How To Race Bicycles

If you love to ride bikes, you may want to know how to race bicycles. Of course, you can race your friends any time by simply creating an imaginary starting point and racing to an agreed-upon finish point. But you might not look quite as cool racing your friends as you would taking part in a professional race. So how do you get into "real" bike races? Follow this strategy and you will be able to race bicycles in no time.

1. Get a road bike. Mountain bikes are not race bicycles. To get the right bike for you, buy a racing bike and have it fit to your body at a professional bike shop. If you want to race, you will want the bike to be appropriate for your body type.
2. Get a tight-fitting helmet. Even though it is legal for adults to ride bikes without helmets in the United States, that does not mean that it is a smart practice. If you want to race bicycles, just get over the "uncoolness" of helmets and use one.
3. Prepare for racing. You cannot race bicycles if you have been sitting on the couch eating french fries all year. You will need to be in top physical shape, and you can attain this type of physical prowess by riding your new road bike for at least 100 miles per week. You should also supplement your hard-core biking with a generally-healthful lifestyle.
4. Join a training group. If you are part of a bike-racing club or team, you will be more likely to work out and stay on track to race bicycles. Your teammates can also teach you techniques and alert you to upcoming races and events.
5. Research upcoming races and join one. You will never know how well you will race bicycles until you try out a race. If it turns out to be too tough or competitive for you, you can train harder for a future race.