EquinenL !ls EquinenL !ls EquinenL !ls EquinenL !

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8y 8y 8y 8y

Aidan Pyan Aidan Pyan Aidan Pyan Aidan Pyan (Level 8 Coach}











EquinenL: !he Jarqon EquinenL: !he Jarqon EquinenL: !he Jarqon EquinenL: !he Jarqon



!he 8ike !he 8ike !he 8ike !he 8ike
hoL every Lye of uike is aroriaLe Lo a day 700kn evenL. !he nosL suiLaule Lye of uike is a racinq
uike or a road uike wiLh 700c wheels and 1-88 qears. !he 700c wheel size (nornal racer size} has Lhe
lowesL rollinq resisLance of all Lhe uicycle wheel sLandards. !his will save you a consideraule anounL of
enerqy over Lhe course of days and 700kn. !hese uikes Lend Lo have franes uuilL wiLh aluninun,
caruon fiuer, a conuinaLion of uoLh or LiLaniun. All of Lhe ueLLer franes are fiLLed wiLh a caruon fork
reqardless of Lhe naLerial in Lhe nain arL of Lhe frane.
!here isn'L nuch difference in weiqhL ueLween Lhese 8 Lyes of frane. You can ay uiq noney Lo qeL a
frane LhaL weiqhs less Lhan 1kq. As you qo over Lhe kilo Lhe rice dros. !his can ue as dranaLic as
600 for 600q. !haL is Lhe weiqhL of one snall waLer uoLLle. bnless you are already a suer lean !our de
France rider, you can rouauly quiLe easily shed a nulLile of Lhis fiqure (fron your fiqure!} wiLh a far
uiqqer inacL on your clinuinq. Caruon and LiLaniun franes are usually ueLLer aL ausoruinq road
viuraLion and nay ue narqinally nore conforLaule as a resulL. !iLaniun is exensive uuL doesn'L rusL or
oxidize like aluninun and sLeel and is Lherefore lonq-lasLinq. Aluninun uased franes are considerauly
cheaer Lhan eiLher Lheir caruon or LiLaniun equivalenL.
Poad uikes are qenerally liqhLer Lhan nounLain uikes and will Lherefore reduce Lhe enerqy cosL of each
hill you clinu. !he faLLer knouuly Lyres fiLLed Lo nounLain uikes are qreaL for qri on nucky surfaces uuL
Lhey creaLe enornous levels of enerqy sainq draq when used on Lhe road. !his exLra draq and Lheir
exLra weiqhL nake nounLain uikes a na|or disadvanLaqe on Lhe hills. MounLain uikes are noL really
suiLaule for Lhis challenqe.



Randleuars Randleuars Randleuars Randleuars
Poad uikes cone wiLh eiLher dro handle uars
(icLured auove} or LradiLional (flaL} Lye uars.
You don'L have Lo use dro (racinq Lye} handle
uars. Rowever Lhey do have Lwo advanLaqes.
!hey allow you Lo adoL a nore
aerodynanic cyclinq osiLion. !his is
only of value if you are uaLLlinq very sLronq head winds or if you are novinq fasLer Lhan 26kh.
!hey rovide you wiLh several hand osiLions which, on lonq evenLs, allows you Lo chanqe your
cyclinq osLure fron Line Lo Line which hels reduce faLique and disconforL.
!his laLLer is of siqnificance Lo us.
lf you use dro or racinq handleuars Lhey should ue rouqhly Lhe widLh of your shoulders. Many eole
refer Lhe LradiLional Lye handle uars as Lhese are easier Lo qeL used Lo.

Saddles Saddles Saddles Saddles
Serious racinq cyclisLs use saddles LhaL aear Lo have
ueen desiqned for a LorLure chanuer wiLh liLLle or
nininal addinq. 0ne would Lhink LhaL iL would ue
nore conforLaule Lo have a heavily added qel Lye
saddle. Rowever nore addinq neans nore fricLion
and LhaL leads Lo saddle sores. A liqhLly added saddle
will Lake a liLLle qeLLinq used Lo aL firsL, will leave you
a uiL sore, uuL as Lhe skin in LhaL area adaLs iL will ue
nore conforLaule in Lhe lonq Lern. lL is worLh
sendinq a uiL of noney on a qood saddle as you are
qoinq Lo ue sendinq quiLe sone Line on iL so don'L
wanL iL causinq you roulens. lL is rouauly uesL Lo qo
for a leaLher covered saddle. lf ossiule naLch Lhe saddle Lo Lhe widLh of "your siL uones". Sone
nanufacLurers nake Lheir saddles in differenL widLhs. MosL of Lhe qood nanufacLures also nake nale or
fenale secific saddles. (See uelow for oLher Lis on reducinq saddle soreness}.







Pedals Pedals Pedals Pedals

lL is cerLainly worLh invesLinq in cli in edals and Lhe
shoes which air wiLh Lhen. lllusLraLed auove are sone
of Lhe differenL Lyes of cli in edals. Like Lhe
handleuars and Lhe saddles, Lhey Lake a coule of sins
Lo qeL used Lo uuL are a na|or and erceLiule
conLriuuLor Lo cyclinq efficiency. !his is arLicularly Lrue
on Lhe hills. JusL Lhink auouL iL. You will do sonewhere
in Lhe reqion of 14000 edal sLrokes er day on Paris Lo
hice. lf you can aL leasL Lake Lhe weiqhL off Lhe edal
coninq u, (fron Lo 12 o'clock in Lhe roLaLion} so LhaL
Lhe ushinq down leq doesn'L have Lo lifL iL, you can save
a hell of a loL of enerqy. Anyone who Lries Lhen never qoes uack.
!o fasLen Lhe shoe Lo Lhe edal you only have Lo ress sLraiqhL down on Lhe edal wiLh Lhe cleaLed arL
of Lhe shoe. !o release fron Lhe edal is even sinler. JusL Lurn your heel inwards or ouLwards. !hese
edals can ue ad|usLed Lo release nore easily for firsL Line users. Cyclinq shoes have a sLiff sole Lo
roLecL Lhe fooL and Lo enhance Lhe Lransnission of force Lhrouqh Lhe edals. SofL soled shoes, such as
runners, deforn aL Lhe sole when Lhe fooL resses down on Lhe edal. !his reeaLed acLion over nany
kiloneLers can lead Lo disconforL and in|ury. WhaLever Lye of edal you use you should always have
Lhe uall of Lhe fooL over Lhe cenLre of Lhe edal for efficienL edalinq.


0Lher ParLs 0Lher ParLs 0Lher ParLs 0Lher ParLs

!he novinq arLs of your uike need Lo ue hiqh qualiLy as Lhey will noL only have Lo ue u Lo 700kn in
days uuL will have Lo ue aule Lo coe wiLh all Lhe Lraininq nileaqe in all Lyes of weaLher as you reare
for Lhe evenL.
!he Lyres should always ue uned hard Lo Lhe ressure reconnended on Lhe side wall as Lhis hels
avoid uncLures and reduce rollinq resisLance. !yre sizes in Lhe ranqe of 700cX28c Lo 700cX28c are Lhe
nosL suiLaule for Lhis Lye of evenL. (!he firsL fiqure is a neasure of Lhe Lyres dianeLer; Lhe second is a


neasure of Lhe Lyre's "faLness"} FaLLer Lyres qive a sofLer ride uuL qeneraLe qreaLer rollinq resisLance.
Low rofile "skinny" Lyres (700X10-20c}, as used uy coneLiLive Line Lrial secialisL, have a very low
rollinq resisLance uuL feel like ridinq on solid wheels and carry an increased risk of uncLurinq.
For an evenL such as Lhis iL is ueLLer noL Lo use suer liqhL racinq Lyres as Lhey nay noL ue rouusL
enouqh for sone of Lhe snaller roads we will ue usinq. !he ideal is a foldinq 26c Lyre as Lhese can ue
liqhL uuL qive a liLLle nore cushioninq effecL which reduces faLique. !hey also reduce Lhe risk of
uncLures which will ue inorLanL when descendinq.
Your uike should ue fiLLed wiLh aL Lwo uoLLle caqes for holdinq lasLic drinkinq uoLLles. lL should also ue
fiLLed wiLh a liqhL weiqhL un. !hese are usually fiLLed Lo Lhe down Luue which runs fron Lhe fronL of
Lhe uike Lo Lhe uoLLon urackeL where Lhe edal cranks are aLLached.


SeLLinq b Your 8ike SeLLinq b Your 8ike SeLLinq b Your 8ike SeLLinq b Your 8ike
You will ue a far nore efficienL enqine on your
uike if iL is seL u correcLly Lo oLinize your ower
ouLuL.






Saddle ReiqhL Saddle ReiqhL Saddle ReiqhL Saddle ReiqhL
8efore seLLinq u saddle heiqhL nake sure LhaL your saddle is horizonLal uy lacinq a siriL level on iL
(fron fronL Lo uack} when Lhe uike is on level qround.
!here are a nunuer of differenL neLhods for calculaLinq Lhis. !he sinlesL is Lo lace your heel on Lhe
edal (in flaL shoes} while siLLinq nornally on Lhe saddle and uack edal slowly unLil Lhe edal is aL iLs
lowesL oinL. AL Lhis oinL your leq should sLraiqhLen uuL you should noL have Lo rock your hi Lo Lhe
side of Lhe lowered edal Lo reach iL aL iLs low oinL.

A nore scienLific neLhod is Lo neasure your inside leq neasurenenL fron your siL uones Lo Lhe qround
while sLandinq in uare feeL. MulLily Lhis fiqure uy 0.886. !he resulL is Lhe heiqhL Lhe saddle should ue
auove Lhe cenLre of Lhe uoLLon urackeL (Lhe lowesL arL of Lhe uike frane where Lhe edal cranks and
chainseL aLLach and roLaLe}. !he auove neLhods are qood sLarLinq oinLs. 8ecause we are all differenL


you nay find LhaL iL is necessary Lo ad|usL fron Lhis sliqhLly Lo qeL a qood conforLaule osiLion.
Penenuer LhaL if you have ueen ridinq for a consideraule Line wiLh a saddle osiLion LhaL is very low or
very hiqh Lhen even Lhe nosL efficienL of osiLions will ue unconforLaule unLil your nuscles qeL used Lo
workinq in Lhe new osiLion.

Saddle Forward or 8ack Saddle Forward or 8ack Saddle Forward or 8ack Saddle Forward or 8ack
!o find how far forward or uack your saddle should ue you need a lunu line. SiL on your uike on level
qround, wearinq your cyclinq shoes. Make sure LhaL Lhe uall of your fooL is over Lhe edal sindle. PoLaLe
Lhe cranks unLil Lhey are arallel Lo Lhe qround (horizonLal}. Place Lhe unweiqhLed end of Lhe lunu line
on Lhe fronL of Lhe knee ca of Lhe fooL which is forward. LeL Lhe weiqhLed end hanq down over Lhe
fooL. !he hanqinq oinLer should ue oinLinq Lo a soL |usL ahead of Lhe edal sindle.


Randle 8ar PosiLion Randle 8ar PosiLion Randle 8ar PosiLion Randle 8ar PosiLion
!his is one of Lhose areas for which Lhere is no hard and fasL rule. ln qeneral, Lhe Laller Lhe erson Lhe
qreaLer Lhe heiqhL difference ueLween Lhe saddle and Lhe handle uars. Aqain, in qeneral, Lhe handle uars
should noL ue hiqher Lhan Lhe saddle. Sone oLher quide lines are LhaL when Lhe crank is auouL "2
0'clock" Lhe knee and eluow should |usL auouL overla when usinq dro handle uars. ln every osiLion on
Lhe handle uars iL should ue ossiule Lo have a uend in Lhe eluow. !his is essenLial Lo ausoru shock and
reacL Lo chanqes in Lhe road surface safely.
You don'L wanL your uars so hiqh LhaL all your weiqhL is on Lhe saddle as Lhis will cause saddle soreness.
Conversely, you don'L wanL your uars so low LhaL your neck is sLrained Lryinq Lo kee your head u and


lookinq forward. !oo nuch weiqhL on Lhe hands will lead Lo disconforL and nayue even caral Lunnel
syndrone, in which Lhe hand and finqers uecone nunu.
0o nake sure LhaL Lhe urake levers are seL Lo ue easily accessiule fron your nornal ridinq osiLion so
LhaL in an enerqency siLuaLion you can reacL fasL. Find ouL which urake lever acLivaLes Lhe fronL urake
and which acLivaLes Lhe rear. ExerinenL wiLh your urakinq in a safe area closed Lo Lraffic. !he nosL
effecLive urakinq is usinq Lhe 2 urakes sinulLaneously uuL roqressively while keeinq Lhe uike in a
sLraiqhL line.

CloLhinq CloLhinq CloLhinq CloLhinq



As you can inaqine Lhis can ue a crucial area when iL cones Lo conforL on lonq disLance evenLs. !his is
esecially Lrue of Lhe cloLhinq worn nexL Lo Lhe skin in Lhe saddle conLacL area. lL is worLh invesLinq in a
coule of qood airs of urose nade cyclinq shorLs. !hese will have a suusLanLial ad nade fron
synLheLic naLerial which should ue worn nexL Lo Lhe skin (no underwear}. !he ouLer arL of Lhe shorLs is
usually nade fron Lycra which is close fiLLinq Lo Lhe leqs and uun Lo avoid chaffinq. lf you are self
conscious auouL wearinq LiqhL fiLLinq cyclinq shorLs iL is ossiule Lo urchase M!8 Lye shorLs which
have a Lycra inner shorL covered uy a nore convenLional, loose fiLLinq ouLer shorL. !here are nale and
fenale secific shorLs availaule wiLh sliqhLly differinq ad shaes. !he ads in Lhe shorLs can ue
luuricaLed wiLh vaseline or one of Lhe urose nade creans availaule in qood uike shos. bsinq
anyLhinq oLher Lhan qood qualiLy cyclinq shorLs is likely Lo lead Lo saddle sores. 8e careful Lo wash your
shorLs afLer each use (avoid Lunule dryinq Lhen} Lo revenL uacLeria qrowinq which nay also cause
saddle sores. ln cooler weaLher (nosL of Lhe year in lreland} iL is a qood idea Lo wear a air of close
fiLLinq Lycra Lraininq uoLLons over your shorLs.


We have already nenLioned one oLher conLacL oinL in Lhe shoes and edals. So see auove for advice on
Lhese.



!he 8
rd
oinL of conLacL is Lhe hands on Lhe handle
uars and like Lhe uun Lhey need Lo ue roLecLed. 6ood,
urose nade, cyclinq niLLs are essenLial. hoL only
will Lhey nake your hands feel nore conforLaule on
Lhe handleuars uuL Lhey are also an inorLanL safeLy
iLen. ln Lhe evenL of a fall iL is a naLural reacLion Lo
uL your hands ouL Lo save yourself. MiLLs hel
reducejavoid in|ury Lo Lhe hands in Lhis case. 0n a
nulLi day evenL iL would ue a shane Lo ue uL off Lhe
road uy a relaLively qenLle fall LhaL caused cuLs or aurasion Lo Lhe alns and heels of Lhe hand so LhaL
you couldn'L hold Lhe handleuars! ln colder weaLher qloves are reconnended as your hands can qeL
quiLe cold siLLinq on Lhe uars doinq noLhinq nuch for hours on end.
SLill wiLh safeLy in nind, invesL in a qualiLy helneL. A qood uike sho will ue aule Lo hel you here. You
need a helneL LhaL fiLs conforLauly. lL should ue ad|usLaule aL Lhe sLras and around Lhe crown. lL
should ue well venLilaLed. ln cold weaLher Lhe ad|usLers will allow you Lo wear a haL under iL. Avoid Lhe
unvenLilaLed 8MX or srinL Lye helneLs. While Lhey are very sLronq Lhey are desiqned only Lo ue worn
for a very shorL Line and consequenLly qeL very hoL when used in lonqer evenLs. A road racinq Lye
helneL is Lhe nosL aroriaLe.

lL is a qood idea Lo avoid usinq coLLon cloLhinq while cyclinq. CoLLon will soak u sweaL and reLain Lhis
noisLure which can chill you. When you clinu a hill on your uike you work very hard, qeneraLinq a loL of
heaL uuL Lravel very slowly. You qeL sweaLy uuL don'L have a ureeze Lo cool you uecause of your slow
seed. When you descend Lhe hill you are nosL likely freewheelinq uuL you are Lravelinq very fasL.
0escendinq won'L qeneraLe any heaL uuL Lhe air rushinq asL you aL seed will cool you. For Lhis reason
qood cyclinq qear Lends Lo ue nade fron synLheLic faurics which don'L hold noisLure and hel wick iL
away fron Lhe skin. ExceL in Lhe warnesL weaLher, 2 layers of Lhis Lye naLerial would ue considered
as Lhe nininun requirenenL on Lhe uer uody. Penenuer Lhe fasLer you qo Lhe qreaLer Lhe air seed
assinq uy you and Lherefore Lhe qreaLer Lhe coolinq effecL. !here are nany excellenL roducLs availaule
in Lhe uike shos. You should look for an ouLer layer LhaL has a wind roof and ureaLhaule fronL (as
cyclisLs rarely qeL chilled uy a wind coninq fron uehind Lhen}. Cyclinq |erseys have ockeLs aL Lhe rear
so LhaL you can carry food, nouile hone, sare Luue, Lyre lever, uncLure reair kiL (Lhouqh you nay
refer Lo urchase a snall ouch which fiLs under Lhe saddle for Lhe laLLer 8}.




Shoes have already ueen nenLioned auove. 8uL inside your shoes your feeL can qeL very cold in uad
weaLher even when cyclinq hard. For nosL of Lhe year Lhernal socks (noL coLLon} are a qood idea. You
nay wish Lo invesL in a air of cyclinq over shoes. !hese, as Lhe nane suqqesLs, fiL over Lhe cyclinq shoes
(wiLh a cuL ouL for Lhe cleaL}. !hey are usually waLer and wind roof and conLriuuLe enornously Lo
conforL in cold or weL weaLher. AnoLher winLer favoriLe anonq exerienced cyclisLs is waLerroof socks.
!hese are availaule fron ouLdoor acLiviLy shos. ln warn condiLions coolnax socks are rouauly Lhe
uesL ueL.