How To Navigate A Cycling Route On Your Mobile Phone
Navigating a cycling route is a big step on any new cyclists journey. The sense of freedom you get from being able to follow a route opens so many doors to what you can do and where you can go on a bike. The days of sticking to the same area for fear of getting los will be behind you, with just the open road ahead.
Finding and navigating a cycling route is a wonderful feeling, especially if you've built the route yourself. But if you don't have a GPS device like a Wahoo, or have super human memory powers, then you're going to need to navigate on your trusty mobile phone to keep you on the right track.
Be warned, many cyclists will tell you that trying to navigate with your phone is a 'nightmare' and 'just impossible', which may lead you to not bother. But it is possible, and can be an easy (and much cheaper) option for navigating a cycling route, especially if you're just starting out. We've all got a smartphone right?
Central London Lockdown Cycling Routes
With the lockdown continuing and the British press ganging up on law abiding cyclists, we thought it a good idea to produce a list of central London cycling routes that can be completed in around an hour, the allowed exercise time.
Also the roads of central London are pretty quiet right now, so this is one of the only chances you'll get to ride some otherwise busy roads in relative peace. All of the below below London cycling routes start and end at our clubhouses (cafe partners), but please pay attention to each establishments distancing rules/take away set up etc.
All of the routes can be adapted to start and end at your home, but please make sure to adhere to official guidelines about social distancing and staying close to home. Please take it easy - you really don't want to end up in A&E right now.
A Beginner's Guide To Turbo Trainers
Cyclists currently fall into two camps - those who managed to buy a turbo trainer before lockdown, and those who didn't. As rare as hen's teeth, trying to buy a turbo trainer now is a tough ask!
But where do you start if you've not got much clue how a turbo trainer even works? Or the difference between wheel on or direct drive turbo trainers? Or what a ANT+ cable is? Spending a couple of hundred quid on something you really don't understand is never a good idea.
Luckily for you, we've created a beginner's guide to turbo trainers that you can actually understand. No jargon, no 'experienced cyclist only' nonsense, just relatable answers to the questions you have asked us about turbo trainers. Whether that's how turbo trainers work, what the different types of indoor trainer are, or which is the best turbo trainer for your price bracket. We've tried to answer below.
You can also still buy a turbo trainer during lockdown, but it's not easy. We've gone ahead and done the leg work for you there too. Keep reading for how to buy a turbo trainer during the coronavirus lockdown.
How To Join A Zwift Group Ride
With all of Europe going into lockdown (well done for finally catching up Great Britain) the chance to cycle outside in the sun with friends and club mates is absolutely zero for the foreseeable future. Whilst we can still cycle outside if alone or with people in your household, scratching that group ride itch is proving difficult. Because scratch we must!
This is why we are running so many Zwift group rides during the coronavirus crisis, so that we can meet up with our mates, ride around in circles and chat rubbish! Sadly we can't replicate the mid ride coffee and cake stop, but you'll just have to use your imagination!
However, a few riders are having issues joining a Zwift group ride. There isn't loads of information, especially for newer riders who are new to Zwift. So please read on below for our top tips on how to join a group ride on Zwift.
Red Bull Time Laps - 2020 Race Report
Red Bull Timelaps is a very unique race and challenge, not least because it's the longest one day race in the world. How is that, you might ask, with so many 24 hour challenges going on these days. Well, in full Spinal Tap mode, this one goes up to 25. Falling on the weekend that the clocks turn back, there is a sneaky little extra hour at 2am (1am for the second time), that anyone who is taking part is just super thrilled about. Confused? Read on, all will become clear.
Dirty Wknd have taken part in every edition of the Red Bull Timelaps so far, the first falling in 2017. No one really knew what it was back then, and our one men's team gamely muddled through the race, actually doing pretty well in the end. You can read all about it in our 2017 race report. The following two years we upped the number of teams by about 700%, and practically took over the whole event.