5 tips to prepare you for spring cycling

In the depths of winter, cycling season seems a long way off. Sunny, springtime rides and the first big events of the year tend not to loom large in your mind when your car won’t start, there is a foot of snow on the driveway, and you are off to spend the day on the ski slopes. Nevertheless, in a little more than a month, the weather will turn, the races will begin and a flood of anxious cyclists will inundate local bike shops, overload club and event administrators, and set out on too-ambitious training rides in a bid to be ready the day after the first warm day of the year.

You can avoid the rush. Here are a few things to do to be ready for spring.

Get your equipment in order

It’s easy to let your bike fester over the winter. Riding on mucky roads wreaks havoc on bearings and drivetrain components, as does the sweat that puddles up during indoor sessions. By March, last season’s worn equipment, which seemed OK in October, is bound to be worn out and in need of replacing. Inspect your bike carefully and fix any issues well ahead of time, if you are confident in your abilities. Better yet, bring it to a mechanic you trust and have him give it a going-over. He’ll be happy to see you now, ahead of the coming throng. With a new chain and cassette, fresh cables, and any problems dealt with, your bike will feel new again as you head out for those first sunny rides of the year. And you won’t have wasted valuable riding days with your bike sitting in a shop stand.

Register with your provincial cycling association

Everyone puts off paperwork. The form for your licence is one you don’t want to miss filling out. In a few weeks’ time, you don’t want to be panicking, watching the mailbox hoping that envelope will arrive in time so you can start the first race or event of the year. Every spring, the associations are overwhelmed with registrations. If you send everything in now, you won’t have to worry about a delay. While you’re at it, join a club. Having people to ride with is the best way to make your cycling more enjoyable.

Sign up for your first events

Whether it’s a race or a personal challenge, having an early-season goal in the front of your mind will lend purpose to your cycling. You’ll have a reason to step out the door, to fix your bike and get your licence, to eat well, to ride more and to push a little harder on the pedals. Have a look at the schedules and find an event that gets you excited.

Train

When the sun comes out and the weather warms up, we all want to spend all day on the road. We want to be fit right away and start winning races, even if they’re just to the next town sign. This leads too many riders to do too much too quickly, leading to burnout and overuse injuries. If you build a base now by riding consistently through the rest of the winter, you’ll be in much better shape come spring. Ride the rollers. Go for a run. Take an old bike out in the snow. Soon, you’ll be ready to ride more without damaging your body. You might just win that first town-line sprint.

Watch the Classics

Nothing will get you more stoked to ride than watching the world’s best battle it out in the hardest-fought races of the year. This week, the Tour of Oman, Volta ao Algarve, Vuelta a Andalucia, Trofeo Laigueglia, and Tour du Haut Var-Matin take place in preparation for the Classics season, which opens with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Feb. 28 and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on March 1. Then, the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, and a slew of minor Classics, take place before the first Monument of the year, Milan-San Remo, which will be held on March 22. San Remo is followed by a glut of races, including the Dwars door Vlaanderen, E3 Harelbeke, Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, Critérium International, Ghent-Whevelgem, and the Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde, before cycling’s holy week begins with the Ronde van Vlaanderen on April 5, followed by Paris-Roubaix the following Sunday. By then, it will be springtime in Canada and you should be ready for your own Spring Classics.