I.When riding in a race team, do not make sudden movements. Always maintain stable cycling actions. Nothing disrupts the progress of a bicycle team more than a reckless rider. Some people make abrupt moves that endanger the safety of everyone in the group. No matter the situation, always adhere to the principle of smooth movements and pre-awareness of road conditions—team cycling is a sport that relies heavily on mutual trust.
II.When riding in a race team, do not ride with both hands off the handlebars. Always keep your palms on the brake levers, the drops, or near the top of the upright handlebar. There are several reasons why you should never ride with your hands on the rests: First, other riders will scold you—even though it's an old issue, many still make this mistake. Second, riding with both hands off means you’re mainly using your elbows to control the bike, which is far less responsive than having your hands on the grips. Lastly, in an emergency, if your hands are too far from the brakes, you’ll have to suddenly sit up and search for them. Of course, we don’t plan to slow down during a team ride, but if you need to, you’ll be scrambling for the brakes.
III.Do not shift to the highest gear when climbing; choose an appropriate gear that allows you to smoothly get through the slope. Many people, unable to endure the difficulty, shift to a larger gear when tackling tough sections. While maintaining momentum can help you clear stones or tree roots more smoothly, if your speed isn’t fast enough, you might end up “spinning your wheels.” Sure, if you’re strong and skilled enough to handle uphill terrain, that’s great—but if you’ve shifted too high, you could come to an abrupt halt halfway. So, when climbing the steepest slopes, it’s better to use a lower gear, so you can handle obstacles like rocks or protrusions with ease rather than struggling with heavy steps.
IV.Don’t mash the pedals hard as soon as you hit an uphill; use gear shifting wisely to maintain steady effort. Your past riding style might be like theirs—every time you encounter an uphill, you sprint hard, lift your hips off the saddle, and pedal like crazy. This not only breaks the flow of the group but also exhausts everyone. Even in the easiest races, many will drop out in the final ten kilometers due to fatigue. Climbing is a tough phase, but the most important thing isn’t desperately trying to keep up with the main group—it’s maintaining a steady speed. Avoid excessive heroics during the race.
V.Don’t stare at the road or obstacles ahead; focus on the trajectory of your bike’s movement. Have you ever noticed a big rock ahead, intended to avoid it—yet ended up crashing right into it? The reason is simple: the direction of the bike follows your gaze. If you fixate on an obstacle, your bike will naturally steer toward it. Fighter pilots call this a “visual reference point”—as long as they concentrate on a landmark, they can return correctly. The same happens on land. The solution is to focus your eyes on the clear path ahead and stay fully concentrated—the bike will confidently follow your line of sight.
VI.When climbing, don’t suddenly stand up; slowly and smoothly lift your hips off the saddle with gentle, controlled movements. When you suddenly stand up to climb, your bike has a slight tendency to jerk backward, and swaying left and right can cancel out the front wheel’s power—or at the very least, scare your riding partners half to death. If you keep disturbing your companions like this, your reputation among cyclists will surely suffer. Smoothly transition from a seated to a standing position, shift to a gear one or two harder than when sitting, and coordinate the rotation of the pedals. Move your hips upward and forward, lifting them off the saddle, letting your weight follow the pedal strokes while not gripping the handlebars too tightly. Your goal is to shift from sitting to standing in one seamless motion.
VII.When turning, do not let the inside pedal be at the bottom—always shift your weight to the outside pedal. The most nerve-wracking sight is seeing a cyclist lower the inside pedal while cornering, nearly scraping the ground. Once the pedal hits the road, the rear wheel will follow, resulting in an outright crash. To turn safely, stop pedaling as you approach the corner and ensure the outside pedal is down (if turning left, put the right pedal down; vice versa). While pedaling, shift your body weight to the outer side of the bike and slightly lift the saddle. Make sure the inside pedal is up to avoid injury. Additionally, keep your body low to turn safely and stylishly. During rush hour, practice your cornering skills in empty parking areas.
VIII.Do not tense your upper body or pedal frantically—keep your hands, arms, and facial muscles relaxed. You may have ridden behind someone gripping the handlebars too tightly, their muscles overly stiff, knuckles white, elbows locked, jaws clenched, and neck veins bulging. If you’re such a rider, here’s some honest advice—relax. Try to think of your upper body as another shock absorber on the bike. Loosen your shoulders and arms to absorb road vibrations. If you make slight adjustments on a tense handlebar, you might accidentally lock the brake levers, and that sudden change can transmit to the front wheel, causing a crash.
IX.Do not accelerate when you take the lead in a group ride. When you’re at the front, maintain a steady pace consistent with the group. The group performs best when the speed is stable. Here’s a tip for inexperienced riders at the front: accelerating might show off your stamina or feel satisfying watching the pack fall behind, but under no circumstances should you speed up abruptly. Doing so increases the gap between you and the rest, forcing the riders behind—who were cruising comfortably—to struggle. A little secret: while in the second position, check your speedometer to gauge the group’s pace. Once you take the lead, simply maintain that same speed.
X.Do not let gaps form in the group—always stay close behind the wheel of the rider in front. Another simple yet crucial group riding skill: stick to the wheel ahead. If you’re in the middle of the pack and lose contact with the lead rider, you’ll have to expend significant effort to catch up, and everyone behind you will suffer too. If you fall too far back, others will overtake you and chase their own targets. It’s better to put in a bit of effort to smoothly catch up and maintain a 150 cm gap from the rider ahead. Don’t slack off now only to exhaust yourself later chasing a 10–20 meter gap. Either put in the work now or struggle later.
XI.Do not ride parallel to the wheel in front—always stay one to three feet behind the rider ahead. Most pile-ups or collisions between two bikes happen when one rider positions their front wheel alongside the rear wheel of the bike in front. If the leading rider suddenly swerves or drifts, the following rider will crash head-on. “Bang!” So always protect your front wheel—treat it as your most precious asset—fragile, rare, delicate—and don’t let anything touch it. Your front wheel should feel like it’s spinning within an invisible force field.
XII.Do not ride hard in the rain—learn some basic techniques for cornering on wet roads and accelerating on straight sections. Choose a parking lot to practice cornering and get a feel for how your tires grip under different conditions. #Distribute your body weight appropriately while cornering. Keep your upper body close to the top tube, shift your hips slightly back on the saddle, and relax your arms and shoulders. If you’re tense, you’ll likely lose control when your tires begin to slide. #Ride your mountain bike on various terrains to practice staying calm and confident when your tires slip on wet surfaces.
XIII.Do not stare only at the rider directly in front—keep an eye on several riders ahead of you. When you’re tired or riding hard, your vision may become unfocused, fixating only on the rider right in front of you. But if they crash or suddenly turn, you might not notice in time to react. Len Pettyjohn, former coach of the Coors Light pro cycling team, tells his riders: “If you’re staring at the rear wheel of the rider ahead, that’s the last thing you’ll see before hitting the curb.” The solution is simple—keep your head up and look past the rider in front so you can see the road ahead. That way, you’ll have time to react early to any hazards or dangers.
XIV.Don’t climb in a seated position the whole time—shift your hips occasionally and stand up to pedal now and then. There’s a technique to climbing long hills efficiently—simple, but many riders forget it: switch between standing and sitting positions every few minutes. If you stay in one position too long, the same muscles will fatigue quickly, and both your efficiency and enjoyment will plummet. So after pedaling seated for a few minutes, shift to a higher gear and stand up to pedal for a while. Rock your hips back and lean slightly forward to push your weight down on the pedals. After a few minutes, sit back down and return to a lower gear. Repeat this throughout the climb, and you’ll find it much easier and less tiring.
Fifteen,Don’t force your way against the wind. When you encounter strong headwinds, it’s essential to cleverly evade them and patiently wait for the wind to weaken. There are many times throughout the year when we have to cycle in strong winds. Here’s how to deal with powerful gusts: adopt an out-and-back riding method—start by pedaling into the wind with the leg on the outside of the road. This is extremely tough at first, as you must use the wind as resistance and then pedal backward at walking speed. There's a trick to it: shifting your feet back to their original position from this posture isn't too difficult. Don’t switch to a smaller gear. If you expect to maintain your normal speed with a high gear on a windless road, you’ll likely be disappointed. It’s better to obediently lower your gear, keep a steady pedaling rhythm, and for that, you’ll need not only strength but also better training. Lower your body to minimize your frontal area exposed to the wind. When resting your wrists, let your arms hang down and wrap around the brake levers. If you’re riding solo, you can use an aero handlebar. Keep your back straight and your head up so you can see the road clearly. Have strong willpower. Relentless strong winds can easily break a cyclist’s spirit. So keep motivating yourself—your physical strength is greater than the wind, and your ability to handle headwinds is top-notch.