Starting to Cycle Again

At age 47 I decided to give cycling another shot. It’s a very different experience. When you’re a kid and you get on a bike, it’s safe to say that you don’t worry about anything. It’s a total contrast as an adult.

For a start you feel much further away from the ground! Also my balance was ok but not brilliant, I hadn’t really used my core for anything for a long time. But it comes back, and it comes back remarkably quickly. Corners seem to be challenging at first, uneven ground, anything which changes your centre of gravity but the more you practice (I mean just going on your bike!) the easier it gets. Then there’s hills. At first you avoid them, then you loathe them, then you learn to love them (well maybe love is a tad strong).

Soon after starting, my husband suggested I try clip in pedals. I think he said something along the lines of “if you’re going to do this, you’re going to do it properly”. I didn’t disagree but I was pretty scared at the thought of being ‘stuck’ to the pedals. Moving your feet sideways to get out of a pedal at first is completely alien and I found out the hard way.

SPD pedals are supposedly the easiest pedals to learn clipping in and out with. They require only a subtle movement to the side to unclip, apart from if you forget to do that. I would recommend always wearing your helmet when practising and do it on a grassy field or somewhere with a softer landing. My first experience of trying these was on our road, without a helmet. It was great until a car came, I panicked and tried to lift my foot upwards. Cue felled tree and I smashed my head into the road. Not the best start. It really is all about building muscle memory and the other important factor – unclipping the correct leg which all depends on which your dominant leg is.

Finding your dominant leg

To determine your dominant leg, you can perform a simple exercise: close your eyes, stand with your feet together, and have someone gently push you forward. The leg you instinctively step out with first to catch yourself will likely be your dominant leg.

The only way to get better is to keep practising but that doesn’t mean you have to be moving, you can hold onto a fence or a post and unclip your foot repeatedly for 10 minutes or so. Once you’ve done that a few times you start to build muscle memory. I also found it useful to chant a little mantra to myself whilst cycling like ‘sideways scoop’ or ‘twist to the side’.

I still found it quite stressful going out in clip in pedals for a good few months but I tried not to fixate on it and enjoy the riding instead. Falling at least once is a rite of passage for every cyclist but generally it’s only your pride that gets hurt.

Do you need to use clip in pedals? Absolutely not but they do help with getting the power transfer, efficiency and to stop your feet from moving about on the pedals (shin bruises ouch)and once you’ve mastered them you’ll never look back.

Tips for clipping in (and out)

• Try SPD pedals to start with (there’s nothing to say you can’t use SPD pedals on a road bike, it’s whatever you’re happiest with)
• Find out which is your dominant leg
• Practice whilst stationary to start with and remember to practice with both legs
• Progress to riding in a park or somewhere with a softer landing (always wear your helmet)
• Once you feel more confident, try them on a real ride, but there’s no rush, go at your own pace

And then she got a road bike…

So after a couple of months on the gravel bike I was actually enjoying riding on the road. The cars didn’t really bother me, I just concentrated on what I was doing and so I thought I’d like to give a road bike a go. Generally much lighter and aerodynamic with narrower wheels and handlebars, it would be quicker than the gravel bike but again would take some getting used to. And there would be a different set of cleats to get used to.

I had read about the best type of road pedals for beginners, and the general consensus was that Look Keo Classic pedals were great for beginners. I actually prefer road pedals to SPD’s now because the movement to unclip is more pronounced. These little pedals were great and I didn’t feel stuck at any point. I still had so much to learn about technique on the bike but I just enjoyed riding and I knew it would come in time.

My husband was really good with me and took me out a lot, riding at my pace rather than just riding off and leaving me. In those first few months I tried a group ride with Breeze (British Cycling) which are inclusive rides for all abilities and a great starting point and way to make new friends, and signed myself up for a gravel event. I never thought oh I’m not going to be able to do this, I just got on with it, because I was loving every minute of it.

2022 was really about trying lots of different things and starting to build my fitness so I could ride further. It’s never to late to try something new, and you never know what you can achieve until you start.