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

[SpokeyDokey]

I did the following ride on Saturday.

http://app.strava.com/activities/59245473

There has been something going around at work so I thought I would go out on Saturday instead of Sunday as I thought I was coming down with it. Saturday morning I felt fine but after about 20 or 30 km that changed in that everything was hard work.

The cat 4 climb, I didn't know it was cat 4 until I uploaded the ride, was fun I had run out of gears before half way and then on the steepest part I had people cycling the other way saying hello and by the time I had said the same while huffing and puffing they were a few miles down the road. Also, I had a car behind me so I couldn't stop and then I looked down at my Garmin and it said 14% I wasn't going to give up and I made it in the end all while sitting down. The KOM (which includes a downhill section first) is 4:20. I did it in 10:56

Also brought some clip less pedals yesterday so let the fun begin

Did you get your gears sorted?

 

[SWSteve]

I am being very thick. but how do you get the box of someone else Post in your Post ?
100km feels so far off for me. extremely impressed with your guys distances .

If anyone didn't feel that they're a liar

 

[SWSteve]

Well after only having had my bike for ten days now I have started to introduce the dreaded hills into my routes. I have just come back from a ride on which I attempted to cycle up crag vale. To some of you that don't know it is supposedly the longest continues climb in England being some 5 or so miles of gradient. Well I am happy to say I covered 4 of those miles without stopping. That may not seem like a great feat to sum of you but to me its huge.
2 months ago if someone was to say that's what I would achieve I would have laughed. When I climbed off my steed at the top I thought my thighs were going to burst through my shorts they felt that huge.
I carried on back down into mytholmroyd via a different route clocking up 11.5 miles in total.
Well pleased. Did record it on strava but don't know how to transfer the link to here.

That's a great achievement, bask in your glory

 

[SWSteve]

Cycling home from work, clipless moment when crossing road on the cyclepath. Unclipped left foot...fell to my right onto a bollard.

http://app.strava.com/activities/59513397

Went a bit slow as felt a twinge in my leg. Still managed a good Average speed comapred to when I got the bike 3 1/2 months ago

 

[SWSteve]

Not any more it's not, quick go do another ride

It is..just

 

[Mo1959]

Cycling home from work, clipless moment when crossing road on the cyclepath. Unclipped left foot...fell to my right onto a bollard.

http://app.strava.com/activities/59513397

Went a bit slow as felt a twinge in my leg. Still managed a good Average speed comapred to when I got the bike 3 1/2 months ago

Oops, hopefully just your pride hurt and leg is not damaged.

Great to see everyone's averages creeping up just now.

 

[SWSteve]

Oops, hopefully just your pride hurt and leg is not damaged.

Great to see everyone's averages creeping up just now.

I think it's just over use. I looked at yesterdays total and it was above 60 miles, I may be taking the next two days off anyway Tuesday I'm at a gig and Wednesday I don't want it to flare up badly and ruin me for Squash on Thursday (I could win my first ever game)

 

[Mo1959]

I think it's just over use. I looked at yesterdays total and it was above 60 miles, I may be taking the next two days off anyway Tuesday I'm at a gig and Wednesday I don't want it to flare up badly and ruin me for Squash on Thursday (I could win my first ever game)

Sounds sensible. It's all about getting a good balance I think. No point in slogging away day after day if it's going to cause any damage. Hope you win

 

[AndyPeace]

Today is a new beginning, looking forward to start a structured kind of training based on time and HR zones rather than distance and speed. It was a lesson I learned the hard way, first cycling experience I did not enjoy at all, despite the support and kindness of the group members. But I'm glad I did it, at least I have a personal benchmark to refer to.

Quite a few resources on the net regarding HR zone based training for cycling but was wondering if any of you followed such programs aimed at beginners and if there are any reads you would recommend.

I'm planning on using one of the British Cycling training schedules (from their member's forum)They look easy enough to follow for a beginner like me. My biggest woe is finding the time to have 2 rest days a week...as I work 6 days, commuting in by bike and don't want to give up Sunday rides! It's why I'm trying to make my commutes as low effort as possible!

 

[Mo1959]

I'm planning on using one of the British Cycling training schedules (from their member's forum)They look easy enough to follow for a beginner like me. My biggest woe is finding the time to have 2 rest days a week...as I work 6 days, commuting in by bike and don't want to give up Sunday rides! It's why I'm trying to make my commutes as low effort as possible!

I try not to get too bogged down with figures and don't particularly want to start using a HRM but I am definitely going to start building easy days in. The body doesn't recover quite so quickly the older you get I don't think. Quite enjoyed my gentle run this morning.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I did the following ride on Saturday.

The cat 4 climb, I didn't know it was cat 4 until I uploaded the ride, was fun I had run out of gears before half way and then on the steepest part I had people cycling the other way saying hello and by the time I had said the same while huffing and puffing they were a few miles down the road. Also, I had a car behind me so I couldn't stop and then I looked down at my Garmin and it said 14% I wasn't going to give up and I made it in the end all while sitting down. The KOM (which includes a downhill section first) is 4:20. I did it in 10:56

Yea but the point is you DID it, it doesn't matter what others do.

Quite a few resources on the net regarding HR zone based training for cycling but was wondering if any of you followed such programs aimed at beginners and if there are any reads you would recommend.

Not really, sometimes take it easier, usually when it's windy, never seem to get my h.r. going on those days.
Others I just either try climbing as hard as I can which is getting better but not great, or trying to spin higher, but at a more relaxed rate.

Well after only having had my bike for ten days now I have started to introduce the dreaded hills into my routes. I have just come back from a ride on which I attempted to cycle up crag vale. To some of you that don't know it is supposedly the longest continues climb in England being some 5 or so miles of gradient. Well I am happy to say I covered 4 of those miles without stopping. That may not seem like a great feat to sum of you but to me its huge.
2 months ago if someone was to say that's what I would achieve I would have laughed. When I climbed off my steed at the top I thought my thighs were going to burst through my shorts they felt that huge.
I carried on back down into mytholmroyd via a different route clocking up 11.5 miles in total.
Well pleased. Did record it on strava but don't know how to transfer the link to here.

Anything you do the first time is a great accomplishment, it's then just a matter of improving on that, some will be quicker and some slower, just keep plugging away.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Cycling home from work, clipless moment when crossing road on the cyclepath. Unclipped left foot...fell to my right onto a bollard.

http://app.strava.com/activities/59513397

Went a bit slow as felt a twinge in my leg. Still managed a good Average speed comapred to when I got the bike 3 1/2 months ago

Nice one Steve, hope its not a problem the twinge.

I try not to get too bogged down with figures and don't particularly want to start using a HRM but I am definitely going to start building easy days in. The body doesn't recover quite so quickly the older you get I don't think. Quite enjoyed my gentle run this morning.

It doesn't improve as quick either Mo.
The first time I did a 16mph avg over 30 miles back in Aug I though I had sort of cracked it, however this was on completely flat road, apart from the climb back to house, which I hated (and know I don't notice, much, two of the ways you do, short but pretty sharp)
I was slower today but it did have these two short climbs in both of which I set p.b.'s
http://app.strava.com/activities/59508191#1108183368 12's quicker from 9mph to 9.7 110ft over 0.5 mile.
http://app.strava.com/activities/59508191#1108183361 25's quicker from 9mph to 9.7 167ft over 0.7 miles
11 p.b.s in total.
This one I have set the same time three days in a row, not sure how to make it quicker.
http://app.strava.com/activities/59508191#1108183443
This I think was the biggest improvement in speed I think from 14mph to 18mph
http://app.strava.com/activities/59508191#1108183459
Whats more my H.R. is down from 136b.p.m to 127b.p.m.

So I guess I am saying to all those that have join this sub group, keep at it.
http://app.strava.com/activities/59508191

 

[MaxInc]

I went out today and tried to stay in Zone 2 for an hour (lunch break) and it was incredily easy, if annoyingly slow at times but much more sustainable. Speed was in the low 11mph but I guess part of that was due to knobby tyres and using footpaths and pavements instead of roads.

Interesting to notice was that the start was slow and then the pace increased with time spent in saddle with end of ride being significanty faster than beginning. I tried to stay in the HR zone, regardless of how slow I had to cycle in order to maintain the target HR. It gets to show the effect of warming up and how the body gets more efficient at deliveryng oxigen and nutrients to the muscles as times passes.

Effort was minimal compared to how I normaly ride and felt like I could go on for hours. At the end of the 11mile stint i felt no fatigue at all and if anything, a bit more energized. This is the oposite of what I normally experience after only 1/2 hour or free cycling where it would appear that I push a bit too much for my fitness level.

I had the headphones playing music and I was receiving notificatios when to increase or decrease the heart rate to stay in the zone 122-142bpm. It was a fun experience and I'm looking further into the science of interval training.

 

[mfc1876]

Wow! Some good reads since I last posted in here, some inspiring stuff! Had the weekend off (went away) and hit the road again tonight. Covered 10.77 miles in 56:04 with an average speed of 11.5mph. That's just under 3 minutes off my last time and just over half a mile an hour quicker. Progress!

 

[mfc1876]

I went out today and tried to stay in Zone 2 for an hour (lunch break) and it was incredily easy, if annoyingly slow at times but much more sustainable. Speed was in the low 11mph but I guess part of that was due to knobby tyres and using footpaths and pavements instead of roads.

Interesting to notice was that the start was slow and then the pace increased with time spent in saddle with end of ride being significanty faster than beginning. I tried to stay in the HR zone, regardless of how slow I had to cycle in order to maintain the target HR. It gets to show the effect of warming up and how the body gets more efficient at deliveryng oxigen and nutrients to the muscles as times passes.

Effort was minimal compared to how I normaly ride and felt like I could go on for hours. At the end of the 11mile stint i felt no fatigue at all and if anything, a bit more energized. This is the oposite of what I normally experience after only 1/2 hour or free cycling where it would appear that I push a bit too much for my fitness level.

I had the headphones playing music and I was receiving notificatios when to increase or decrease the heart rate to stay in the zone 122-142bpm. It was a fun experience and I'm looking further into the science of interval training.

I've found that the first 10 minutes or so are quite hard but then it seems to get easier and I get a bit more power in my legs. I wondered why this was and I think you've just explained it. Mind you, I was pretty damn tired near the end of my ride tonight. I did try and push it a little just to see if I could beat my last time.