Spokes Cycle Club, Geraldton WA.

Getting Started

Well really, all you need do, is turn up with your bike and a little enthusiasm. If you do not have a bike as yet then get in touch, and we can guide you in the right direction. Spokes members possess a wealth of collective cycling experience. If we can help you on your cycling journey, it would indeed be our pleasure to do so.

The Basics

The best motivation you’ll ever get to go bike riding is meeting up with a group of like-minded individuals.

Start riding for 30 minutes to an hour several days a week. Give your body time to adjust to the new bike and focus on breathing steadily and from your diaphragm as you pedal. Slowly build up the time and intensity of your rides and work on things like balance and getting on and off the bike, especially if you’re riding in traffic. If anything on the bike doesn’t feel right, return to the fitter to have your position tweaked.

As a beginner, the best form of training is at club level. It is here you can develop skills and tactics which can make the most of your fitness.

To become faster and build greater endurance, either ride with a group that challenges you or intergrate a few intervals into your rides. Pedal three sets of intervals to help increase your cardiovascular fitness. Also work more hills into your routes and extend the length of your long ride each week by 10 percent to slowly ramp up your fitness and consistently challenge your body.

A lot of cycle events finish in a sprint, so its important to dedicate a portion of your training to speed and power. Once warmed up, try doing 10 to 30 second maximum efforts with a break of 2-3 min. Start with 3-4 efforts each session and build it up to around 10 over a number of weeks. This will help your speed.

Recovery is an important part of training, it can be in a number of forms including, sleep, good nutrition, stretching and massage.

Check our Calendar of events and the list of meeting points for training rides which include times and average speeds for those rides. The slower groups for beginners will make sure that you are looked after, encouraged and not left behind. Join Spokes and contact members via this website who ride at a similar pace and in your area.

Buying Your First Bike

There are many different types of bikes, decide which bike suits your needs. You don’t need a fancy bike to enjoy the ride, but if you have the cash and think that biking is an activity you’ll often participate in, you might want to consider buying a more high-end bike.

For cycling in Spokes Events, a road bike, drop bars and thinner tires will help you go faster. If you have the opportunity, test-ride bikes before you buy [Geraldton Bikes have 5 Spokes Bikes to borrow].

See what you like and what fits you well. It is a good idea to get fitted to the bike. Bikes come in various sizes and many bike shops include a bike fitting with a new purchase. During this time, a bike fitter will check your saddle height and the various angles of your body as you ride. They might swap out the stem or suggest a different saddle at this point. A proper fitting bike will be more comfortable and help prevent injuries. Certain brands offer gender specific geometry

Membership

Enjoy cycling? Join us today and make some new friends, whilst enjoying the wonderful world of cycling with like-minded people. We have a range of membership options available to encourage you to get fit. Membership gives the added benefits of Insurance, bus ride to the Mingenew race [plus lunch], and discounts at Revolutions and Geraldton Bikes. Also if you need to borrow a bike Geraldton Bikes have Spokes Bikes for loan. In 2022 membership is only $100.