From WeLoveCyling.com
By Andrea Champredonde
Like any other activity or community, road cycling has a set of understood rules of the road. You won’t find them printed in an official rulebook. They are insights that come with experience. The longer you’ve been in the sport, the more obvious they are.
If you are new to the sport, it’s an opportunity to learn them the easy way. As a seasoned rider, don’t be shy in politely pointing them out to new cyclists in your entourage. Someone probably took you under their wing, so pay it forward. Some are for safety reasons, others are pure cycling culture.
1. No pump or spare, food or water
Cyclists should be self-sufficient on the road. If you get a flat and you don’t have a pump or a spare, a fellow rider will probably bail you out. Lending you a pump is one thing but giving up a spare? Helping you out means they may be left with none. Don’t put other cyclists in this precarious situation, carry a patch kit and a spare tube.
You also need to carry sufficient food and water to complete the ride. Riders that bonk, meaning they run out of gas because of poor fuelling and hydration, slow down to a fraction of their normal pace or worse, suffer a more serious reaction. If a fellow cyclist comes to your rescue by giving you a gel or bar, be gracious and tell them you’ll replace it the next time you see them.
2. Littering
When you flat on your ride and change your tube, don’t leave it as trash on the side of the road. Roll it up and tuck it in your back pocket. Used inter tubes can be put to good use in many useful ways, including being patched for reuse.
Stuff the wrappers and pull tabs from consumed gel and bars into a rear pocket or tuck them under the band of your short leg or sleeve but don’t litter. A used food wrapper can be used to boot a damaged tyre to get you home. If this happens to you, you’ll be happy to have one handy.
Photo by Coen van de Broek on Unsplash
