On yer bike but be sensible with it

Paudie O’Donovan

CYCLING has been part of our lives for as long as we can remember. From a young age, we all learned to cycle, just like we were all taught to read and write.

I personally don’t know anyone that never learned to ride a bike. We almost took it for granted the amount of times we jumped on a bike and cycled to the shop or cycled to a friend’s house.

It’s a pity that most people stop when they get older. Some of us take it up again later in life as a form of exercise to improve their fitness levels and, for others, it is their chosen sport, just like football or rugby.

No matter what t he reason, it’ll always remain one of the best forms of exercise in the world. Whether you’re a leisure cyclist, a club cyclist, a competitive cyclist or a sportive rider, when it comes to cycling, you can’t go wrong.

For those of you planning on getting back into cycling just be careful about the information you receive when buying a bike and buying cycling gear. Don’t make the mistake of buying the wrong bike.

Get information off the internet or ask people who are involved in cycling before you go to your local bike shop. Know what you want before you purchase; that way you won’t have any regrets.

Start slowly

No matter what fitness level you are or what kind of shape you are in, biking utilises different muscles than other sports and it may take time for your body to get used to the new routine.

On one occasion I lent a bike to a very accomplished runner (70-80km per week) who wanted to take up cycling. He was shocked when he went out with other cyclists.

He said to himself that this cycling game is simple and he thought his running fitness would be sufficient to stay in the peloton, but learned quickly that this wasn’t the way.

Cycling is all about developing power and building strength in your legs. Although your still using your heart and lungs, you’re using a different muscular system and this power that you need to build up in your legs takes ages. Gradual increase in speeds is also an important aspect of fitness cycling.

Cycling can also be strenuous to the body and the key towards successful fitness cycling is to be patient and not be in a hurry increasing your limits. So, like I said before, get back on your bike but take a sensible approach to it.