Bike skills Archives -

master cornering on a road bike to improve your skills

July 9, 2020 Nicola Bike skills, Cornering, Women cycling

Cornering is one of those fundamental skills you really need to perfect if you’re going to be a good bike rider so read on if you’d like to master cornering on a road bike. I wouldn’t claim to be an expert but my cornering technique has improved over the years. This has been through watching other riders with superior handling skills to mine, listening to advice, attending skills sessions, and practising what I learnt. I’m a pretty risk-averse person so when I started out on a road bike I used to rely heavily on my brakes every time I went

Are you riding with kids during COVID-19? Read these tips……

April 23, 2020 Nicola Bike retail, Bike skills, Children riding, COVID-19, riding with kids

One upside of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the increasing numbers of cyclists, and one thing I’ve noticed particularly is the swelling numbers of families riding together and riding with kids. I must admit that while I’ve loved seeing so many people out riding, I’ve had to start avoiding some of the more popular bike paths in my area because they are downright scary. Children and other inexperienced riders are a hazard to others so I thought it would be helpful to share a few tips on riding with kids. There are several stages for kids to ride bikes. The

Time to practice climbing – here’s WWC’s tips for hill climbing

April 16, 2020 Nicola Bike skills, Hill climbing, training, Women cycling

If like me, you’re still able to enjoy solo road riding during the COVID-19 pandemic it’s a perfect time to hone your skills so let’s start with tips for hill climbing. When I started riding a road bike, I had no idea there was a right way and a wrong way of climbing hills. I just rode up them and put up with the pain in my legs and lungs. In some cases, I even avoided the steeper ones by riding a different route. Over the years I’ve learned about the physical side of hill climbing but only recently have

Idyllic location for a women’s race camp – the south of France

February 7, 2020 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle racing, Cycle tours, Cycling Club racing, Women cycling

I had the pleasure of speaking to US Masters rider Sarah Chubb Sauvayre via Skype from her hometown of New York last week about women’s cycling and a women’s race camp she’s hosting in France in July/August 2020. One of the things that really struck me during our conversation was that despite the geographic distance and her focus on racing, and mine on riding, we had lots in common. Particularly regarding our shared passion for getting more women on bikes. Diane Best who runs DBest Cycling tours in France who will be running the camp is also of the same

Support the 2020 High Country Women’s Cycling Festival – sign up today

January 30, 2020 Nicola Bike skills, Bike travel, Women cycling

It certainly has been a horror bushfire season around Australia including the Victorian High Country and sadly it’s had a very negative effect on local tourism which will have a knock-on effect on events like the High Country Women’s Cycling Festival (HCWCF) to be held in March 2020. The good people of Bright where the HCWCF is held each year have a clear message – they are definitely open for business now the bushfire threat has been brought under control. This year’s HCWCF will be held from 20 to 22 March 2020 centred on the picturesque town of Bright. It’s

Do you want to improve your road bike descending skills? Your answer should be ‘yes’

October 31, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Descending, Women cycling

I’m riding in the annual Gong Ride on Sunday so it’s timely for me to brush up on my road bike descending skills because there’s a couple of big descents in the ride. When I first started riding a road bike, 11 years ago, I thought you just jumped on and away you went, but it didn’t take me long to realise that there were more skills involved than I had first thought, and for me one of the hardest to master has been to descend safely on a road bike. Here are a few tips to hone your own

Cycling does get easier. Greg Lemond was wrong

October 24, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Heart health, Women cycling, Women's health

US cyclist Greg LeMond famously said, “It never gets easier; you just go faster” but I’d like to challenge that assertion, because in my opinion, over a number of years cycling does get easier. I used to think that this was a phenomenon called muscle memory but I’ve been doing a little research which suggests there’s more to it than just muscle memory. I recall when I was about two years into road cycling an older gentleman on a club ride said to me that he thought it took three years of riding to really get comfortable and confident on

HOw you stay upright on a bicycle

October 12, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Magic, Women cycling

I confess that I don’t have much of a ‘science brain’ so the wonderful world of physics has never been a strong point of mine but given my passion for cycling, I’ve always been a bit curious about how you stay upright on a bicycle. In the past I’ve often explained to riders who are nervous about going around corners faster they feel is possible is that there are centrifugal forces that will stop you from toppling over. In doing a little research this is certainly one of the factors but there is actually quite a bit more to it.

Every woman’s guide to perfecting an uphill start on a road bike

June 13, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Women cycling

One of the skills I’ve never fully mastered is the uphill start on a road bike. I get it right some of the time, but I find when I have other riders who aren’t so skilful around me, I tend to stuff it up. I was on an organised ride on the weekend and we had to stop a couple of times at traffic lights on an uphill slope. This meant that when the light went green we all had to start riding on an incline and most people in the group handled it poorly, including me. So here’s a

You really should try riding in a bunch – you might even like it

May 3, 2019 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle groups, Women cycling

I must admit that when I first started riding I found the idea of riding in a bunch to be particularly intimidating. Over time my confidence increased on the bike and I took the plunge and joined a local bunch ride. It was then that I learnt the great benefits of riding in a bunch, like drafting, safety in numbers and the social aspects. So here’s a few tips from me on riding in a bunch: Communicate One of the great benefits of riding in a group is that you’ve got a collective of people all with two eyes keeping