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Cycling is healthy, sociable and above all fun
Clothing
Having just discussed saddles, let’s consider the bit that sits thereon. In warm weather shorts are great, but neither everyday nor running shorts are designed for cycling. Proper cycling shorts are cut for comfort when riding, and have padding in the crucial area. You can also buy padded inner-shorts which you can wear under ordinary trousers or tracksuit bottoms. Close-fitting, stretchy tracksuit bottoms are OK but baggy ones will catch on chains and gears and make your life a misery. In fact, baggy clothes in general will flap infuriatingly at speed and act like a sail when the wind’s against you. Cycling shorts (or those padded inners) go next to the skin. Do not wear underwear beneath them: this grievous faux pas is potentially painful.
Shoes are equally important. A firm sole unit ensures that effort is transmitted to the pedals, and that the pedals don’t feel like they’re cutting into your feet after an hour or two. Trainers are not necessarily better than traditional shoes: it can be worth going through your wardrobe with an open mind. Cycling shoes are, of course, made specifically for the job. Out-and-out racing shoes can be difficult to walk in: mountain bike or touring shoes are better.
Old-style toe-clips and straps are now rare, as so-called clipless pedals have almost completely taken over. These greatly enhance pedalling efficiency, but must be matched with compatible cleats fixed to the shoes. There are many different cleat/pedal systems: Shimano’s SPD is the best-known, but even this comes in two incompatible flavours; the ‘mountain bike’ variety is better if you plan on walking any distance.
For the upper body, dedicated cycling kit is great but can be pricey, and isn’t entirely essential. There’s no need to become a mobile advertising hoarding like the Tour riders, although bright colours make you more visible to other road users. A lot of cycling kit isn’t vastly different from other outdoor clothing, except for being cut longer at the rear to avoid exposing the lower back when riding. Cycling jerseys often have rear pockets, a good place to carry essentials like wallet and phone, although not if you’re also using a rucksack or bum-bag.
It can get pretty warm going up hills, and a lot cooler going down the other side. Traditionally, Tour de France riders would stuff a newspaper up the front of their jerseys for those long, chilly, Alpine descents. As newspapers aren’t readily available at the top of Cross O’Greet, a light windproof layer is a good alternative for descents on cooler days. Although it rarely rains in Lancashire, it won’t hurt if it’s waterproof too.
Gloves have two main purposes: keeping your hands warm is only one. Proper cycling gloves have subtle padding where your hands rest on the bars, and this improves comfort immeasurably. In warmer weather, fingerless gloves with ventilated backs, often called track mitts, keep this comfort advantage but stay fairly cool. Some people, including some pros, can’t bear riding with gloves, but I feel naked without them even on a two-minute spin to the corner shop.
Last but not least, a helmet may serve no purpose whatever most of the time, but there just might be that millisecond when it could save your life. Modern cycling helmets are extremely light and well-ventilated and you'll probably forget you’re wearing one. If you still overheat, shaving your head has been found to help. Like everything else, a helmet must fit properly. Don’t wear it tipped back on your head, as so many people do. The front rim should be, at most, three fingers’ width above your eyebrows.
Carrying gear
Weight is not the most crucial factor when cycling on the flat, but certainly makes a difference when you hit the hills. How you carry it is important too. A bum-bag is reasonable, but if you need to carry a large rucksack, think again. On your back is really the worst place for heavy loads. It will make your back sweaty, compromise your balance, and may obscure your vision to the rear. It can also give you backache and a sore posterior.
For day rides, especially if you buy food and drink along the way, you can travel very light anyway. A spare inner tube and/or patches, a multi-tool and a pump are vital, and you’ll probably want a couple of bits of extra clothing in case the weather changes. This book is also essential, the relevant OS maps are a good thing too, and most people carry a camera of some sort. Incidentally, carrying a repair kit is pointless unless you know what to do with it.
This much kit can usually be distributed under the saddle and in the back pockets of a cycling jersey or a bum-bag. A substantial saddle-pack is a traditional solution but a handlebar-bag makes everything just that bit more accessible. Some have a clear pocket on top to hold map or guidebook for instant reference (but don’t read while you’re riding!).
A handy, adaptable saddle-pack from Apidura
For trips involving a night or two away you’ll need somewhat more clothing and a few toiletries. If you’re crafty, and fairly strict about excluding non-essentials, you can still get everything into a good-sized saddlebag or a saddlebag and bar-bag.
For longer trips, or if you’re camping, panniers are the traditional way to carry substantial loads, but if you’ve never been cycle-touring before a trip that needs panniers seems a bit like going in at the deep end. On the other hand, if your bike already has a suitable rack, then panniers (maybe just one if you’re travelling light) could be the easiest and most economical option.
Potholes and pitfalls
It has to be said: a lot of the roads on the Cycleway, like many others elsewhere in the county and across the country, have deteriorated noticeably since the first edition of this guide appeared.
As noted above, wider tyres run at slightly lower pressures will mitigate the discomfort of rough surfaces, but they won’t help you if you hit a real pothole at speed. Keep your wits about you and scan well ahead for these hazards. Don’t ride too close into the gutter as this can limit your options. If there’s traffic about and you need to move out to avoid a pothole, make your intentions clear and make your move in good time.
Deviations from the route
As this is an ‘official’ cycleway it’s not up to a guidebook author to tinker with the route, but I have suggested one or two slight deviations where these seem to make sense.
The Priory Church, one of the glories of Lancaster’s Castle Hill (Stage 1a)
There have been a few, mostly minor, modifications to the official route in the last decade. The most obvious is around Buckshaw Village (Stage 11 of the Southern Loop). What was a virtual wasteland when the first edition of this guide was published is now a large community, with hundreds of houses, shops, industry, even a new railway station.
One factor of growing importance is the spread of dedicated cycle routes, whether purpose-built or adapted. Where these provide traffic-free routes which link comfortably to the rest of the Cycleway, this is generally most welcome.
However, such provision can encourage the misguided (and thankfully rare) view that cyclists should only be on dedicated cycle tracks, not on the roads at all. When, and only when, cycle provision in this country is on a par with that in the Netherlands or Denmark, can there be any justification for such opinions. Meanwhile, and in the foreseeable future, we have every right to ride on all normal roads apart from motorways. Every time you or I make a journey by bike instead of by car, we are reducing congestion, not adding to it, for which any reasonable motorist can only be grateful.
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