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

[Steve Donovan]

My biggest ride to date yesterday, albeit I've only had my bike about a month.

I ventured out of Halifax and ended up in Howarth (of Bronte sisters fame), then OVER the hills through Oxenhope back to Halifax.

I admit that I had to walk a bit. Some of those hills are absolute killers, especially in yesterday's heat.

Feeling pretty chuffed that I managed a hilly 24 mile route, and strava says I climbed 2161 ft (although it felt like double that !!!)

Cracking views over the hills, although I've made myself a new cycling rule:
If the hills are high enough to have wind farms on top of them, they're too high for Stevie !

 

[Louch]

is it ok to make a big deal of when I do my 1000th mile on the bike?

 

[Nomadski]

Did my longest ride ever today, 77.8 miles, 4,543 ft elevation gain, 14.1mph average.

http://app.strava.com/activities/67112725

What was most pleasing was bar 4 miles, it was all done on the RideLondon route @philinmerthyr, @Phoenix Lincs, myself and others here will be doing on August 4th.

The plan was to get up at MoTime+2 (7am) and get out before the ride would get really hot. Being a sunday and inherently lazy at getting out extra early on my day offs (well I do get out of bed at 3am on my early shifts!) my right hand disagreed thoroughly with this plan and the next thing I know its 11am!!

I then wasted a further 3 hours debating on what kind of ride I was going to do, until the wife nagged me to make my mind up or we go shopping.

So off to do the RideLondon route in the most extreme heat the day could throw at me! (30.5 degrees I think I caught it at one point, not sure if it went higher).


Went real slow for the first 30 miles or so, took in plenty of water and tried to keep a steady stream of gels running too. Before I knew it I was at the Gates of Hell!

Despite the van and wire fence, Surrey really IS pretty!


Did Newlands Corner without too much bother and treated myself at the top (as well as reloading the water bottles!)

Of interest the RL'ers they have now started putting up warning roadsigns along the route for cars, and they are relaying at least 4 long roads for the event, I had to put up with skittish underlay gravel, made a certain decline a little...interesting.

Keep meaning to take a little picture of the creepy church at Holmbury St Mary which is about halfway down the southern road heading towards Leith Hill. Photos don't do the creepiness justice, but think big hill, church, graveyard at front, dogs howling...

I stopped 3 times on Leith Hill which I was disappointed about, both previous attempts I stopped twice. Think the heat was taking massive amounts of effort out of me, still the little stops did me good and I managed it in the end. Really felt like someone had performed a Mortal Kombat finisher on me by the top, but onwards we went.

Did refueled again at the bottom of Box Hill and did that with little issue. Last time I did this route I chickened out at Box Hill and went the shorter route home via Sutton cutting out some gradients and about 10 miles. This time I did the whole thing. I did the last 15 miles a little quicker than I would have liked as I left my lights at home and the sun was doing a runner quicker than you can say wheredasungoing?

Probably borderline illegal by the time I got home, getting the bike up 2 flights of stairs was great fun, and my wife commented I was making new noises for the first half hour of being home, some nice dinner, a bath and a massage seems to have curbed the wheezes!

In total I went through 1x bowl of porridge, 8x 800ml bottles of water with 2xHigh5 electrolyte tablets, 4x High5 EnergyGel+ and 8x High5 EnergyGel, and I've still got a little cramp!

I can see August 4th is going to be tough for me, but feel I've conquered another step towards it today, and it cant be any hotter......can it?

 

[SWSteve]

is it ok to make a big deal of when I do my 1000th mile on the bike?

YES!

 

[Nomadski]

is it ok to make a big deal of when I do my 1000th mile on the bike?

HELL yeah!

 

[Steve Donovan]

One question I have for you experienced guys is where do you top up your water during a ride ?

Yesterday I ended up buying water en route through villages, but how does everyone else cope in such heat ?

Is it poor form, or indeed accepted to pop into a pub or shop or something en route and ask for a water bottle to be filled ?

 

[RWright]

I didnt ever think I would ever see those words, in that order, written down!



I come from Durham originally, although we have a castle and a cathedral and play county cricket rather than baseball....

Years ago I spent most of an afternoon chatting with 2 lovely American ladies in a pub near Leicester Square and they had asked me where I was from. I had said Durham, and they told me I had lost my accent a lot. Now Durham (UK) has a very strong regional accent (soft north eastern) and I had indeed lost it for the most part, so I was impressed and told them so. 2 hours later, walking out I suddenly figured they thought I was American.

It made a lot of the rest of the conversation suddenly make a hell of a lot more sense!!

I just started watching ITV4 live yesterday so I could watch the tour. They try to make us watch it over here on NBC. I finally figured out how to do it. I never watch TV much anymore and got rid of cable and satellite service. After the tour broadcast was over they had Superbike motorcycle racing, then drag bike racing, then some guy that was a reporter or something over there had a show that showed him starting out as a complete rookie in Motorcycle road racing. I enjoyed all of them. I kept it on my projector screen for about four hours. I also like some of the commercials since I had never seen them and they were pretty good. Now I want to watch Law and Order UK, I have seen a couple of the American versions and they are not bad.

Many cities and towns from States here that were Original 13 colonies were named after English cities or are named after someone from England. A lot of people here probably don't realize that lol.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

He's a machine!

I thought that was that body builder in Terminator.
See I dont watch t.v. much.

 

[SWSteve]

One question I have for you experienced guys is where do you top up your water during a ride ?

Yesterday I ended up buying water en route through villages, but how does everyone else cope in such heat ?

Is it poor form, or indeed accepted to pop into a pub or shop or something en route and ask for a water bottle to be filled ?

I left my house this morning with 3 litres of water, and when at the café bought a bottle of apple juice and asked for a glass of water. I would say if you're buying something at said pub/cafe they should be willing to fill it for you

 

[Nomadski]

One question I have for you experienced guys is where do you top up your water during a ride ?

Yesterday I ended up buying water en route through villages, but how does everyone else cope in such heat ?

Is it poor form, or indeed accepted to pop into a pub or shop or something en route and ask for a water bottle to be filled ?

Don't know if its poor form but I blagged it all the way. 1 pub, 3 service stations and a little cafe thing. Went in, asked "could I be a real pain and get a top up of water..*gasp for air / heavy breathing*" Done!

Only one petrol station said no, but he didnt have toilets / was accustomed to this being in Dorking!

Only issue is you need to take a chain or risk Mr Chav running off with your precious.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

is it ok to make a big deal of when I do my 1000th mile on the bike?

Like Steve says yes, it's one heck of a milestone.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I got one for you lot, how come my Viking and I are almost as fast as some people on their £2-3,000 bikes, and I know sod all about the cycling world.

 

[Nomadski]

I got one for you lot, how come my Viking and I are almost as fast as some people on their £2-3,000 bikes, and I know sod all about the cycling world.

Fitter and faster!

Although you have to take into account people riding different routes etc.

Having said that you put in so many miles Nigel you could take most people on!

 

[RWright]

One question I have for you experienced guys is where do you top up your water during a ride ?

Yesterday I ended up buying water en route through villages, but how does everyone else cope in such heat ?

Is it poor form, or indeed accepted to pop into a pub or shop or something en route and ask for a water bottle to be filled ?

I have been know to fill mine in convenience store restroom sinks if necessary. Just don't touch anything. I think it is a law here that if you ask for tap water in a restaurant they have to give it to you.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Fitter and faster!

Although you have to take into account people riding different routes etc.

Having said that you put in so many miles Nigel you could take most people on!

I understand that Damon, different routes different weather conditions, but on strava your fastest will be under favourable conditions for any given segment, so the fastest time should work out over time to be equal. As for fitness well some of them ride in the local club, and yea I can't match their speeds when they ride together, but it's getting to the stage where it's only a couple of m.p.h over 18-20 miles or so, I go round the routes sometimes but they are so boring. I had a look at one or two of the bikes, mine can weigh in at twice the weight of theirs and I am still not far behind or in some cases faster, when kitted up.