It seems that as the season progresses and especially around the time of Le Tour De France, you find more and more folks out on their bikes enjoying the wonderful sport of cycling. People get excited about the weather and then it all spirals from there. Le Tour De France, said in a French accent of course, usually gets the season going for the average rider. A couple of stages on tv and bam, here come the bikes.

The one thing to consider, of course, is that even though most of us think we are Lance or Thor or Mark Canvendish, we’re not. We get out there, whether we are on the road or in the woods and just go for broke and race for the podium. Although we are huge advocates of cycling at Twisted Stone we also have to consider the safety factors involved in the sport.

Although there have been many of us that have been riding since early spring and racing already, it wouldn’t hurt to read through this as well. You can never be too safe.

Here is a list of a few things to consider before heading out and taking on the sport of cycling:

1. A helmet that fits properly can literally save your life, especially if you are of the road rider persuasion. Enough said about that.

2. Wearing padded gloves serve several purposes. They keep your grips dry and free of sweat so you don’t slip off of you handlebars on a sweaty ride and secondly, they can save your hands from severe road rash when you take a digger.

3. Please make sure your bike is in proper working condition.  Just because you have a helmet on doesn’t mean you should be riding a POS bike. (piece of sh**)
I understand that new bikes can be very expensive, but you can probably get your bike tuned up and run through a safety check at a local bike shop for under a hundred bucks. It’s an investment in well being. Totally worth it. Get it lubed up and tightened up and it will do just fine.

4. If you are going to be doing any night riding at all, even dusk, make sure you have properly working lights and reflectors. I know reflectors aren’t cool and I rip them off the second I get a new bike, but they are critical to your safety on the roads.  In case you haven’t noticed yet, drivers don’t always pay attention. The more visible you make yourself the safer you will be. Wearing bright clothes isn’t the worst idea either. As a mountainbiker I typically don’t need t worry about bright clothes, but if we are riding at night, lights are a must. Be sure to check you batteries before every ride, DUH!!

5. Although I tend to ride alone a lot I don’t recommend it. “Do as I say, not as I do”. Words to live by. But I digress. Riding with a buddy is an excellent idea whether you are on the road or in the woods. You get to have someone to chat with as well as someone to make sure you know where you are going and will be there if you get hurt and vise versa. There are many times that I have ridden alone and have found myself in a situation that either made me very uncomfortable or took a dive and wished someone was there to carry my broke bike home while I limped away. Not a good situation, no matter how you look at it.  Weekly group rides are awesome and you get to meet some great people too.

6. Lastly, remember that we aren’t all expert racers and super fit athletes. So  ride to your level to start. What I mean by that is that you shouldn’t try to do a 30 or 50 mile ride on your first day out. Break yourself in easily and you will enjoy the sport a lot more. It sucks to hate your first ride because you went too far or rode a trail that was beyond your skill level, and then you hang up your bike for the rest of the season because you were so miserable. Don’t do that. Take your time, it’s a long season.

Well hopefully, I was able to cover some of the main issues that I believe are the biggest things to consider before you head out and ride this summer for the first time. Whether you are a road rider or a mountain biker, these tips will help you get off to a good start, stay safe and enjoy the wonderful sport of cycling. Be safe and have a great season.

T. Stone.
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