Show us your.......newbie progress! [4 Sep 2012 - 4 Oct 2014]

[Typhon]

I've noticed that a lot of the threads in this 'beginners' section are from people who can do 50 miles easily or average 20mph over long distances. Which is a bit like those people who turn up for a beginners language course claiming not to know a word when in fact they own a property in the country in question, spend several weeks there a year and are semi-fluent. It is a bit disheartening for genuine completely unfit newbies like myself!

So I thought it would be nice for us complete noobs to have a thread where we can be brutally honest about our pitiful distances and average speeds and support each other to get fitter.

I'll get the ball rolling. I started off a month ago today doing 3 miles on a flat road twice a day at 8mph average. Now I am doing 20 miles a day (a hilly route in one go without stopping) and my average today was 11.6mph. I also have a shorter route of 4 miles which I do in an average of 14.0 mph.

So far I have also lost 5lbs of the approximately 30lbs I need to lose to get down to my ideal weight.

Pretty shameful really compared to a lot of the guys on here but I think I have made good progress in a month and I will get there eventually. Now let's see your newbie progress!

 

[Peter Armstrong]

This was my first ride a month ago http://app.strava.com/rides/14771205 15 miles average 14.5mph
This was my last ride at weekend http://app.strava.com/rides/20570242 54 miles average 14.5mph

 

[Gaz Vickers]

This is my 2nd ever ride.....
http://app.strava.com/rides/20696621
I think i could of continued a mile or 2 further

 

[BrianEvesham]

I restarted about the same time as Typhoon doing circuits of my estate with my son, we progressed quicky to an 8 mile Cicuit which was taken quite slowly with Max the pacemaker, distance and Fun being the driving force more than average speed and time taken.
But today I did 10 miles in 55 mins very pleased with myself as I know I have plenty more to give as it didn't hurt too much post ride.

I am down a few pounds to 19 1/2 stone.

 

[Pauluk]

Well my commute, on my heavy hybrid, is 17.1 miles round trip which I've been doing since April. My journey time and average speed hasn't changed very much.11.7 mph.

60 per cent of my commute is on a lovely river tow path that takes in 3 parks so I probably wouldn't expect my time and speed to alter that much. I have noticed that I now climb my 3 inclines on the way home at around 15 mph rather than my original 11mph and my filtering has got much better.

I don't really give a toss about my speed. If I did I would just use my car or buy a motorbike.

I love my commute and going out at the weekends with my much better other half

 

[Nigelnaturist]

This is my 2nd ever ride.....
http://app.strava.com/rides/20696621
I think i could of continued a mile or 2 further

A bit like my first ride in June,8.53m @ 9.3mph avg.
This was Sundays ride.
http://app.strava.com/activities/20616606, was a little quicker than the time shown, and did stop for a while about the 25m point.
This i think is my best non stop ride.
http://app.strava.com/activities/20080065

Great thread by the way.

 

[trampyjoe]

Got my hybrid just under a year ago now, about 8 months after quitting a 20 a day habit. The second day I had it I took it for a jaunt up the road, 2 miles total at around 6mph. I then laid down in a dark room for a few hours to recover. Commuted to uni over the winter then the bike got forgotten whilst I got on with being a dad. Now little one has a trailer and I'm often out on 15 mile rides (average 7mph with the trailer, but we have fun and that's what counts).
I popped out the other day for a quick blast around the block, got back just over an hour later having done 15 miles at an average speed of 11.8mph and I felt like I could carry on for another hour or two.

 

[Mo1959]

I started about three or four weeks ago determined to maintain some consistency as any previous cycling attempts had been pretty short lived so never got any fitter and always found it hard. So, this time, been out four or five times a week. First ride I stupidly left the town and went out a road that climbed from the start and had to turn back after a couple of miles a bit disheartened. Second ride went a different route which was initially good but has a little steep hill after around five miles. I had to stop just before the top and felt sick!

Since then, the last few rides have felt progressively better. That same hill I no longer use the granny gear and get up without nearly collapsing at the top. Yesterday, I almost went 20 miles and found a lovely little road that I hadn't been on before. Climbed a bit but was rewarded with the early morning sun coming up over the Strathearn valley. At that point while cycling along, I said to myself, this is what it's all about and I am going to keep this up.

http://app.strava.com/rides/20670303

I still go out really early in the morning as I like the peace and quiet and lack of traffic but I think perhaps when I feel more confident of my fitness and can keep up a better average speed, I will maybe try different times of the day too. Just sad that the days are starting to get a bit shorter now.

 

[Lee_M]

started again 6 weeks ago followinga 4 year hiatus due to back surgery and putting on a stone

first ride 35 miles - nearly died
second ride 35 miles - not quite as bad
third ride 44 miles - defintely died - took me 3 days of work to recover
4,5,6 rides 20 miles each
7th,8th rides - first commutes to work - 8 miles each way except when i got lot on friday - 13 miles to get home
9th ride 33 miles - it still hurts!

now planning my first ride with a cycling club on sunday!

 

[Sandra6]

Technically I'm not a newbie to riding as I've been going out regularly for a year now, but I only got a "proper" bike at Easter time and have just got a bit more serious about it.
So a year ago I was a stone heavier and it took me an hour to do 8 miles on a flat cycle path along the river.
Now I average 10-12mph and can comfortably do 20 miles without a break. I have done 27ish miles in one go but I complained alot for the last 7!
I actually got up a hill today standing in a normal gear, doing 12mph but to be fair it wasn't much of a hill. lol.

 

[Crosstrailer]

I decided a month and a half ago to join my local gym as they had a half price deal on for 3 months. Basically I had played a sport to national level for many years,retired and got into coaching but put on a ton of weight as I was no longer doing any exercise. A couple of weeks back my brother bought a 2013 Specialized Hardrock which I thought was pretty darn cool and encouraged me to drag my old British Eagle MTB (affectionately known as the Iron Eagle ) out of the shed and use it to go to the gym instead of being lazy and driving.

I then managed to get hold of a 2012 Specialized Crosstrail Comp which I love to bits and I now ride for fun as on the Spesh as well as going to the gym on the Iron Eagle. Istarted out riding around 6 miles at 9mph pace (including some XC) but today I have managed 23.5 miles at 12mph pace so I am a very happy bunny indeed. I felt I could have gone to 30 miles but my quads are now killing me LOL

Combination of gym and cycling has seen me lose 15lbs in a month and a half.

I absolutely love cycling and have been bitten really hard by the bug - my aim is to shed enough weight to get a road bike and be TTing within the year. You have to have goals don't you !!!!

 

[jagx400]

I started in March weighing in at 18st 6lb. I cycled the 2.5 miles to work and nearly died, but kept at it. I now weigh 15st 7lb can do 50 miles easily at an average of 16.5 mph solo.
My commute is now 10 miles each way as I now go the 'long way' to work and back, sometimes further. Cycling to Skeggy in October, 104 miles. Certainly changed my life, am healthier and feel so much better.

 

[flatflr]

I got my first bike for about 23 year a couple of weeks ago (a 2nd hand Specialized Hardrock). Have tried to keep fairly fit (40 years old, 75kg and could run 2 miles at a 5 mph pace but no futher, but a smoker), but wanted to get fitter.

All rides are along a local tow path and a little road:
1st ride was 4.7 miles (numb bum)
2nd 7.2 miles (padded shorts are great)
3nd 8.7 miles (hate hills)
1 week holiday
This evening it was a 8.7 miles ride (loving it)

Not sure about speeds but the last three have taken about an hour and feeling better and better after each

 

[Typhon]

Great thread by the way.

Thanks! It's really great to read everyone else's stories.

I feel a lot better now that I am not alone in just being able to do a handful of miles at walking pace when I first started! The progress everyone in this thread is fantastic and very inspiring. It shows what can be done if we all stick at it.

I did my normal 20 mile route today at a new PB average of 12.1mph. I can tell I am getting fitter because when I first did it I just free-wheeled down the numerous downhill bits, now I can actually pedal on those a bit too!

 

[dharma66]

My first few rides about a month ago were 1.5 miles. Down hill for half, then uphill back. Not that any regular cyclist would call it a hill. About 2% with a couple of short stretches of 3.5%, but those first few times covering the .75 mile uphill were a grind in the lowest possible gear, with people walking past me!

Now I sail up in the middlest gear without breaking a sweat.