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

[SpokeyDokey]

No newbie progress today - squillion tons of salt grit on the roads right now (I'm not complaining btw - we normally have to do 'our' steep hill ourself) and I am not taking the bike in that esp' whilst there are now loads of salty puddles everywhere.

Don't mind the bike getting wet and dirty but not to keen on salt. Is this normal or a pathetic excuse?

Hour on the treadmill instead!

 

[RWright]

No newbie progress today - squillion tons of salt grit on the roads right now (I'm not complaining btw - we normally have to do 'our' steep hill ourself) and I am not taking the bike in that esp' whilst there are now loads of salty puddles everywhere.

Don't mind the bike getting wet and dirty but not to keen on salt. Is this normal or a pathetic excuse?

Hour on the treadmill instead!

I would really have to think twice before taking either of my "good" bikes out in the salt. But I do have a couple of old bikes that I would. I totally understand just using the tredmill. They don't salt the roads here very often. Some years not at all...I am lucky, that stuff is nasty, I hate to drive my car or truck in it too.

I have an elliptical that has maybe 10 minutes use in the past three years.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Well I got out for a while between places, three rides totalling about 27 miles, the last 30 mins on the dark roads around here. Managed one p.b. and a couple of 2nd's, but a lot was in traffic or town.
http://app.strava.com/activities/30276487#525597742
Also my first ride in sub zero temps, -0.2 to -0.9 C

 

[RWright]

Nice ride in the cold Nigel, It is harder for me in the cold because of the extra riding gear. I just got in from a 15.98 mile night ride on my Townie, I took it because it has the Cree light on it and I like it better than the light I paid four times the price for about a year ago. I was able to ride with just bike shorts, sweat pants and three thin layers on my torso, and fingerless gloves, so I was happy.

I got the Garmin 500 yesterday, going to RTFM tonight and hopefully be ready to start my Strava adventures tomorrow. If I know me, I will have tons of Strava related questions.

BTW, watch for that ice out there in the cold, seeing a lot of folks on the forums getting a little beat up by it.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Nice ride in the cold Nigel, It is harder for me in the cold because of the extra riding gear. I just got in from a 15.98 mile night ride on my Townie, I took it because it has the Cree light on it and I like it better than the light I paid four times the price for about a year ago. I was able to ride with just bike shorts, sweat pants and three thin layers on my torso, and fingerless gloves, so I was happy.

I got the Garmin 500 yesterday, going to RTFM tonight and hopefully be ready to start my Strava adventures tomorrow. If I know me, I will have tons of Strava related questions.

BTW, watch for that ice out there in the cold, seeing a lot of folks on the forums getting a little beat up by it.

I just go slower, but if its really icy I wont go out. I had a base layer, summer cycle shirt, long sleeve cycle shirt, hi-viz jacket in the morning and early afternoon, I put a light weight wind proof on for the afternoon, as I was longer on the bike, was warm enough apart from the feet.

 

[RWright]

I just go slower, but if its really icy I wont go out. I had a base layer, summer cycle shirt, long sleeve cycle shirt, hi-viz jacket in the morning and early afternoon, I put a light weight wind proof on for the afternoon, as I was longer on the bike, was warm enough apart from the feet.

I bought a cheap pair of overshoes from nashbar, I bought them more for rain than cold. I did wear them a couple of nights ago when it was just cold, just to try them out. It was 0c and my feet were fine for the entire ride, over an hour. I don't know how good they will be in the rain. Tonight I went out on the same route with just cycling shoes and it was 11c at the start and 6c when I finished and my toes were quite a bit colder than when I wore the overshoes on the cooler night, same cycling shoes both rides. I had never used overshoes before but they convinced me pretty quickly that they work for cold.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I bought a cheap pair of overshoes from nashbar, I bought them more for rain than cold. I did wear them a couple of nights ago when it was just cold, just to try them out. It was 0c and my feet were fine for the entire ride, over an hour. I don't know how good they will be in the rain. Tonight I went out on the same route with just cycling shoes and it was 11c at the start and 6c when I finished and my toes were quite a bit colder than when I wore the overshoes on the cooler night, same cycling shoes both rides. I had never used overshoes before but they convinced me pretty quickly that they work for cold.

Thats something on the list, the gloves I have were warm even when wet the other might though it was 7C, and last night just a bit nippy on the finger tips.

 

[Typhon]

Could only manage my training loop today, I was so cold.

http://app.strava.com/activities/30391581

 

[BrianEvesham]

Could only manage my training loop today, I was so cold.

http://app.strava.com/activities/30391581

That's more than me.
The only bike related activity today was fitting a new rear tube to my wife's bike and stripping out the old wheel bearings on my old hybrid.

 

[Typhon]

That's more than me.
The only bike related activity today was fitting a new rear tube to my wife's bike and stripping out the old wheel bearings on my old hybrid.

I don't blame you! It's bloody freezing out there and the roads are still covered in sand/silt etc from the floods. Not fun at all. Wish I'd stuck to the turbo trainer to be honest!

 

[DaveyM]

Well the temp here got up a little after lunch ( a tropical 4c ) so I got out to do a few miles and found myself actually heading towards local hills to make the ride a bit harder to make up for the lack of distance. Still not too hard by some peoples standards but I feel I am still making some progress.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

No Newbie Progress again.

Main roads are ice free but covered in salt - lanes are salt free but are covered with ice.

Just been for a difficult slippery walk (had to use walking poles) around our village to see if I would be going out tomorrow.......I won't!

 

[weebag]

Lovely ride this morning with a mate. Had hoped to do 50 miles, but honestly, id never have made it. To be fair, I had played 2 solid hours of competitive badminton the night before. I took the Voodoo Marasa, not the Triban 3 today. Roads a bit icy!

A cold start, but well kitted out (thanks Aldi) I was plenty warm.enough.

So, 35 miles in all (well, to the pub)....

I just rode 35.3 miles! Check it out on Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/30406403

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Could only manage my training loop today, I was so cold.

http://app.strava.com/activities/30391581

What you moaning about I would be chuffed with an avg of 15.3mph.
I did 32 miles setting 3 p.b's, avg temp 3C, 1.5 to 4 C with a wind of 5.8mph avg from the N.W. might explain the p.b.'s (toes a little nippy when I got in though)

Still last on this but getting closer.
http://app.strava.com/rides/30414607
An increase over 2.5mph on this one and 42's less
http://app.strava.com/rides/30414607#526798955
Its such a long time ago since I did this I forgot I did it, but quicker by 6's not such an improvement to say the last time was in August.
http://app.strava.com/activities/30414607#526798935
I was 2's off a p.b on this one two, though it doesn't show on strava.
http://app.strava.com/activities/30414607#526798923
http://ridewithgps.com/segments/Ferrybridge-Bypass-Climb
This shows the result of the wind this was my slowest ever time on this section
http://app.strava.com/activities/30414607#526798926

Mind the weirdest thing was I did a stretch in exactly the same time as I did yesterday at exactly the same time of day.

Edit I just added this as there isn't one on strava, and found out I got a p.b. on it, by 7's best time since Aug 20th
http://app.strava.com/activities/30414607?segment_created=true#526861937

 

[MattHB]

We went out into the new forest and took a newbie mate out. He did awesomely although he bonked at 40m despite having 2 gels in his pocket!!! But we dragged him to the tea room and filled him up with flap jack!

I was chuffed set a PB on a mad little (17seconds) climb. Still was tired tho despite the (for us) moderately sedate pace. Still recovering from all these damn viruses.