Nowadays, the cycling community is growing larger and larger. While everyone may have different views, purposes, and mindsets about cycling, there is one common thread: no matter what motivates you to cycle, you’re still doing it. And based on that, I’d like to share with fellow cyclists the years of experience and knowledge I’ve gained from others. I personally find it very useful. Whether you know it or not, feel free to check it out according to your needs. If there’s anything lacking, please feel free to offer advice—we can all improve together and enjoy the right way to cycle.
Health can be “pedaled” into shape. For modern people who lack opportunities for exercise and leisure, cycling is an excellent fitness activity. However, don’t just pedal hard—pay attention to the correct riding posture to avoid sports injuries.
1. Do not make sudden moves while riding in a group; always maintain stable cycling actions. Nothing disrupts the progress of a cycling group more than a reckless rider. Some people make sudden moves that endanger the safety of everyone in the group. No matter the situation, always follow the principles of smooth movements and pre-emptive awareness of road conditions—riding in a group is a sport that requires a great deal of mutual trust.
2. Do not ride with both hands off the handlebars in a group; always keep your palms on the brake levers, the drops, or near the top of the handlebar close to the stem while cycling. There are several reasons why you should never ride with your hands on the rests: First, you’ll get scolded by other riders—though this is an old issue, many still do it. Second, riding with hands off means you’re mainly controlling the bike with your elbows, which is far less responsive than having your hands on the grips—and it’s not a way to be popular in the group. Lastly, if an emergency occurs, your hands will be too far from the brakes, and you’ll have to suddenly sit up to find them. Of course, we don’t think about slowing down while riding in a group, but if you do need to, you’ll be scrambling to find the brakes.
3. Do not shift to the highest gear when climbing; choose an appropriate gear that allows you to smoothly get through the slope. When tackling tough sections, many people shift to a higher gear because they can’t take it anymore. While maintaining momentum can help you clear rocks or tree roots more smoothly, if your speed isn’t fast enough, you might end up “spinning your wheels.” If you’re strong and skilled enough to handle uphill terrain, that’s great—but if you shift too high, you might come to a dead stop halfway. So when climbing the steepest slopes, it’s best to use a lower gear so you can handle obstacles smoothly without trudging laboriously.
4. Don’t mash the pedals wildly when going uphill; use gear shifts wisely to maintain steady effort. Your past cycling style might be similar to those who—upon encountering an uphill—sprint hard, lift their hips off the saddle, and pedal furiously. This not only disrupts the group’s rhythm but also exhausts everyone. Even in the easiest races, riders often drop off in the last ten kilometers due to fatigue. Climbing is a tough phase, but the most important thing isn’t trying to keep up with the main group but maintaining a steady pace. Avoid overly heroic behavior during the race.
5. Don’t stare at the road or obstacles ahead; focus on the trajectory of your bike’s movement. Have you ever been riding and spotted a big rock, intending to avoid it—but ended up hitting it head-on? The reason is simple: the bike moves in the direction your eyes are looking. If you keep staring at an obstacle, your bike will naturally head toward it. Fighter pilots call this a “visual reference point”—as long as they focus on it, they can return correctly. The same happens on land, and the solution is to focus your gaze on a clear, unobstructed path ahead. Keep your mind undistracted, and your bike will smoothly follow your line of sight.
6. Don’t stand up abruptly when climbing; rise smoothly and gradually lift your hips off the saddle. When you suddenly stand up to climb, your bike tends to jerk backward slightly, and swaying can cancel out the front wheel’s power—or at the very least, scare your fellow riders. If you keep annoying your companions with this behavior, your reputation among cyclists will suffer. Rise smoothly from a seated position, shift to a gear one or two heavier than when seated, and coordinate with the pedal strokes to lift and push your hips upward and forward, moving them off the saddle. Let your weight follow the pedal rotation, and don’t grip the handlebars too tightly. Your goal is to transition seamlessly from sitting to standing while shifting gears.
7. When turning, don’t let the inside pedal be at the bottom; shift your weight to the outside pedal. One of the most nerve-wracking sights is seeing a rider turn with the inside pedal down, almost touching the ground. Once the pedal hits the ground, the rear wheel will scrape the road, resulting in a full-blown crash. To turn safely, stop pedaling as you approach the corner, let the outside pedal face downward (if turning left, the right pedal faces down; vice versa). While pedaling, shift your body weight to the outside of the bike and slightly lift the saddle. Ensure the inside pedal is up to avoid injury. Also, lower your center of gravity to turn safely and stylishly. During peak traffic hours, practice your turning skills in empty parking lots.
8. Don’t tense your upper body and ride frantically; relax your hands, arms, and facial muscles. You might have ridden behind someone clenching the handlebars—muscles overly stiff, knuckles white, elbows locked, jaws clenched, neck veins bulging. If you’re that kind of rider, here’s some honest advice—relax. Try to treat your upper body as another suspension system on the bike. Loosen your shoulders and arms to absorb road vibrations. If you make light touches on the handlebars while tense, you might accidentally lock the brake levers, causing a sudden change that could lead to a front-wheel skid and a crash.
9. Don’t accelerate when you take the lead in the group; maintain the group’s steady speed when you’re at the front. A group performs best when maintaining a stable speed. Here’s a tip for inexperienced riders at the front: accelerating might show off how strong you are or feel satisfying watching the long line of riders behind you get left behind—but under no circumstances should you accelerate recklessly. Such acceleration increases the gap between you and the rest of the group, making it harder for those who were cruising comfortably. Here’s a little secret: when you’re in second place in the group, check your cyclometer to see the group’s speed. When you take the lead, just maintain that same speed.
10. Don’t let gaps form in the group; stay right behind the wheel of the rider in front. Another simple but crucial group-riding technique: stick close to the wheel in front. If you’re in the middle of the group and lose contact with the lead rider, it’ll take a lot of effort to catch up—and everyone behind you will struggle too. If you fall too far back, riders behind you will overtake you and chase their own goals. So it’s better to put in a bit of effort to smoothly catch up and maintain a 150 cm gap from the rider in front. Don’t be lazy now and end up expending much more effort to close a 10-20 meter gap later. Either put in the work now or suffer later.
11. Don’t ride parallel to the wheel in front; stay one to three feet behind the rider ahead. Most chain-reaction crashes or two-bike collisions happen when one rider’s front wheel runs parallel to the one behind. If the lead rider suddenly turns or swerves, the following rider will crash head-on—“bang!” So always protect your front wheel; treat it as your most precious possession—fragile, rare, and delicate—keeping anything from touching it. Your front wheel should feel like it’s spinning within an invisible force field.
12. Don’t push through riding in the rain; learn some simple techniques for cornering on wet roads. If you watched the 1998 Tour de France’s Epic mountain stage, you might have noticed how much the riders struggled with slippery conditions. How do these professional cyclists race downhill and through treacherous corners at speeds over 60 km/h in wet conditions? #Accelerate on straightaways. Brake before entering corners, slow down through the turn, then straighten up before accelerating again. If the bike tilts too much and there’s a risk of slipping, firmly apply the front brake once. #Wear protective glasses. The lenses prevent grit from getting into your eyes, and clear vision lets you enjoy riding safely. #Slightly underinflate your inner tubes and use wider tires. If you see rain coming, switch to rain-specific tires. #Practice more. Don’t pout and stay home every time it rains—head to a parking lot to practice cornering and feel how your tires grip under different conditions. #Distribute your body weight properly during turns. 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 of side slips. #Ride a mountain bike on various terrains to learn how to stabilize the bike confidently and smoothly when tires slip on wet surfaces.
13. Don’t stare only at the rider in front; scan the riders around you. When riding hard or feeling tired, your gaze might become dull, fixated only on the rider directly ahead. But if a crash or sudden turn happens up front, you won’t notice in time to react. Len Pettyjohn, former coach of the Coors Light pro cycling team, told his riders: if you stare only at the rear wheel of the rider in front, that’ll be the last thing you see before hitting the pavement. The solution is simple—keep your head up, look beyond the rider in front, and you’ll see the road ahead clearly, giving you time to react early to any abnormalities or dangers.
14. Don’t climb in a seated position the whole time; shift your hips and occasionally ride standing up. There’s a technique to climbing long uphill stretches efficiently—the trick is simple—but many riders forget to alternate between standing and seated positions every few minutes. If you stay in one position, the same muscles will tire quickly, and your efficiency and enjoyment will plummet. After a few minutes of seated riding, shift to a higher gear and ride standing for a while, swinging your hips and leaning slightly forward to put your weight on the pedals. After a few minutes, switch back to seated and lower the gear. Repeat this throughout the climb—you’ll feel less strained and more energized.
15. Do not try to push directly against the wind. When you encounter strong headwinds, you must cleverly maneuver around them and patiently wait for the winds to weaken. There are many times throughout the year when we have to ride in high winds. Here are some ways to deal with strong gusts:
# Adopt an out-and-back riding approach, using the outer foot on the * side to cut into the wind. This move is tough at first—you’ll need to use the wind as resistance and pedal backward at walking speed. But here’s a little cycling trick: shifting your feet back to their original position from this stance isn’t too difficult.# Do not shift to a smaller gear. If you expect to maintain your usual speed with a high gear just as you would on a calm, windless road, you’ll likely be disappointed. It’s better to obediently shift to a lower gear, maintain a steady pedaling rhythm, and for that, you’ll need not only strength but also better training.# Lower your body to minimize your frontal exposure 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 aero handlebars. Keep your back straight and your head up to maintain good visibility of the road ahead.# Have strong willpower. Relentless headwinds can easily wear down a cyclist’s determination. So keep motivating yourself—your stamina is stronger than the wind.Force, and you’re also very skilled at handling windy conditions.