Burning Padal : Fitness is just a few pedals away !

There’s a slight nip in the air. The mornings are more than pleasant, just perfect to relive those cycling days. The thrill is unmatched, the health benefits unrivalled. And you don’t even need an expensive health club membership. Just hop on to your cycle and pedal along…

NEWER, BETTER BIKES
Cycling is not just toiling hard on your cycle without reaching anywhere. Some of the latest cycles with gears even allow you to touch speed of 80 kph. These are specially designed bikes that need a bit of experience of having ridden a gear cycle.
With proper leg movement, you can touch really fast speeds.

START-UP TIPS
To enjoy your ride, you need to ensure a few things. Make sure the tyres have air filled to optimum
pressure. This makes the ride less bumpy. Brakes should work properly. With the kind of traffic we get to see in the city, proper brakes are a must.
All nuts and bolts should be properly tightened. The chain should be lubricated to enable a smooth ride.

RIDE WELL
It’s okay to choose a bike with gears but don’t choose a gear that allows you to pedal slowly. It’s a lot of effort put in without reaching anywhere. Once you get used to cycling, you’ll realise that fast pedalling needs lesser effort and it’s easier to maintain momentum too. Also pedalling at 70–80 revolutions per minute puts less strain on your thighs, knees, calves.

SOCIAL BIKING!
Cycling isn’t high on the priority list of city authorities. While the sport gains popularity, you will have to do the initial running around to make things work for you. Cycling can develop into one of the healthiest ways to socialise. Get in touch with other people—friends, relatives, cyclists—who share your passion. Form an online community, visit cycle shops to find out who frequents these places and form your own groups. If your college or workplace is close by, persuade colleagues or friends to go cycling rather than use bikes or cars.

PED PEP
To start cycling, you don’t need to undergo any special fitness regimen. Cycling is a fitness regimen in itself. You just need to get on to your cycle and start pedalling around in your neighbourhood. Try to rope in some enthusiastic friends or relatives and move in a group, as this will give you a larger road presence. This proves helpful when you make the transition from your locality to major arterial roads. Also initially you can just start with your normal cycle. Get the leg movement and pedalling right before thinking of moving on to cycles with gears

On a bicycle, you can travel up to 1,037 km on the energy equivalent of a single litre of petrol. Also, you can travel four times faster than you can walk—using the same amount of energy