Nicola, Author at

Elderly people feeling the wind in their hair with Cycling Without Age

November 29, 2020 Nicola Cycling Without Age, Elderly people, Women cycling, Women's health

I love to learn about how cycling changes lives and Cycling Without Age which has recently set up in Parramatta is a great example. Cycling Without Age is a fantastic organisation giving elderly people access to the joys of cycling and it has a wonderful background story from one of my ancestral homes of Denmark. The concept is based on trishaws that are modified e-bikes allowing a pilot to ride with two passengers. It was started by a visionary guy called Ole Kassow who met an elderly man on a park bench in Copenhagen which prompted him to rent a

Bunch riding tips for female road cyclists

November 20, 2020 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle groups, Cycling Club, Women cycling

When I took up road cycling some 12 years ago I was really nervous about the idea of riding in a bunch but when I spoke to other riders and got some really good bunch riding tips.

A woman’s guide to riding up steep hills on a road bike

November 13, 2020 Nicola Bike skills, Hill climbing, Women cycling

Okay…confession time – I really don’t like riding up hills, particularly riding up steep hills on a road bike but the reality is, that they exist and I need to learn how to ride them. So I’ve done a little research and put together a few tips that will help both you and me learn to handle them a little better. Fit the right gearing to your bike If steep climbs are on your agenda, just remember that even top climbing professional riders have compact chain rings and wide-ranging rear cassettes, so you are not wimping out by doing the

Women’s cycling journeys: Jo’s journey through life with a bike

November 6, 2020 Nicola Children riding, Cycle groups, Cycle tours, riding with kids, Women cycling

I love to hear about other women’s cycling journeys, so I was pleased to hear that my club mate Jo wanted to write about her cycling journey. I immediately asked her if I could publish it as a blog post. Bicycles have played an important role in her life and I really enjoyed hearing about the different phases of her life, and how riding played a part. Over to you Jo Coverdale……. COVID has given me time to reflect on some of the important times in my life – and how riding my bike has been a part of them.

Cycling as a weight loss plan? – just eat less

October 30, 2020 Nicola Heart health, Mental health, weight loss, Women cycling, Women's health

It really bugs me that so many gyms and others promote cycling as a weight loss plan, and indeed all forms of exercise as a weight-loss option. From my personal experience and from the research I’ve done it’s a complete myth. Cycling and other forms of exercise and great for so many reasons but have never helped me lose weight. The only way I lose weight is to eat less!! In fact, a few years after I started cycling, I found that I weighed more than I did previously but I was more toned. I suspect that is because muscle

Let it go….how to minimise should tension while riding

October 23, 2020 Nicola Bike fitting, Stretching, Women cycling, Women's health, Yoga

One of the things I’m really bad at when I’m riding my road bike is relaxing my shoulders so I’m guessing there’s plenty of other women also struggle to minimise shoulder tension while riding. I hold tension in my shoulders in other activities as well, like sitting at my desk at work and driving my car so it just builds up. In fact, my shoulder muscles are hurting while I write this post, so I’ll skip to the last tip right after I finish. Let it go Consciously let go of the tension in your arms and shoulders by focusing

How do you mentally prepare for a challenging ride?

October 16, 2020 Nicola Mental health, Mindfulness, Women cycling

When I first started doing long rides, my training and preparation were almost entirely based on my physical readiness and not on the need to mentally prepare for a challenging bike ride. I’ve always understood the big role that mental preparation plays for elite athletes, but I never thought I had anything in common with them. After 12 years of cycling, I’ve done quite a few charity rides and a small amount of racing and I always get very nervous beforehand. But I’ve never known how to overcome it except to just accept that it happens and live with it.

Develop an attitude of gratitude and enjoy cycling even more

October 9, 2020 Nicola Hill climbing, Life purpose, Mental health, Mindfulness, pay it forward, Women cycling

I’m a big fan of learning ways to improve your mental wellbeing and one idea that I really like is adopting an attitude of gratitude. You might wonder what an attitude of gratitude has to do with cycling but for me, I’m so very grateful that I found road cycling 12 years ago that the two things are inseparable. I try to be grateful for all the wonderful things I have in my life but I don’t always succeed so I thought it would be helpful for me and others to reflect on the benefits of developing an attitude of

Help…how do I get my cycling mojo back?

October 2, 2020 Nicola cycling mojo, Women cycling, Women's health

It seems it’s quite easy to lose your cycling mojo, but harder to get your cycling mojo back. The word mojo always makes me think of Austin Powers, a character who makes me laugh. Although his use of the term is as you would expect – comical, it really is a serious issue when you lose it. Interestingly the word mojo originally referred to witchcraft, but like many words, it has changed over time to mean a skill that seems to come from something magical or supernatural. There’s no one answer to how to get your cycling mojo back but

You need easy gears on your bike to climb hills

September 24, 2020 Nicola Bike retail, Women cycling, women specific bike, women's bikes

One thing that really bugs me about road cycling is there is often an emphasis on being tough, like riding with hard rather than easy gears on your bike, and being eager to ride up long or steep climbs. I’d like to put it on record that I choose to ride with easy gears on my road bike and I choose to avoid very long and very steep climbs. I do accept that as a Sydney-dwelling road cyclist I need to ride up hills but I don’t seek them out. I ride them because I have no choice. It also