Traffic-free and off-road cycling - Weight Loss Support

Weight Loss Support

114,537 members60,871 posts

Traffic-free and off-road cycling

mayaena profile image
2 Replies

youtube.com/watch?v=1awjnch...

A lot of people are understandably a bit iffy about road cycling. Unless you already do it, all the lycra and the Strava can be a bit intimidating and then there is the general stress and unpleasantness of sharing a space with cars. I don't do it myself, and stick to cycle paths and trails around where I live. Here are a few things it might be handy to know if you would like to cycle more but don't want to go on the roads:

1. There are dedicated trail centres all over the UK now with graded routes ranging from Green (family-friendly and slow), Blue (slightly more challenging but mostly can still be ridden on a regular 'hybrid' bike) to Red (proper mountain bike needed) and Black (deep pockets and deathwish needed, though I wouldn't know because I've never been on one!).

2. 'Hybrid cycling' where people might do a bit on quiet roads but mostly take to canal tow-paths, disused railway lines, dedicated family trails, farm tracks or green lanes/bridleways is really, really enjoyable and do-able at almost any level of fitness and on almost any bike (if you live in a very hilly place or have health issues/are very unfit/overweight, see my earlier post about e-bikes: healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... I got started cycling on e-bikes and now I mostly power myself around).

This kind of cycling is mostly about avoiding cars and riding through beautiful places. With a hybrid (fatter/stronger than a road bike, not as rugged as a mountain bike) or a cheap (under £300) mountain bike, you can do all of it.

3. The internet is your friend. You can map out your rides to avoid traffic by Googling 'cycle routes in ... ' or by looking at the Sustrans map or Forestry Commission or mountain-biking websites like Dirt (don't be put off by the fact that a lot of people are very young, predominantly male and kitted up to the nines - it's a very friendly sport/pastime and everyone's very relaxed - I'm a middle-aged overweight lady on my own and nobody's ever been mean or even offish to me - a lot of people -mostly men of my own age-have said they wish more people of different ages and women would join in because they're missing out on the fun and it would balance out the teenage boys - who are lovely people too by the way)

4. Here are some links that might get you started/give you some ideas:

forestry.gov.uk/forestry/in...

forestry.gov.uk/england-mou...

ibikeride.com/ (trail site reviewed by riders)

sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/nat... (look out for traffic-free routes)

canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjo...

letsride.co.uk/breeze (aimed at getting more women on bikes)

britishcycling.org.uk/knowl... (I basically adapted this to off-road cycling)

Curious about a route near you but not sure if you'll like it when you get there? Search for it on YouTube - chances are someone has made a video of themselves cycling the entire length of it. To music!

youtube.com/results?search_...

And lastly, a blue trail that you might need a decent bike for - this one's on my bucket list:

youtube.com/watch?v=jphUglr...

Have fun!

Written by
mayaena profile image
mayaena
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
2 Replies
IndigoBlue61 profile image
IndigoBlue61

This looks really interesting thank you mayaena 😊 I'll read it properly later

EllaMidlands profile image
EllaMidlandsRestart April 2023

Thank you for posting. I like cycling but don't like cars so you have given me a lot of new information. I will have a look at the links later. 🚴🏽‍♀️

You may also like...

Overweight with high blood pressure - a fork in the road?

have gained even more weight. I'm now 3 stone overweight. Maybe this diagnosis is the kick up the...

Carb free week...no loss

Weight loss trackers are off!!

I've dieted most of my life and through the frustration of it all, I have realized two very...

Dal (soup off challenge)

🐠 Entry for the Fish Off 😀

must-try in my opinion.. If you like the sound of the flavours, you'll love it 😀...