Newbie Introduction & Distance Questions

[Jason37]

Hi all,

About 2 months ago I decided to go on a fitness kick (I was 37 about 2.5 stone overweight smoked 20 a day and generally didn't do a lot) so I decided to take up cycling purely by chance as I don't really like Gyms or other plastic type fitness stuff (if you get what I mean). So I bought myself a cheapie road bike with the intention of cycling to work a couple of days a week and a quick blast on a sunday morning purely to keep myself fit.
Trouble is I kinda got hooked.
I'm 2 months in, I have joined CTC, looking for a local CC as well, have read training books aimed for cyclists and I am trying to analyse my riding and set myself up a training plan. To top it all looking to spend up to £750 on a bike come come C2W time, something I never really dreamed I would do when this saga started a couple of months ago.

Anyway thats me and I now have a question which may seem silly.

I read about building base fitness (as I didn't think I would have any) so went for the long steady miles.

To date my longest ride was 48 miles however this included three stops.

Am I correct in stating that I cycled 48 miles that day. Yes I know there was 48 miles on my computer that day but I feel a bit of a con man saying I cycled 48 miles, as I didn't, I cycled it in 3 x 16 mile bits if you include the stops.

 

[ACS]

Hi all,

About 2 months ago I decided to go on a fitness kick (I was 37 about 2.5 stone overweight smoked 20 a day and generally didn't do a lot) so I decided to take up cycling purely by chance as I don't really like Gyms or other plastic type fitness stuff (if you get what I mean). So I bought myself a cheapie road bike with the intention of cycling to work a couple of days a week and a quick blast on a sunday morning purely to keep myself fit.
Trouble is I kinda got hooked.
I'm 2 months in, I have joined CTC, looking for a local CC as well, have read training books aimed for cyclists and I am trying to analyse my riding and set myself up a training plan. To top it all looking to spend up to £750 on a bike come come C2W time, something I never really dreamed I would do when this saga started a couple of months ago.

Anyway thats me and I now have a question which may seem silly.

I read about building base fitness (as I didn't think I would have any) so went for the long steady miles.

To date my longest ride was 48 miles however this included three stops.

Am I correct in stating that I cycled 48 miles that day. Yes I know there was 48 miles on my computer that day but I feel a bit of a con man saying I cycled 48 miles, as I didn't, I cycled it in 3 x 16 mile bits if you include the stops.

Welcome and stops are allowed so long as they involve cake.

Is there a difference between 3x16 miles and 48 miles, its still 48 miles?

so whats next 50 miles and beyond........ Enjoy we all do

 

[Arch]

Am I correct in stating that I cycled 48 miles that day. Yes I know there was 48 miles on my computer that day but I feel a bit of a con man saying I cycled 48 miles, as I didn't, I cycled it in 3 x 16 mile bits if you include the stops.

Yes, you cycled 48 miles that day. Only a very, very, up-themselves snob of a roadie would try and tell you otherwise, and they'd be talking out of their bottom.

I did 64.45 miles last Saturday, and that included several quick (up to a minute) stops to check the map, an hour in a cafe for lunch, and 15 minutes on a village green eating Jaffa cakes. And I was chuffed to bits with the distance. And I've done long days touring in France, with friends, that included a cafe in the morning, lunch (avec vin, sometimes), and a cafe mid afternoon, and no-one ever suggested we'd done any the less for the stops.

You really only reset the clock, so to speak, by having a good night's sleep.

So enjoy, get out there and do whatever miles you fancy. And never be afraid to stop for jaffa cakes....

 

[Sittingduck]

Well, I'd certainly be classing it as a 48 miler Unless you had loooong stops and or sleeps in between

Get yourself onto Cyclogs to help log that mileage (check the link in my sig). It's fun to compare yourself against others and good incentive, I find.

Well done so far and welcome to CC!


Cheers,
SD

 

[ACS]

Well, I'd certainly be classing it as a 48 miler Unless you had loooong stops and or sleeps in between

Get yourself onto Cyclogs to help log that mileage (check the link in my sig). It's fun to compare yourself against others and good incentive, I find.

Well done so far and welcome to CC!


Cheers,
SD

SD - I think you meant to write 'bl00dy obsessive'

 

[Sittingduck]

Yeah, my typing is awful

 

[bonj2]

You really only reset the clock, so to speak, by having a good night's sleep.

If you go by the definition of any audax done within the time limit qualifying as a single ride, then you can even have a (reasonably) good night's sleep and still not reset the clock

 

[Arch]

If you go by the definition of any audax done within the time limit qualifying as a single ride, then you can even have a (reasonably) good night's sleep and still not reset the clock

True...

However you look at it, 48 miles is 48 miles. Now, only 2 more to 50.

 

[Jason37]

Thanks for all the feedback guys much appreciated. So 48 miles it is

I did set a goal to break 40 by the end of May and 50 by mid June.

So now I am nearly 2 stone lighter I am gonna set another one....undertake a charity ride of not less than 100 miles by the end of summer (sep 30th) next year and set a miniumum sponsorship amount of £ 1 a mile !

Edit:
I am based in Essex and if any other newbie would like also like to take up this challenge and participate in a 100 mile charity ride along with me and thus have a riding buddy or even group for the event then please let me know

 

[Randochap]

What your computer said.

Good going.

 

[arallsopp]

Essex? Oh boy are you in trouble now. You just wait until Auntie Helen is back from Germany, and you'll find yourself doing mass miles in no time

Here's a tip though. If anyone with a footer like mine wanders onto your thread... Run. Don't stop. Don't read the post. Don't put the mask on the child first.
Just run.

 

[honestal]

Well done that man and good luck with the next objective. I'd be more than happy to join you but you'd have to cycle over to Berkshire to train

 

[jimboalee]

Yes, you cycled 48 miles that day. Only a very, very, up-themselves snob of a roadie would try and tell you otherwise, and they'd be talking out of their bottom.

I did 64.45 miles last Saturday, and that included several quick (up to a minute) stops to check the map, an hour in a cafe for lunch, and 15 minutes on a village green eating Jaffa cakes. And I was chuffed to bits with the distance. And I've done long days touring in France, with friends, that included a cafe in the morning, lunch (avec vin, sometimes), and a cafe mid afternoon, and no-one ever suggested we'd done any the less for the stops.

You really only reset the clock, so to speak, by having a good night's sleep.

So enjoy, get out there and do whatever miles you fancy. And never be afraid to stop for jaffa cakes....

I'll let you in to another piece of cycling 'witchcraft'.

If you ride 48 miles in one day, it could be as you did 3 x 16 or it could have been 2 x 24.

The witchcraft says :- If you ride for a length of time, say 60 minutes for the 16 miles, if you stop for 15 minutes ( 25% of the riding time ) you can consider your restart as a seperate ride.

The reasoning behind this is 'muscle cooling', heart rate recovery and blood oxygenation. It can also involve adrenaline secretion. Before you restart, do stretches and then warmup for a couple of minutes before you get back to normal speed and power.


How do you like the sound of my bottom ?

 

[arallsopp]

The witchcraft says :- If you ride for a length of time, say 60 minutes for the 16 miles, if you stop for 15 minutes ( 25% of the riding time ) you can consider your restart as a seperate ride.

I'd never heard that before. Makes sense. Wait a second.... A couple of the LEL days are going to count as a single ride?!!!?

 

[postman]

Rest stops which just happen to be near Cafes are a very big feature in my cycling.

50 miles on Satrurday.Leeds- Knaresbro' . Bit of breakfast.Knaresbro' to Spa Cycles in Harrogate,bit of shopping.
Harrogate -Knaresbro' another latte.

Knaresbro' back to home.Plenty of stops no problems.