Taking your cycling to the next level

1. Join your local cycling club

Joining your local cycling club will open your eyes to the local cycling community. Not only will you be surrounded by like minded people who enjoy cycling, you’ll be able to get advice, meet new friends, join on club rides etc. Most clubs also run monthly introduction rides, an opportunity to ride with club members, ask questions about the club and also join other people who are new to cycling or wanting to join. There’s some great resources to find your local cycling clubs including CyclingUK and on the British Cycling website.

2. Cycling Apps

There are loads. But here’s 3 that will help get you started:

Strava: Speak to anyone who cycles and it’s more than likely they will have Strava. To start with, just download and use the free version to see how you get on and if it’s something you get on with. Strava is simple, to begin with anyway. It’s a social network for active people. Upload your activities, see what other people are doing and join challenges to receive prizes and badges. Fun.

Komoot: If you want to explore but still fancy riding solo, Komoot could be for you. The free version allows you to map routes within your county, beyond that you’ll need to pay a small fee. The app is specifically great if you’re looking to get from A to B but have no idea about the best route, just drop both locations in and it will suggest the best route. 

Ridewithgps: Similar to Strava, in the way that you can log your activity and upload your rides, but you will need to pay to be able to use some of the better features. The main feature we find useful is being able to use other routes that have been already uploaded with such ease .Yes, you can take routes from Strava, but with Ridewithgps it’s simpler and easier to find routes that start close to you, for the distance you want, how much time you want to spend on the hills but also what terrain.