Recommendations

Bike Accessories

• Bright lights
• Water bottle
• Speedometer and Odometer
• Puncture repair kit
• Tyre pump
• Basic tools e.g. a set of hex keys and a multi-spanner

Clothes and Personal Accessories

• Cycle Helmet - No 1 thing for safety
• Gloves - Especially needed in cold or wet weather
• High Visibility jacket - can fold up tiny for easy storage and use as a waterproof when it is wet.
• Padded cycle shorts - Essential for long journeys especially when you are not used to riding
• Cycling jersey - have zipped pockets in the back, good at letting air flow around you, keeping you cool
• High Visibility Rucksack - you can wear what you like and still stay visible
• MP3 Player - Essential for forgetting the pain and carrying on when you do not think you can any longer

Books and maps

• The Racing Bike Book (Haynes)
• Ordinance survey map of the area you regularly ride
• Transparent plastic sheets and permanent medium colored pens, this is to put over the map and draw different routes, each transparency will have a different route on it that you can overlay on the map to make your own practice routes and keep a good variety.

Websites

• http://www.camcycle.org.uk/map/route/23268/
  - Cycle routes around cambridgeshire
• http://www.bike-events.com/Ride.aspx?id=158
  - National cycle events e.g. London to Cambridge
• http://www.bhf.org.uk/get_involved/take_part_in_our_events/bike_rides/london_to_brighton_bike_ride.aspx
  - London to Brighton Cycle Ride information
• http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=565
• - London Cycle Campaign - Cycle maintenance
• http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/ee/cambridge_forecast_weather.html
  - Cambridge weather