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

[RWright]

Annoyingly forgot to turn on strava until about 5 miles in today.
Quite a nice ride despite the rain. Once again i demonstrated how truly crap I am at anything even slightly uphill. I really don't seem to be getting any better in that regard.
Also I had 2 women drafting on my wheel for a good 15 miles and not one of them said a word to me or came to the front even once. Rude!! I was too shy to tell them to back off or get in front the lazy madams!
http://www.strava.com/activities/73801544

Someone tries that with me they better know how to track stand.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

There were only 2 of us on that list earlier but actually theres 3 others from today on there now so that makes me feel a bit better. I just get a bit dispirited when I see all these men streaming past me. I was puffing and panting like an asthmatic smoker though.

I reckon if you really look at it, you are improving, it takes tame, it's took me a year to get where I am, and I do a lot of miles, it's only these last few weeks it's really started to click, even so I am never going to compete with the top riders around here, I am 49, my bike isn't the bees knees either, but it gets me out and my health (physically anyway) has improved immensely,
I just nipped over to my mates house earlier just a short trip just under 6 miles I did the same last night I haven't put this new on strava yet but the final climb up to the house I found quite difficult only to realise i did most of it on the 52 ring.

http://app.strava.com/activities/73756075
I was slow last night has I had full panniers on the bike. The first time I did I think I must have been on a 26x34 or something like that.
There are times you seem to stagnate then other times you just seem to make leaps forward.

 

[User28924]

You lazy, how would you figure that Brian.

You've not been here, we've had some strong westerlies from time to time, just nipped over to my mates house, and again a strong westerly wind is blowing.

Sucks, I find I always push too hard with wind, I find it hard to drop a couple of gears and slow down, like you would with a hill. Plus cross winds can be scary.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Sucks, I find I always push too hard with wind, I find it hard to drop a couple of gears and slow down, like you would with a hill. Plus cross winds can be scary.

When you do you will find the wind isn't so bad, you just have to accept your going to be slower.

 

[Hill Wimp]

I hate wind but i have learnt it isn't going to go away and its stronger than me so why expend more energy trying to battle it. Slow down a bit, pedal on and enjoy the view.

 

[Nomadski]

On the subject of women cyclists, all I will say is the second fastest person overall on the RideLondon 100 was a woman. And she was slower than the fastest rider by 3 seconds... I see a woman, or a guy with straight handlebars and rucksack on his back, flying past me (regularly!) I just think "I can improve!". Sure there is a Rule on all this.

@Phoenix Lincs - thats the HR monitor I use. Don't notice its there once you have got your shirt on and are out.Garmins recognise it automatically after the first time setup, to use the info right you need to spend a little time working out resting HR and maximum HR, I would guess would be quite useful for trainer duries.

On the subject of purchases, I wanted a better scale at home than my old skool one, but all the Ant+ scales are in the hundreds of pounds to buy, and I really wanted something decent, but not expensive. Took a plunge on a Salter Body Analyser & Scale and I have found it excellent. Looks like an expensive scale, had profiles for 4 different people, can be used purely as a weight scale (accurate to within 0.1kg or 0.2lb) or can also give readings for Body Fat %, BMI and Body Water %.

True, it wont automatically connect wirelessly or anything, but apart from that seems like a fully featured digital scale.

Great rides in the 3 pages prior. There seems to be quite a few people within cycling distance of Box Hill, we should have a meet up!

 

[RWright]

I found quite difficult only to realise i did most of it on the 52 ring.

http://app.strava.com/activities/73756075
I was slow last night has I had full panniers on the bike. The first time I did I think I must have been on a 26x34 or something like that.
There are times you seem to stagnate then other times you just seem to make leaps forward.

I have noticed the same, it is always nice to me when climbing to look down and notice I am still on the big front ring after thinking I was on the small one. Some days it is opposite, I go to shift down to the small front ring and find out I am already on it.

I have been mostly riding at night the past week or so. It has been warm here and I had some outside things at the shop I have been wanting to take care of, so I have been working in the heat during the day... also wanted to get rid of these unsightly tan lines I had gotten from riding thus far this summer. I know, there is a rule about tan lines but I did feel the need to even the tan out, I am vain like that.

The night riding has been relaxing after the hot days. Our best riding season over here is approaching, it is pretty much the same as the golf season. Sept to the end of Nov and March to the end of May. That is when the golf courses charge top dollar to play around here. A lot of tourist like to play this area. Golf weather and cycling weather have a lot in common. Both camps want mild but not cold temps, little wind and no rain. Even elevation changes play a part in both.

I might start increasing the mileage some for the next strava challenge....if it isn't too hot.
I hope it won't mess up my tan.

 

[BrianEvesham]

Also I had 2 women drafting on my wheel for a good 15 miles and not one of them said a word to me or came to the front even once. Rude!! I was too shy to tell them to back off or get in front the lazy madams!
http://www.strava.com/activities/73801544

Awhile back I was on one of my loops when a roadie snuck up on me I looked round and he said "hello I'm just taking a break is that ok" he drafted me for about two miles till we went our separate ways. I remember being very pleased with myself thinking I can't be that bad then.

 

[Hill Wimp]

I have noticed the same, it is always nice to me when climbing to look down and notice I am still on the big front ring after thinking I was on the small one. Some days it is opposite, I go to shift down to the small front ring and find out I am already on it.

I have been mostly riding at night the past week or so. It has been warm here and I had some outside things at the shop I have been wanting to take care of, so I have been working in the heat during the day... also wanted to get rid of these unsightly tan lines I had gotten from riding thus far this summer. I know, there is a rule about tan lines but I did feel the need to even the tan out, I am vain like that.

The night riding has been relaxing after the hot days. Our best riding season over here is approaching, it is pretty much the same as the golf season. Sept to the end of Nov and March to the end of May. That is when the golf courses charge top dollar to play around here. A lot of tourist like to play this area. Golf weather and cycling weather have a lot in common. Both camps want mild but not cold temps, little wind and no rain. Even elevation changes play a part in both.

I might start increasing the mileage some for the next strava challenge....if it isn't too hot.
I hope it won't mess up my tan.

I imagine it incredibly hot riding during the day in the Carolinas but i bet the night rides are great. What temp does it drop to in Sept/Oct during the day ?

 

[RWright]

I imagine it incredibly hot riding during the day in the Carolinas but i bet the night rides are great. What temp does it drop to in Sept/Oct during the day ?

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/27332

EDIT: that is in degrees F, I still haven't figured out what most people in UK go by but I think it might be C

DOUBLE EDIT: I found it scaled to C too. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/27332

 

[spooks]

Awhile back I was on one of my loops when a roadie snuck up on me I looked round and he said "hello I'm just taking a break is that ok" he drafted me for about two miles till we went our separate ways. I remember being very pleased with myself thinking I can't be that bad then.

I wouldn't have minded so much if they'd said hi or something but they were either silent or talking between themselves while letting me do all the work! I tried to look at it as a bit of a compliment but after 15 miles it was getting a bit irritating!

 

[BrianEvesham]

I would find it a bit freaky if they didn't speak, wonder what that was all about then?

 

[spooks]

No idea! It was a bit odd just hearing breathing and various bike noises behind me. I don't think I give off "don't talk to me" vibes. Usually I say hi to lots of people.

 

[Nomadski]

I would find it a bit freaky if they didn't speak, wonder what that was all about then?

Just rude people being rude people.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

On the subject of women cyclists, all I will say is the second fastest person overall on the RideLondon 100 was a woman. And she was slower than the fastest rider by 3 seconds... I see a woman, or a guy with straight handlebars and rucksack on his back, flying past me (regularly!) I just think "I can improve!". Sure there is a Rule on all this.

@Phoenix Lincs - thats the HR monitor I use. Don't notice its there once you have got your shirt on and are out.Garmins recognise it automatically after the first time setup, to use the info right you need to spend a little time working out resting HR and maximum HR, I would guess would be quite useful for trainer duries.

On the subject of purchases, I wanted a better scale at home than my old skool one, but all the Ant+ scales are in the hundreds of pounds to buy, and I really wanted something decent, but not expensive. Took a plunge on a Salter Body Analyser & Scale and I have found it excellent. Looks like an expensive scale, had profiles for 4 different people, can be used purely as a weight scale (accurate to within 0.1kg or 0.2lb) or can also give readings for Body Fat %, BMI and Body Water %.

True, it wont automatically connect wirelessly or anything, but apart from that seems like a fully featured digital scale.

Great rides in the 3 pages prior. There seems to be quite a few people within cycling distance of Box Hill, we should have a meet up!

I weigh myself on the big scales in the warehouse, not sure I should be stripping off at work during a tea break but none of the ladies have complained so far