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

[welsh dragon]

More moderate temp here

You're lucky.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

No riding today as I was involved in lots of other stuff ie dossing on the sofa reading my Kindle etc. It's a hard life!

Went to Evans and purchased some Endura Bibs - trying them on in the little cubicle with the big mirror I marveled at Lycra's amazing ability to constrain blubber.

They feel comfy though and the padding feels fine without being overkill and best of all they have a pocket on the back that just about holds a smartphone.

Will have a proper 'go' in them on Sunday as tomorrow I am heading off up into the mountains - my first hike/scramble this year due to my illness so it'll be interesting to see how I do.

 

[moo]

4 miles @ 22.3mph, stopping at a set of lights and slowing down at others. Granted, it's completely flat . I'm quite chuffed considering I was a couch potato 6 months ago.

http://www.strava.com/activities/164639348/overview

 

[AndyWilliams]

Only been riding the road bike 3 weeks so a beginner at that, pretty much used to MTB on slow rides on canal but can clock up 20 miles over 5hrs.
These are the 3 rides I have done so far on the Trek Alpha Series 1000.

 

[Stonechat]

Only been riding the road bike 3 weeks so a beginner at that, pretty much used to MTB on slow rides on canal but can clock up 20 miles over 5hrs.
These are the 3 rides I have done so far on the Trek Alpha Series 1000.

Hi Andy and Welcome to Cyclechat
Nice to see someone fairly local to me (I normally live at Staines, vurrently flooded out and living at Ashford, Mdx).
You seem to be doing well

 

[inkd]

Since I started cycling 18 months ago I would say 90% was commuting 20mile round trip, the odd 15-20 mile ride on my day off. Got my road bike 6 months ago and nothing changed up until a month ago when I got the Strava app on my phone. Since then I have more than doubled my average mileage and am now chasing the extra seconds for better times, I have pushed on to do longer rides and yesterday done my longest to date http://www.strava.com/activities/164442194
Are there any suggestions on how to train for longer rides or is it a case of pushing yourself for the extra mile or 2 ??

 

[Goonerobes]

Well done @inkd, keep putting in the miles & slowly increase your distance. Oh, & you'll have to start climbing those huge New Forest hills soon!

 

[Harv]

Lost my gps file for the ride I did last night. Bit gutted as I really pushed myself and I'm sure I got some segment PR's.

Think I'll put the iPhone and watch on in the future. That way if one fails I can use the other.

 

[Trevor_P]

@inkd The advice to increase slowly is probably correct. However, I started riding at the Age of 52 back in April, when 6 miles was a very big effort. I generally go for my longer distances at the weekend, and just ramped it up quickly. 15,30,45,50,63. For me 45 miles was the difficult barrier. If I don't eat and drink properly the night before and during the ride, then any further becomes a problem. I've done 102km as the furthest so far, but tomorrow I'm attempting to ramp it up again to 160+ km, going against the sensible advice given here. It'll probably be OK because I started out relatively unfit, and am still making gains quickly. Plus getting plenty of rest between rides.

Pacing seems to be crucial too. It takes me about 20 miles to get into the groove. Between 20 and 40 miles it is easy to overdo the effort, leaving little in the tank to go much further. The best gadget I've invested in is the Garmin edge 810. The heart rate monitor combined with cadence sensor allow me to better gauge my efforts, particularly when it comes to hill climbing.

 

[inkd]

I thought I would have a problem with carrying enough fluids but still had some left at the end. I took 2 750 bottles, 1 energy gel and 1 energy bar. My last few miles was a struggle, I dont ache at all where I thought I would but have a sore right elbow? I am going to invest in either a new set of mitts or a set of Fizik bar gel pads. I got back yesterday and my wrists were a little sore, My Spesh BG gel mitts are 18 months old and still good but starting to go flat on some padded areas. New mitts or that gel padding for the bars??

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Lost my gps file for the ride I did last night. Bit gutted as I really pushed myself and I'm sure I got some segment PR's.

Think I'll put the iPhone and watch on in the future. That way if one fails I can use the other.

This is what I do, though both are dedicated bike gps units, I had the same problem last night the edge 705 just stopped recording the gps track, though it recorded time and distance due to the sp/cad sensor.

@AndyWilliams there are better threads for training, but basically just ride, some days everything will work right some its a battle, distance wise dont ever do what you know you can't (even though the last 10-20% is not nice, this is what helps you improve), as @Trevor_P says fuel becomes an issue after about 30-40 miles. I can do that on a 500ml bottle of water (depending on conditions) but i always have a couple of flapjacks ect.... if needed, beyond 40 miles I will eat mid ride.

 

[Goonerobes]

I thought I would have a problem with carrying enough fluids but still had some left at the end. I took 2 750 bottles, 1 energy gel and 1 energy bar. My last few miles was a struggle, I dont ache at all where I thought I would but have a sore right elbow? I am going to invest in either a new set of mitts or a set of Fizik bar gel pads. I got back yesterday and my wrists were a little sore, My Spesh BG gel mitts are 18 months old and still good but starting to go flat on some padded areas. New mitts or that gel padding for the bars??

It would be new mits for me but that's because I spend 90% of the time on the hoods & rarely touch the bars.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

http://www.strava.com/activities/164442194
Are there any suggestions on how to train for longer rides or is it a case of pushing yourself for the extra mile ??

That was one of the times to push yourself the extra mile.

 

[Trevor_P]

I thought I would have a problem with carrying enough fluids but still had some left at the end. I took 2 750 bottles, 1 energy gel and 1 energy bar. My last few miles was a struggle, I dont ache at all where I thought I would but have a sore right elbow? I am going to invest in either a new set of mitts or a set of Fizik bar gel pads. I got back yesterday and my wrists were a little sore, My Spesh BG gel mitts are 18 months old and still good but starting to go flat on some padded areas. New mitts or that gel padding for the bars??

When I had wrist problems at the start, it was mostly due to over reaching for the bars and putting extra weight on the wrists. Fitting a much shorter stem helped me a lot, but then my bike is a little too big anyway. I tried specialized BG gel gloves but found them really uncomfortable on the hoods. I've ended up with some Bontrager gel gloves from the LBS which seem to be much better, for me at least. I too suffer with the right elbow. It's more the top of the forearm, and to a lesser extent the left as well. I put that down to holding on too tight when descending, as I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to that. LOL. It's slowly getting better, but very slowly.

 

[AndyWilliams]

Hi Andy and Welcome to Cyclechat
Nice to see someone fairly local to me (I normally live at Staines, vurrently flooded out and living at Ashford, Mdx).
You seem to be doing well

Hi and thanks. I have a mate who cycles to Staines a fair bit from Slough, via Datchet/Old Windsor, its quite a nice ride but I like to go different places.
I managed Priest Hill in Old Windsor/Englefield Green for the first time the other day. That was a challenge haha, try it if you haven't, well worth the push and pain.