Cycling for Adults or Parents
Traditionally, the cycling sector has not been focussed on catering for the needs of females, but things are changing rapidly as more and more women decide to ride.
This section contains information and links that both experienced riders and those new to cycling will find useful.
There are a number of important benefits that cycling can offer, such as:
- Burning calories – every kilometre of moderate cycling consumes about 35 calories (150kj) of energy. This makes cycling a very effective weight control activity.
- Improving fitness – 30 minutes of riding 3 times a week is ideal for maintaining a good level fitness.
- Saving money – choosing a bike over your car for at least a few trips can save as much as $60 a week on parking, petrol and maintenance costs.
- Helping the environment – for every kilometre cycled instead of driven, there is a reduction of 0.3 kilograms in greenhouse gas emissions (National Bicycle Strategy 1998).
- Increasing social interaction – there are many clubs and associations that you can join where the experience of riding can be shared with others.
- Easing commuting hassles – during peak hour, bicycle trips of 10 kilometres or less can be considerably faster and less frustrating than a car journey.
- Providing recreation – a bicycle is a wonderful way to see the outdoor attractions that Western Australia has to offer.
|
 |
As mothers, women often make a decision about how their children travel to and from school, and if they cycle with their children, it is easy to pass on road safety knowledge to them.
Fact sheets
The following fact sheets deal with topics of particular interest to female cyclists.
There are many other interesting fact sheets on topics such as ride routes, touring tips, maintenance, safety, road rules and products that apply to all riders, which can be viewed here.
back to top
Riding recipes
Cycling uses energy, and for longer rides, you may need to replenish it by eating something along the way. There are plenty of commercial products available, but it can be cheaper to prepare your own at home.
To assist, we have put together some recipes for simple and nutritious snacks such as energy bars or muffins that you are welcome to try. |
 |
Frequently asked questions
The following common questions raised by female cyclists, and their relevant answers, have been reproduced courtesy of Bicycle Victoria.
Q: I'm about 20kg overweight and haven't been on a bike since I was a child. I want to start cycling for fitness and pleasure but don't know where to begin. What do you suggest for a terribly out-of-shape 30-year-old woman?
A: Start by adopting a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. Omit fried foods and baked goods, add lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and eat red meat sparingly. Consult a dietitian in your area.
As for training, we suggest riding in an easy gear. Spin the pedals against low resistance (choose a gear that ensures pedalling is not too difficult, not too easy, and does not require you to stand on the pedals when riding uphill).
Set a goal of cycling 15kms in one hour on a road bike. If you're riding a mountain bike with knobbly tyres or a hybrid with an upright riding position, you should try for 11 or 12kms. Then gradually increase your speed and distance -- about 3kms each jump -- as you become fit.
Two common mistakes made by beginners are trying to keep pace with more accomplished riders and pedalling in too high a gear. So do your own thing at your own speed and enjoy yourself. Ride at least three times per week. Stick with it and results will follow.
back to top
Q: I'm a new rider who cycles to firm my legs, lose weight and stay healthy. I ride 25 to 30kms on four or five days a week. To reach my goals, should I be riding for speed or distance? And should I be cycling every day?
A: Firming muscles, losing weight, and staying healthy are three popular exercise goals. To reach them, ride for speed and endurance. Your training week should include:
Moderate days. To lose weight, forget the clock and ride moderate distances at a comfortable pace. For a rider of your level, this should entail two to four rides a week of 25kms. Such workouts burn fat without overstressing your body.
Endurance days. To improve your stamina, go on one long ride each week, say 60 to 70kms. Don't worry about time, just aim to go the distance. A weekend club ride would be great for this.
Speed days. These are key to cardiovascular improvement and muscle tone. Twice a week, try to average at least 20 km/h on your road bike while maintaining a brisk pedalling rate (cadence) of 85 to 90 rpm. Gradually increase speed and duration as you become fitter.
This schedule lets you rest one day a week. Recovery is important for building strength. (If you ride the road on a mountain bike with knobby tires, reduce the distance guidelines by about half.)
back to top
Q: I start each season with goals and good intentions, but halfway through I'm bored and slacking off. How can I avoid that?
A: Variety is the answer. First, vary your route to transform tedious rides into new experiences. Second, don't just plug away, but vary your pace by sprinting for road signs, attacking the hills, or boosting your speed for a few minutes as if you were riding a time trial. On days when you lack motivation, remove the pressure to do a specific workout. Explore a new route and enjoy the scenery. At the end of the ride, you may find that you almost averaged training pace. If you didn't, maybe you've been overtraining and you need a break.
Third, join your local cycling club. Organised rides or training sessions with other cyclists are usually more exciting than going alone. Plus, you'll learn about different training techniques, riding styles and equipment to enhance your overall progress.
Caution: Don't ride with stereo earphones in an attempt to beat boredom. They reduce your valuable ability to hear what's going on around you. In fact, many States outlaw them, because they've contributed to accidents.
back to top
Q: Help! I'm uncertain whether I need a heart-rate monitor. How important are they to someone just starting out?
A: A heart-rate monitor (HRM) can be a valuable training device. With systematic use, you'll progress faster to a higher fitness level. If you're serious about becoming a good rider, it's a worthwhile investment of $90 (and up).
A HRM typically consists of a wristwatch-style monitor and a chest strap with electrodes. This strap uses radio waves to transmit your heart's electrical activity, which is then translated to beats per minute. This information is vital if you're following one of the popular training programs that require riding in certain heart-rate zones. The HRM helps you keep your heart rate in the range that's right for a given day's training, so you won't go too easy and neither will you overextend yourself.
To burn fat and improve your aerobic ability without risking much stress to your body, ride at 55 to 65 percent of your maximum heart rate. At the other extreme, to improve your ability to ride fast and tolerate the painful build-up of lactic acid in your muscles, do short efforts with your heart rate pegged at 85 to 90 percent. (To find your maximum heart rate, wear your HRM, warm up well, then go all-out up a long, steep climb - and sprint at the top! Obtain your doctor's approval first, of course.)
back to top
Q: I'd like to start training, but I don't want to commit to a complicated schedule of so-many-kilometres at such-a-speed each day. Is there some general advice I could follow?
A: Training can be like cooking - you have a list of ingredients and you vary the recipe. The results will taste a little different for each cyclist.
Set some goals, so you know how a given training week fits into the big picture of the whole year - or even the rest of your life. You can't control your work schedule, the weather, or your inherited talent, but you can control the thoughtful progression toward your goals. So get a big wall calendar with the whole year on it, then pencil in your rough goals and have a general idea of what you want to do each day to meet them.
Ten hours a week for training is a magical number for most serious riders. If you can train this much during each seven-day period, you can achieve most of your genetic potential. You'll have time to go hard, but also to take some easy rides. If pressed for a suitable block of time, try doing two short rides a day. Go hard for an hour in the morning, then pedal easily after work to aid recovery and relieve the stress of the day.
back to top
Q: What is overtraining and how do I avoid it?
A: If you feel deeply fatigued for more than a day or so - your muscles ache, you're irritable, your appetite decreases, and your heart rate is elevated at rest or not responding normally during a ride - you're probably overtraining. Take a rest day, then cut your distance and intensity until you feel like yourself again. Don't try to train through these symptoms, or you could suffer a significant setback.
back to top
Q: I purchased a bike trailer so I could take my one-year-old son on rides. At present, he can tolerate only an hour, which allows for 20 to 25kms about five times a week. How can I get the most efficient workout within these time and distance constraints?
A: Pulling a trailer is a good workout. In hilly terrain, every pedal stroke can be like a leg press. The first priority is to install low gears, if you don't have them already, and your knees will thank you.
As for training methods, we don't recommend intervals or high-intensity regimens with a trailer. Such an approach will trash you, and the high speeds may endanger your child. Instead, think of a trailer ride as power training. It will develop muscle strength and may even contribute to time-trial performance, but it won't do much for your acceleration or leg speed. For that, you need to schedule time for riding without Junior and doing intervals or sprints. Perhaps you could do these at home on a stationary trainer.
As for your child, it's important to make the rides fun. Make the trailer into a veritable playhouse by loading in his favourite toys and plush animals. As he gets older, include books, food and a water bottle. In general, think of the trailer as a family experience that provides training, not the reverse.
back to top
Q: I seem to perspire very little compared with my cycling companions. In fact, on very warm days, I overheat and need to slow down. My doctor gave me a clean bill of health and said that my problem is due to individual differences. Should I be content riding in my club's 20km/h category, or is there something I can do to move up to 25km/h?
A: Many women don't sweat as much as men. Instead, they rely on their cardiovascular systems to move body heat to the skin surface for dissipation. This works, but it can strain your system. This is what you're feeling when you say you have to slow down.
You should enhance your cardiovascular efficiency with a training program. Three times a week for 30 minutes or more, ride at about 75 per cent of your maximum heart rate (you can estimate your max by subtracting your age from 220). Hold your heart rate at your 75 percent number and the result will eventually be an increase in your blood volume and heat tolerance. In time, you should be able to join the 25km/h club.
back to top
Q: Whenever I ride fast for long periods of time, my knees hurt. This doesn't happen when I ride slowly in a low gear. Last year, I rode 6500kms, including several 150km days. After this much training, shouldn't my knees be able to handle the strain?
A: Your knee pain could stem from any number of physical problems, ranging from abrasion of tendons to roughness behind the kneecaps (chondromalacia), but even healthy knees can become sore if you're not cycling properly. Before subjecting yourself to the time and cost of a medical examination, try these possible solutions.
First, make sure your bicycle is properly adjusted (if still in doubt, consult a cycling coach or knowledgeable professional at a bike shop). Second, when riding, use moderate gears that allow you to spin the pedals at 80 to 95 rpm, because turning a big gear at a slow cadence can stress your knees. Third, rework your training schedule. Too many 150km days, especially if close together, may be taking their toll. Ride shorter distances, more often.
back to top
Q: What's the best way to make sure I improve as a cyclist?
A: It may be as simple as keeping a training diary - and then using it to learn what helps you improve so you can repeat it (while avoiding methods that aren't effective), according to Elaine Mariolle, former winner of the Race Across America (RAAM).
During the year before her RAAM victory, Mariolle combined speed workouts with endurance training, an effective combination that can benefit any rider. She recommends using "a reliable cycle computer that calculates average miles per hour in tenths. This lets you measure your progress accurately and compare performances over the same route. Record your daily training data, plus notes about how you feel, what you ate, the weather, or any other factor that plays a role in the ride. Tally your miles for each week and month. Reading the diary later, you'll be encouraged by your improvement and see patterns that led to periods of strong riding.”
Your diary will also help you plan in the future. For example, if you ride 4000kms this year without undue fatigue, you can confidently push to 5000 next year - even if you don't do them all at once, as in RAAM.
Don't become a slave to those blank pages though, and don't ride just to keep filling in numbers. "My philosophy is that you don't ride just in order to go faster or farther," says Mariolle. "You should have a good time, too. By keeping it fun, I think most people will surprise themselves with how good they can get."
back to top
Groups and useful contacts
Bicycle Transportation Alliance
Cycling Sisters
