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

[Stonechat]

I find it fascinating the changes one goes through in improving ones riding ability
Some time back I was reaching 16-16.5 mph on ride, but I think I sacrificed this in order to build up stamina for longer rides.
I have now undoubtedly got more capacity for longer rides / more climbing.
I can still ride as fast though it seems harder to do so

@Mo1959 Do get better, and get back on the bike (when you can) before making any decisions
Part of the recovery is to overcome any apprehension you have. You can use your experience to make yourself a safer rider

 

[GreigM]

Hope the op goes well @Mo1959 and I really hope you don't give up on cycling.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I have flag a couple due to incorrect elevation and a couple of suspect times, but its only if something jumps out at me, like a cat4 up a slip road all of 1/10 of a mile and x000 feet. (I-phone/smart phone users)

@SatNavSaysStraightOn I wont mention using the A1 just prior to it becoming the A1(M) heading south to Doncaster on a busy Sunday afternoon last July.

Yep, I have a similar "badge"... I have also cycled the A1, down out of Scotland and into England for quite some distance. And I used to cycle the A3 where I lived. I have also cycled several autobahns in 4 countries I think now!

My old commute used to also take me across the A3 where the 95% of the traffic coming over the bridge was basically turning onto the A3 in 2 lanes and I was coming out of a small country B road. Rush hour was a nightmare and the only way of doing it was to shadow a car turning right, sit using them as a shield forcing the A3 traffic to undertake you and then after the A3 turn but before the bridge drop back to allow the car driver to 'find' you and get in front ready for the bridge when no-one could overtake you because the road designers had forced 3 lanes onto a 2 lane bridge. Hated that junction, it was horrible and seriously dangerous. Wasn't any better on the other side where the next lot of traffic was coming off the A3... if you didn't have a car behind you, you stood a pretty good chance of not making it across the junction! Out of rush hour, it was fine though - just a shame I never did it at anything other than rush hour! This junction...looks fine on the google image though! the only safe place for a cyclist trying to get over the bridge was in the chevronned area. Luckily the regulars learnt my move and knew what to expect!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Just back from visiting the orthopaedic surgeon at Ninewells Hospital and have agreed to go ahead with an op on my collar bone on Wednesday afternoon providing there are no medical emergencies that take precedence. Hope not as I have struggled as it is to psyche myself up for this. It is a 2 hour op with the prospect of 2 to 3 days in hospital in quite a bit of pain but if it means the bone can be plated into a position resembling what it should look like rather than an L shape with a piece nearly poking through my skin here's hoping it is worth it. He said 6 - 8 weeks in a sling with some physiotherapy. Could maybe be back on the bike in 3 months. Seems like a long way away, and not even sure at this stage that I even want to cycle again. If I do, it will be much more sedately. Might even cancel my Strava as my competitive personality makes it so hard to resist challenges, segments, etc!

Mo. hope the op goes okay.

Don't make any decisions re cycling just yet, let your body heal first. It will be a great shame if you do stop as you were certainly one of my greatest motivators when I first appeared on here.

 

[Learnincurve]

Not a great fan of Strava segments on shared paths. On a shared path we should be going along at nice steady pace to allow the environment to be 'shared' with walkers, dog owners, fishermen etc, but if you make it a Strava Segment there will always be people trying to achieve KOM. So, yes you can ride there, but please be considerate and don't race.

YMMV

Actually on a couple of these bits it shows you who is a liar and fiddling or not. An average of 21mph for 6 miles on gravel segments with lots of walkers, fishermen, other bikers, potholes, bike slowing gate things and a large body of water on one side? Oh really? Unless the path was shut down for some sort of TT one time and this is where the stats came from I believe the phrase is "Chinny rekon"

I've been up and down pre-strava as well and my current aim is a 10mph average, I've worked it out that with the slowing and the stopping and the giving way I need to be riding at 12-13mph, I'm at 9mph so it's possible. Should be noted that my hybrid gets turned into a bit of a tourer when I'm on the path, clearly slower but I have a bag full of drinks and snacks which is nice.

 

[Harv]

Best of luck with the op Mo!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Actually on a couple of these bits it shows you who is a liar and fiddling or not. An average of 21mph for 6 miles on gravel segments with lots of walkers, fishermen, other bikers, potholes, bike slowing gate things and a large body of water on one side? Oh really? Unless the path was shut down for some sort of TT one time and this is where the stats came from I believe the phrase is "Chinny rekon"

I've been up and down pre-strava as well and my current aim is a 10mph average, I've worked it out that with the slowing and the stopping and the giving way I need to be riding at 12-13mph, I'm at 9mph so it's possible. Should be noted that my hybrid gets turned into a bit of a tourer when I'm on the path, clearly slower but I have a bag full of drinks and snacks which is nice.

My road bike sports panniers some times. Short segments can be a bit erratic in times as sometimes they are not long enough for accurate time stamps, longer ones should be more accurate, so what do you suppose went down it at 21mph or that you see is wrong. post the segment I will have a look

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Today I saw a police officer on a bike mount and ride a pavement, I have to assume he got a call and was avoiding the waiting traffic, but if he hadn't where does this now leave what we are trying to teach others, and I am not talking cycle paths top of this segment, . http://app.strava.com/activities/160015155/segments/3709892921
sorry its a bit further along at the cross roads

 

[stevey]

@Mo1959 Hope all goes well on Wednesday just get better then think about the bike.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Just back from visiting the orthopaedic surgeon at Ninewells Hospital and have agreed to go ahead with an op on my collar bone on Wednesday afternoon providing there are no medical emergencies that take precedence. Hope not as I have struggled as it is to psyche myself up for this. It is a 2 hour op with the prospect of 2 to 3 days in hospital in quite a bit of pain but if it means the bone can be plated into a position resembling what it should look like rather than an L shape with a piece nearly poking through my skin here's hoping it is worth it. He said 6 - 8 weeks in a sling with some physiotherapy. Could maybe be back on the bike in 3 months. Seems like a long way away, and not even sure at this stage that I even want to cycle again. If I do, it will be much more sedately. Might even cancel my Strava as my competitive personality makes it so hard to resist challenges, segments, etc!

Good luck.

Three months will whizz by!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

This hurt but cut the time by 15's over 1.7 miles and 96ft 56.5ft/mile avg cad was 95rpm.
http://app.strava.com/activities/160015155/segments/3709893024

 

[Learnincurve]

My road bike sports panniers some times. Short segments can be a bit erratic in times as sometimes they are not long enough for accurate time stamps, longer ones should be more accurate, so what do you suppose went down it at 21mph or that you see is wrong. post the segment I will have a look

The lack of being able to show you is annoying. This part is not fiddled in any way, it's one of the ways you can go during the gap in the canal and is Pennine way/bridle path on a old railway track it's the width of a proper road and has the same surface. http://www.strava.com/segments/5211771?filter=overall
This is the segment with all the slowing down stuff in the way I did see 21mph averages before it was flagged http://www.strava.com/segments/901817 I don't think people are racing, I think people are turning on the strava app while on the boats.
The problem for me at least isn't the loss of KOMs or trophies, it's the fact that this is seemingly the only route on the planet that does not have doubled up segments, one good one was created, everyone stuck to it, one bad egg nuked it and I lost my average speed stat for that entire segment.

It may seem like such a tiny thing to get so wound up about and yet I really am. If I'd known it had been nuked I would have done a separate strava count for that exact bit. See, I know how long it always takes me to walk to the school gates from the start point (worst case scenario is I end up wiped out and unable to get up the hills home on the bike) and the end of it is where things split and I have 3 separate ways I can go or I can turn round and go back. Knowing my average speed for that bit genuinely helps because I then know how long I can keep going on for before I have to go back to the school run, of course I can now look at the stats for the whole and separate that bit, but it just seems so mean to have flagged it, which is why my back is so up.

 

[morrisman]

<snip>This is the segment with all the slowing down stuff in the way I did see 21mph averages before it was flagged I don't think people are racing, I think people are turning on the strava app while on the boats.</snip>

People on boats are restricted to 4 mph.

 

[edindave]

Hope your operation goes well @Mo1959.

Just look after yourself and follow the doctor and physio's advice. It's just a temporary setback - you'll be back stronger and well rested before long

 

[Learnincurve]

People on boats are restricted to 4 mph.

The boat I saw today was absolutely not doing 4 mph, it was doing at least 8mph and if there is a limit then they should have known better, I won't name it but it's one of the slow ones that go "digger digger digger" and was leaving a wake.