Bike skills Archives - Page 2 of 6 -

Why can’t I ride any faster on my bike?

January 25, 2017 Nicola Bike skills, training, Women cycling

Why can’t I ride any faster on my bike? A question I’ve often pondered. Why are some people able to ride so much faster than me, even when they are relatively new to cycling. After doing a bit of reading it seems the answers are fairly obvious – genetics, attitude and environment. If you’ve read my story you’d know that I’m a non-sporty person who has spent most of her life believing she couldn’t be involved in physical activities without being embarrassed. That was until I found cycling, which has changed my life and my attitude. But that hasn’t stopped

The art of drafting on a road bike: a great advantage

November 1, 2016 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle groups, training, Women cycling

If you think that drafting on a road bike is just for the pros then think again. When I first started riding I had no idea that you could gain so much advantage by riding closely behind another rider. Drafting is an important skills that is well worth learning if you want to maximise your enjoyment of riding out on the road. It’s actually quite exhilarating to be whisked along in a group and to feel like you are part of a ‘team’. The benefit Being able to draft or closely follow another rider is one of the key differences

All female riders can benefit from a cycling coach

October 4, 2016 Nicola Bike skills, training, Women cycling

If you think that a cycling coach is just for elite riders, then think again. Any rider can benefit from working with a cycling coach – you just need to set yourself a goal. And the good news is that female cyclists can benefit even more than men, from working with the right coach. Sydney-based coach Matt Lucas says that he enjoys coaching women because they are more dedicated to ‘hitting the numbers’. He finds that women are good at juggling lots of things, and therefore can also find time for training once they make a commitment. “Women in general are

You need to work on the art of pedalling a road bike

September 27, 2016 Nicola Bike skills, training, Women cycling

When I first took up road bike riding I thought that there wasn’t a great deal to learn about technique or skills, but I was wrong – there are plenty of skills to learn and central amongst them is the art of pedalling a road bike. I’m no authority on this subject so I’ve borrowed some expert words that appear below. The key principle behind the technique, and featured in just about every article I’ve read on the subject, is the need to pedal in nice smooth circles. Sounds easy, but there’s a little more to it. This article was originally

Every woman’s guide to descending on a road bike

August 30, 2016 Nicola Bike skills, training, Women cycling

When I first started riding a road bike, nearly eight years ago, I thought you just jumped on and away you went, but it didn’t take me long to realise that there was more skills involved than I had first thought, and for me one of the hardest to master has been descending on a road bike. And there’s definitely still room for improvement. So when putting these descending tips together I’m paying lots of attention, because everyone can do with a refresher every now and then. Familiarise To start, familiarise yourself with the condition of the road surface by

Ten great reasons for women to take up road cycling

July 25, 2016 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle tours, Women cycling

I took up road cycling nearly eight years ago, and it has changed my life in many ways. There’s so many amazing things about riding a road bike and here’s my top ten great reasons for women to take up road cycling. Fitness If you do enough kilometres (or miles) on your bike, no matter how fast or slow, you will improve your fitness. As a result of cycling I’m the fittest I’ve ever been in my life. Friendship I have met literally hundreds of great people through cycling and many of them have become great friends. Cycling creates a

Improving your road bike skills – a few simple steps

June 7, 2016 Nicola Bike skills, Cycling Club, Women cycling

If you take up road riding in your 30s or 40s as many of us do, one area you need to focus on if you want to advance, is improving your road bike skills. As children most of us rode a bike, but the majority of us were not formally taught, so we didn’t have the chance to learn any bike skills and this particularly applies to women. In my experience in meeting many female cyclists, women tend to approach cycling quite differently to men. Although many of us rode bikes as kids we usually did a few laps around

A women’s guide to climbing hills on a road bike

May 18, 2016 Nicola Bike skills, training, Women cycling

When I started riding a road bike about seven and a half years ago, I had no idea there was a right way and a wrong way of climbing hills on a road bike. 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 a focused more on the mental side of climbing. In doing this I’ve realised that my negative thoughts are the

How to overcome mental barriers to become a better cyclist

April 5, 2016 Nicola Bike skills, Women cycling

When I first started riding a road bike about seven and a half years ago I had to overcome both physical and mental barriers to cycling. I hadn’t really ridden a bike since I got my drivers’ licence when I was 17 years old, so I wasn’t bike fit and I didn’t have any bike skills. But it didn’t take me too long to get my physical act in order. I soon learned that my real barriers were mental ones – Could I really ride that far? Did I look ok in lycra? Was I good enough? Is this an

Female pro cyclist Kimberley Wells focused on a huge year in 2016

March 29, 2016 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle racing, Professional cycling, Women cycling

One of the many topics I love to cover in my posts is the world of the female pro cyclist. They receive so little coverage compared to their male counterparts that I feel it’s part of my responsibility to help. Plus I really love to interact with them. I first spoke to Kimberley Wells three years ago so thought it was about time we caught up with her. Kimberley and I exchanged a few emails for this interview….. Q: What are you up to Kimberley? A: Racing up in Belgium at the moment. Ran 7th in the Dwars Door