Your First Three Years ~ Part 17:

Training:  What Kind of cyclist are you going to be?

A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!) Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling.  Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.

Before training can really begin, it's kind of important to figure out what one is training for.

Presumably you have recently started your exploration of cycling.  Perhaps you started following this series after you “got on the bike” last Summer.  Perhaps you are a more experienced cyclist who is exploring a deeper understanding of the sport and your place in it.  The assumption is that you rode last Spring and Summer, and that you are about seven to eight months along in this journey.  All of that would make this a really  good time to consider, or revisit the question,  “What do I want to do on/with the bicycle?”

A good bicycle salesperson will start the conversation with a question something like,  “What do you want to do with your bike?”  That salesperson is asking “How do you want to ride?”  and “Where do you want to ride?” and “What do you want to get out of this?”  (Sadly, more often than not, the answer to the question, “What do you want to do with your new bike?” is “Ride it.”  Duh.)

That series of questions is often tough for the new rider.  I’ve met a lot of folks who said that they wanted to moutnainbikeroadrideracetourplayrideonpathsexerciseandloseweight.  Sure they may want to do all that, but in fact they don’t really know what attracts them and where they wish to place their energy.  After a season of riding, most folks have developed some opinions.  They have learned some things that they like, and discovered some things that they don’t like.  A rider’s personality begins to inform the riding.  Perhaps now is a good time to revisit some categories and explore the sport a bit more widely. 

“What kind of cyclist are you?” Do you really know the answer to that yet?  How many different kinds of riding have you explored?  Perhaps it’s time to branch out and try something different.

On the other hand, there’s no real hurry.  You are young in the sport.  Take the time to become more deeply involved in the type of riding you  have been doing.  Drink it to the dregs, but be aware that there is more and different.

“What kind of cyclist are you?”  The answer to that question carries with it some implications and possibly some amazing revelations.  Bear in mind, very few cyclists are just one thing, and there are as many different styles of doing things as there air things to do.  In aid of your reflections, here are some categories and some qualifiers.

A (partial) List of Cycling Fields

• Beginner
• Recreational
• Event Rider
• Fast Recreational Rider
• Competitive Cyclist
• Endurance Rider
• Tourist
• Utility Cyclist
• Gadget Obsessed
• Mountain Biker
• Fixed Gear
• BMX
• Stunts and tricks
• Downhill

Some personality attributes which inform one’s riding:

• Gregarious
• Loner
• Individualist
• Minimalist
• Adventurer
• Tinker
• Non-technical
• Outdoors!
• Inside!
• Competitive
• Laid back
• Aggressive
• Active
• Easy going
• Social
• Budget minded
• Technically fascinated
• Mechanically inclined
• Hate to mess with machinery

Think about that first list for a moment.  Let your imagination roam freely.  What intrigues you?  What repels you?  How would you blend the attributes that you have from the second list with some of those Cycling Fields?

Don’t be too quick to answer.  You just could be exploring this one for the rest of your life.

Next Week: Indoor Training

Stationary Trainers, HR Monitors, Core and Abs, Strength training, pliometrics

~//~

This series began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012.  It is intended to continue for three years.  Each week, we will discuss exercises, skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”) rider a high level of cycling competence.  We’ll address common problems, and (always) stress safe practice.

~//~

A Note on Timing:  This series uses Mid-June as the starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”  We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start riding.  If you are following this guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three years.”  Do note that some of the posts will concern weather and seasonal changes.  When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to fit your personal timeline.

Your First Three Years ~ Part 16:

Coming back from Illness or Injury

A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!) Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling.  Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.

Sooner or later we all suffer an injury of some kind, or succumb to some illness.  It can’t be helped or avoided, no matter how conscientious and careful we are.  Sooner or later our well established rhythms are disrupted.  If we are athletes, this causes us a lot of anxiety.  After all we’ve worked, and worked hard, to attain some level of fitness.  In many cases we are aiming at some goal, and this problem occurs at exactly the worst possible time.  What are we to do?

Before we go farther there are some hard facts about training and physical conditioning that must be faced.  Among these, one of the hardest is just this:  It is not possible to “make up for” lost training time.  Once a day is past, it is forever gone.  Keep that thought in the back of your mind as we go through the next part.

Illness, whether it be a common cold or something more serious, simply must be dealt with.  Once one is suffering from some sickness, the first and only job is to regain health, and then recover from the sickness or infection.  Only then can training resume.

Injuries must be treated in exactly the same fashion.  First we heal, then recover, and only then may we resume training loads.

Attempting to “rush” the process is folly.  It leads to poor training, or worse, to relapse and even more lost time, possibly even a greater loss of fitness than would have been the case with a reasonable approach.

One last fact.  The time spent healing and recovering will result in a loss of fitness.  It cannot be “made up for,” and one can not simply resume at the same level as before the injury or illness.  That said, unless the convalescence is unusually long or involved, the level of fitness loss will not be as sever as it is perceived to be.  In fact, the enforced rest just may be beneficial.  (One of the most common mistakes amateur athletes make is neglecting proper training rest.)

So just how do we handle this recovery process?  The process is fairly simple.

1. Begin training activity, but at an easy and reduced level.
2. Assess the state current state of fitness.
3. Plan a “ramp up” back to pre-illness levels.
4. It may be necessary to reassess goals.

Let’s take those one at a time.

Begin training activity, but at an easy and reduced level.

The idea here is to start moving again, but to do so in an easy and enjoyable fashion.  Get on the bike and go for an easy ride with no particular “training goals.”  Just get out and feel the bike and your body’s responses.  Have some fun with it!  Return to the gym and work on stretching and light muscular activity.  Make a game of it.  In short, your only goal in these first two or three sessions is to resume regular patterns of movement, while emphasizing only very easy loads.

Assess the state current state of fitness.

Now that you have begun to move again, and to re-establish the training routine, you will need t determine just where you are.  Test yourself against your pre-injury fitness.  You will, almost certainly, find that you need to “set the clock back a bit and re-do previous training.

Plan a “ramp up” back to pre-illness levels.

How far?  Here’s a pretty good rule of thumb.  You  will need about two days of re-training for every day missed.  So if you lost two weeks to your injury or illness, you will, most likely, need to drop back about four weeks in your training plan.  Do NOT worry about it!  You WILL recover!!!

It may be necessary to reassess goals.

In the worst possible case you may find that you are not going to be able to accomplish a major goal in your previously scheduled time frame.  For example, let us say you are training for a particularly long and arduous event, with a “Personal Best” in mind.  Now let’s assume you lost a month to an injury, and it is less than a month until the event.  In this case, you may have to accept that you are not going to make that particular goal this time.  Go ahead and do the event, but with reduced expectations, and plan to “Live to Fight another day.”

In summation, each year is short.  The race is called LIFE and it is a long one.  There will be time, and you will be better for taking a measured approach.  Sometimes an injury or illness teaches you far more than it takes from you.  Consider it a “character builder” and a lesson in life.

Now go have some FUN!

Next Week:       Training:  What Kind of cyclist are you going to be?

~//~

This series began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012.  It is intended to continue for three years.  Each week, we will discuss exercises, skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”) rider a high level of cycling competence.  We’ll address common problems, and (always) stress safe practice.

~//~

A Note on Timing:  This series uses Mid-June as the starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”  We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start riding.  If you are following this guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three years.”  Do note that some of the posts will concern weather and seasonal changes.  When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to fit your personal timeline.

Your First Three Years ~ Part 15:

Goals?  Next Season Starts NOW

A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!) Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling.  Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.

The Holidays are almost upon us.  This is an extremely difficult time for cyclists and other outdoors athletes.  It is also an extremely important time.

The holiday season should be one of joyous occasions, reunions, peaceful contemplation, and relaxation.  Our society complicates this.  For those who attempt athletic pursuits, this can be a deadly time of year.

We have struggled to attain some level of fitness and expertise.  The weather has closed in, and the days have grown shorter.  That’s enough of a challenge.  Now comes the distractions of the season…  Along with copious amounts of very rich food.  All of which build ot a fever pitch, and then leave us.  That’s right.  The holidays end.  And worse, the end just as full Winter sets in.  We tend to find ourselves facing the grey and cold, overweight, out of shape, and somewhat depressed.  It’s hard to get re-motivated under those conditions.  The typical response is to just give up, with a vague internal promise that,  “I’ll get on the bike when it gets a bit better outside.”  Or,  “I’ll do some workout stuff at the gym….  Maybe.”  You know.  All the New Year’s Resolution stuff.

What follows is a solution to this dilemma.  We don’t claim that it’s the only solution, but it works.  In fact, if the opportunity is seized, this time just could lead to one of the best years of your life.

Best of all, this solution will only take you about an hour to get started.  Ready?  Here goes!

The Three Part Solution

First:  Set a GOAL!

Second:  Make a Plan

Third:  Accountability

 First:  Set a GOAL!

Humans are goal-driven, goal-seeking creatures.  Goals motivate us.  We strive best to achieve when we have a target or strong desire to motivate us.  There are all kinds of goals.  Some are short term, e.g. “I will say something constructive in this meeting.”  Some are a bit longer term, such as the intention to get to Bob’s Birthday Party next month.  And then there are the big, motivating ones, involving longer intervals of time.  These are “Big Goals.”

A “Big Goal” is not vague.  It’s not something like,  “Someday I’d like to take a trip to Paris.”  No, no!  A “Big Goal”  is simply this…  A DREAM WITH A DEADLINE!

Pick out something that really excites you.  For cyclists it just might be riding 100 miles at once.  It might be doing that big charity event.  It might be racking up a Personal Best in a given event.  It has to be something that turns you on, and gets your juices flowing.  In other words, it has to be a DREAM.

But then comes the “Deadline” part.  Pick the date.  The event might be an annual one.  So you already know when it will run.  If it’s an individual accomplishment, set the date yourself.  Mark it down on your personal calendar. And then…  (here comes the really really hard part.  Are you ready?)  …Write the check!  That’s right.  Commit to it.  And no commitment is more committed than putting your money down.

The event isn’t set up to take an entry fee yet?  Doesn’t matter.  You know about how much it will be.  Write the check and tumb-tack it to the wall over your desk.  Set the deadline!

Second:  Make a Plan

Nothing happens without preparation.  Set up your PLAN now.  You may not know exactly what it will take to actually be ready to achieve your goal.  You may not know just what types and specifics of training are going to be necessary.  But you do know that you will have to work to achieve your Dream, and that work will take time.  So get out your calendar (or your calendar App) and schedule the training time.  You do know that your training will require time.  You can do the research, ask the question, define the specific actions later, but block off the time now, and start doing something with it immediately.

Third:  Accountability

What does it take to hold yourself accountable?  The answer is simple.  Keep a Training Log.  This is your record of what you have done, when you have done it, how much you have done, and the day-to-day effects and success of the actions.  Your Training Log is your accountability file.  It doesn’t lie to you.  It lets you know when you have skipped a precious day of training.  It lets you know when you are doing a lot, so that you know why you are fatigued right now.  Your training log is the most valuable tool you could possibly have if you decide to consult a coach.  But it’s most important function is that of holding you to your day-to-day commitments.

Your Training Log records your progress.  It is how you implement those intermediate goals, and short term “process goals” that will ultimately bring you to the realization of your Big Dream.

A training log doesn’t have to be overly complicated.  It has to record the day, date, and the activity performed.  You can use it to rate each training activity.  It is your error log.  It will help you find and diagnose problems with your training.  Above all, it keeps you honest and on track.

That’s it.  Do those three things.  Do them now.  Then follow through.  There are a lot of refinements, and we’ll talk about some of them in the future, but implement those three steps and you will be well on the way to having an absolutely aamazing riding season next year.

Next Week: Coming back from Illness or Injury

~//~

This series began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012.  It is intended to continue for three years.  Each week, we will discuss exercises, skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”) rider a high level of cycling competence.  We’ll address common problems, and (always) stress safe practice.

~//~

A Note on Timing:  This series uses Mid-June as the starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”  We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start riding.  If you are following this guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three years.”  Do note that some of the posts will concern weather and seasonal changes.  When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to fit your personal timeline.

Your First Three Years ~ Part 14:

Dealing with Fear

A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!) Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling.  Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.

Fear is a part of our makeup.  There are all kinds of things that we fear.  Some fears are rational, such as the fear of falling off of the roof while cleaning the gutters.  Other fears are irrational, such as the dread of the monster that hides under the bed.  In both cases there are tactics for comprehending fear, dealing with it, and removing it.

Cyclists face fear.  I’m not talking about the fear of falling over on the bicycle.  Presumably, if you have read this far, you’ve managed to get past that one.  But there are other fears. 

We can break things down into two categories.  There is the anxiety kind of thing.  We’re afraid we won’t be able to perform well, or that we’ll disappoint someone, or ourselves.  We’re afraid that someone will think we look strange, or that our riding will somehow be seen as frivolous.  There’s the “what if” variety of anxiety fear too.  “What if I have a flat?”  “What if the chain falls off?”  “What if I get lost?”

These anxiety fears can be dealt with.  First off, the center of anxiety related fears rarely materializes.  Second, with just a bit of easily attained training or preparation, anxieties can be resolved.  We can learn to repair a flat, deal with a derailed chain, bring a map or a GPS.  We can anticipate and take appropriate actions to prevent or minimize the situation we worry about.

But then there is the other kind of fear.  We’re talking about the 100 proof bottled in bond, FEAR now.  The kind that makes the pit of your stomach feeze, that puts that awful copper taste in your mouth.  The kind of fear that grabs you by the throat, glares into your eyes, and yells into your face  “I OWN YOU!!!”

What are we to make of this, and how do we deal with it?

It’s no secret that I often ride in traffic.  Sometimes it’s pretty heavy traffic.  On fairly frequent occasions I get asked,  “Aren’t you afraid?  There are so many really really bad, crazy drivers out there.”  I usually reply that no, I’m not often afraid.  I know what I’m doing,  I’m very conscious of my environment.  I ride assertively but not aggressively.  I look for the signs of drivers who are not well controlled.  I ride to always give myself an “out.”  Mostly I’m too busy to be afraid.

At that point in the conversation, I seem to get the facial expression that says,  “You are insane!”    Might I add, the very question, the one that asks,  “Aren’t you afraid?” says more about the questioner than it does about the situation.

But that said, it is rational to fear a close altercation with a motor vehicle.  The difference between a rational fear and panic is information, practice, and gradual acquisition of skills.  Learning to ride in traffic, and to do so well and safely removes a lot of the fear.

It starts with an admission of reality.  There is no such thing as an accident.  There are collisions and crashes.  But these things don’t “just happen.”  They are caused, and it usually takes the participation of more than one individual.

Safety does not come from armor.  It comes form avoidance.  Want a good statistical example?

Intuitively one should be safer (and therefore less fearful) whilst riding in, or driving an SUV.  Riding a bike should be dangerous.  But if one compares injuries and fatalities on a passenger miles traveled basis it become apparent that an SUV occupant is seven time more likely to be killed or injured than is a cylist.

It is healthy to consider the possible consequences.  But it is not healthy to harbor a morbid fear of them.  Just like the anxiety cases we mentioned above, training, preparation, gradual exposure in a controlled fashion, and good practice remove most of the causes of the “Big Fear.”

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention where that kind of training could be had.

The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign sponsors and teaches classes in safe practical vehicular cycling.  For more information see This Site

Or pick up a copy of John Forester’s Effective Cycling .  Read it and see if this doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Ultimately knowledge is power, and knowledge removes fear.

                        

Next Week: Goals?  Next Season Starts NOW

~//~

This series began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012.  It is intended to continue for three years.  Each week, we will discuss exercises, skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”) rider a high level of cycling competence.  We’ll address common problems, and (always) stress safe practice.

~//~

A Note on Timing:  This series uses Mid-June as the starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”  We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start riding.  If you are following this guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three years.”  Do note that some of the posts will concern weather and seasonal changes.  When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to fit your personal timeline.

Your First Three Years ~ Part 13:

“Training in the Off-Season”  &  “Spin Class?”

A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!) Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling.  Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.

(Hopefully, during the just past hiatus, you’ve been out simply enjoying your bicycle!  Now let’s get back to business.)

Seasonal Shift:

Even the most die-hard among us will admit that Autumn and Winter require a different approach.  It’s just not possible to ride outside as much now.  It’s time to think about some varied activity.

This is actually a good thing in disguise.  It’s not possible to maintain peak fitness all the time.  The darker months are a good time to back off some, to rest up, and to re-group.  Of course, taken to extremes, this results in the dreaded “de-conditioning.”

What’s the solution?  Simple.  Do less, but work on specific skills, and targeted activity.  Done correctly this approach will avoid deconditioning, provide a variety of activity, and prepare one for the following year.

Enter Spin Class!

Shameless Self Promotion:

We put on a dandy class at Bicycles Unlimited.  It is a carefully calculated program, designed to improve skills and increase the basic fitness a cyclist needs.  Please, check us out!  (Classes will be starting on Tuesday, November 6.  Cost is reasonable, and the program has been tested.  It works!)

Before we go father  ~~  Let’s face it, trainer work can be boring.  Done right it is rewarding, but complicated.  And there’s the whole accountability thing.  It’s really hard to keep getting on your own trainer, and working alone.  You start.  For two weeks you are good and conscientious.  Then you miss a session.  Then two…

If you are signed up for a class, you know the class is meeting.  Miss one, and people will ask you about it.  There is a kind of sick and twisted camaraderie to these things.

The Bicycles Unlimited Program:

Unlike most spin classes offered by commercial gyms, ours is “cyclist specific.”  It is designed to address weakpoints, to improve efficiency, and to increase skill.  Of course there is a strong fitness benefit too!

Class Structure:

Classes meet twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Each class is approximately an hour long.  Tuesday classes are shorter, but with higher net intensity.  Thursday Classes are a bit longer, but the net intensity is lower.  (It will not feel that way!)

During the first two weeks of class, we teach and lead a “directed warm up.”  After the first two weeks, class members are expected to be responsible for warming up on their own, prior to the start of the class.

Improving the Spin:

During the first two and a half months of classes work is done on increasing cadence (pedaling speed), and on muscle development.  Work is specifically targeted at the weaker muscle groups so that power can be evenly applied all the way around the crankstroke.

The second two and a half months see the emphasis shift to more targeted cardio-vascular workouts.

A Step-Interval Program:

No two classes are alike.  The intensity and volume of the work changes constantly through the progression of the classes.  The early classes are less strenuous.  As the instruction progresses, intervals become longer and more demanding.  In the later months more work is done on “active recovery.

The work is “Individualized”

You do not have to be a super-athlete to gain a lot of benefit from our program.  On the other hand, this is not a “beginners only” system.  Advanced athletes most definitely will realize a powerful benefit.

We manage this trick by relating the training efforts to individual heart rates or to individual ”perceived exertion.”

What’s needed for class?

Minimum:  You, your bicycle, a stationary trainer, summer cycling clothes, a towel, two full bottle of water.

To get the most out of the class…

In addition to the above, you will need a heart rate monitor, a recent Lactate Threshold Test, and a cycle-computer with a cadence feature.

By the way…

It helps if you have a tolerance for puns, silly jokes, and strong music!

Next Week: Dealing with Fear

~//~

This series began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012.  It is intended to continue for three years.  Each week, we will discuss exercises, skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”) rider a high level of cycling competence.  We’ll address common problems, and (always) stress safe practice.

~//~

A Note on Timing:  This series uses Mid-June as the starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”  We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start riding.  If you are following this guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three years.”  Do note that some of the posts will concern weather and seasonal changes.  When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to fit your personal timeline.

Your First Three Years ~ Part 7:

Riding in groups 101

A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!) Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling.  Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.

A parable with two morals:

Once upon a long long time ago, a Mighty King (herafter known as MK for short) had a bit of a problem.  You know.  Beautiful daughter, uncertain succession, wealth, the usual.

MK was conflcted.  On the one hand he wanted his daughter to be happy, and to find a suitable mate, one who could take over the job of Mighty Kingship.  On the other hand, he really didn’t like most of her suitors, and he really didn’t want the apple of his eye to marry and leave home.  So…

MK was struck by a thought.  He decreed that his daughter and half his gold would go to the man who could leap over the tall hill behind the royal palace.  And…  MK added with a touch of gleeful malice, any applicant who attempted the feat and failed would be put to death in the most horrible fashion imaginable.

Said hill was about forty feet high, and had an average grade of just over 10 percent.

Naturally, on hearing the decree, most of the potential suitors packed up and headed out to look for other powerful men with beautiful daughters.  The remaining suitors stayed around and studied the problem.  The strongest among them actually attempted the thing… with predictable results.  (I said they were the strongest, not the brightest.)

Then, one morning, and old and somewhat enfeebled man walked up to the palace and declared that he would take up the challenge.  “Now this ought to be good,”  MK thought.  The whole court went outside to watch the elder gent.

The old man walked up to the base of the hill.  He stood for a moment.  Then…

He took a small short jump up onto the hill.  And another.  And another.  And in so doing, he jumped his way up one side of the hill and down the other.

MK wasn’t happy but he was a man of his word.  “You have won the hand of my daughter and half of my gold,”  he declared.

“Sire,”  the old man said,  “You can keep the girl.  Beautiful young women are nothing but trouble, and I have no need of that.  But your gold will certainly come in handy.”

MK flew into a rage and had the old man fed to the lions.

Moral the First:  Often the best way to tackle a big task is a little bit at a time.

Moral the Second:  Know when to shut up and walk away.

Learning to ride a bicycle well, competently, effectively, and safely is a bit like leaping over that hill.  It’s best done in small steps, incrementally, and with close attention.

The above is especailly true of going out on group rides.  The “big group ride” can be an intimidating thing.  How does one act?  What’s the protocol?  Will I hold them up?  Will I get elft behind?  What’s the etiquette on these things?  Is there a secret password?  What are the rules?

The truth is, there are not many rules.  The customs and conduct of group rides vary depending on the group, and on the purpose of the ride.  But before getting into that, there are two very important principles. 

Always, each of us is alone in the responsibility for our own safety. 

The Law, the rules of the road govern our behavior on the road.

Now on with the discussion…

It’s hard to know, in advance, just what the character of a given ride is like.  Some are all-out, take-no-prisnoners, suffer parties.  Others very cordial and relaxed.  Sure, there’s sometimes some printed, or posted, information.  This can include things like average speed, distance, and the conditions that will cancel the ride.  That’s useful, but it can also be misleading.  Ultimately, you need to go and try it.

For good measure, it’s usually a good idea to do your first group rides in territory that you are familiar with.  That way, if things work out that you are “dropped,” you will know how to get home.

Remember the parable above.  If it seems like you’ve got in over your head, or things are a bit too intense and weird…  Bail!

When you first go out to a group ride, don’t be bashful.  Arrive early.  Get yourself and your equipment ready in good time.  Then introduce yourself around the group, and be quite honest about your capabilities and experience.  Most likely you will find one or more members of the group who are willing to show you “the ropes.”

Behavior on the Ride:  Do’s and Don’ts

Do be on time.

Do make sure all your gear is secured and do it before the ride starts.  (More crashes are caused by dropped water bottles and computers than by motorists.)

Do leave an adequate amount of room around you.  (You can learn to pace line later!)

Do Communicate!  Shout it out.  “Slowing!”  “Car back!”  “Right Turn” etc.  You simply can’t give the other riders too much information.

Do shout those warnings out.  You are facing into the wind, they are behind you!

Do point out obstacles and hazards.

Do use hand signals.

Do  look through the riders ahead of you.  It’s your responsibility to avoid obstacles and problems.

Don’t drop your water bottle!

Don’t hit the brakes when you do drop your bottle.

Don’t drop your ride leader.  This will get you talked about and likely lost.

Don’t let your wheel overlap another rider’s.

Don’t assume the other riders heard it.  Repeat the warnings.

Don’t take it personally!

Don’t become an obstacle or a problem.

Don’t pass another rider if there is a car behind you!!!!!!!!

And here’s a great big one.  There is a weird sort of “shared irresponsibility” syndrome on many group rides.  Just because all the “big kids” are doing it, does not make it right!  Be a grown up!  Follow the law and ride safely!  Don’t blow stop signs.  Don’t block traffic.  Be courteous.  Remember!  You reap what you sow.

Next Week: Traffic Survival 102

~//~

This series began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012.  It is intended to continue for three years.  Each week, we will discuss exercises, skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”) rider a high level of cycling competence.  We’ll address common problems, and (always) stress safe practice.

~//~

A Note on Timing:  This series uses Mid-June as the starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”  We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start riding.  If you are following this guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three years.”  Do note that some of the posts will concern weather and seasonal changes.  When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to fit your personal timeline.