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

[spooks]

Bloody wind! I'm exhausted. It was really strong this afternoon. Got run off the road into the dirt by a lorry too! Had a little bit of a fist shaking moment!!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Bloody wind! I'm exhausted. It was really strong this afternoon. Got run off the road into the dirt by a lorry too! Had a little bit of a fist shaking moment!!

Glad your ok.

 

[spooks]

The same idiot went by me twice, first on the way out when he was massively close but I stayed on the road and then an hour and a half later on the way back when he literally didnt bother pulling out AT ALL to go around me. It was a distinctive turquoise truck so I know it was the same one. Gave me the fright of my life!

 

[Mo1959]

Bloody wind! I'm exhausted. It was really strong this afternoon. Got run off the road into the dirt by a lorry too! Had a little bit of a fist shaking moment!!

.......and if you're anything like me, some very unlady like language too! My barometer has just shot back and more wet and windy weather is expected for tomorrow. Getting hair cut at 9.15 so if I do go out it will probably just be for an hour since I detest the wind too.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Did someone mention spring a few days ago.

 

[boybiker]

I managed today's commute with relative ease and a few PB's on the way home again. I'm hoping to do all 5 days this week, I'm thinking of getting rid of the car as I'm paying £500 a year insurance with 5 years NCB!! Or at least putting it off until the Winter sets in.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I used this mornings commute to attack a segment I was very low down on. Just checked Veloviewer and have moved from 149th to 24th on it.

Tonights ride home was suicidal, cross winds nearly got me a couple of times, good job I am carrying these extra pounds.

Anyway just shy of 54 miles today, got about 140km of the Strava Challenge to go, was hoping to do them by Friday, but if this wind doesn't die down I think it will have to wait until next week.

 

[RWright]

Love the story, particularly the Klingon death scream. That's a beautiful stretch of road. Are the roads around you asphalt as opposed to concrete? I always imagined cycling on concrete roads would be pretty unpleasant but I'm not sure how many roads in America are concrete. I know the main highways are but I'm not sure about the smaller roads. If all the roads around you are smooth asphalt I may have to emigrate!

We British love a good moan and to run ourselves down but unfortunately transport is one thing is a real problem here, just as it is in another small overpopulated countries. And that volume of traffic just destroys the roads. Some of the roads are so bad here that if I am on my hardtail I unlock the suspension, so you can imagine how bad it is on a road bike! It doesn't help that with the recession local councils have been afraid to put up council tax, mine hasn't gone up even 1% since 2008/9. So something had to be cut from the budget I guess.

Today is the windiest day since I started cycling. Even by 6pm the wind will still be 23mph. So may stay in this evening I think.

Most of the roads around here now are asphalt. My state, according to reports and from what I have observed in other states, does have nice roads. Some of the roads are still concrete with the seams, but most of them are being repaved with the smooth asphalt. We also still have some roads with potholes but those are mainly older ones that were poorly designed and constructed to begin with. The roads I dislike most are the country roads that they pour down the tar, spread gravel on them then run over it with a steam roller, I try to avoid them but once in a while I have to ride one for a few miles.

The area around the lake I am going to be riding more has the smooth nice asphalt. A lot of people are pulling boats to the boat ramps to go fishing and water skiing (not a good thing for cyclist IMO ) and the lake is owned by the US Army Corp of Engineers. It got some nice federal funding when it was designed and built and still even now for maintenance. It has been just a little out of my range to get to, ride around and come back home. It is about 10 miles for me to get there and it is about 16 miles long, there are not a lot of roads around it, so about any ride I would make around even some of it would be 40 miles plus. There are only one or two roads that actually cross over it with bridges. It is set up with camp grounds and a buffer zone all the way around it, no one can buy or build a house on it but there are several camp grounds all around it and even more man made beaches and boat ramps. All ran by the state.
Anyone can use it, camping is cheap, but you better book well in advance for major holidays during summer. There is a small fee to use the beaches but the boat ramps are free.(great entertainment to watch the inexperienced new boat owners try to back down and use the ramps during early part of the boating season ) .

I am pretty happy with the roads in my area, I think weather conditions here help them, but there are some that are still rough. Your roads may be rougher but we have basically zero mass transit. You can not catch a train from my town, you have to ride about 30 miles to get on one, then they only stop at big towns along the east coast of the US mostly. Many of the larger cities have buses but the majority of places here don't. You have to call a cab. We are still very reliant on the automobile in my area as in most parts of my state. They have been talking about a rail system around the central part of NC for YEARS. I think all the politicians have done is take the money to research doing it and stuff their friends pockets with it so they can tell them it is going to be very expensive to do it.

 

[Stevie Mcluskey]

Thats a year up since i returned to cycling after a good few years and additional stone lay off. Reasonably pleased and have been managing to stick with commuting thro' the winter (and enjoyed it). Lost around 25 lbs and according to my computer managed a total of 2991 miles in the year. Could probably have lost more weight but not really went mad with dieting etc. but defo feeling better for shedding what i have.
If i'd checked earlier i might have put in the effort last week to reach the 3000 mile mark for the year.
Only disappointment is mostly out on my own for some of the longer runs i done (best 41 miles) but a few 30s. Enjoying the runs into work but still struggling on the hills on way home.
Some really good stories from others on here that have returned to the fold and lost weight that helps motivate and encourage. Need to set some realistic goals for my 2nd year back and see where i get to and maybe a roadbike for my upcoming 50th bithday in June

 

[SWSteve]

Thats a year up since i returned to cycling after a good few years and additional stone lay off. Reasonably pleased and have been managing to stick with commuting thro' the winter (and enjoyed it). Lost around 25 lbs and according to my computer managed a total of 2991 miles in the year. Could probably have lost more weight but not really went mad with dieting etc. but defo feeling better for shedding what i have.
If i'd checked earlier i might have put in the effort last week to reach the 3000 mile mark for the year.
Only disappointment is mostly out on my own for some of the longer runs i done (best 41 miles) but a few 30s. Enjoying the runs into work but still struggling on the hills on way home.
Some really good stories from others on here that have returned to the fold and lost weight that helps motivate and encourage. Need to set some realistic goals for my 2nd year back and see where i get to and maybe a roadbike for my upcoming 50th bithday in June

You're doing great, and enjoying it is the most important thing otherwise you'll just throw the bike into a garage.

In terms of goals, do you want mileage or weight goals? Maybe try and shave 3 minutes off your homeward commute time home by the end of May and then another couple of months shave some more time off?

 

[Stevie Mcluskey]

You're doing great, and enjoying it is the most important thing otherwise you'll just throw the bike into a garage.

In terms of goals, do you want mileage or weight goals? Maybe try and shave 3 minutes off your homeward commute time home by the end of May and then another couple of months shave some more time off?

Priority was weight loss and a bit of fitness to start with but really enjoying the good weather days a lot and look forward to going out on bike again. Still a good bit over weight for height (or too small for weight) so going to try and eat a bit better if not less.
Have enjoyed my longer runs but as mentioned finding it all a bit solitary sometimes as no m8s that cycle other than a couple in my work that live miles away. Dont think i'd be too interested in a club for runs with a dictated pace but would be nice to have the odd bit of company.
I think my targets will be another 20-25 lbs and maybe try for at least 4000 miles. I dont bother too much with times as the way i view things just now time on the bike is better than vegitating on the couch.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Priority was weight loss and a bit of fitness to start with but really enjoying the good weather days a lot and look forward to going out on bike again. Still a good bit over weight for height (or too small for weight) so going to try and eat a bit better if not less.
Have enjoyed my longer runs but as mentioned finding it all a bit solitary sometimes as no m8s that cycle other than a couple in my work that live miles away. Dont think i'd be too interested in a club for runs with a dictated pace but would be nice to have the odd bit of company.
I think my targets will be another 20-25 lbs and maybe try for at least 4000 miles. I dont bother too much with times as the way i view things just now time on the bike is better than vegitating on the couch.

You could be typing my thoughts, but you are six/seven months ahead of me. I enjoy cycling on my own and much rather do 25 miles at a steady pace than say 10 at a cracking pace - not that I can do cracking pace mind.

 

[Sunny Portrush]

Hi all,

I bought a full suspension MTB from Edinburgh Co-op as they had £100 off it and it was cheaper than the hybrid I was looking at - it`s their entry level mtb so suits me - I use it on a variety of surfaces but the furthest i`ve gone on the road is 32 miles and it took me 2hrs 17 mins at 13.9mph.

However, I kept getting passed rather too easily by cyclist`s on racers so I`ve just bought a second-hand racer (a Viking Giro d`Italia). I`m itching to get out on it but it`s way too windy up here just now - would be fantastic speeds with the tail-wind but I doubt if I could even move into the head-wind. Also, have lost a stone but hoping to lose more before hitting the beaches in Spain in the summer

 

[SWSteve]

Priority was weight loss and a bit of fitness to start with but really enjoying the good weather days a lot and look forward to going out on bike again. Still a good bit over weight for height (or too small for weight) so going to try and eat a bit better if not less.
Have enjoyed my longer runs but as mentioned finding it all a bit solitary sometimes as no m8s that cycle other than a couple in my work that live miles away. Dont think i'd be too interested in a club for runs with a dictated pace but would be nice to have the odd bit of company.
I think my targets will be another 20-25 lbs and maybe try for at least 4000 miles. I dont bother too much with times as the way i view things just now time on the bike is better than vegitating on the couch.

I don't know about weight as I don't have a weight loss aim/target other than getting rid of thee moobs/handles...but why not try to have 1000 miles done by August. You need to do less than 3 miles a day as there's over 3 months. With it getting warmer you will hopefully do this with ease.

 

[themosquitoking]

I don't know about weight as I don't have a weight loss aim/target other than getting rid of thee moobs/handles...but why not try to have 1000 miles done by August. You need to do less than 3 miles a day as there's over 3 months. With it getting warmer you will hopefully do this with ease.

You make it sound very easy.