Been for a long ride today? Sheesh, anyone would think it had been raining. Here's the Global Cycing Network crew with their top ten tips for looking after yourself and your bike after a ride.
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Video: Top ten post-ride tips
Look after yourself and your bike with GCN
UPDATED Sun, Jan 11, 2026 18:06
First Published: Jul 30, 2013
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John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day’s work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site’s main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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MaxiMinimalist 7 minutes ago
It seems we hardly hear of doping cases involving women conti and pro cyclists. Here is the latest data : Of the 20 total professional doping cases recorded in 2025, four involved female cyclists.
Backladder 41 minutes ago
I think people are making errors deliberally now!
hawkinspeter 2 hours ago
LLMs help pets to create games: https://www.calebleak.com/posts/dog-game/ I'm coming around to thinking that LLMs are like some kind of fancy gambling machine - creating a prompt is like pulling a lever on a slot machine and hoping you get a dopamine releasing result.
slc 2 hours ago
No-one expected that :) On the other hand (according to said LLM) the carbon footprint of a drive to the shops is 100–500 ChatGPT responses. Also, LLMs are nice and help kittens cross the street.
Mr Blackbird 2 hours ago
Are there traits of devout Catholicism in the hi Viz statement? And what is wrong with him Viz pink?
15 thoughts on “Video: Top ten post-ride tips”
Would be nice to have a
Would be nice to have a soigneur to wash my bike after every ride!
Bike wash, massage, ice bath,
Bike wash, massage, ice bath, stay off your feet. Don’t know about you lot but meanwhile in the enthusiastic amateur world with the wife and kids…
Blame someone else for being
Blame someone else for being so late back, go to the supermarket, buy some beer at the same time, take kids to the park, later do the washing up, knowing that you need to build up those riding credits.
lolol wrote:Blame someone
Yes! That sounds like my life.
lolol wrote:Blame someone
check 😐
Real world top ten:
1. Check
Real world top ten:
1. Check your stats – check Strava then text your mate to tell them you just beat them. Get a blank look from the missus when you tell her you got that KOM. Blame your equipment or weather if you are slower.
2. Think about cleaning your bike, then put it off til tomorrow.
3. Take a recovery drink – milk no sugar thanks.
4. Rehydrate – pint of water with a beer chaser.
5. Give the wife a massage to make up for being out all day and leaving her with the kids.
6. Eat the right meal – I’ll have naan and extra poppadoms please.
7. Stretch – play with the kids in the garden.
8. Have a nap – ha ha ha ha ha ha.
9. Have an ice bath – or an ice cold beer
10. Stay off your feet – you don’t have children do you?
Dump bike in hall.
Get a can
Dump bike in hall.
Get a can of fat coke from the shop.
Dump stinking sweaty kit on the bedroom floor.
Lie on the sofa for two hours with a tin of Ambrosia rice pudding waiting for the tennis/ superbikes/water polo/ cage fighting to finally finish before the cycling comes on.
Moan on road.cc about the price of Rapha stuff
Waste 4min 51 minutes of your life watching a video about how to ‘Recover Like A Pro’ when you are not a pro and have no desire to be one.
Run a lovely deep bath,
Make
Run a lovely deep bath,
Make a cup of tea,
Get into bath,
2-5 minutes later, disturbed by returning family, get out of bath,
Get down to B&Q (other DIY stores are available!),
Paint shed /Wendy house /big person’s house,
Cook dinner,
Read stories,
Cook more dinner,
Tidy house,
Do the work put off while checking Strava / road.cc,
And RELAX!
I started going for massages
I started going for massages after rides but I was spending so much on extras that my wife became suspicious. Next thing I knew I came home and all my stuff and my bikes were out on the drive and the locks have been changed. What’s more I picked up an embarrassing infection.
1. Have a shower you dirty,
1. Have a shower you dirty, sweaty beggar.
I have just read Tyler
I have just read Tyler Hamilton’s book… how about a bottle of fizzy water and sleeping pills after a long ride. Which is how to have 3.7% body fat 😐
Don’t the pros stop at the
Don’t the pros stop at the pub half way through a ride and at the end of the ride then? I confess I am surprised.
Stop at pub, stretch
Stop at pub, stretch hamstrings, order a pint of foaming rehydration solution. Then top up protein and salt levels with some of Nobby’s finest, followed by more rehydration.
Phone wife and tell her you’ve had a puncture and need a lift home.
all the above – wonderfull
I
all the above – wonderfull
I hadnt realised that RoadCC was really a satirical mag right up there with the best
Chuck bike into hallway –
Chuck bike into hallway – bonus points if you don’t take a strip of wallpaper off.
1 bottle cherry coke, 1 litre electrolyte drink, 1 nesquick drink.
Have a victory poo.
Fully intend to eat something proper but lose the will to move and order a pizza. On occasion have the foresight to buy a chicago town takeaway. Have a clementine to balance it out.
Half-hour shower, spend 25 minutes groaning and the last 5 half-arsedly actually getting washed. First two minutes experience intense stinging in the eyes as the salt all over your face turns into brine.
Realise that you still have chainring marks on your legs. Neglect to give a shit.
Have a quick lie down. Wake up 10 minutes later due to cat pawing at your face because you’ve forgotten to feed it.