Increasing your mileage/endurance

[zomboid]

Hi,
I'm looking to be able to join a cycle club but i realise when they go cycling as a group they do say 40mile treks.

At present I'm trying to increase my mileage. When motivated, i'll cycle to & from work. My work is about 3&1/2 miles from home.
Today i did roughly 12miles cycling a towpath and back. My legs were feeling it when i got off my bike,and my arms (at times i was cycling against the wind)
Also a bit of background on me - i'd say i'm not the fittest. the 12mile cycle today took me about 1hr&1/2 i do need to lose weight and i've lost a stone since last october but i'd say i've a few still to go.
was just looking advice as to how long it takes really (or how long should i realistically be looking) for it to take to be able to do a 40mile cycle

any help is appreciated,thanks!

 

[palinurus]

I wouldn't worry about how long, just build to the mileage at first and see how you get on.

If you really want a target- hows about three hours? (although if off-road I'd stretch that out a bit more)

 

[HLaB]

I'd give them a call, with group motivation and drafting you could be fine but some club run are pretty relentless and you'd struggle but that probably not the club for you for starters.

 

[jeremy barker]

Losing a stone so far is a massive achievement so you've already done really well and the miles will come the more you ride, says the person who's also only just started riding himself. I'm 37 and 15 stone, i used to be very fit from free diving and other stuff but I've not ridden a bike in nearly 20 years. I'm four rides in and did a hilly 46 nile ride on saturday so just increase the miles each week and you'll be fine.

Top work so far, feels great when you finish a nice ride

 

[rollinstok]

Dont put yourself down so much over the canal towpath ride
One of the hardest rides I did was Leeds to Liverpool canal. Its relentless riding, the wheels dont roll far so not much freewheeling.
Try to do 20 miles but include a couple of hills.. gives you some idea of what you'll need to ride with others, if you get over the hill ok you get a nice rest on the other side.

 

[snorri]

Wot Palinurus said.
Don't worry about your speed, get out as often as you can, but don't keep going until you are in pain. You will find you can spend ever longer periods in the saddle as your fitness improves. CluSome clubs will cover 40 miles on a day outing, but most would stop at least once for tea and cake. Also cycling distances is easier within a group, encouraging each other and drafting, so 40 miles is more easily achievable than you may be thinking just now.
Good Luck, and enjoy.

 

[billy1561]

When I first got back on my bike after 30 years and weighing just over 18 stone my 4'5 mile commute nearly killed me. That was 2 years ago and at 50 I feel better than ever and am regularly completing 50+ miles so if I can then you can. Keep up the cycling and your distances and fitness will rapidly improve.

 

[zomboid]

Cheers for all the advice
the cycle i did yesterday, i'm feeling a bit more today lol backs of my arms and my ass is a bit sore lol but i'm thinking i might do an 8mile cycle later on just to get out & keep the muscles moving. back to work tomorrow so i'll be cycling in and out

 

[Risex4]

Hi zomboid.

I think all I can really add to what's been said already is simply this; keep going!

Don't start to compare yourself to other cyclists - how far they can go and how fast they can do it - for the simple reason that they aren't you!

Concentrate on your own ability, set your own milestones, and take the pleasure and satisfaction in beating them! If 12 miles took you 1.5 hours today, try it again tomorrow (figuratively speaking - I mean any time in the next week), and see how you fair again. You may lose 2 minutes, you may lose 20. But any gain is a gain!

Also, don't get disheartened if at first you dont seem to be rapidly improving, the first improvements always seem to be the smallest - but they are also the most important as this is your body adapting to the new exercise/regime/torture that you are putting it through. Going from 10-20 miles is harder than going from 20-40 in my experience.

To answer your question of how long, I guess it all comes down to your own dedication. If you are set on achieving a 40 miler, just keep going out consistently; know that you may well not hit that target today, but take pride in the fact that each turn of the peddles now gets you closer to it!

 

[Fubar]

Hi Zomboid, I can totally understand where you are coming from - when I started cycling again on my dad's old mock-MTB it was for 5 miles which did me in! Gradually increase your distance and as Risex4 said go over the same course and time yourself to monitor improvements. It's also a good idea to have a target, so whether that's a Sportive, charity ride or just a distance set yourself an objective and timescale - I entered Peddle for Scotland and found that "looming" in the distance a good motivator!

Someone else has in their signature "it doesn't get any easier, you just get faster" and I relate to that - I still find hills hard, it's just now I don't have to get off and walk!

Keep up the good work. Regards, Mark

 

[zomboid]

Thanks Mark. The path i cycle is normally the greenway from east belfast to comber. it's mainly flat but coming up to roads it can go very steep.

I initially got a bike from Halfords - an apollo zest. and when i started, at points i'd to come off the bike and push it up the steep parts. however, the bike itself didn't last. there was an annoying sound coming from the crank and it sorta kept going for a while then the chain would come off. took the bike back to halfords 3times to get this problem sorted and whilst one of their employees understood what i was on about, it was dealt with someone else who didn't see anything wrong with the bike... i ended up getting a full refund and going to my LBS. there i got the ridgeback speed and it's been brilliant, it's a lot faster and i find my overall ability and endurance getting better. contacted a bike club and they said they've a beginners meeting coming up soon so hopefully if i just keep at it, i'll be able to keep up!

 

[smutchin]

was just looking advice as to how long it takes really (or how long should i realistically be looking) for it to take to be able to do a 40mile cycle

The simple answer is: not as long as you might think.

You need to step up gradually though. That 12 mile ride didn't kill you, so do it again. And again. And again. When it starts getting easier you start getting faster, step up the distance to, say, 20 miles. If that doesn't kill you, do that again a few times, then step it up to 30 miles... Depending on how frequently you ride, you might find it only takes 2-3 months before you're ready for your 40 milers. Maybe more, maybe less than that.

Ask the club what speed they ride at. If they're a racing club, they might be training at 18-20mph, which is going to be an unrealistic target for you. When I was getting back into cycling, I joined a club with a much more leisurely focus - they're more interested in finding a nice cafe than getting there fast. They ride 40-45 miles at an average speed of 12-14mph, which I found really tough the first few times I went out with them, but I soon got used to it. That's probably the kind of club you should be looking for. (Edit: just read your last post which mentions the beginners group, so they sound like they're probably ideal for you.)

Also remember that you will be able to ride faster in a group than solo, so if you can ride at 10-12mph solo, you should be able to manage 12-14mph in a group.

d.

 

[Camrider]

Someone else has in their signature "it doesn't get any easier, you just get faster"

Another way to look at, especially when you get to my age (58), is you don't get any faster, but you can keep going longer

I've shed over 4 stone and since getting down to 12 stone I've manged to improve my endurance dramatically and achieved a life time best of 126 miles recently, so I'm sure if you keep up the regular riding and keep losing the weight you will soon be able to smash through 40 mile mark.

One thing you might want to do to reduce the arse pain is to get a better saddle. Ones made for town use are terrible for sitting on for an hour let alone several. My preference is for a Brooks but these are the Marmite of saddles so you might want to check out the various threads regarding saddles.

 

[guitarpete247]

I'd go with the Brooks but there are many Charge Spoon advocates on here. If you did go for a Brooks remember it will probably take a little while to get it to fit your sit bones.
I too feel I need to be able to up my distances before contacting my local club. I've heard they are very friendly and willing to wait for a newbie but don't want to be a burden.

 

[Nosaj]

Bite the bullet and go along to your club as I personally found it more fun than riding on my own. Most clubs will stop for a coffee/tea food and chat after a ride as well so it is very social. You really can motor along at far higher speeds than you could maintain on your own and best of all it does not take as much effort unless you take turns at the front!

Before you do go make sure that you do phone in advance explain your fears and check that there is a suitable ride for you. Most clubs want to attract new members, most existing members believe it or not like new members turning up and they will make allowances for them. Most members expect that a new member will not be able to keep pace at first and will make allowances for them. Someone should stay with you and look after you on your first few rides to ensure you do not get dropped. They will not expect you to take a turn at the front at first but most probably would not stop you if you felt confident enough to do so. If it is a decent club and provided you are not phoning up Sky or Leopard Trek or something similar then they should cater for newer riders.

If you are really worried about pace then go along to a CTC member group. You should be able to find one fairly close to where you live (I have not checked your location so do not hold me to it). Most of these ride at a fairly sedate pace and split the rides into food stops so you can only do half the ride. Some larger CTC groups have graded rides and can cater for quicker ones but most are quite ploddy but they do provide a very good introduction to group riding albeit with an emphasis on the social side as opposed to a racing club. I am a member of both the CTC and a racing club and both offer something for the newer rider regardless of their ability.