Get prepared for North West’s biggest bike ride

IT'S TIME TO harden those buttocks off for summer. So have you thought about going in for the Liverpool-Chester Bike Ride?

It's happening in just under two weeks time. On Sunday 18 July. If you want, you still can enter the event which sees thousands of bike-owning adventurers set off for the Dee with lashings of ginger beer and posh water.

But to make sure you don't come over all wobbly legged the second you hit Wallasey, and have to get the ferry home, you have to be fit-ish. So organisers and local cycling experts are keen to offer preparation tips for anyone taking part.

Veteran Liverpool bike man Pete Matthews says: “To ensure a safe and enjoyable Bike Ride, riders need to be prepared for the day. Your bike should be serviced a week or two before the event to make sure you can get any faulty parts repaired. Weather is always unpredictable so I’d always recommend taking a rain jacket and eye protection. Above all don’t forget to wear a hard shell helmet, however experienced you may be.”

The Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool Bike Ride will start at Old Haymarket, just outside the Birkenhead Tunnel entrance. The event will feature four rides this year: A challenge ride (54 miles), a community ride (30 miles), a family ride (25 miles) and a sportive route (90 miles).

Simon Wallis, Sustrans Bike it Officer for Merseyside, also offers the following advice:

• Set your seat at a sensible height where your toes are just touching on the floor. A low seat makes for really hard work on the thighs.
• Get used to the gears on your bike before starting the race and make those hills easy for yourself.
• Taking part with friends and family can help you maintain an all important relaxed pace.
• Warm up before the ride and cool down afterwards. This is particularly important to first time riders who will be using muscles that they may not normally use.
• Carry a few high energy trail snacks and drink sips of water about every twenty minutes throughout your journey.

Dr Paula Grey, Director of Public Health at Liverpool PCT wants more local people than ever before to sign up to this year’s Bike Ride. She commented: “By signing up for the Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool Bike Ride, people could begin an active pursuit that will last for the rest of their lives.”

Just log on to here to enter.You heard. Now get out your Chopper or whatever.