A Beginner's Guide to Cycling

Editorial

Apart from winning the Tour, endurance marvel Cadel Evans achieved two wonderful things. First, he provoked mummy-chic columnist Mia Freedman to admit that she’d been wrong. Second, he launched a national interest in sustainable transport. The stony star of the road drove many of us, myself included, to the bike store.

Unsurprisingly for a person who can neither truly drive nor cook, I never did learn to ride a bicycle. Not everybody does; kids raised in high-density areas with parents lost to longer working hours don’t always get the chance to marshal the basics. If you never acquired the skill, don’t feel flattened by the wheels of adulthood. Many grown-ups never got the knack.

There are beginner bike lessons for big boys and girls. In Sydney BikeWise will help with your mettle on the pedal. Call them on (02) 8065 6390 for absolute beginner’s classes. You can call Bikes@Work in Melbourne’s Brunswick 0406 765 727 for learn-to-ride classes. Beginner Brisvegans can call MB Coaching on (07) 3367 2488 before they enter the velodrome.

Of course, you can always tutor yourself in the partial privacy of your driveway. You can’t visualise your way to steady riding so you’re going to need a vehicle. As much as you might fancy a hipster-fixie, you’re probably going to need a plug-ugly workhorse to get you on the road.

(Or, as is my case, on the bicycle path. I’m legally blind and, like all riders with a disability, I must take care not to be a dickhead and overrate my Cadel-caabilities. I mean, no limits and all that. But, seriously. If I rode like a normal person, I’d be flatter than a short stack. There are many State-based organisations that offer information to us dodgy folks, one of the better websites is Queensland’s Sporting Wheelies. This Federal government site may prove of some use in connecting you to a disability-positive cycling organisation.)

A recreational mountain bike with tyres the width of your arse is a good starter. Generally speaking, folk at cycle shops are cheery and will be eager to show you a stable budget number. It is here at your friendly vendor that you will learn to raise the seat as your balance betters and, of course, it is here that you will acquire protective headgear that is a legal, and logical, must. Now, clad in armoury and heedless of the stares of others, move up and down your driveway concentrating first on stability; many teachers advise actually keeping your feet off the pedals for stretches of time until you find your centre. And, FFS, learn to use the handbrake!

We grown-ups tend to be far less resilient than our smaller selves were. We give in to frustration and easily up on a new skill. Whether you’re taking professional classes or careening about the concrete on your own, try to remember the three most important reasons for learning to ride a bike. First, it’s enormous fun. Second, it makes your arse look fabulous. Third, and most significantly, it will lure you into a world packed with wonderful accessories.

Helen Razer, Citysearch