One thing that is taken for granted by experienced riders is having a head full of routes of different lengths and difficulties. For some, they are rides passed down by older generations of club riders, for others they have built up a collection through trial and error.
It's easy to tell a client to go and ride for 3 hours - but can be a little harder for them to work out where to go.
There's no hard and fast rules on where to ride, just some hints and tips on what has worked previously. When visiting somewhere new, I'll pretty much follow the same process.
Firstly - I'll look at the wind direction and aim to get a tailwind home - or at least not a block headwind! This isn't always possible but is worth aiming for.
Secondly, I'll look to avoid any main roads - especially in the UK. Using the Strava heatmap will show popular roads in unfamiliar locations and will also show you where there are climbs and other places of interest.
How do you familiarise yourself with new surroundings? What tips can you pass on? Let us know in the comments.
It's easy to tell a client to go and ride for 3 hours - but can be a little harder for them to work out where to go.
There's no hard and fast rules on where to ride, just some hints and tips on what has worked previously. When visiting somewhere new, I'll pretty much follow the same process.
Firstly - I'll look at the wind direction and aim to get a tailwind home - or at least not a block headwind! This isn't always possible but is worth aiming for.
Secondly, I'll look to avoid any main roads - especially in the UK. Using the Strava heatmap will show popular roads in unfamiliar locations and will also show you where there are climbs and other places of interest.
How do you familiarise yourself with new surroundings? What tips can you pass on? Let us know in the comments.
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