Coach Steve’s Top 5 Tips to Get Ready for the BIKES FIGHT CANCER Charity Ride

A group of Bikes Fight Cancer riders training together.

#1: Listen to your body.

One of my coaches told me years ago that, “it’s better to listen to your body when it’s whispering rather than when it’s shouting,” and I follow and share this advice with my athletes. As you increase your time on the bike this spring, pay attention to your body and dial back the duration and intensity of your rides before those whispers become shouts.

#2: Make sure your bike and equipment are 100% ready to go.

Give yourself the peace of mind of riding a safe and smooth bike as you set your sights on June’s BFC Charity Ride! Make an appointment at your local bike shop to have the pros there look over your steed with a fine-toothed comb, replace worn parts and get your components all tuned up.

#3: Make sure you’re in an optimal position for this season.

A bike fit by an experienced bike fitter can help set you (and your body) up for success by dialing in a comfortable, efficient, and biomechanically correct position on your bike. This time of year is an ideal time to get a bike fit done, before you start logging more and more miles.

#4: Review your diet, on and off the bike.

You don’t have to get all of your ingredients at Whole Foods, or weigh every piece of pasta you cook for family dinner, but do try to bring some mindfulness and direction to your diet. Similar to how a car runs best on fresh, clean gasoline, your body will feel, perform, and recover better with a high-quality and well-rounded diet. With new ingredients, recipes, and especially what you consume on the bike, it’s important to test-out these changes well in advance of an important training session or event!

#5 Off-the-bike work.

Stretching, core exercises, and foam rolling should be mainstays of your training routine just like riding is. A strong, balanced abdominal core and healthy ranges of motion across your whole body are both fundamental to being comfortable and efficient on the bike, day in and day out. Foam rolling is a simple and effective way to decrease muscle soreness after a hard day on the bike, and is a great compliment to the stretching and core work you should be doing.

The big ride!