training Archives -

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

What’s the best food to eat during a bike ride?

December 12, 2019 Nicola Nutrition, training, Women cycling, Women's health

A couple of weeks ago I tackled the question – what is the best pre-ride food for cycling and this week I’m focusing on the best food to eat during a bike ride. Like the previous post, this one is a contribution from sports dietician Rebecca Hay from The Athlete’s Kitchen. Over to you Rebecca…. The length and intensity of a ride dictate how much and what you might decide to take with you on a bike ride. There is a lot of information in magazines and the internet about how to meet needs. Many cyclists choose to consume water only

What is the best pre-ride food for cycling?

November 21, 2019 Nicola Nutrition, training, Women cycling

A few times recently I’ve found myself in a conversation with other riders about what is the best pre-ride food for cycling. For me, I actually don’t eat before a short ride like my regular Wednesday ride of 30 km because it’s not high intensity and I feel like my meal from the night before provides me with enough fuel. On my longer more intense rides usually on the weekend I eat a banana before I ride which gives me enough fuel to get started. But every woman (and man) is different so you need to experiment and decide what

A few tips for women training for a long bike ride

November 14, 2019 Nicola Bike maintenance, Indoor trainers, Long ride training, training, Women cycling

Training for a long bike ride is essential for me because I’m not capable of riding long distances without getting some kilometres in my legs. I’m a huge fan of setting goals and committing to an organised event because it provides me with an incentive to get out of bed early in the morning and get on my bike. By long bike ride, I’m thinking of 100 km or more. Of course, this is all relative so this advice applies to whatever the definition of a long ride is for you. Get some ‘Ks’ in your legs There is no

Female cyclists: do you suffer from FONKU?

February 13, 2018 Nicola Cycle groups, Mental health, training, Women cycling

I hope I’ve got your attention with that provocative question; do you suffer from FONKU? In case you’re interested enough to read to on, FONKU is an acronym for ‘Fear Of Not Keeping Up’. I believe that there’s plenty of female bike riders that suffer from FONKU and it’s holding us back. I actually include myself in that cohort. So I made up my own term for it. I sometimes go out for group rides and decide that I won’t be able to keep up even before I leave home, and I often hear similar laments from other female riders.

Cycling is bad for bone density, but there is hope

November 21, 2017 Nicola Bone density, Resistance training, Running, training, Women cycling

A few years ago, my mum who is in her seventies was diagnosed with osteoporosis and she warned me that I should take measures now to avoid the same fate, by keeping a close eye on my bone density, particularly because cycling is bad for bone density. Taking her advice I asked my doctor to send me off for a bone density scan which confirmed that I have already entered the osteopenia zone which is an indication that my bones are weaker than normal, but not weak enough to be called osteoporosis. Interestingly I was involved in an accident earlier

Sign up for a charity bike ride – challenge yourself and helps others

October 31, 2017 Nicola charity bike ride, training, Women cycling

A great way to improve your cycling is to sign up for a charity bike ride. It gives you a fitness goal, and it also benefits other people who rely on the charity you assist. I started riding a road bike nine years ago to complete a charity bike ride for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). And here I am nine years later – five JDRF rides, six years as a cycling blogger, five years working in a bike shop, and a totally obsessed road cyclist. When I talk about charity bike rides, I don’t mean the big mass

Wollongong Women’s Cycling Club getting more women on bikes

September 26, 2017 Nicola Cycling Club, Cycling Club racing, training, Women cycling

I love hearing about female cyclists encouraging other women to join them, and Wollongong Women’s Cycling Club is a great example of just that. I first heard about them from some of my colleagues on the Cycling NSW Women’s Commission and made contact with them via fellow Commission member Kym who is the secretary of the club. Here’s the result of our email chat: Q: Why did you start Wollongong Women’s Cycling Club as a subgroup of an existing Club? Who are the women behind it? Jules Verheyen founded the club in late 2015 after running She Rides cycle coaching

Cycling improves your physical health, get out there

August 8, 2017 Nicola Anti-ageing, training, Women cycling

I was thrilled to hear from my in-laws earlier this year, that they have taken up regular cycling and it’s had some great physical benefits, because we all know that cycling improves your physical health. The benefits for them have included a significant reduction in their blood pressure as well as improving their overall health. These two are not spring chickens, but through a relatively short daily ride they’ve really made a difference to their quality of life. So I thought I’d have a look at why a small amount of riding is so beneficial to them. My research has

A female rider’s guide to indoor trainers

March 21, 2017 Nicola Indoor trainers, Track cycling, training, Women cycling

In my hometown of Sydney, we’ve had heaps of rain over the past couple of weeks, and in fact it’s raining as I write my guide to indoor trainers. Prolonged wet weather always gets Sydney cyclists talking about using indoor trainers to keep fit. We’re lucky enough to ride all year round in most parts of Australia, but there are plenty of riders around the world who head indoors during their very cold winters. So I thought it would be worthwhile to provide some information about the indoor trainer options, especially with the huge growth in the use of ‘smart’