Bike skills Archives - Page 3 of 7 -

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

Every woman’s guide to riding with clip-in pedals

March 8, 2016 Nicola Bike retail, Bike skills, Indoor trainers, training, Women cycling

I work in a bike shop and I often get asked about clip-in pedals from both men and women. But it seems that the women are a little more nervous about the idea. They fear falling off and injurying themselves, or worse still embarrassing themselves. I’m really lucky that my partner coerced me into riding my road bike with clip-ins from day one and I never looked back. So to make it a bit easier here’s some background information about clip-in pedals and the different types and some tips to get started. I’ll focus mainly on road pedals and cleats

US woman striving to be the world’s fastest female on a bicycle

March 1, 2016 Nicola Bike skills, Women cycling

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a woman from the US who is attempting to break a land speed record later this year. The story had me really intrigued so I read more and here’s some Q&A which I found on her website – Project Speed. In September 2016, Denise Mueller will be the first woman in cycling history to attempt a paced bicycle land speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. What is the appeal of the Land Speed Record? It is uncharted territory. Something no woman has done before, yet men have been setting

Tips for women preparing for a 100 km plus ride

November 25, 2015 Nicola Bike fitting, Bike maintenance, Bike retail, Bike skills, training, Women cycling

I’ve signed up to do the Cadel Evan’s ride in late January next year, a mere eight or so weeks away so I really need to start focusing on my training. I’ve done a few long rides in the past including the JDRF Barossa ride which is 160 km, and Melbourne’s Around the Bay which is 210 km, so I know I can ride the 111 km I’ll be required to complete. But I know I’ll enjoy the ride a lot more if I undertake sufficient training. I also know that after the Cadel ride I’ve also got a few

Great events happening for female road cyclists

November 10, 2015 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle groups, training, Women cycling

Last year Cycling Australia undertook some research where they spoke to about 2,500 female cyclists who were either members of Cycling Australia, and therefore a cycling club, or keen leisure road cyclists. In this research the women who responded identified the majority of their riding is completed alone, but there was a clear desire for riding with other women of similar ability levels. I remember reading that at the time and feeling a little sad, and hoping that the sort of activities I get involved in like the Cycling NSW Women’s Commission will help over time. I’m really pleased to

Every woman’s guide to descending on a road bike

October 20, 2015 Nicola Bike skills, training, Women cycling

I’m a huge fan of continuous improvement and lifelong learning and these principles apply to developing bike skills for both women and men. One skill which many female cyclists struggle with is descending. I think it’s because we are fairly risk averse and when we feel like our bikes are going too fast the temptation is to grab the brakes. I know I’ve still got a long way to go with my own descending skills so I’ve done a bit of research and borrowed from experts to bring these descending tips together. Familiarise To start, familiarise yourself with the condition

Every woman’s guide to bunch riding

May 19, 2015 Nicola Bike skills, Cycle groups, Cycling Club, training, Women cycling

Earlier this year my cycling club LACC started a women’s only bunch ride which I was asked to lead. It started out as part of a pilot program for women’s bunch rides under the auspices of Cycling NSW, and when the pilot program concluded at the end of March, the regular participants voted to keep going with the weekly ride. I was very happy to continue with it and get real buzz out of encouraging other women to learn more about road cycling and riding in a group. It’s a straightforward ride, just four short laps around Sydney Olympic Park,

She Rides programs inspiring the joys of cycling for women

May 12, 2015 Nicola Bike skills, Mountain bike riding, Women cycling

I really enjoy writing about the awesome professional female cyclists on a regular basis, but I equally like to focus on the other end of the spectrum. So this week I’d like to give some kudos to Cycling Australia’s She Rides program. She Rides is a grassroots program aimed at female cyclists who are new to cycling. It could be that they are returning to riding a bike after many years, or in some cases they’ve previously missed out altogether. I don’t know if I would have had the confidence to try road biking six years ago if I hadn’t