While cycling solo is the norm for many people, there are joys to be had from cycling with a group or hopefully like-minded friends.
The advantages of riding in a group are both functional in terms of safety and having someone close to hand to help you in the event of you getting a mechanical issue, such as a puncture, and morale support when you are not feeling on top form.
Riding with friends is also good for building rapport in terms of gaining bragging rights by sprinting to the village sign or the social competitiveness of having the best time on a Strava segment or grabbing the “King of the Mountain” title on a local hill.
However, for this to be pleasurable, you need to be able to keep up with the group. There is nothing more demoralising than being dropped off the back of the group, especially when it is not even on a hill!
(click the title for more)
It’s been a few weeks since I put anything down here on the site, however as perhaps with the warmest days over in the UK, I wanted to take stock of a few points regarding how we percived ourselves and new cyclists in particular.
If you follow or are part of the cycling fraternity then you’ll be familiar with the “Rules” (loving them or hating them), understand what N+1 means, the advantages of deep rim wheels, the importance of crank length and the pros and cons of tubes versus clinchers. Take a bow, you are a guru and possibly a cycling geek.
On the otherhand, if you are new to cycling, have no idea of what I just said above or really can’t be bothered with the technical stuff, treating your bike as if it was your car (if it squeaks or breaks, then take it to the shop) then you are probably dazed and may be even a little intimidated by the strange language cyclists use. That’s okay, I bet you get as big a thrill out of cycling as the geeks and snobs.
So what is the obsession with all the lingo that the “in crowd” use, and does it really matter ?
Let’s talk about rain
So the last couple of weeks of wall to wall sunshine has ended, the weather has broken and we have seen the return of rainy days and showers typical of a British summer, making many of us hesitate in getting on the bike, especially if it is a new found love because of lockdown.
I began to think about what impact rain has on our motivation to keep cycling, whether for pleasure or as our exercise. The good news is that with a few minor precautions and a little preparation, riding in the rain is not only possible, it can be…liberating.
The UK Government, and others across the world agree that a population that is active significantly impacts the outcome of health related conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, respiratory diseases, certain types of cancers, and mental health issues. Building on my post from a few weeks ago, I came across a US study that shows that there is a direct correlation between changes in the time gaps between our heart beats (called heart rate variation) and the leading causes of death.