The 6 best tips to save your life on a racing bike!

The Tour de France is on, many of us will enjoy a bike ride in the wonderful summer, and quite a few of us will crash and get injured. Yes, injured, even though we don’t enjoy thinking about it. What to do?

The initial version of the article received great feedback in May, but LinkedIn discourages promoting articles older than three days. In addition, I received valuable and constructive feedback to improve the text. Here we go:

The number of LinkedIn users who have died or been seriously injured due to crashing while cycling on carbon racing bikes is alarmingly high. We read about it every week. I also hear horror stories all the time, speaking to people.

It is utterly depressing! After spending a long time considering what to offer, here is the most important advice I can give as a former elite cyclist. It is tried-and-tested coaching advice, which any cyclist can benefit from!

For those still alive, the injuries may include broken skulls, serious concussions, broken ribs, collarbones, hips, knees, legs, or other kinds of neurological damage, with a long recovery time.

Many of these accidents shouldn’t have happened. They could have been avoided if the rider had acquired and practiced proper, advanced bike handling skills before jumping on a monster carbon racing bike.

Here are six pieces of advice that are either unknown or overlooked:

Active safety

1. Learn to jump off the road. Train your instincts and technique, so jumping off the road becomes second nature.? The gutter and grass will save you from the tarmac and a pile of riders on the road! Besides, you will not crash.

2. Practice being relaxed and alert by sitting in an optimal position on your bike without locking arms, tensing shoulders, and pedaling too primitively.

3. Never sit close to the wheels in a straight line behind the rider in front of you. Always keep 30 centimeters distance and at least 10 cm to the right or left.

Passive safety

4. Don't overlook the importance of optimizing your brakes. It may sound insignificant, but having brakes that can stop you as quickly as possible is crucial. Ensure the good condition of your brakes by regularly inspecting them or seeking assistance from a professional. It's simple, but easily forgotten.

5. Take the helmet seriously. One of our readers kindly pointed out below, and I have edited accordingly, the importance of wearing a good helmet and securing the strap tightly under your chin. This prevents the helmet from tipping over. A new helmet should have an inner extra layer called MIPS or similar. Check ratings from “Virginia Tech” before investing.

6. Maximize visibility. All drivers are aware that certain bikers are harder to spot while driving. Unfortunately, the cycling attire that makes you look cool on a modern carbon fiber bike is also the most dangerous in terms of safety. Riding a discreet, dignified bike and wearing only dark and all white clothes is a recipe for trouble. You can do much without looking like a silly decorated Christmas Tree. Stay clear of black and white clothes. Consider wearing sweaters and jackets in reflective colors. Discover hidden spots to position reflectors on the bike, attire, and footwear, and consider integrating a discreet tail light for daytime illumination.

So how do we practice?

1. When riding alone, practice skills, have fun, and forget about watts and average speeds.

2. The default position should be hands on the brake hoods, slightly bent elbows, relaxed shoulders; head high enough to look ahead, a straight back, and a stable pelvis. A professional bike fit is sometimes worth the money, especially if you suffer pains in the neck, back, and knees.

3. Jumping off the road: You must do this 200 times before it sticks, start doing it slowly, then increase to doing it at a normal speed of 30 km/h. Just hold tight on the handlebars and trust the bike! You cannot break a modern wheel from this impact. Keep doing it for fun.

4. Once you are comfortable with this, practice riding very close to the edge of the tarmac in a straight line. The way to do it is to look further ahead minimum 20 meters. If you look down, you cannot do it.

5. Practice an efficient pedal stroke where you press down hard on the pedals. Complete the step by pulling your foot back with your heel and finally lifting your knee. The easiest thing to visualize is that you're a marathon runner on an excursion, sending all the power through your lower legs and feet. This is all-important also from a safety perspective because a safe and relaxed, balanced pedal stroke improves reaction speed!

6. Learn to handle a 90-degree corner, practice on a dry road. Not a soft curve! A three-step process: Wait long, throw the bike harder, and aim for the inner apex, and accelerate standing up as soon as possible. This will help you much when you have a steer clear of a car coming against you or out into the street unexpectedly.

7. Sitting on wheels; practice never looking down on the wheels, follow the other riders organically, and keep your distance. It is not necessary to sit glued right behind the rider in front of you to get more shelter, you only increase the risk. When you are a novice to group riding, always ride on the right side of the road, even if it means sitting exposed to the wind.

8. Ride with one leg only for 1 minute, and try to ride for 30 minutes without ever stopping the pedal stroke except for a complete standstill. Keep pedaling when you grab the water bottle or sit down from a standing position. You may use the brakes while still spinning. It is easier riding low gears, so it will eventually improve also your pedal stroke. .

9. In a group or with a partner, practice riding close to each other and allow your elbows and forearms to touch so you become comfortable with body contact on a bike and don't panic when something happens.

10. Learn to sprint for real when the road and traffic allow. Hit the pedal hard standing; hold tight on the handlebars and especially tense your lower back to withstand the enormous pressure of your stride!

11. Learn to brake hard, including throwing your body back.

12. Finally, once you're comfortable jumping off the road into the grass on the right-hand side, try jumping over the curbs from bike lanes and onto the road on the left when traffic allows. Modern carbon fiber wheels can always do that, and you should be able to do it in your sleep.

What next?

Is it too much to learn? Certainly not, it’s fun, and once you get interested, you will also start watching YouTube videos with even more technique training.

By following this advice and being serious about improving your technique, one day you will either save your life or avoid serious injuries.

Please share the article to help fellow cycling heroes out there! You can also keep the debate running and increase the reach by giving a like or writing a comment. If possible, do it today to maximize the effect on the LinkedIn algorithm, which will then allocate more views to it over the first Tour de France weekend.

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