By Jeremy Blacklow

BURBANK, Calif. --

Outdoor cycling can be an extremely dangerous sport. Safety is key at all times. It’s not like “just riding a bike” when you were a kid. The combination of high speeds with automobile traffic is a recipe for disaster.

In my training for the AIDS LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to LA over the past few years, I have witnessed many accidents. Most of these accidents were the fault of automobile drivers, but the bicycle riders could have prevented all of them by being more proactive about their own safety.

Smart cycling begins with being aware of your surroundings at all times. No safety list that I could summarize here would be as thorough as the “Smart Cycling” section of AIDS LifeCycle’s Safety Page – this is a great place to start!

The following are good rules of thumb to keep in mind when learning about outdoor cycling:

Always Ride Defensively
· Always assume that cars can’t see you or aren’t paying attention to you; be aware of everything happening around you at all times.
· Learn the rules of the road
· Especially, proper hand signaling
· Left arm straight out to turn left
· Left are at right angle with hand turning up to turn right
· Left arm at a right angle with hand turning down to indicate slowing and stopping
· Always come to a complete stop at all stop signs (remember that bicyclists must obey the same traffic laws as cars!)
· Riders must always ride with traffic, and not against it
· When riding in groups, give verbal awareness
· This is especially important on large organized rides. You must always communicate when there’s a “Car Back” or “Car Front” or when there’s glass or a grate ahead on the road. Yell loudly so that the riders behind of you or in front of you can hear you. Remember to check blind spots (A Prius doesn’t make any sound coming up behind you!)

Proper Equipment & Maintenance
· Start with getting the right bike (proper frame size), and making sure all parts (such as brakes, shifting cables, derailers and pedals) are working properly.
· Get a good helmet, which you must ALWAYS wear!
· Shoes
· Learning to click in-and-out of clipless pedals takes practice!
· This is one of the hardest things for first time cyclists to learn. You’d be amazed at how easy it is to fall over when coming to a stop!
· Learn to make proper adjustments such as seat and handlebar height, so as not to over- or under-extend the lower back, and learn to relax the shoulders, arms and chest
· Learn how to change a tire
· Flats are common on long rides. Always carry two replacement tubes and either a pump or a CO2 cartridge with you (most beginners can usually rely on more experienced riders at first though!)

Training
· How To Shift Through Your Gears
· Maintain a proper Cadence (Pedaling speed)
· “Pushing” vs. “Spinning”
· Pushing is more anaerobic; it’s performed using a higher gear and it’s meant for long flats or to gain speed on downhills. It builds muscle mass.
· Spinning is aerobic; it’s performed using a lower gear and it’s used when you need the pedals to be easier to turn (uphills or slight inclines). Makes legs flexible and is more like ‘cruising’ – increases VO2 threshold.
· Building Up For Longer Rides
· Like any endurance sport, start with less mileage (and less hills) and increase with each training ride
· If you don’t have time for 3 – 4 hours to dedicate to riding, try indoor Spinning classes at a gym, before or after work, for 45 minutes or an hour

Nutrition
· Eating and drinking WHILE YOU’RE RIDING is crucial.
· A good rule of thumb is “drink before your thirsty … eat before your hungry.”
· You will burn 3,000 – 5,000 calories when out riding for 3 – 5 hours. Your body will “BONK OUT” if you don’t keep eating. This commonly happens even to very strong riders who get lazy about eating and don’t force themselves to eat!
· This is NOT the time to deny your body food and start a low-calorie intake diet – your body MUST take in a certain amount of calories while riding – they just should be “Smart calories.”
· Great foods for cycling include fruits like oranges and bananas, peanut butter and jelly, raisins and trail mix and power bars.
· Be sure to add electrolytes to every other bottle of water, if possible. Or take electrolyte supplements such as Shot Blocks.

Jeremy Blacklow is the Managing Editing of AccessHollywood.com and is also an avid cyclist. He teaches Spinning classes at Equinox gym in West Hollywood and is an annual participant in the AIDS LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. He is currently training for the Baby Dragon 180 ride to Santa Barbara on October 17 & 18.

To donate to Jeremy’s Baby Dragon 180 ride, which raises money for addiction and youth services at the LA Gay & Lesbian Center, CLICK HERE.

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