Poll: Best advice

[profàvélo]

What is the best cycling advice you've ever received / read / heard? It can relate to anything: riding skills, training, eating, clothing, bike-buying...doesn't matter. If you could share only one piece of advice with other (women) cyclists, what would that be? What has made you a better, happier cyclist (mountain or road or whatever)?

[maryellen]

incredibly basic but for me it was crucial:

look where you want to go

[Pedal Wench]

Spin, don't mash. And make sure you're spinning in circles

[tatormc]

My hubby teaching me to draft

[CorsairMac]

believe it or not: the Cup in any of it's forms!



nice thread Prof - this will be fun to read! thanks for starting it!

[carback]

like maryellen, the best piece of advice I've been given is look where you want to go.

Whether I remember to heed the advice or not is a different story.

[ccnyc]

2 pieces of advice:
1. Sit all the way back on the seat when riding uphill (especially steep ones).
2. Get clipless pedals. It really does improve performance. I love mine.

[Ninabike]

Bike fit: Get the best fit you can. Make the bike fit you; not you fit the bike.

[trigurl]

It isn't as much the bike as it is the rider!

[mainerider]

Before my first and daunting long charity ride, my friend passed on this advice: don't eat or drink stuff you aren't used to; keep your shoulders relaxed; use easier gears to spin when your legs are tired; and most of all have fun. Seven years later I still carry a little card with these helpful hints with me on my charity ride.

[SadieKate]

Butt back and speed is your friend

[Blueberry]

1. Sit all the way back on the seat when riding uphill (especially steep ones).

I've taken to doing this recently and it seems to have helped my hill performance significantly (not to mention the fact that my crotch seems to appreciate the change of scenery as I rarely stand ). That and riding more regularly than I had been. Distances still aren't increasing (I'm still blown at the end of the ride), but I'm riding faster and feeling stronger.

[Wendy]

Hold your body up with your core muscles (only they weren't called "core muscles" at the time), and you'll feel an obvious difference in the power going to your pedals.

[bcipam]

I've gotten lots of good advice over the years but most recently... to relax and take a rest while climbing up hills. OK what does that mean? It means use your low gears, start out slowly and comfortably and once you hit a nice cadence, pick it up slowly. Near the top you shuld have enough left to stand and dash (or on a mountain bike, pick up the cadence and push). I used to rush the hills and peter out towards the top. No more!!! I used to avoid hills and now I seek them out. I eat hills for breakfast!

[yellow]

Draw a circle with your toe.

I think about this when I'm in a particularly tough climb or otherwise feeling puny. I think it works because it forces me to really focus on that one image (and motion) and I find that I usually end up going a little faster without extra effort.