These are some of the common mistakes in cycling, that we have all made to some extent.
1. Wrong Saddle Height.
The wrong saddle height makes it less efficient to pedal. It can also cause unnecessary injury. Another mistake is to have the correct saddle height but then hire a bike on holiday with a different saddle height. We are then surprised to find we have developed a knee injury.
2. Bonk.
I don’t think there is any cyclist who hasn’t experienced the dreaded ‘bonk’. ‘Bonk’ by the way, is a cycling expression referring to when we run out of energy / water. It occurs because of insufficient food and can make cycling the last 20 home real torture.. It is easy to forget how many calories we can consume when cycling.
- Tip: one Mars bar is probably going to be insufficient for your 200km Cyclo Sportive.
3. Eating Too much Food.
Just as eating too little food will cause us to slow to walking pace. Eating too much food can also cause problems. If you eat a 3 course meal, your body will want to sleep not cycle 30 miles at a fast pace. One experience I will never forget is a two stage hill climb in Otley. I thought there was 3 hours between the hill climb races. So after the first race I ate quite a lot of cakes. When I’d finished eating I realised in 60 minutes I would be racing up East Chevin. (1 in 6 gradient) – not a nice experience. Needless to say I dropped a couple of places in the second race and finished with an unpleasant feeling of nausea. – See: Cycling Food
4. Sun burn / Sunstroke.
Cycling all day, is a great way to catch the sun. But, it is also easy to overdo exposure to the sun.
- Tip: You will never regret putting on suncream and wearing shades. You will regret getting sunburn.
5. Assuming all Professional Cyclist must be clean
There are still people who believe Marco Pantani always raced clean, despite having a haemocrit level of approaching 60% and being a cocaine addict. Maybe this isn’t such a common mistake.
6. Having A Bike Stolen.
In a way this is unfair. It really annoys me when you report a stolen bike and the police seem uninterested in searching for the bike, but just start to blame you for not using a £100 lock and employing an armed security guard e.t.c.
Nevertheless, I have had bikes stolen which could have been avoided:
- Don’t lend your best bike to your sister, who will then lend it to a friend, who will then forget to lock it.
- Be careful of locking your bike to itself round the back of the house. People can come and pick it up in a van.
7. Road Rage
There are many reasons to get angry with motorists who imperil our lives. But, getting really mad, mainly makes us feel miserable. Also if we get mad, we will probably forget to take down their registration, which is the only hope of making any difference. There is alot to be said for remaining calm and dealing with difficults with inner poise. – Sometimes easier said than done.
8. Riding Without Lights.
When I was a student I used to ride without lights. I think I had stupid ideas like ‘I can’t afford them’. Now I cringe at how I would cycle through town without lights. – How dangerous is cycling at night?
9. Spending All Day Watching the Tour on TV and Not Doing Any Training.
Unfortunately, watching the Tour does not make you any faster. If we are honest, we have to admit our sport is not exactly the greatest spectator sport in the world. Somehow watching the Tour for 4 hours every day leaves you with a feeling maybe we could have made better use of our time…
10. Getting obssessed with weight saving Equipment.
I’m as guilty of this as anyone. But, at least I have an excuse of doing hill races. But, often amongst new cyclists I see a hope that getting better equipment will make all the difference. When at the end of the day, it is how fit you are and not the bike you ride that is important.
See also:
Many, many years ago, aged 18, I spent my entire savings of £40 to have a Freddie Grubb bike built for me at their factory in South London. Fearful of having such a precious thing stolen I was advised by the local policeman to write my name and address on a slip of paper, roll it up and put it just inside the down tube beneath the saddle stem. He said the police always look there when they find a bike. My bike was never stolen – so I don’t know if it would have worked. I did one day cycle into my local town of Epsom, park my bike on the curb, then met up with some mates and eventually walked home completely forgetting about my bike. I remembered it the next morning, hot-footed it into town to find the machine exactly where I’d left it – unlocked ! Different times I suppose.
On the subject of light,s on bikes i see so many people kids and adults with none. Really its not that expensive to get them.But it costs a lot more for a funeral. If only people were more safety concious.
Lights:
My favourite discovery last year: Wind-up LED triple light with detachable bracket and wired rear light for £10 in Robert Dyas stores, by several companies including ‘Pro Team’ as fitted to my commuter and a local £7,000 Cervelo. Never be caught without lights! Also a torch and Nokia phone-charger all in one.
sorry I just found the link to Saddel height no need to post my last comment.
Thank you I love this website
Ok this saddle craic! How do you know when its the right height trial and error and error and error or is there some sort of trick?
Yep: I am pretty sure that poor saddle adjustment on my winter bike helped cause a niggling calf injury that sidelined me for several weeks.
Great list Tejvan. I am definitely guilty of 3,9 & 10. However if I ate less I wouldn’t need to worry about the weight saving equipment.
Just came across this site and have found it really useful. I think its also important to cycle on the right side of the road… a friend of mine got confused when on the spanish roads (dont start me on spanish driving skills) and was hurt quite badly!