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5 things to make planning a cycle route easy

Exploring somewhere new on your bike is one of the greatest pleasures of cycling. But to make your day out fun you need to do a little bit of preparation first with some cycle route planning.

A great bike ride starts with planning a great route. Getting lost, tired, riding further than expected or a surprise big hill at the end of the day can put even the happiest cyclists into a grump. Avoid these route-planning errors with our 5 top tips…

 

Use a route planning app

Absolutely the easiest way to plan a route is with an app. Cycle route planning apps are becoming increasingly intuitive to use and apps such as RidewithGPS, Strava and Komoot include crowd-sourced route knowledge from other cyclists to help ensure you’re picking the best places to pedal. If you want the easiest route-planning approach possible then check out suggestions of rides other cyclists have planned so that you’re following something tried and tested.

 

Think about height gain as well as distance

Some cyclists love hills, others hate them, but regardless of which camp you fall into it’s important to make a note of the elevation gain on your route, not just the distance. A flat 20-mile ride and a hilly 20-mile ride will be significantly different in terms of effort level and time taken.

If you have any really big climbs on your route try to plan them into the first half of the ride when you will be feeling most energetic. If you’re planning a café stop, schedule it at the top of a hill not the bottom. It is not fun to start a very steep climb when you still have a full stomach!

If you’re planning a route for other people let them know when the climbs occur and how hard they’re likely to be, that way they will be mentally prepared and can save their energy for when they most need it.

 

Plan bail-out options

We’ve all had those rides when we have bitten off more than we can chew, so this is hard-learned advice. Having some short cuts in mind is always helpful when route planning. If the weather changes, riders get tired or you need to get home in a hurry, a pre-planned bail out option can really save the day. Look for ways you could cut off distance or avoid a big hill without having to retrace your steps.

If you’re unsure of your fitness or how long a route might take, plan a figure of eight that passes back past your home – that way you could cut it off at the halfway point if necessary. It’s a great way to build confidence that you can handle longer distance rides.

 

Take a copy of the map

GPS devices are absolutely brilliant for making route planning and route following easy, but they can run out of battery, fall-off bikes or lose signal. Also, if you accidently mis-click in your route planning, the map you upload could be completely wrong! Here is some advice on when you should ignore your bike computer. Having a paper map version of your route, or even just a list of place names and directions, is a useful back up.

 

Chunk-up directions

Knowing the place names or general direction of your ride can help avoid mindlessly following a GPS device into trouble. It can also help with how you pace your energy and food consumption. Familiarise yourself with the route so you know when the big climbs are, how far it is to the lunch stop and which towns and villages you’re expecting to cycle through.

You can find out more about our favourite bike routes here. Why not share your favourite routes and route planning advice with us on our Facebook or Twitter?

For more information about our services or to start your claim, call 0808 100 9995 and speak to one of our specialist solicitors. We’re here to help. You can email us or schedule a callback.

 

Enjoy your ride!

Written By:

Emily Pheysey

Litigation Executive

Emily has over 7 years of experience in the legal sector, handling road traffic accident claims to recover compensation and support her clients. Her focus is to ensure all clients feel comfortable and at ease with the claims process so that they can focus on their recovery.

Emily considers rapport to be an essential part of the role and strives to always provide excellent client care.

Away from work, Emily enjoys spending time with her family and friends and travelling as much possible.

Diane Holderness

Litigation Executive

Diane is a Ministry of Justice (TOJ) Team Leader within our Cycle Department. She has 11 years’ experience managing road traffic accident claims, and 6 years’ experience managing MOJ claims.

Diane enjoys a challenge and always strives for the very best results for her customers; something that is clear in the way her team continually adapts its strategies in order to secure the most desired outcome. Diane has worked her way through the legal ranks here, and is proud to now have a strong, specialist team that is committed to customer satisfaction.

Diane believes that happy clients make a happy working environment, and it is this that ensures a productive and efficient workforce.

Nina Haddock

Chartered Legal Executive

Nina has over 30 years’ experience in the legal sector. She specialises in recovering compensation for injury claimants as a result of road traffic accidents. Her focus for each and every claim is to help her clients secure the funding that they need to pay for ongoing treatment and support.

Nina became a CILEX Fellow in 2006 and now helps her clients and their families at a time when they have been through a traumatic experience, and everything they hold dear to them appears to be changing.

One case Nina is particularly proud of is supporting a client who had successfully sought asylum in the UK, following a road traffic accident. The claim was successfully pursued through the MIB and the client was left with significant injuries. Her client was able to use the compensation to aid family members with their applications to seek asylum in the UK.

Julian Fox

Cycling Accident Solicitor

Julian qualified as a Solicitor in 2005 and has worked in all areas of personal injury since 2000. Julian has a well-rounded understanding of personal injury law, having represented both claimants and defendants.

Julian always aims for maximum damages to meet his clients’ needs for injury and rehabilitation expenses, and can often secure interim payments to help meet clients’ financial needs. Julian is highly proactive in ensuring cases are progressed, ensuring a timely conclusion.

When not at the office, Julian is a keen cyclist, both on roads and virtually -he will often do an hour of ‘Zwifting’ in the mornings before starting work.

Richard Atherton

Cycling Accident Solicitor

Richard has 12 years of legal experience and qualified as a Solicitor in February 2014. He has been a Team Manager with us since 2019. Throughout his career, Richard has specialised in personal injury, handling an array of Road Traffic Accident cases, in addition to employer and public liability.

Richard prides himself on his very strong strategic and planning skills, which come into their own in complex injury cases where more technical arguments are involved. On every case, he is committed to ensuring that his clients receive full compensation for their injuries.

Away from work, Richard enjoys sport; he is a season ticket holder at St Helens Rugby Club and a Liverpool FC fan. Not only a spectator, Richard also likes going to play golf as often as he can.

Dave Gardner

Litigation Executive

Dave has over 20 years of experience in the legal sector. His specialism is personal injury and he has dealt with hundreds of cycling injury claims during his career. Excellent client care and communication is paramount to Dave. He prides himself on being accessible and available, attending court hearings where damages are in dispute to ensure the best outcome for his clients. One case Dave is particularly proud of is when he supported an elderly client who suffered serious injuries following a road traffic incident. The police had not taken any action against the defendant, so Dave had to be proactive and act within a 24-hour window. The case proceeded and the client was in receipt of £30,000 in damages, which he would not have been entitled to had the client not approached Dave. He is also an avid supporter of Glasgow Rangers and travelled abroad on many occasions to see them play in European competitions.

Gerard Horton

Partner

Gerard is a Senior Solicitor at Cycle SOS. In his 13 years of experience, Gerard has built a national reputation in the catastrophic injury sector, dealing with high value and complex cases. Alongside his legal role, Gerard supports several charities including Headway Central Lancashire, Northwest Regional Spinal Injuries Centre and spinal injury charity, Back Up.

Julia Eyton

Partner

Julia brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Cycle SOS team.

Specialising in representing those who have had life changing injuries, Julia handles some of the most serious and complex personal injury cases both within Cycle SOS and nationally.

She often works on high value claims and is skilled in winning complex liability cases.

NADIA KERR

Partner

Nadia has over 30 years of legal expertise and has represented hundreds of vulnerable road users. With a focus on ensuring timely rehabilitation, speedy repair or replacement of bikes and kit, and securing fair compensation, Nadia is committed to advocating for justice and client rights. Alongside her legal career, Nadia actively participates in national campaigns to benefit vulnerable road users and acts as a Trustee/Director for the national cycling charity, Cycling UK. Nadia was named in Cycling UK’s ‘100 women’ and was a founding member, now running a women’s cycling group, TeamGlow in South Manchester. Among her many achievements, Nadia takes pride in her spot on BBC Breakfast, where she provided expert commentary on long term government funding for pothole repairs.

Caroline Morris

DIRECTOR OF SERIOUS INJURY

Caroline has specialised in personal injury for over 25 years, recovering more than £56 million in damages during that time, to help clients rebuild their lives after injury.

Caroline is committed to achieving rehabilitation options early, meaning her clients benefits from the best care and treatment at the earliest stage possible.