Smudgley
New Member
- Location
- Wall Heath. West Midlands.
jimboalee said:
& what kind of statement is that to a new cyclist / new member of the forum? (about the 50 mile ride?)
Shall we try 20 miles?
- Thread starter Smudgley
- Start date
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& what kind of statement is that to a new cyclist / new member of the forum? (about the 50 mile ride?)
Lazy-Commuter
New Member
- Location
- Bottom Right Corner
You'll get there, no worries. Right enough, you haven't done the distance over the terrain, but you have only been going a month. And you've got 11 months left .. don't think you'll embarass yourself.Smudgley said:Thanks everyone for your comments & helpful advice. As for the 50 mile post, yes I did put an angry emoticon there, that was intentional, I didn't know weather the " stop faffing about & do 50 miles" was a serious comment or not, but if it was then I was angry because that to me sounds like ridiculous advice to offer someone who up until 4 weeks ago hadn't sat on a bike for 20 years and is progressing at what they feel is a fantastic pace. Encouragment is what we need not stupid comments like that. We all got to start somewhere.
Lazy-Commuter, yes it's great isn't it, the problem is we can cover the distance, just not the same ground ie hills & mountains, but we'll get there.
We'll get some photos tomorrow & post.
I am Spartacus
Über Member
- Location
- N Staffs
It's 'family life' all sweetness and light.... yeah right...
but some slack should be cut within 'Beginners'
but some slack should be cut within 'Beginners'
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
Fab Foodie said:
With regard to different terrain:
I do most of my riding in the Vale of York, which is pretty flat. Once or twice a year I go to Northumberland (mostly hilly) for a weekend with friends (just back from there now). Every time I struggle on the first day, because there are hills, but then I get back into it. Hills slow you down, but with the right gear technique, a little bit of determination and the odd walking spell, you conquer them.
A couple of friends said they could tell I'd been cycling more this summer, and was faster uphill. All I've done is get out more regularly over longer distances - so that's the way to do it.
paraffinlamps
Veteran
- Location
- Dudley ,West Mids
Probably too late now but ,I jumped from 10 to 20 about 2 months ago .I didn`t find it difficult aerobically as I`ve been running for 5 years ,however I did have a few aches the next day and the advice on padded shorts is good ,makes a world of difference .
I ride a Raleigh Discovery with trail type tyres ,just about to start building a new road bike now I have all the bits .Will be interesting to see how much quicker it is .I average 15 mph over 20 miles on the Discovery .
Sounds like you are enjoying it Smudgley which is probably the best thing .
I ride a Raleigh Discovery with trail type tyres ,just about to start building a new road bike now I have all the bits .Will be interesting to see how much quicker it is .I average 15 mph over 20 miles on the Discovery .
Sounds like you are enjoying it Smudgley which is probably the best thing .
Smudgley
New Member
- Location
- Wall Heath. West Midlands.
We did do 20 miles, average speed was pretty low but we did do a bit of riding in a forest area, so were going at snails pace in there. (Went over the Millions PL you may know it) It was a tough ride and very hilly which was not such a good idea. Husband coped fine. I did a bit of moaning along the way, but generally had a great time, enjoyed the woods part of the ride and felt a great buzz of acheievement when I got home.
I always find part of the fun is looking at maps and finding interesting new places to go and routes to explore ...
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
Smudgley said:
Wow, well done!
To jump up to 20 when it's hilly, and some of it rougher stuff, that's great. My increases are all on flat tarmac!So. Do that again, and then think about 30....
And don't worry about speed too much - that'll increase naturally. The main thing is to be able to do the ride you want in the time available.
Smudgley
New Member
- Location
- Wall Heath. West Midlands.
Telemark said:Excellent - glad you enjoyed yourselves! Any photos?
Now what's next?
T
We did take some photos, I'll try & load them & post tomorrow. We didn't really plan a route, thinking about it, we should of done, but instead we just set off and went wherever we felt like, problem was it was too hilly
Smudgley
New Member
- Location
- Wall Heath. West Midlands.
Arch said:Wow, well done!To jump up to 20 when it's hilly, and some of it rougher stuff, that's great. My increases are all on flat tarmac!
So. Do that again, and then think about 30....
And don't worry about speed too much - that'll increase naturally. The main thing is to be able to do the ride you want in the time available.
It was tough. I think I'd been thinking so much about going on this big ride, that's all I kept focusing on was "20 miles"... not let's just go out and enjoy a nice ride, after a couple of miles I was thinking 18 to go and I have never done that before, but usually I just go wherever I fancy and don't focus too much on the distance. The hills weren't really intentional, we were just riding around the countryside, but they made it a tough ride. 30 is a long way off.
I'm going to do a couple of 15's I think then go for another 20.
HJ
Cycling in Scotland
- Location
- Auld Reekie
Just enjoy
BTW.
Traditionally, bicycle rides progress from a 'ten miler' to a '25', to a '50', to a 'ton' ( or 'Century' ) and then a 'Double century'.
Or in the metric, 10k, 25k, 50k, 100k and then a Rando ( 200k or more ).
May I suggest you pick out a small village about 12 miles from home. ( the road distance will take the whole ride beyond 25 miles ).
Draw a circle on the map and play 'Clock', riding rtn trips to the villages on the circle.
A toughie will be Bewdley via Habberley Road.
Traditionally, bicycle rides progress from a 'ten miler' to a '25', to a '50', to a 'ton' ( or 'Century' ) and then a 'Double century'.
Or in the metric, 10k, 25k, 50k, 100k and then a Rando ( 200k or more ).
May I suggest you pick out a small village about 12 miles from home. ( the road distance will take the whole ride beyond 25 miles ).
Draw a circle on the map and play 'Clock', riding rtn trips to the villages on the circle.
A toughie will be Bewdley via Habberley Road.
ComedyPilot
Secret Lemonade Drinker
- Location
- The Kingdom of Yorkshire
Traditional bike rides mean nothing to a self-confessed newbie.
Just get out and ride.
If you have a cafe you like, ride to it. If there's a garden centre you like, ride to it. If you like feeding ducks on a pond, ride to it.
I find just crunching the miles with no 'focus' makes it boring very quickly. Even on training rides and touring my rides have a purpose other than the distance.
Just get out and ride.
If you have a cafe you like, ride to it. If there's a garden centre you like, ride to it. If you like feeding ducks on a pond, ride to it.
I find just crunching the miles with no 'focus' makes it boring very quickly. Even on training rides and touring my rides have a purpose other than the distance.
Smudgley
New Member
- Location
- Wall Heath. West Midlands.
ComedyPilot said:
that's excellent advice, I will take that on board & next time, we will have a location to ride to. I'm sure it will make it more enjoyable. thanks.
ComedyPilot said:
When the activity at the 'turn point' becomes the object of the ride, the ride itself becomes a 'commute' or transport as 'a means to an end'.
A cyclist either rides a bike for the enjoyment of pushing pedals with the legs - adrenaline rush, ( and/or outwitting motorists ), or uses the bike for transportation to another place.
If it's the latter, the self gratification is knowing Hydrocarbons haven't been burned in the process. With no enjoyment of the actual muscular effort, the use of a bicycle will soon be replaced by some other vehicle where muscular effort is less.
