{"id":1401,"date":"2018-07-03T12:00:13","date_gmt":"2018-07-03T11:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/?p=1401"},"modified":"2019-11-29T13:27:53","modified_gmt":"2019-11-29T13:27:53","slug":"cycling-more-than-meets-the-eye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/cycling-more-than-meets-the-eye\/","title":{"rendered":"On Yer Bike!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The world\u2019s most famous cycling event, the Tour de France, kicks off this weekend for the 105th<\/sup> time in its history for a total of three weeks. Hence its name, the annual 21 stage race takes place in France, but it also occasionally passes or departs from nearby countries. Four years ago, the race departed from the northern English city of Leeds as it made its way through Yorkshire and down south until it reached mainland Europe.<\/p>\n

The race takes place in the format of time trials across the country as the 198 riders make their way through the mountain chains of the Pyrenees and Alps right until the finishing stage on the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es in Paris, clocking up a total distance of around 3500 kilometres! Now that\u2019s one heck of a ride.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not much of a cyclist, but maybe looking to get into the sport, there are plenty of types of cycling which don\u2019t involve climbing some of the highest altitudes in Europe! Read on to find out <\/u>what other forms of cycling there are to be discovered.<\/p>\n

Touring & Expedition Cycling<\/b><\/p>\n

Bicycle touring can be one of the most liberating things you can do on two wheels, as you get to discover parts of the world you wouldn\u2019t necessarily be able to with other modes of transport \u2013 touring is meant for pleasure and adventure, rather than sport and exercise. This means packing up some select belongings and taking yourself out onto the road for days, weeks, months or even years! If you\u2019re new to touring, it\u2019s probably best to start off with a tour consisting of a couple of days, before building up to anything relatively long term.<\/p>\n

Commuting<\/b><\/p>\n

Commuting by bike can be one of the best ways to utilise the full potential of your bicycle. As you use your bicycle to travel from home to a place of work or study, you are positively contributing to your own health, the health of others \u2013 by not producing harmful emissions, as you would by a motor vehicle \u2013 and most importantly, to your own bank balance! In fact, in some countries, such as the Netherlands, commuting by bicycle is the norm as bikes are prioritised over other methods of transport such as the car.<\/p>\n

Road Cycling<\/b><\/p>\n

This type of cycling really does hold something for everyone \u2013 from long endurance rides, mountainous climbs and short sprints to leisurely rides along the country lanes, road cycling is pretty adaptable. Getting out on the road forged the paths for many of Britain\u2019s great cyclists such as Chris Boardman, Chris Froome and Lizzie Armitstead \u2013 look where they\u2019re at now! However, it\u2019s not all about endurance! You can simply enjoy road cycling as a leisurely pursuit, whether that\u2019s out for a ride with the family, or if you\u2019re trying to raise money for a charity, you\u2019ll be amazed at the benefits road cycling brings \u2013 a healthier lifestyle, increased fitness levels, reducing emissions, all while saving those pennies!<\/p>\n

Mountain Biking<\/b><\/p>\n

Like road cycling, mountain biking<\/a> is quite diverse as it offers a number of different styles of riding. Whether the endurance and technicality of cross-country attracts you, or if it\u2019s more the speed and raw nerve of downhill racing, the explosive spectacle of four cross, or even if it\u2019s just a family trail ride which tickles your fancy, mountain biking sure offers something for everyone. Whichever discipline you enjoy, mountain biking offers something completely different when compared to the other forms of cycling \u2013 being at one with nature, as you escape from the real world to find a selection of hills and trails made for mountain bikes.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/b><\/p>\n

Cycling really is a sport like no other, as these four very different types of cycling prove that there as<\/u> a form for everyone, no matter where you are in the country! The UK provides some of the world\u2019s best cycle routes, so what\u2019s stopping you? Whether you are destined for the natural sightseeing of touring, to the city riding of commuting, or the freedom of the open road or even the mud and fun of mountain biking, there has never been a better time to get onto that saddle and go!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The world\u2019s most famous cycling event, the Tour de France, kicks off this weekend for the 105th time in its history for a total of three weeks. Hence its name, the annual 21 stage race takes place in France, but it also occasionally passes or departs from nearby countries. Four years ago, the race departed… Read More On Yer Bike!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299,37],"tags":[519,518,300,520,515,516,517],"class_list":["post-1401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycling","category-features","tag-commuting","tag-expedition-cycling","tag-mountain-biking","tag-road-cycling","tag-tour-de-france","tag-touring","tag-touring-cycling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1401"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3240,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401\/revisions\/3240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geronigo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}