Fitness
requirements
■ One of the good things
about mountain biking is
that you can get started
regardless of your level of
fitness. Start with short,
out-and-back routes and
gradually build up the time
and distance you cover.
It’s also a good idea to
start on some relatively
simple terrain – even riding
on the roads to kick off with
- before moving on to trails,
towpaths and hills. Even
if it’s not that long since
you’ve been cycling, your
mountain bike might be
quite different from any
previous bikes, so give
yourself time to adjust
to the new set-up.
Steady progress with the
length and difficulty of your
rides is also a good idea,
even if you already have a
good, established level of
fitness; it can take a short
time for your fitness in
running, swimming, gym
or circuit workouts to
translate into cycling.
Mountain biking is a
fantastic cardio workout.
The variety of terrain
provides natural bursts
of high-intensity training,
while also improving your
stability and balance,
and providing functional
strength training for
your legs, glutes, back,
shoulders and arms.
If you’re a fan of spinning
classes, you should find
that you adapt to mountain
biking pretty quickly. If
you’re already a keen road
cyclist and would like to try
out something different,
you can adapt your road
bike for trails that aren’t
too hilly by changing your
wheels and/or tyres, but
if you want to enjoy the full
challenge of the mountains,
it’s best to invest in a good
bike built for this purpose.
A mountain bike is more
robust than a road bike
and the riding position is
much more conducive to
ever-changing terrain,
meaning you’ll ride more
efficiently and incur less
risk of any aches and pains.
If you already ride
regularly on the road,
you might notice that the
weight, geometry and
thicker tyres of a mountain
bike combine to make
the cycling experience an
altogether different one.
Alwayscheckthe
terrainahead– long,
middleandclosedistance
- andbecomeanexpertin
anticipatingwhat’stocome.
Themorepreparedyouare,
thequickeryoucanadjust
andreacttochanging
conditions.
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