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Mismatched Cyclists: How to Ride with Someone who is Faster or Slower

By Sarah Bonner

Riding with a friend or a group with varying abilities can be frustrating. You might share a passion for cycling but your abilities might be mismatched. Whether you want to ride with a slower partner or join a faster group, here are some tips to get you on level ground.

Read more . . . Mismatched Cyclists: How to Ride with Someone who is Faster or Slower

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Simple, Beautiful Pedal Stroke – 2

Learning a New Skill – Engaging Your Legs and Your Brain By Clair Cafaro 

We all learn differently, some by doing (kinesthetic) some by hearing (auditory) and some by watching (visual). While one learning style dominates, we generally have a combination of all three. Understanding which learning style

Read more . . . Simple, Beautiful Pedal Stroke – 2

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Descending on a Road Bike

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

After struggling up a steep, quad-busting hill, flying down the other side is a welcome reward. Descents are payback for all the effort you’ve made getting to the top. Cycling downhill may appear to be effortless, doing it safely takes a lot of different bike handling skills.

The pros

Read more . . . Descending on a Road Bike

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The Simple, Beautiful Pedal Stroke

By Clair Cafaro

With the glorious emergence of spring and the new cycling season, the last thing on your mind is your pedal stroke. Why dissect it? Why bother analyzing it? Don’t you just “push and pull” on the pedals? Well, not really. Focusing on a smooth, round stroke

Read more . . . The Simple, Beautiful Pedal Stroke

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Cycling Shouldn’t be a Pain in the Neck—or Shoulders

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

If after cycling 50 km (30 miles) your shoulders and neck start to stiffen up and hurt, and by 70 km (40 miles) you’re screaming “uncle,” it’s a sign that something is wrong. A long bike ride shouldn’t be an ordeal. Here’s how to get comfortable:

Make

Read more . . . Cycling Shouldn’t be a Pain in the Neck—or Shoulders

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Try a Rotating Pace Line

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

If you’re planning any long rides or charity tours this spring, learning to ride in a pace line will save you a lot of energy. [If you’re not familiar with pace lines, read this article first.] Drafting behind another cyclist can reduce your effort by

Read more . . . Try a Rotating Pace Line

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Cycling in a Pace Line

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

While cycling in a group is fun, it can also be challenging. Earlier this summer, a group I ride with had a close call because of one rider, new to the sport, who was cycling in a pace line for the first time. His erratic speed—shooting out in front of

Read more . . . Cycling in a Pace Line

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Banishing White-Knuckle Cycling

By Sheila Ascroft

For the first few years of cycling, fear sat on the nape of my neck. I hated the noise of cars whizzing by and tensed up every time a driver zoomed passed me. It wasn’t that I was afraid of falling off my bike; it was that something might

Read more . . . Banishing White-Knuckle Cycling

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Five Steps to Pedal Power

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

Most of us learn how to pedal a bike when we’re tots, but the up and down strokes that work on a tricycle won’t cut it on a road bike. To maximize your pedal efficiency, think circles and clocks, not pistons.

Pedal Through the Dead Spots (These instructions

Read more . . . Five Steps to Pedal Power

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Road Cycling: Cornering

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

It doesn’t matter where you live–whether it’s in the mountains or down on the plains–you’re going to encounter curves in the road. The essence of good cornering is maintaining your speed, safely. To do that you have to carefully choose your line through the turn, determine the appropriate speed, be

Read more . . . Road Cycling: Cornering

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Eat & Drink Safely on Your Bicycle

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

Many cyclists make pit stops to hydrate and refuel but that’s not always possible if you’re riding in a fast group. You may be so focused on hanging on to the pack that you don’t realize you haven’t been sipping from your water bottle or eaten the calories that you

Read more . . . Eat & Drink Safely on Your Bicycle

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Hill Climbs on Your Bike

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

Hill climbs are challenging for all cyclists and can be intimidating for beginners. Hills are where inexperienced riders often get dropped from the pack. But finding the right gear, cadence and technique can turn the most grueling climb into an enjoyable ride.

Climbing is all about conserving energy,

Read more . . . Hill Climbs on Your Bike

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Awesome Land: Women of Dirt

ShortHills Cycling Club presented Niagara’s premiere viewing of the movie Awesome Land: Women of Dirt on April 28th, 2010 at The Funky Monkey Bar & Grill, 129 Main Street West, Port Colborne, ON.

The sport of mountain biking has long been a male dominated sport and until recently all forms of media covering

Read more . . . Awesome Land: Women of Dirt

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Shifting To Clip-in Pedals

By Jacqui Snyder

Recently a reader enquired about different types of clip-in pedals and how to make the switch from standard pedals to clip-ins. I thought it was a great topic that many people would be interested in.

With clip-in pedals, cycling becomes much more efficient. You can take advantage of many different leg muscles, thereby

Read more . . . Shifting To Clip-in Pedals

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Cornering On A Bike

By Sheila Ascroft

If you’re comfortable with the basics of pedalling, let’s talk about cornering. How do you go around a street corner with a bit of speed or handle an unexpected turn in the road without panicking? Always keep the inside pedal up.

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Where your pedals are located in a turn matter. If

Read more . . . Cornering On A Bike

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Proper Pedalling Means Going In Circles

By Sheila Ascroft

I know it sounds stupid to say “pedal in circles.” I mean, what else can you do on a bike when your feet go round and round?

Well, I used to think that too . . . but after 15 years of serious riding, I’ve learned the cycling experts are right. There’s

Read more . . . Proper Pedalling Means Going In Circles

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Shifting Gears Makes For Better Bicycling

By Sheila Ascroft

Do you suffer from bicycle gear phobia? The overt signs are:

struggling up hills because you leave the gears in one position no matter what. pedalling like crazy on downhills because you leave the gears in one position no matter what! feeling totally confused by the 12 or 27 or gazillion gear

Read more . . . Shifting Gears Makes For Better Bicycling

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Climbing Clinic

By Laurel-Lea Shannon

This summer I cycled with a couple of clubs two evenings a week — and loved it. As well as having the social and safety benefits of cycling buddies, I learned helpful tips along the way. 

Cycling with more experienced riders improved my overall strength and speed. For the most part, I hung onto the group and benefited

Read more . . . Climbing Clinic

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