First off, there’s no wrong way to be a cyclist

“I’m sometimes not sure where to start with advice for new cyclists, because there are different things you might want to do as a cyclist,” says Samantha Brennan, a cyclist and academic who’s given public lectures on the history of women and bicycles. She’s also written Fit-at-mid-life: A feminist fitness journey. To the question of what you might want to do as a cyclist, there is no right answer, so take the pressure off and see what you like. “You can figure out for yourself what kind of cyclist you want to be,” Brennan says. You might know what type of rider you are right away. But you can explore the types: full-send mountain biker, adventurous gravel rider, casual social cyclist and watt bomb-dropping roadie. Ride however you’d like to ride. As for riders who’ve picked their “tribes,” don’t become, well, tribal. There’s so much to be gained by mixing up disciplines in terms of fitness, skills and fun. You know, the pros do it.

“I’ve told so many others not to wear underwear with their chamois and they had no idea.”