Nips back for the ride (4)
I believe the answer is:
spin
'the ride' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'nips back' is the wordplay.
'back' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'nips' back-to-front is 'SPIN'.
'for' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for spin that I've seen before include "Move as a top" , "Fish" , "Give biased view" , "Jaunt" , "Rapid revolution" .)