Advice for a complete beginner wanting to get into cycling

Talise

I am a 17 year old girl who would like to get into road cycling and go as fast as I can. I currently do a lot of sport, training nine times a week (running, weights and other cardio) and my coach suggested that I try road racing, yet I know very little about how to get involved, so advice would be very much appreciated!

I am unsure of the best way to become involved in the sport. The obvious thing to do seems to be to join a club but I don't know if there would be any girls my age there, and if, at least at first, I would be able to keep up on rides. The majority of junior stuff seems to be done indoors - is that an accurate reflection of how it works? Would it be a good idea to do some sportives and other rides, and how do I go about trying to get into racing (time trials, road races etc) - are there any races with other people my age? If I do go down the club route, how does it work as you get better and progress up the ranks?

Obviously as a complete novice I'm aware it will be a long time before I am competent enough to go fast, but any advice on how to go about getting started would be hugely appreciated - thanks in advance for any help.

teisetrotter

I would look at the British Cycling web site (http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/) to start to understand the wider events. Then seek out (they are listed) the biggest local club you can find as they will have proportionally more women riders.

One thing that might help is to get in touch with a women's team they would be only to willing to give you advice etc. For example Geoff Butler sponsors a ladies team. So you could contact them to discuss the best way to get started:

http://www.teamgbcycles.co.uk/

leshere

At 17 you would race in Cat 4 Adults which is possibly not a good start. Provision for the 16 to 18 range is not good compare to younger riders. My son is 15 and started riding a year ago and is making progress. He cycles with a large adult club that has a significant road race presence. The older riders (many in their 20's) seem happy to have him along and he is taking his turn at the front on fairly brisk rides. If you are in the West London Area I can give some pointers e.g. there is an all female club and some clubs are 'younger' and racier' than others. BTW you can go fast quite soon just try to avoid abrupt stops.

MartAstur

I can't help you in any way I'm afraid but you said it would take a long time before you are competent enough to go fast but actually you may be suprised. If you are fit and sporty and train hard you are likely to get up to speed quite quickly. Look at Rebecca Romero, she won a silver rowing medal in the Athens Olympics and a won gold in cycling in Beijing. Anything is possible with dedication (well until you get to my age that is). Good luck!

markos1963

I don't know where you are but try the British Cycling website. Look for either clubs that might be able to help or another way would be to get in touch with coaches who will have lots of contacts in the area. We are lucky here in Norfolk as we have a Cycling Acadamy that caters for all riders by training them in all aspects of riding including racing. There are ladies only sessions as well. Maybe there might be something like this in your own area?

TakeTurns

To be begin with, you need to complete base miles. This is to work on your endurance. Base training(endurance) should be your key task before trying to go fast as possible. So basically, go out and ride. Gradually increasing the daily miles by 5-10% every 1-2 weeks.

Like someone stated, the BC site is a useful source. You can join a cycling club a few months down the line to help you feel motivated and they will share their expertise with you. There's a club search tool on the BC site. Contact the clubs, research about them and go down to club runs to find a bit about them. Depending on the club, there may be people around your age or older. When I joined my club this year at 18, the average age was about 28. The second youngest is 22. It may differ from person to person, but I was mature enough to get on and banter with the bunch.

Once you've got a good base of cycling fitness, you can begin thinking about racing. So check the BC site for races which are close to you. You'll be starting off with Cat4 racers. Whether you want to do road races or crits, you can begin to structure your training to better fit the circumstances which will incur during the races. RRs for example, you'll need to train on hills and be able to respond to attacks while out of your comfort zone. For crits, you'll need to hold a fast pace for about an hour and be able to produce short outbursts of power on a flat-ish course.

To help and guide you more. Read the forums, look at the questions others have asked and read the replies. You'll learn a lot.

All the best!

jay197

There are loads of girls and older "ladies" in my local club, I am sure it is the same everywhere.

Some of the girls fly up the hills and leave the mamils behind too hehe:)

kingrollo

Just buy a cheapish road bike ...and take it from there.....

Talise

Thanks everyone, you've given me some good ideas - cheers for the help!

pilot_pete

Where abouts are you Talise? You will find club members from all over the country on here and can get a bit of first hand advice.

We have a young lady who joined our club early this year at 17, she is the only young lady in the club, the other females are in their 50s and 60s. However, this in itself has not held her back; she started time trialling as soon as she joined (infact she joined after doing a club sponsored 'come and try it' TT). She loves it and gets nothing but praise and encouragement from the lads in the club who TT alongside her. I think she knocked about 2 minutes off her best time over about 5-6 TTs before the season ended. I am sure she will be back next year! Her mum comes along on a Tuesday night to support her and drive her home, and is very impressed at how she has been accepted and encouraged by what she considers to be 'serious' cyclists

So, just because a club doesn't have many youngsters, especially young females, don't let that in itself put you off. I am sure you are aware already that there is a much smaller proportion of young ladies who want to race bicycles, so you may find most clubs aren't awash with like minded young ladies! Best to find a club that will encourage and support you in your ambitions and one that has a leaning towards racing rather than social riding. As others have said, BC website is a good resource for club details. Contact them and ask questions, try a club ride or two and make a point of asking plenty of questions, they won't mind...

Good luck

PP