#BeBoth: The 5 Golden Cycling Rules to Starting Small

Published: 25/03/21

 

If you’ve made it here, odds are you know a fair bit about being a driver, but not so much about cycling. Your daily routine is perhaps so watertight you’re wondering if you can find the time to cycle! But wonder no more, ForwardMotion has the perfect collection of tips for starting to incorporate cycling into your travel choices or daily routine.

couple in car looking concerned

1: Make cycling worth it

Think about what you love about going for a drive. Not the obvious of ‘getting from A to B’, but the more mentally fulfilling elements. It could be showing off your flashy car, or having some time to yourself. Whatever it is, make sure you apply the same thing to cycling. If having a visually appealing mode of transport is important to you, save up for a flashy bike. If it’s having time to yourself to de-stress, make sure to create a bespoke playlist of stress-busting music for your ride. Find what sparks positivity in life and try to make cycling fulfil that need in some way, as it’ll make you more likely to want to head out for a ride.

2: Swap a walk for a cycle

This may seem a bit counterproductive as walking is pretty healthy anyway, but swapping a walk for a cycle will allow you to form an association with cycling being a quick and easy form of transport (because it’s quicker than walking and less effort than running). If you typically walk to the corner shop to pick up a loaf of bread, opt for the bike. It’ll make picking up the bike helmet as opposed to the car keys more of an automatic choice in the future, too.

3: Keep it short

If you’re completely new to cycling or haven’t cycled in a while, it’s good to start off with small journeys more often. This system of ‘little and often’ will support and encourage the belief that your journeys are achievable; not overwhelming you with too many miles from the start of your cycling journey. Work up to bigger journeys like your regular commute to ensure you stick with it.

4: Make it work for you

The important thing to remember about cycling is that you’re doing it to enhance your life, not at a cost to it. Try out different times and days to figure out where it best slots into your diary. If that’s only once a week for now, that’s fine because it works for you. Similarly, make sure you are comfortable – with your bike, your routine, your clothes, everything. You don’t have to get up at 5 am just because some fitness guru on the internet told you to. Do what works for you.

5: Get a refresher

If you know you’re more than a little bit rusty, ForwardMotion offers free adult cycle training that provides the basic safety knowledge for road cycling, plus it’s a great confidence boost for renewed cyclists (take a look at our testimonials!) ForwardMotion also offers Bikeability training for children from aged 3 and brand new family cycle training sessions for 2021. You can also get in touch with our team for any cycling information on repairs, security, and parking.

Contact us today to start your cycling journey with ForwardMotion or follow ForwardMotion on social media for more tips and motivation.

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