This guide is for my friend, Denise, and anyone else starting their cycling journey. As a cyclist, I know how life-changing cycling can be for your health, fitness, and mental well-being. Here’s some basic guidance to help you get started on the right foot.

First, a thorough review by your personal physician is EXTREMELY important before you begin. You’ll need your doc to give you the “OK” to begin your cycling adventure.

Next, I’m not writing this from the perspective of a professional rider or trainer. This is merely a collection of tips and basic guidance I’m sharing with my new cycling friends. Use it only if you find it to be helpful to you. Now that all that is out of the way, lets get started.

Two really important tips to follow consider:

1. Safety first! Like operating a motor vehicle, cycling can be very dangerous because you’re usually moving faster than a running pace, and you will share space with other drivers/riders. If you can, ride during the daylight hours, follow traffic laws and always yield the right of way. NEVER assume anyone sees you. Always wear your helmet, consider bright colors and pay attention to the road. We’ll have more safety tips later.

2. Take your time and start slow: Even if you’re already in good shape, cycling uses different muscles than other exercises, so your body will need time to get used to the new types of stress, especially with your the seat. Start out slow and easy, enjoy yourself, and progress gradually. Start in a large space, like a parking lot, to get the feel for your bike, then just plan on going two or three miles at a time until you get the feel of your bike.

Let’s start with your bike - What’s the best bike to get for cycling? I suggest you either rent one of the public bikes or borrow an old bike to start. You will need to make sure the bike is safe, has good brakes and you fit on it okay. A rented bike would be a good choice for you to get the feel of things. You don’t need anything fancy to start with and you can consider the purchase of your glamour bike later.

Other than cost, the most importing thing about selecting your bike is that it fits you properly. Yes, bikes come in different sizes! The bike should fit your height (from ground to crotch), as well as the distance from the seat to the handle. It’s best to go to a good bike shop to get fitted if this will be your first bike.

There are lots of brands and options to consider. Really nice bikes can cost tons of cash, and most “good” bikes will cost $1,000 or more. The good news is that a professional cycle shop can help you with the process and they may even offer you a discounted bike fitting. Once you begin to cycle regularly, you can consider getting into a better bike.

Now let’s discuss the equipment - Start with the basics. You will need to carry some of this equipment with you when you ride, and the other items are needed for maintenance, support and convenience. You’ll need the following, at a minimum:

· Helmet. Don’t EVER ride without one. I cracked a helmet in a fall and realized I could have cracked my skull and damaged my face on the road surface.

· Water bottle. It’s best to have one that attached to your bike. A regular plastic bottle of water won’t work and will fall out of the cage.

· Air Pump. You will need some type of air pump or device (like C02), unless you have one of those fancy inflater things at home. A manual floor pump is good to have at home but isn’t absolutely necessary.

· Repair kit. A simple repair kit would include a patch kit, a spare inner tube, C02 cartridges, 2 tire levers, a multi-tool for bikes, all in a small bag that attaches to the bike (usually under the seat).

· Glasses. If you wear them to drive, you’ll need them to see. They also block bugs and other debris from hitting you in the eyes. This will become more important as you take longer rides.

Other stuff you will probably pick up later:

· Gloves. I actually have a pair of these, and you could consider them essential. They absorb shock from the handles (cycling gloves are padded), but more importantly, if you crash, your palms are protected.

· Bike computer. This attaches to the bike and tells you how far you’ve gone, how fast you’re going, your RPMs, and all other kinds of good info. Some watches do this too.

· Gel-padded seat. For beginners, riding on a hard cycling seat can be very uncomfortable. This gel padding has saves you a bit of pain.

· Shoes/pedals. The most efficient way of peddling is if you are using your up-stroke as well, not just your down-stroke (pulling the pedals up and pushing them down). Cages or clips are needed for that, and you’ll also need special shoes for that.

· Lights. These are a must if you ride when the ride begins later in the day. I use lights in the front and back to increase my visibility.

There are, of course, a ton of other equipment items out there. But you don’t need them in the beginning.

The Clothing - We’ve all seen the tight and bright clothing that the pros wear. It looks really cool but you won’t need a full “riding kit” when you start. An athletic shirt, some shorts and tennis shoes are all you really need to get started.

As you begin to get more serious about cycling, you should consider traditional cyclist clothing. Good cycling clothing is thin, so you don’t get too hot, flexible for comfort, with special material that “wicks away” sweat and the seat of your riding shorts will have padding. The loud colors enable or improve visible for other to see you.

Safety Always - Be safe on the road, don’t break traffic laws and always try to remain as visible as possible. The most common causes of accidents are:

· Opening car doors. When riding by a row of parked cars, someone opens their car door, right into your path, and you don’t have time to swerve. Be on the lookout for any doors that are about to open, and don’t ride too close to parked cars.

· Sideswiped. Sometimes cars will be tempted to try to pass you while traveling in the same lane. This could result in you being bumped or hit. It’s safest to take the center of the lane, even if that doesn’t seem as safe, until you can safely move to the shoulder to let cars pass.

· Intersections. If you are making a left turn across an intersection, be very careful, as approaching cars may not see you. Right turns can also be dangerous if the traffic going into that lane doesn’t see you — or if the driver behind you also making a right turn doesn’t see you.

The gears and shifting gears - Just know that your bike will probably have gears to help you start out easy and build speed as needed. We can have a longer discussion about the use of gears and don’t be intimidated by them. Your car has gears too.

Braking - Your bike will have front and rear brakes. You’ll need to learn about them in a number of different conditions. A few things to consider.

· Front brake. Many beginners use both brakes simultaneously to brake. But more experienced cyclists (and I’m not one yet) use the front brake most of the time. If you practice using the front brake, you will lose the fear of flipping over the front wheel.

· Rear brake. This is good for certain situations, especially if it’s slippery or your front tire blows out.

Flat Tires - You can’t predict when they will happen and they can happen to anyone at any time, so you’ll need to know how to fix one. You will have all the items needed in your tool kit to fix a flat. If you can’t do it on your own, another cyclist may come along and help you. Regardless, your job is to always have a spare inner tube and pump (or C02) to fix your flat to get home.

Transporting your bike - I personally HATE moving my bike, because doing so requires me to lay the back seat down in the car, take the front wheel off my bike and try to wrestle everything into the trunk. Some folks purchase a bike rack. It fits on the trunk of your car and can be used transport your bike in one piece, outside of the car.

Cycling is a journey, and you're just at the beginning. Take your time, enjoy the ride, and remember that every mile brings you closer to becoming the cyclist you aspire to be. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me or other cyclists for advice, and most importantly, have fun!