Why is it that we come back from some spins and think that it was a great day out, whereas other spins are enjoyable, but not as fulfilling? We believe that there are a number of factors that you need in the cocktail to achieve a great spin, namely; weather, safety, route, pace and finally the company. Let’s deal with each one:
Weather
Let’s face it, we live in Ireland, so the weather isn’t always on our side . . . well 90% of the time it isn’t, but on those rare occasions when it is, we know why we take to the bike. So what factors do we need to consider?
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Wind
- Precipitation (or rain for most of us)
- Season
We are all different animals, so one persons hot is another persons cool, but anywhere in and around 18-20 degrees is a nice temperature. However, high humidity can make it harder to breath, especially on those climbs, so for the Paddy’s amongst us anything from 60-80% is comfortable. When it comes to wind, the less the better – problem is we generate our own wind with the pace we move at, hence the reason a peloton can be good for managing energy levels. Again, as we live in Ireland, we can’t avoid the fact that at some point we will get wet. Weather Apps are great, but if anyone else ever got their job as wrong as weather people do, nobody would have a job. Therefore, we always need to have a light rain jacket on our person especially as the seasons change. Irish summers can be generally warm but our spring and autumns are generally a bit chillier first thing in the morning, so sleeves or a light jacket are a great idea as you start your spin, giving you time to warm up. Remember though, dress for the weather, not the season.
Safety
As a cycling club we are learning all the time, but safety is a priority that tops our list every time, so what do we need to consider in relation to a safe cycle:
- What you wear
- Your bike
- Nutrition
- Rules of the road
- Fellow cyclists
We’ve already mentioned that you should dress for the weather and not for the season and also that everyone is an individual, so there isn’t a ‘one rule fits all’. Suffice to say, you know your own body, so always have enough layers to manage the weather. You have pockets in the back of your jersey, so use them wisely; extra layers (sleeves, light rain jacket etc.). In addition, you can always have additional storage on the crossbar of your bike or under the saddle (where you keep your tools and spare tyres). It might seem like a no brainer, but a well maintained bike will service you well; clean it regularly, check your tyres, get it serviced. In essence, do the same things that you do to your bike that you would do to you car. When it comes to nutrition, follow the rule ‘little and often’, especially water. When your internal battery runs down or you ‘bonk’ (and it can happen to us all, on flat or hilly spins) it’s very hard to get it back. There are plenty of articles on nutrition, again, every person is different.
We all have a certain amount of knowledge regarding the rules of the road, some more than others. There is one thing we can’t argue with; we are on a road bike and we wear lycra, motor bike riders are also on a bike, but they wear more protective clothing, cars, buses and trucks are bigger, faster and have a protective layer around the person in control of them . . . if they hit you, let’s face it, you won’t come out on top!! There is a growing number of people looking to road cycling as a form of leisure and whilst our infrastructure is getting better for cyclists, it’s still playing catch up. When cycling in a group (which we generally do) hand and voice signals are very important. Our governing body, Cycling Ireland, have a set of rules that we should follow, so it is worth reading them. One final thing on safety is around your fellow cyclists; we are a social club, so chatting to fellow cyclists as you are out for a spin is a given. Regardless of what you might hear, you are legally allowed to cycle two abreast, but common sense will tell you that some roads are NOT the place to do this, no matter how good or invigorating the conversation might be. We will tackle this further in Route, Pace & Company.
Route, Pace & Company
What makes a good or great route? Again, it’s an individual persons preference; flat spins, hills or a combination of both. During the winter months it’s always wiser to stick to the coast and those flatter spins where there’s less chance of ice or bad weather. As the sun comes out, some, but not all of us love to take to the hills and a good rule of thumb is for every kilometre you cycle, you should be climbing in or around 10 metres. Basically, if you cycle 75k a good amount of climbing for all round fitness and enjoyment is 750m. Fatigue is something we all need to watch though, so cycling too quickly can deplete the battery quickly. Therefore, cycle with people of a similar ability.
It’s alright to push yourself, otherwise you will never improve, so live a little outside your comfort zone. Your fellow cyclists don’t mind waiting if you drop back a bit, they too, were in your cleats at one point. Every club has different groupings to accommodate different speeds, so find the one that suits you best. Unless you are a professional cyclist you will find a comfortable speed that you like to spin at. That said, regardless of your athletic ability, hills are hills and flatter stretches are by their nature flatter and your speed can vary depending on the contours. A clubs groupings or categories are in place to provide you with a AVERAGE pace over the duration of the route. So in essence, you might climb at 8-10kmph, go 20-30kmph on the flat or descend at 30-50kmph but your overall average could be 20kmph. The leader of each group is there to bring you on a route, understand the people out for a spin, manage safety and accommodate each cyclist and their abilities. What do I mean by that; some people may climb quicker, cycle faster on the flat or descend faster. A good leader will know the route and accommodate each person whilst keeping the group together for the majority of the spin, so listen to the group leader. Otherwise, you might as well just cycle on your own.
Whilst we are dealing with the routes we take, cities, by there nature are busier hence the reason we take to the hills. This provides us with an opportunity to cycle two abreast in a safer manner and have a chat. Once again, common sense will tell us that there will be stretches on every spin where we can cycle side by side or stretches that we need to single out. Listen to your leader, they have chosen this route for a reason.
To summarise, enjoy your spins, stay safe, listen to the group leader, enjoy the chats and most of all, enjoy the coffee at the break.