The Tour de France enjoy you this summer? Did you follow the Vuelta even more than the world football cup ? Do you want to start this wonderful sport and go cycling in your area?
Perfect ! You are on the right article. Here is some tips are needed to leave with the right answers and be sure to have fun on the saddle.
To get well equipped, to start well.
Well equip yourself during a longer outing! This is something we do not necessarily think about but think about the food, the variations of time … It is very important and it can greatly compromise the exit originally planned.
If taking your bike and going on the road seems easy, there are still many details to train properly. Find the right bike, the right settings, the right seat height and, very importantly, the good outfit.
The right bike?
A good bike is actually necessary. The pleasure of riding is incomparable when you are comfortable on your bike, at your height and well adjusted. Professionals are no longer the only ones to benefit from the privilege of riding beautiful bikes.
To begin, define your practice and expectations for your bike outings: casual, regular, group, alone ….
Then define the profile of the roads you will use most often and the types of exits. This will help you choose the most suitable bike for your discipline practice. There are several types of disciplines and the bikes that fit are just as different:
Road bike,
Walk,
Regular race,
Gravel
Then the budget is a very important element in your choice. Your budget will define many criteria like the material of your frame, the wheels, or the transmission.
If you want to have fun on the road and you really invest in your new discipline, a carbon framework is preferred from the beginning. It’s lighter, it absorbs shocks better, it’s stronger and more efficient.
Another very important element: the wheels.
Again, the price is a criterion of choice but a good pair of wheels will be essential, the shape and strength will change the behavior of your bike, its ability to brake and your feelings on the road. Choose a brand that suits your practice and the budget accordingly.
Finally do not hesitate to seek advice from friends cyclists, they will guide you to good brands and good shopping according to the profiles of your regions and your expectations.
In addition, nothing beats the advice of the shop or mechanic bike in your city. Go meet these cycling professionals who will give you valuable tips for your first outings.
A word from Xavier: “The advice of a cycling friend was essential in my choice of bike, it helped me to look at the right place and on the right bike opportunity platforms. And for better sensations, I advise to choose from the beginning a carbon fiber frame. And not to go below 1000 € »
Good behavior.
The outfit reflects your tastes, your belonging or your elegance on the bike. It is a personal choice that has no boundaries and belongs to you alone or that allows you to proudly wear the colors of your club.
Your outfit is an important part, it is your link with the bike and requires some tips that can make the difference, especially during long term outings.
Being a designer brand, we will focus on presenting our outfits and creations through this article.
The jersey: dare originality! Finished the time when the jerseys all had solid colors (blue, red, black …), it is time to go to new trends with patterns, colors, fabrics worked and original to differentiate themselves from other cyclists on the roads.
Classic codes are made to be broken and reinvented,
Why should we be dressed the same way? why the aesthetic codes that shape our sport should be laws of common sense that can not be changed?
Many brands dare and offer very interesting things in terms of design. A brand of designer, close to the codes of haute couture will offer you outfits with a unique fabric quality or the technicality of the room is at the service of elegance. And that, in order to offer you color, life and daring to your legs. To help you choose your winter outfit, it’s HERE.
The shorts: one thing to remember, invest! The shorts are the most important and the most technical element of your outfit, it is absolutely essential to invest in a good shorts.
It is more interesting to do 2 seasons with a good shorts equipped with a good chamois like the Pro HD 100 than to change the low-end model every 6 months. To understand why to put the price, it’s here: Read our article “Why put 299 € in a shorts?”
From the UV50 + protection to the chamois leather in honeycombed double foam through the POWERGAIN fabric, the technicality of our shorts is no longer to be proven and many professionals are equipped with it.
For the winter, the tights or shorts long is preferred, to learn more, it is by HERE.
The combination: Long or short, the combination is an excellent choice for those who prefer unique pieces. In total, the comfort is optimal, and the ease of movement is incomparable. A unique piece allows you to unify your outfit and often enjoy a superior aerodynamics.
A word from Xavier: “Personally, I am no longer a bikini set, so I can vary my outfit more easily. I immediately invested in good shorts, winter shorts distinguished and compression summer shorts to ride with the skin PRO HD100 which seems absolutely essential for our outings, mainly the output of more than 80Km or the quality of the shorts goes directly induce on your pleasure (or not) to complete the last 20 – 30 kilometers.
Good training mean enjoy
Every way out, every kilometer, every pedal stroke is important. Your training must be carried out within the limits of your abilities, on good courses and in good conditions to not be synonymous with pain, injury or wasted pleasure.
The conditions for riding are different according to periods, regions and routes. It is important to measure each of your parameters to adapt your outings and outfit.
How to start ? witch parcours ?
Always further … always higher … always more … No, I do not advise you to follow the advice of Olivier Minne at the end of his shows Fort Boyard. Do not be too daring and be aware of your abilities!
It is more interesting to realize a beautiful course in decaf of its capacities than to be disgusted of cycling by passing the last 20 kilometers at the end of the roll.
Prefer loops at the beginning, never to be too far from your starting point and do not hesitate to venture out of the large departmental and national roads to enjoy the richness of the land and landscapes of our country.
The classic 100km is a challenge that every beginner cyclist will want to achieve as soon as possible! But it’s an adventure … which will be the subject of an upcoming blog post.
Do not take risks on your first courses, choose roads with little traffic and be vigilant with motorists, some respect the boundaries and others are less picky, more they do not hesitate to make you understand with calls from lighthouses, horns and more if affinity …
A word from Xavier: “When you just start cycling, the most important thing is not to overdo it! As with everything, we do not really know what we are capable of at the beginning. It is therefore very important to choose progressive distance steps as the weeks go by. The number of trips per week is also very important, there is no secret, to progress you must ride!
I personally started with several trips between 35 and 40 kilometers for my first week of cycling. It was for me the right distance to start, not too long and not too short, just what it takes to get in the legs and start well. Being on the Côte d’Azur, I began with relatively “flat” courses the time to get used to, to turn the leg well before embarking on routes with more relief.
From my second week I began to increase the distances with exits of about 50 kilometers and little by little with more relief. No climbing on long distances but small bumps to get my legs used to this feeling very different from the dish.
I then continued in the same way until distances of about 70 kilometers before having to shorten my distances because of the night falling earlier and earlier!
I think training three times a week by increasing distances is a good way to progress quickly! Seeing the progress that has been made when going through the same course and the difference in the management of the effort motivates even more to continue the training! “
Follow KPIs
In sports, especially when you start, the progression are quite important at the beginning. And today, technology allows us to track our rides properly
Many applications, GPS and accessories can help you to follow your progress. Buy famous brands that offer this equipment with guarantees on your devices like Garmin, Wahoo or Bryton.
About application, Strava is the leader and the number one for cyclist. It’s the best. You can track your progress, your ride with lot of useful statistics. AND to be part of the group G4 and to have access to the news of the mark on Strava.
Be careful though to the battery of the phone that can quickly go down!
A word from Xavier: “To progress quickly, the best way is to give yourself a rhythm of rides.I set myself distance goals each week and it is for me very important.
The effort is not the same on long rides as on shorter rides. We must get used to our body to travel longer distances!
longer distances and/or short distances every week is the best way to see progress quickly. “
Do not ride alone !
If you have the opportunity, do not ride alone and organize your outings with friends and athletes.
Riding with a professional or a seasoned cyclist can be very useful! To follow the schedule of the G4 Ride cycling team it’s on our strava ! Riding with others is the best way to progress quickly, to learn the tips and tricks.
And of course, enjoy it !
It is a sport that will request your body and mind. The physical effort is intense and long term one, it is probably the point that make a difference with classic disciplines (football, basketball, snowshoeing or athletics …).
It is an accessible sport. There is lot of different ranges of equipment, clothing and bikes. Be careful about some “essential” as the bib-shorts and the pad.
Cycling is a sport but also a passion. it is a way to discover extraordinary landscape and enjoy good atmosphere … everyone has the opportunity to master his practice as he feels and defends his own vision of the sport.
Ours is to make you live your passion with elegance and performance.
A message from Xavier: Roll in G4!
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