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

[Supersuperleeds]

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 ??

You've just done a 50 miler, so there is no reason why you can't go further now, it's just a matter of the ride taking longer. When doing a long ride I wouldn't worry about chasing extra seconds, just take your time, enjoy it and before you know it you will be back on here telling us you have done your first 100 miler.

 

[Goonerobes]

It was a rather warm 70 miles for me today with plenty of & a slight westerly breeze. The plan was to pace myself a little better given the warm weather but that went slightly to pot when I was already over target after going up my biggest hill. (I know its not that hilly round here! )

http://www.strava.com/activities/164870071

 

[AndyWilliams]

70.2 miles, that's awesome. Well done.

 

[Stonechat]

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.

Yes I do hill repeats and do 2 x Tite Hill and 2 x Priest Hill before doing the rest of the ride
Tite Hill is the worst - get steeper near the top.
(There are worse ones of course but further away)

 

[AndyWilliams]

Yes I do hill repeats and do 2 x Titel Hill and 2 x Priest Hill before doing the rest of the ride
Tite Hill is the worst

Good work, I'm trying to see hills as a good thing. I wont avoid them but my asthma hates them haha
Ah yes, I know it but not ridden it. Maybe I will do this hill next time I am out that way.

 

[Biggler]

Glad to see Mo is recovering well

I went on a Velo29 arranged Sportive today and i must say it was run very well.

I chose to do the Short Challenge ride which was 38miles, 1700ft of climbing http://www.strava.com/activities/164846925

I feel knackered now but the worst feeling part of me is my forearms, really really sunny out there today. Don't forget sun protection like I did!

Lovely countryside

So hot even the sheep were hiding

 

[whoosh]

I consider myself a newbie - I started cycling August 2013 with a Boardman Hybrid, now just got a Planet X Pro Carbon, I did the Endeavour Sportive today too. Only the short one though but still had 1400ft of climb - 36 miles in 2hr:48 mins, avg 13 mph, there and back to start made it 42 miles, 3:09 avg 13.2mph. Now I have done over 2000 miles since 1st Aug 2013. I did most of the route yesterday to check that I could manage it. The only dodgy moment was at the bottom of the KIldale Killer Hill about a mile to the food stop - I nearly turned back as - - there was a big wet dirty puddle under the bridge and i was worried my new bike might get splashed and dirty!

 

[Biggler]

The only dodgy moment was at the bottom of the KIldale Killer Hill about a mile to the food stop - I nearly turned back as - - there was a big wet dirty puddle under the bridge and i was worried my new bike might get splashed and dirty!

I didn't like that decent, I felt it had lots of loose gravel for how steep and poor road it was, it was more like a farm track. Maybe I'm being a wuss though

I started off at a similar time to you, last August too I think and progressed from a hybrid to a road bike, only done (very nearly) 1000 miles since then though.

 

[Learnincurve]

I just checked the brake pads on the bike I rode in the woods yesterday. The rubber on the back ones especially is pretty much non-existent. Oops

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@Biggler at this point in the year, it should be impossible to get burnt on a bike you should already have your bas layer in place.
Thats the final straw, all the way back from Nottinghamshire ( about 25 miles) on 3 to 6 gears mainly around the the 15-19 range on the rear, I ground out the 100km in the end
@Mo1959 62 and a bit miles at a bit over 14mph plenty of stops and another shifter consigned to the bin. I really darn't look at the other stats yet

 

[Supersuperleeds]

@Biggler at this point in the year, it should be impossible to get burnt on a bike you should already have your bas layer in place.
Thats the final straw, all the way back from Nottinghamshire ( about 25 miles) on 3 to 6 gears mainly around the the 15-19 range on the rear, I ground out the 100km in the end
@Mo1959 62 and a bit miles at a bit over 14mph plenty of stops and another shifter consigned to the bin. I really darn't look at the other stats yet

I got burnt on back of my neck today despite having a great cycling tan already.

What happened with the bike?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I got burnt on back of my neck today despite having a great cycling tan already.

What happened with the bike?

Grow your hair then
Dont ask, as far as I can make out part of the casing has broken making it very difficult to go down a gear ( i.e. from 5-4 4-3 ect) I can just get it to change sometimes with a lot of playing about, down tube shifters would have been easier. So much for seeing what a double was like having dropped the 16th and putting a 32th on (13/14/15/17/19/21/24/28/32) on a 52/42/30 but never used the 30 till the shifter farked up, I So I guess I better get the 8sp shifters back out.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2990411

 

[welsh dragon]

Grow your hair then
Dont ask, as far as I can male out part of the casing has broken making it very difficult to go down a gear ( i.e. from 5-4 4-3 ect) I can just get it to change sometimes with a lot of playing about, down tube shifters would have been easier. So much for seeing what a double was like having dropped the 16th and putting a 32th on (13/14/15/17/19/21/24/28/32) on a 52/42/30 but never used the 30 till the shifter ****ed up, I So I guess I better get the 8sp shifters back out.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2990411

Sorry to hear about your problems nigel. Hope you get it sorted out soon.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@welsh dragon I really can't afford it any more, 705 was playing up, but i think thats a memory problem, had to reset it several times and really thankful for the R20 at least it recorded the rider with out hitch even though it show 700ft less elevation, not that it was hilly in anyway

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Grow your hair then
Dont ask, as far as I can male out part of the casing has broken making it very difficult to go down a gear ( i.e. from 5-4 4-3 ect) I can just get it to change sometimes with a lot of playing about, down tube shifters would have been easier. So much for seeing what a double was like having dropped the 16th and putting a 32th on (13/14/15/17/19/21/24/28/32) on a 52/42/30 but never used the 30 till the shifter ****ed up, I So I guess I better get the 8sp shifters back out.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2990411

You made good time considering the gearing problems