- [Matt] Let's face it, rules are there to be broken and our beloved sport of cycling
is no exception at all. And we're not talking about UCR regulations here,
more the unwritten rules that, on occasion, actually need to be broken so we
can all spread our own individual cycling wings.
Top 10 cycling rules to break!
Sock-shoe combination. A few years back, you'd have been hauled before the court by
your bib shorts if you'd have had the audacity to venture out in anything but
traditional black shoes, white socks combo.
- [Si] Yeah. Now, though, almost any shoe- sock combination seems to be acceptable.
There's even gray socks in the pro peloton.
I'm loving those, that length. Perfect.
- Yeah, I hold them up like permanently tensing my calf muscles.
- Wearing leg warmers without arm warmers on. This may seem a little odd to you,
and in fact, it does to us too, hence it being in this list. Do the right thing and
ignore this frankly peculiar rule.
- [Dan] You all right?
- No, my legs are fine, it's just that my arms are getting a bit warm.
It's just what I've always done, mate.
- I know you've always done it because I noticed in that Bertie video where he
dropped you, you had this combo going on. Didn't help you then, did it?
- Wearing pro team kit.
Another unwritten rule that we're happy to see screwed up and tossed into the
recycling bin is this, that you can't wear pro kit unless you're a pro.
Well, stuff that. If you're a fan of the sport and want to support your favorite
rider or team, then why not?
- Yeah. Although we do have one caveat. We draw the line at wearing the
kit of national or indeed world champions. Just respect the stripes.
Oh. Well actually, it's just up to you.
- Tools and tubes should be stored in pockets.
- Whoa, hold on a minute. There are options. Saddlebags these days can be
really discreet, tucking themselves very neatly and aerodynamically beneath your
seat so as not to disturb your bike's wonderful aesthetic. You pop your tools
and your tubes in there to keep your pockets bulk-free and comfortable.
So, we will take that rule and we will put it in the trash.
- No unplanned cafe stops.
Hey, new cafe!
- Hey, check it out. That looks all right, doesn't it?
- Can we stop here?
- Let's do it.
- So when faced with the quandary of "do we or don't we," apply this test.
"Will I ever get the chance again?" If no, give in and enjoy.
- Whose round is it?
- Uh, I think it might be yours again, Si, to be honest with you.
- Four rounds on the truck?
- But we set the limit at five stops per ride.
Shorts should always be black. To be so ingrained as to arbitrarily ignore the
option of even trying other colors we find rather unhealthy. So we say,
give colors a chance, but approach with caution. FDJ, AG2R, and Cervelo test team
kit designers, please take note.
Stick to your training plan. Look, we're not telling you to throw your plan
completely out the window and dispense with it altogether, of course.
If you really are tired, dial down the intensity and take a day off, or up for
the cafe over intervals. Don't be a slave to the plan.
You have to eat energy products.
I'll tell you what, Si, it must be nearly lunch time. I'm absolutely starving,
I've not got any food.
Gels, bars, and energy products are all well and good, and certainly have their
place... - I've got baguettes for us.
- I...thanks very much, that's fantastic!
Simply pack your pockets with stuff you like: your favorite sandwich,
some homemade fruit cake, even pizza! Your pockets are your oyster.
Ride naked. No, not that naked.
Have we been here before? I think we're lost.
Once in a while, why not turn off your generic cycle computer? It's liberating.
A voyage of discovery dictated only by how far you're willing to push your personal
envelope of natural instinctive inquisitiveness.
No Tour de France viewing when working.
The Tour de France only comes around once a year, albeit 21 days a year,
once a year. Anyway, because of its relative rarity, we think that bosses in
general should be far more generous when it comes to our Tour de France viewing
pleasure. Eh, Dan?
- Sorry? Sorry, man. I was watching the Tour. Cracking stage.
Have we...let's crack on with the end of the video anyway.
- I've done it. That was it. That was the last one. You missed it because you were
watching the Tour.
- Oh. Sorry, mate. We've got loads more great top 10s for you on the channel,
some of them from a few years ago but real gems. So if you click just up there,
we've got our top 10 things not to eat on a bike and just down there we've got top
10 things not to wear on a bike.
- Well, if you want to subscribe to GCN, you might as well click on the Tour de
France because that's what Dan is pretty much focused on anyway.
Cheers, Dan.