with Buddies. When you are riding with friends, the fun increases 1000%, there is safety in numbers, and makes you more visible when riding in a group.
When appropriate, do not hug the curb too much; leave yourself some space to veer into if necessary; be visible (do not do this on fast or rural roads!)
Wear bright reflective clothing, even in the day time hours
Be predictable, and, signal your turns.
Avoid wearing headphones. If you must - keep it around your neck or in one ear.
Wear a blinky light or headlamp, no matter the time of day you are riding (See: Carin is a perfect model rider with her rear lighter, tons of water, helmet and a mega smile)
Always look behind you before veering/swerving left into the lane of traffic
Look drivers in the eye when a potentially dangerous situation might ensue; be sure they see you
Ride defensively: like every driver is on a cell phone, not paying attention, on drugs, eating, lip syncing, watching Hulu even - never give a driver the benefit of the doubt when it comes to your life!
Try not to ride speedily down the sidewalk unless it's part of a bike path or trail
Check out Michelle Brideau's newbie cyclist tips video. She is out of the UK and this video is perfect if you are a beginner cyclist or thinking of getting back into cycling . Michelle gives you 3 tips to help you become a better cyclist in this super shot video.
Cycling is a healthy, fun, enjoyable way to achieve a wide variety of objectives including being social, participating in triathlons and cycling events.
Let's keep our active community strong, fit, healthy, and SAFE. You take a risk every time you climb onto your bicycle: do your part to keep yourself and others as safe as possible.
BONUS BEGINNER TRIATHLON CYCLING TIPS
Some Helpful Cycling Strategies To Get Stronger & Faster
If the wind is strong and you have a choice, have the ride start heading into the wind for as far as you can go. Then turn around and relax on the trip home,
Max out the hills so you can leverage that speed going back up the hill. Consider the wind to just be a hill viewed from another angle. When you get to the top of your mental hill, relax a bit before going up the next imaginary hill.
Lower your chest when going into the wind and take advantage of the drops to lower your chest even further. Raise yourself more upright when the wind is at your back, making your body into a sail.
Be careful in gusty winds and in rain.
Check what your clothing is doing. If it is billowing like a parachute, then it is causing a drag, slowing you down. Wear fitted clothing.
Shoes: Clip-ins give you a physical advantage once you get used to them.
Find yourself a friend to ride with who is about your cycling level or a bit above.
This will keep you pushing yourself, and rather not getting you discouraged that you begin to wonder why you are out here.
Ride with that person on a regular schedule, make it a weekly commitment. This will make you less likely to skip a ride. And it’s more fun.
Our small Ladygang here in Austin likes to point out that our most memorable times have been when we were doing something together or with female cyclists/triathletes.
Find yourself another female cyclist or triathlete, a friend that will go on adventures and sometimes do something stupid with you. This will be your forever cycling buddy.
SwimBikeRunFun’s blog is designed to help beginners & aspiring women get involved in triathlon & multisport endurance events.
Our goal is to educate women on how to become duathletes & triathletes, enjoy multisport events and endurance racing by having fun.
For our more seasoned triathletes and multisport veterans - we plan to reignite your passion for the sport with new and fun race formats.
Personally, we think having fun makes life and triathlons more enjoyable for you and the people you’re close to.
Fun creates enthusiasm and energy and is a direct producer of accomplishments. The euphoric feeling you get from training and completing an endurance feat like a triathlon bleeds into other areas of your life.
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