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

[Nigelnaturist]

Just my normal Windsor 30 mile loop yesterday morning. I think my knee is slowly getting better, you can see from my high cadence that Im not putting too much into the peddles. Nice weather yesterday - can tell its getting colder, but at least no rain. Tried my new yellow lenses out yesterday, glad I got them - I can now see & protect my eyes when its not so bright! Thats 4 weeks in a row now of that route & still improving my times. Think I will up my ride to 35 miles next weekend. Saw loads of cyclists & a couple of big groups about.

http://www.strava.com/activities/193741100

Thats waiting till I get back out.
@Nomadski glad to hear it wasn't to serious.
@RWright 105 kit is cheap here at he minute even pushing Tiagra down to just over £100 for a pair of shifters. I think they are due a facelift next year, so will they become 11sp or discreet cabling and the current 105 look, it would be a shame if they do to 11sp as it will sound the the death nail of the triple as any sort of main stream group set in 10sp.

 

[Stonechat]

Sorry to hear you were affected by the floods - hope you can move back soon. We only moved to Staines last year, Im slowly learning the roads & trying to find new routes all the time. Hopefully next year I will venture back down into the Surrey hills once my knee feels abit stronger!

Well you're doing well, could not do that route faster than abt 16.5 mph

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Had an interesting day. Popped round to help friends finish off building a bike for the young one in the group, a few dérailleur frustrations sorted, and cups of tea drunk we went on our way for an easy jaunt to help test the new bike.

All went well till heading back through Croydon, crossing the road and over some tram lines, when my front wheel latched inside the lines and threw me off. Hit the ground pretty hard and had some cuts and grazing on my knees and elbow (and later I found my hips), my bikes chain came off, the handlebar was pushed to one side, the brakes went askew and the left brake hood was bent inwards. All was sorted on the spot by my awesome company, had a nice couple stop to ask if I was ok where she commented the same thing happened to her a while back.

Went to East Croydon station to use the toilets, and they wouldn't let me in as the toilets were beyond the barriers, despite me stood there with bleeding knees and elbow.....

So the guys went into the local shop, got some wipes, the young lad in the group got me a bar of chocolate as he believed it makes everything better (awesome ) and headed back to get cleaned up properly.

I'm fine and will no doubt be riding in a week or so, but the next couple of days will probably be a bit sore. The bike has some new war marks,

Most importantly the sheer awesomeness of my riding company shone through, still had a cracking day.

Cheers @themosquitoking and friends.

http://app.strava.com/activities/193996063

Sorry to hear about your 'off' @Nomadski

Bit of an incomplete story though - what sort of chocolate was it?

 

[SpokeyDokey]

My ave for the year is 32 ft/mile, with largest ratio on one trip last month over 100

100'/mile is a lot.

 

[Stonechat]

Good ride this morning to Winkfield and Windsor, the Winkfield roads are often used for time trials, so when I saw a sign about a race, assumed that's what it was, but no car with flashing light passed followed by three riders, this proved to be the breakaway group, a minute or two later I was engulfed by the peloton, passing me on both sides, quite unnerving. Eventually a slight gap, and managed to get to the edge.

Still not sure what the race was
Anyway a good ride

Strava's playing silly b*ggers /on a go slow, the ride is on Garmin at
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/590132463

Edit The garmin connect to Strava not working so uploaded now
http://www.strava.com/activities/194348094
1129 feet of climbing

 

[Effyb4]

I had a really nice ride with a lady new to cycling today. I met her in Grays and then we had a gentle cycle around Thurrock. We had a stop at the Thameside nature park. I think we both really enjoyed it and will be doing it again soon.

http://www.strava.com/activities/194336384

 

[Nomadski]

Just my normal Windsor 30 mile loop yesterday morning. I think my knee is slowly getting better, you can see from my high cadence that Im not putting too much into the peddles. Nice weather yesterday - can tell its getting colder, but at least no rain. Tried my new yellow lenses out yesterday, glad I got them - I can now see & protect my eyes when its not so bright! Thats 4 weeks in a row now of that route & still improving my times. Think I will up my ride to 35 miles next weekend. Saw loads of cyclists & a couple of big groups about.

http://www.strava.com/activities/193741100

@Stonechat - Have been interested in heading Staines / Windsor way on a flattish route and would probably like to pretty much follow the route @Rustybucket did here, but have always had an issue finding a nice route from either Bushy Park itself or Richmond Park to roughly where Rustybucket started without riding down the A308 which seems like suicide with some of the roundabouts en route.

Any nice relatively quiet routes you know of, or indeed @Rustybucket?

I would probably split off on the return on Chertsey Road and head back via Weybridge and Walton on Thames along the RideLondon route so the return isn't a problem.

Suggestions welcome

Sorry to hear about your 'off' @Nomadski

Bit of an incomplete story though - what sort of chocolate was it?

Cheers, sorry for the crucial missing info, was a Dairy Milk with 50% free, though the 50% seems to have disappeared overnight from it. The wife is looking a little sheepish.

 

[moo]

Could only manage the 100 miles today - will need more training before I push on to >150 miles. That or I need some lessons in pacing. Pretty sure I went a bit too fast for my current ability on this one

http://www.strava.com/activities/194368948

The NE wind didn't help either.

 

[Nomadski]

I had a really nice ride with a lady new to cycling today. I met her in Grays and then we had a gentle cycle around Thurrock. We had a stop at the Thameside nature park. I think we both really enjoyed it and will be doing it again soon.

http://www.strava.com/activities/194336384

It's great fun riding with others, especially when they turn out to be of a similar ability and provide great company.

Could only manage the 100 miles today - will need more training before I push on to >150 miles. That or I need some lessons in pacing. Pretty sure I went a bit too fast for my current ability on this one

http://www.strava.com/activities/194368948

The NE wind didn't help either.

Epic tbh! 18mph average on open roads, with a fair amount of hill climbing, at that distance... blimey. Congrats.

 

[moo]

Epic tbh! 18mph average on open roads, with a fair amount of hill climbing, at that distance... blimey. Congrats.

Should probably have been closer to 16mph to get a longer distance out of my legs tho

 

[Stonechat]

@Nomadski Personally I mostly try to avoid Staines and Staines Bridge as the frequent stopping lowers the average speed
You have two choices,

1. Start off on the A308, turn left by the water works through Lower Sunbury, Shepperton and Chertsey. You can cross Chertsey Bridge with much good riding. See last Sunday's sportive for that park from Bushy to Chertsey http://www.strava.com/activities/191139685
2. The way I come to and from Bushy Park is leaving Bushy at Hampton Hill, take a back route through Hanworth, Feltham Hill and Ashford, and on to Staines if you want. If you head to Staines, turn left in Gresham Road just before the Railway bridge, and at the end turn right, misses much of the traffic. See this route to and from Richmond Park via Bushy http://www.strava.com/activities/190185911

Hope you'll be fighting fit again soon to tackle it

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Could only manage the 100 miles today - will need more training before I push on to >150 miles. That or I need some lessons in pacing. Pretty sure I went a bit too fast for my current ability on this one

http://www.strava.com/activities/194368948

The NE wind didn't help either.

Great pace that, I found the jump from 100 miles to 150 tougher than any other jump and I deliberately set off slow when I did mine.

 

[Stonechat]

Could only manage the 100 miles today - will need more training before I push on to >150 miles. That or I need some lessons in pacing. Pretty sure I went a bit too fast for my current ability on this one

http://www.strava.com/activities/194368948

The NE wind didn't help either.

I was please to do over 16 mph gfot my 40 miles today - and not pushing too hard but chapeau @moo for a great ride

 

[Nomadski]

@Nomadski Personally I mostly try to avoid Staines and Staines Bridge as the frequent stopping lowers the average speed
You have two choices,

1. Start off on the A308, turn left by the water works through Lower Sunbury, Shepperton and Chertsey. You can cross Chertsey Bridge with much good riding. See last Sunday's sportive for that park from Bushy to Chertsey http://www.strava.com/activities/191139685
2. The way I come to and from Bushy Park is leaving Bushy at Hampton Hill, take a back route through Hanworth, Feltham Hill and Ashford, and on to Staines if you want. If you head to Staines, turn left in Gresham Road just before the Railway bridge, and at the end turn right, misses much of the traffic. See this route to and from Richmond Park via Bushy http://www.strava.com/activities/190185911

Hope you'll be fighting fit again soon to tackle it

Thanks will have a look at the options there.

Its not so much Staines I want to head towards, but that kind of route towards Windsor.

I'm just looking at opening up some other routes, am a bit bored of the RideLondon route bar the hills. Am still enjoying heading southwards beyond Carsharlton to Box Hill, but need some variation.

 

[Rustybucket]

@Stonechat - Have been interested in heading Staines / Windsor way on a flattish route and would probably like to pretty much follow the route @Rustybucket did here, but have always had an issue finding a nice route from either Bushy Park itself or Richmond Park to roughly where Rustybucket started without riding down the A308 which seems like suicide with some of the roundabouts en route.

Any nice relatively quiet routes you know of, or indeed @Rustybucket?

I would probably split off on the return on Chertsey Road and head back via Weybridge and Walton on Thames along the RideLondon route so the return isn't a problem.

Suggestions welcome



Cheers, sorry for the crucial missing info, was a Dairy Milk with 50% free, though the 50% seems to have disappeared overnight from it. The wife is looking a little sheepish.

This is how I normally get to and from Richmond - not really too much bother - abit busy at Kingston but not too much to worry about.
http://www.strava.com/activities/113619272