Cycling

Cycling safety and etiquette should always be of the utmost importance. Safe cyclists should always ride with etiquette and the highest regard for other cyclists, road users and pedestrians. Knowing the right calls to make, and how to approach certain situations can make all the difference to you, your fellow riders, other road users and pedestrians. Good cycling etiquette is always well appreciated especially within large groups of cyclists.

Ride consistently and predictably 

Your movements will affect everyone in the group. Hold a straight line, don’t weave and always overtake around the right-hand side of the group.  Don’t grab your brakes so you brake sharply. If you want to take a break by standing up in the saddle keep the effort up and don’t let your bike drop back. At drinks / feed stations, slow down safely, respectfully and with due consideration to riders around you. Don’t veer sharply across the road either.

Don’t ride in the gutter

If you’re on the front of the group, don’t sit in the gutter. You’ll be increasing your and everyone else’s chances of hitting an obstruction. As long as the traffic conditions allow, ride 1m out from the curb.

Don’t overlap wheels

In case the rider ahead of you needs to brake, don’t follow their rear wheel directly. Give them 6–12 inches space but don’t overlap their rear wheel. If they have to perform a sudden movement then you both of you could come crashing down if your wheels are overlapping.

Half wheeling

If road and traffic conditions allow you’ll often be able to ride two abreast. Maintain an even pace and stay level with the rider next to you. Upping the pace whenever a rider draws level to you is known as ‘half-wheeling’. Half wheeling is definitely frowned upon.

Wheel suck

Don’t stick in the group and avoid your turn at the front. Even if you just put in a short period on the front, it’ll be appreciated. However, even if you’re finding the pace easy, don’t get on the front and accelerate, try to maintain the pace of the group.

Be alert

Groups will often change, fragment and reform as a ride progresses, especially on undulating or hilly rides. Be alert to this happening. On the flat, the group may be large but on long climbs they’ll break up. Equally on descents, due to the increase in speed and need for a greater reaction time, groups will spread out too.

Don’t drift off into your own bubble

Stay relaxed but constantly look around and don’t mindlessly follow the wheels. Look past riders in front so you can plan ahead. Always look first and clearly let riders around you know before moving within a group.

Obey the rules of the road

Most of your training and sportives that you enter will take place on roads that are open to traffic. Even when riding on closed roads, there’s no guarantee of your route being completely traffic free. Respect junctions, the high way code and road signs at all times. Always stay on the correct side of the road.

Learning the right climbing technique is essential for fast, efficient hill climbing The most efficient way to climb for most riders is by sitting in the saddle. This makes the best use of your gluteal muscles and places less stress on your breathing. Spinning a lower gear while seated will also keep your legs fresher for longer. Get out of the saddle on a climb to add a short burst of speed or just to stretch the legs. It can also be useful to stand up on the pedals when the pitch of the hill gets a little steeper. Use this technique sparingly though as it can use up far more energy than a seated effort and push your body into lactate overload.

Before tackling hilly or undulating rides, carefully consider the following.

Bodyweight 

If you are carrying excess weight, you are starting every climb with a major handicap. If you think you could do with losing a few pounds, then please contact us for some more nutritional advice. We can provide some sensible and easily implemented action points to help.

Practice

The more hills you climb, the better you will get at them. Make sure that you don’t shirk riding on hills in training. It will help you in particular to prepare for Box Hill come race day.

Gearing

Slogging up a climb in too big a gear is slow, inefficient and will drain your energy reserves. There’s no shame in fitting a compact chain set with a wide-ranging rear cassette. If in doubt, always opt for lower gears than you think are necessary.

Pacing 

Some hills are can be too steep and it’s a case of just getting up them. However, on shallower gradients and longer climbs, pace yourself sensibly by not starting the climb at too hard an effort. Make sure you’re in the correct gear from the start. On steep hills this is particularly important, so you don’t fall out of your cleats. Don’t push too hard too soon. Ride within yourself so that you stay out of the red zone.

It's important that you cycle at the right effort level and intensity to ensure you're training to reach your full potential. Most of us think that cycling "harder is better" so we end up cycling too quickly, which can result in feeling tired, getting ill or injured.

Understand what each session is trying to achieve and how it should feel is the way to train smart. Below you'll find a guide to the sessions that you'll find mentioned in your training plan and a note of how they should feel as a 'talk test'.

*Perceived effort = where 1 is easy and represents minimum effort and 10 is hard and represents maximum effor

100 mile training plans for every ability