Did my first ride of any kind since childhood (I am now 43) on 25th June, 16.59 miles at an average speed of 15.2 mph with 120m elevation gain. Longest ride since then was 33.15 miles at 16.5 mph with 338m total elevation done last Sunday. I know stats as I still have my Garmin from when I used to run.
Show us your.......newbie progress! [4 Sep 2012 - 4 Oct 2014]
- Thread starter Typhon
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Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
, good statsHeres a site for to compare yourself with others in your area Strava, you can upload direct from your garmin
Supersuperleeds
Legendary Member
- Location
- Leicester
Way to many posts to respond to them all, so well done to all, some good rides and speeds being achieved by everyone.
After my storming ride yesterday, really felt it today, so cut the commute back this morning
http://www.strava.com/activities/72824793
After my storming ride yesterday, really felt it today, so cut the commute back this morning
http://www.strava.com/activities/72824793
Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
Not that we can tell.Way to many posts to respond to them all, so well done to all, some good rides and speeds being achieved by everyone.
After my storming ride yesterday, really felt it today, so cut the commute back this morning
http://www.strava.com/activities/72824793
sleaver
Veteran
I've felt like my last couple of rides have been productive.
One of my goals has been to average 25 km/p over 50k plus and I achieved that on Saturday. I've normally just tried to go all out on the flat and then struggled when the road starts going up. However on Saturday I was trying to keep more of an average speed and after one hour, I noticed I had covered 24.8k. So knowing the second half was mainly with a positive gradient I pushed on on the flat without over doing it and just told my legs to shut up when the road went up giving me an average of 25.7 km/h which I was rather chuffed at.
I also started to start getting out of the saddle a bit. I've done it before but because I was in a low gear, suddenly having 11 stone pushing down on the pedals usually made me wobble all over the place and so I didn't really do it much. This time though I stayed in a higher gear and started to get used to it. Although later on it was a whole new feeling for my legs when they were getting tired.
I know people will probably say "well of course" to keeping an average speed more and using a higher gear when getting out of the saddle but I need to make mistakes to learn
I also passed 1000km total distance since getting my bike as well.
Plan for this weekend is building up distance unless the weather is bad.
One of my goals has been to average 25 km/p over 50k plus and I achieved that on Saturday. I've normally just tried to go all out on the flat and then struggled when the road starts going up. However on Saturday I was trying to keep more of an average speed and after one hour, I noticed I had covered 24.8k. So knowing the second half was mainly with a positive gradient I pushed on on the flat without over doing it and just told my legs to shut up when the road went up giving me an average of 25.7 km/h which I was rather chuffed at.
I also started to start getting out of the saddle a bit. I've done it before but because I was in a low gear, suddenly having 11 stone pushing down on the pedals usually made me wobble all over the place and so I didn't really do it much. This time though I stayed in a higher gear and started to get used to it. Although later on it was a whole new feeling for my legs when they were getting tired.
I know people will probably say "well of course" to keeping an average speed more and using a higher gear when getting out of the saddle but I need to make mistakes to learn
I also passed 1000km total distance since getting my bike as well.
Plan for this weekend is building up distance unless the weather is bad.
Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
Mo1959
Legendary Member
- Location
- Perthshire,Scotland
Now, there's someone for you to try and catch up with for your mileage Nigel!Not that we can tell.
Just spent 90 minutes pulling weeds out and my back is killing me. Give me cycling any day!
electric eel
Regular
done 8 miles last night and took me just under 50 mins ! 
Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
done 8 miles last night and took me just under 50 mins !
, thats fine my first ride was 8.5 miles @ 9.32mph or 54mins 54's, as you get fitter you will become faster and go further, and most people in this thread have been where you are, so just keep at it.@Mo1959, I did briefly think about it, then saw his shorter commute this morning.
Nomadski
I Like Bikes
- Location
- LBS, Usually
Hehe that was there for the Olympics, guess to give it more identity for the cameras or something.
Sorry Software Engineer brain engaged
Aren't you supposed to ask first if its plugged in yet?
No the red button was just concentrating on the pros. It was such a shame as to me it looked like the BBC just winged it. Personally as the first and biggest cycling event this country has ever known ( olympics aside) i think the coverage was shoddy and should have been available all day so we could see you all start etc. At one point the coverage stopped several hours in and then restarted at the very beginning.
As much as i love to watch the pros, i don't think im alone in wishing we could have seen far more of you lot and the huge effort you were all putting in for some of those charities or just for a personal challenge. To me thats what it was all about.
Hope the BBC get their act into gear next year and get rid of that dreadful background noise from outside the commentary box.
They have a 3 or 5 year contract for this event, so I hope they up their game. My family have already sent a complaint to the BBC (!) I would encourage everyone else to pop a little email off to BBC complaints here https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/complaints/forms/?reset=#anchor and let them know you were very disappointed with the coverage of the amateur sportive.
Pretty poor showing, although I guessed it would be like this as I only saw 1 motorbike cameraman all the way round, and that was on Leith Hill. I pulled a face nicely on queue.
They are not far from me I don't think either. Show them the pic, was completely randomly taken by my sister.
Great photos! Thanks for sharing them.
Did anyone here take one of the short cuts or know anyone who did? My interest has been sparked by a friend who started behind me, had a very leisurely 24 mile time then no time recorded at all for miles 45 and 55. And by Leatherhead he'd overtaken me and had a reasonably swift run in time for the last 30. You can imagine my scepticism listening to his description of suffering on the hillsI wasn't that far ahead of the Broom Wagon and I'd certainly have taken a short cut if it had been the difference between finishing and not - but I'm pretty sure I'd have been honest about it.
How stupid (if he has cheated) as he is only cheating himself!!
I don't get those split times, aren't they just "estimated" from the finishing time backwards?
I understand covering the Pro race in full, and obviously showing the women's thing on the Saturday, but the BBC have enough channels to cover for 4 or 5 hours the biggest cycling sportive the UK has ever seen. The BBC should do their job and find the stories from the charities worth showing, interview various people at the side of the road, get cyclists to talk to them at the feeding stations etc etc.
They just didnt want to pump the kinds of resources (journos, reporters, cameramen, support vehicles etc etc) needed to cover such a massive event. They dipped their toe in the water. ie They copped out.
I bet there were hundreds of amazing stories to tell, mix it up with highlights of the saturday events, so as to keep the flow moving.
If The Great North Run can be covered in a way where its worth watching, I'm sure cyclists traveling at up to 50mph would be pretty decent watch!
The BBC just didn't do the event justice, and we should all complain about it to them at the link I posted above. Im going to.
Supersuperleeds
Legendary Member
- Location
- Leicester
I've felt like my last couple of rides have been productive.
One of my goals has been to average 25 km/p over 50k plus and I achieved that on Saturday. I've normally just tried to go all out on the flat and then struggled when the road starts going up. However on Saturday I was trying to keep more of an average speed and after one hour, I noticed I had covered 24.8k. So knowing the second half was mainly with a positive gradient I pushed on on the flat without over doing it and just told my legs to shut up when the road went up giving me an average of 25.7 km/h which I was rather chuffed at.
I also started to start getting out of the saddle a bit. I've done it before but because I was in a low gear, suddenly having 11 stone pushing down on the pedals usually made me wobble all over the place and so I didn't really do it much. This time though I stayed in a higher gear and started to get used to it. Although later on it was a whole new feeling for my legs when they were getting tired.
I know people will probably say "well of course" to keeping an average speed more and using a higher gear when getting out of the saddle but I need to make mistakes to learn
I also passed 1000km total distance since getting my bike as well.
Plan for this weekend is building up distance unless the weather is bad.
I weigh just under 14st and I am always out of the saddle (when I started I was 17st and still got out of the saddle), 11 stone is nothing, you skinny bugger.
SWSteve
Guru
- Location
- Bristol...ish
I went out this afternoon as I finished work early. I thought about doing 50+ miles but I just couldn't be bothered, that's twice now, might do it this weekend instead.
http://www.strava.com/activities/72886419
http://www.strava.com/activities/72886419
Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
Getting a little worried about this Steve. It's been a great day here 37miles @ 16.7mph nice cad too 86rpm.
SWSteve
Guru
- Location
- Bristol...ish
How do you mean, me losing the drive?
Nigelnaturist
Guru
- Location
- Pontefract
Just kidding, I know what you mean some days.
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