The Crucial
First Ride
Make Sure a Newcomer
Returns for a Second Ride!
By Ed Pavelka
of www.RoadBikeRider.com
If you’ve been
in this sport for long, you’ve probably seen
it happen. An enthusiastic person shows up
for his (or her) first ride with the local
club. He’s a bit intimidated by the lingo he
overhears, but that’s nothing compared to
his anxiety about what to do and how to do
it once the ride gets underway. Before long
he’s trailing behind, spooked by the
interplay of bike wheels and feeling as
wanted as an IRS agent in a Super Bowl pool.
Do you think
this guy will be back for another ride next
weekend? Not likely.
It’s
unfortunate, but experienced cyclists are
often pretty tough on newcomers. It may be
intentional because of the risks that an
unskilled bike-handler creates for everyone,
but more often it happens because we forget
how much a novice cyclist doesn’t know. If
you think about it, riding a bike isn’t all
that easy.
Gero McGuffin
has thought about it. She was 30 years old
before she climbed onto a bike the first
time, so she vividly recalls how
intimidating beginning can be. Now a
polished cyclist and the wife of cycling
author Arnie Baker, M.D., Gero enjoys
helping new riders get started in a way that
ensures they’ll have a great time and come
back for more.
Gero’s
recommendations can be used anytime we’re
riding with a newcomer. If you’re a
beginning rider, these tips can help you
have a more positive experience as you learn
the sport.
Be Gentle
Gero’s core
advice is useful when helping any new rider:
“Treat them kindly, go slowly, and keep your
expectations low. Give it your best shot,
and you will help a person become a cyclist
for the rest of their life.”
Now, here’s a
digest of her specific tips.
-
Don’t
project your own cycling goals.
They are much different for an
experienced rider compared to a new
rider. Let the person evolve. If he’s
interested only in casual cycling, let
him be. If he’s interested in fast
recreational riding or racing, encourage
him – but explain the dangers of trying
to advance too fast before developing a
foundation of skills and fitness.
-
Take
nothing for granted. Err on the
side of proceeding too slowly and
explaining too much. A new rider has
lots of knowledge gaps.
-
Watch
your language. If you’re saying
things like “upshift one cog” or
“feather the brakes,” a newcomer isn’t
going to understand and may be too
embarrassed to admit it.
-
Be
polite. Even if made in jest,
negative actions or comments can have a
long-lasting impact.
-
Ask
the person about his concerns.
These could include fear of traffic,
fear of being left behind, fear of
riding close to others, fear of the
saddle, and even fear of wearing
form-fitting Lycra clothing. Then work
with the person to resolve the specific
worry.
-
Keep
costs in perspective. Don’t make
the person feel that he has to spend a
lot of money to be a cyclist. Explain,
however, that some things are a smart
investment. For instance, if he’s in the
market for a new bike, it should be the
best quality he can afford. It should
have a triple crankset for plenty of
easy gears if there are hills in the
area. He should buy a good saddle,
cycling shorts with a padded liner and a
helmet.
-
Simplify the pedals. New
cyclists are often afraid of toe clips
and straps or clipless pedals. It’s
helpful to install platform pedals that
don’t require any technique to enter or
exit.
-
Check
riding position. A newcomer will
master pedaling and handling faster if
he’s in a good position. Make sure there
is a slight bend in his knees at the
bottom of the pedal circle and that the
handlebar is within an inch or so of
saddle height. To really nail his
position, use the guidelines in the RBR
article, "How
to Perfect Your Position and Technique."
Now We’re Rolling
-
Stay
off the road. When helping a
first-timer learn to ride, use a big
sports field or empty parking lot. Keep
traffic out of the equation. Next, try
park paths or quiet residential streets.
-
Ride
as slow as the beginner. Don’t
do anything to make him go faster than
his comfort level.
-
Watch
his eyes. Remind a new cyclist
that he’ll ride a smoother, straighter
line if he looks 10 or more feet ahead
rather than directly in front of the
wheel.
-
Watch
his grip. New riders are apt to
be tense, locking their arms and
squeezing the bar with white knuckles.
Explain the advantages of flexed elbows
and a secure but relaxed grip.
-
Take
away a hand. After starting,
stopping, and maintaining a straight
line, the next skill to work on is
riding with one hand. This is important
so the person can signal or reach for
his water bottle without swerving. Next,
move on to shifting gears – how and
when.
-
Keep
it simple. Don’t overwhelm a
newcomer with techniques. Let him get
comfortable with the basics. As you see
skill and confidence increase, add
something new to work on.
-
Stay
back. If you ride behind the
person he won’t feel like he’s always
trying to catch up. Let him set the
pace. Don’t ride beside him until he
feels confident in his basic riding
ability.
-
Introduce drafting. Explain the
advantages of riding behind a wheel, but
let the newcomer keep a gap of several
feet until he’s ready to move in closer.
-
Take a
real ride. For your first ride
in regular conditions, plan a course
that has a fun place to stop at the
halfway point. It could be a coffee shop
or an ice cream parlor. This is a good
chance to relax, give pointers, answer
questions and provide encouragement.
Make It Good for You, Too
One problem: Too
many rides like just described can take some
of the fun out of cycling for you.
Here is Gero’s advice for how an experienced
rider can get some training while riding
with a newcomer. She saw her husband use
these techniques while he was helping her
get started. Don’t do these things during
the initial rides. Wait till the newcomer
has basic skills but still lacks speed.
The stronger
rider can…
-
stay in the
same gear throughout the ride, spinning
on downhills to work on leg speed and
pedaling forcefully on climbs to build
strength.
-
assist the
new rider up hills with pushes (assuming
traffic conditions allow and you have
the skill to do this safely).
-
pedal with
one leg at a time to benefit from the
technique of isolated leg training.
-
sprint up
the road or to the top of a hill and
then ride back, or drop back and then
sprint to catch up.
Way to Go!
After a ride,
always congratulate the new cyclist on his
progress and welcome comments. As Gero
notes, “They will have questions that you
can hardly imagine, because you have been
cycling for so long.”
Finally,
encourage the person to ride on his own
between rides with you. This will give him
the chance to practice skills and gain
fitness with absolutely no pressure. Just
make sure he doesn’t go off the deep end and
turn cycling into a physical and mental
chore. This can happen when enthusiasm
causes a person to boost their riding too
fast. Firmly recommend an increase in time
or distance of about 10 percent per week,
with at least two rest days.
(A portion
of this material was adapted from the
coaching manual for the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society, copyright 1999 by Arnie
Baker, M.D.)
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