We know there is nothing quite like the thrill, the challenge, and the peace of a long bike ride. But it is also important to not let our excitement get the best of us. Preparation is a key ingredient to a great ride. Proper bike ride prep helps prevent injury and exhaustion, and makes your ride a better workout and a more enjoyable experience. Here, we outline 5 important steps that can help ensure a safe ride.
Bike Ride Prep: 5 Essential Steps
This list certainly does not include all the important points of bike ride prep. These are important things to keep in mind when getting ready to hit the road.
- Stretch
On long rides, your hips, shoulders, calves, and other muscles can develop incredible amounts of tension. Before getting on the bike, be sure to stretch out your whole body to loosen up. Stretching is also an important part of post-ride recovery.
- Nutrition
Eating right is a huge part of a good bike ride. Try to eat a breakfast with lots of healthy fats, unrefined carbohydrates, and lean protein before a ride. One good example of this is a breakfast burrito with eggs, a variety of vegetables, and salsa, all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla.
- Hydration
With the amount of sweat you’ll likely lose on your ride, hydration is absolutely essential. Proper hydration starts early — be sure that you are drinking plenty of water even the day before you ride. Of course, you should also bring a bottle along with you, and fill up as needed.
- Map Your Route
If you don’t know the area well, it is important to know where you’re going. As part of your bike ride prep, take the time to plan out your route, noting any obstacles or challenging parts of the trip.
- Check Your Bike
Finally, make sure that your bike is as ready as you are. Check tire inflation, brake conditions, seat and handlebar height, and tightness of the nuts and bolts. You may also want to bring along a tire patch kit or other repair tools in case something happens along the way.
The Utah Bicycle Lawyers
Our passion for cycling led us to begin practicing as Utah’s Bicycle Lawyers. We know how valuable bike ride prep is to preventing injury and other mishaps on the road. However, there are some accidents and injuries that happen outside of a cyclist’s control. For this reason, we fight to get injured cyclists the compensation they deserve.
If you are injured while cycling, please contact us for a free consultation about your case. We will dedicate all our resources to winning a fair settlement for you, so that you can get back to riding. If you would like, you can also order a free copy of our book, The Utah Bicycle Accident Handbook.
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