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

[Reece]

Very pretty graph. I managed just over 18 miles today commuting to and from work, this morning was a bit dicey, but tonight was fine.

How you been finding the roads? I've been walking to work today. And glad I have. The 1 mile of back streets to work on the edge of the city centre have been a nightmare to walk on let alone ride on.

Anyhow, had a quick 45 minute turbo session tonight.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

This is the lane to the house after I had finished. Working on another but it's going to take a little time, this is more a recorded shot.

Just Another Winters Trial. by nigelnaturist, on Flickr

 

[RWright]

I got in 10 miles today, another nice day here. I am getting faster. I averaged 15.7mph today. I was standing on the small hills I had to go up today. I felt very good, had plenty of energy when I finished up even though I stood and really pressed hard on my last hill. I think losing some of the weight that I have been is starting to help.

The only problem is that I ran out of the blood pressure medicine I am on Friday night. I forgot to pick it up on Saturday before the store I like to use closed, they are also closed on Sunday. I went two days without it and hope that is not a big part of the reason for the improvement. I did go by and pick up the medicine today. I will be back on it regularly and do realize it isn't smart to not take it, but now it makes me wonder how much it does affect my riding. Hopefully I can get off of it with more riding and diet, with my Doctor's blessing of course.

We get a cold arctic blast tonight, no snow, just cold, the high tomorrow is going to be about 11c cooler than it is right now here, it is dark and 6:30 pm here now. I think I will still go out for a ride tomorrow. I see Nigel's picture and that is a Rule 9 if I have ever seen one. If y'all can get out in that, I can deal with a little arctic blast.

EDIT: My ride was only 14.6 MPH avg. The 15.7 was the first half segment. I knew I was beating my personal best but forgot to go for a best on my longer segment. I went down this short rough road at the midway point for a little extra work. I was about 1/4 of a mile down it before I realized what I had done.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I said there was a better picture. Not much, must be having an off day.

Viking O.O.B. by nigelnaturist, on Flickr

 

[RWright]

Nice picture, have the T6 and rear light blazing. I bet that is kind of fun actually. Just be careful.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Nice picture, have the T6 and rear light blazing. I bet that is kind of fun actually. Just be careful.

Thanks Rocky, at least you get noticed, as for fun, it was a bit hairy on those tyres sometimes, though in all honesty, they held the road better than I expected, I wouldnt want to push my luck though, fastest I got was 19mph, what really surprised me was the elevation gained at 1119 ft just over 2 1/2 ft less per mile than on Sunday, almost twice what I was doing back in Aug early Sept, and whats more is I am getting back almost to the speeds I was doing then (excluding my last ride).

 

[RWright]

It will keep getting better I think. There may be lulls but I am starting to see a little progress too.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

It will keep getting better I think. There may be lulls but I am starting to see a little progress too.

Just a matter of keeping at it, and increase the effort.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

How you been finding the roads? I've been walking to work today. And glad I have. The 1 mile of back streets to work on the edge of the city centre have been a nightmare to walk on let alone ride on.

Anyhow, had a quick 45 minute turbo session tonight.

Apart from Friday night the main roads have been fine.

The cycle lane down London Road still has a bit of slush in it so I just ride further out into the road.

I've been doing loops around Welford Road and London Road mainly, got 20 miles done this morning, best distance for a few weeks

I am lucky in the fact that I live near the outer ring road so I have a hairy ride down a hill to it and then I work just off Abbey Lane, so 99% of my ride has been clear

Marathon Winters have been a God send, I don't think I would have been doing the mileage I have been doing if I was on my normal tyres. Saying that I have seen a few racing bikes with thin tyres on them.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Marathon Winters have been a God send, I don't think I would have been doing the mileage I have been doing if I was on my normal tyres. Saying that I have seen a few racing bikes with thin tyres on them.

Like me, I have no choice, I cant afford another set of tyres just for a few days snow.

 

[BrianEvesham]

I would have to carry the bike to the main road, our estate is lethal, shame as its a nice day albeit very cold.

 

[Mo1959]

We have a local "weather guru" in our area and this is a clip he put on youtube. This is just about seven or eight miles from me so you will see why I have not been cycling.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTBidTK9FDI

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Like me, I have no choice, I cant afford another set of tyres just for a few days snow.

I'm lucky. I bought a second set of wheels for the hybrid, so I have the winters on one set and the normal tyres on the other set. That way I can keep commuting. All in I have spent circa £175. I reckon for every two weeks of bad weather I am saving circa £50-60 in fuel, therefore I will have saved the cost in the worst case in 7 weeks of using them, already into the second week and if I only use them 2-3 weeks a year, I reckon the tyres will last longer than the bike.

The best bit though is on Friday night I got home in less than an hour (frequent stops to answer my blooming mobile!) All the car drivers, many who live closer to work than me, were taking three to four hours to get home.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

The best bit though is on Friday night I got home in less than an hour (frequent stops to answer my blooming mobile!) All the car drivers, many who live closer to work than me, were taking three to four hours to get home.

Thats the way of it, people think being out is terrible in this weather, and right enough if conditions are bad that's right, I am 49 next month and whilst I dont drive at the moment ( I can just haven't applied to renew my license), I have driven most things from motorcycles to 24 ton hi-ab lorries, and the only real thing that has ever really slowed me are other drivers, I learnt to drive in the snow, and yes Mo I lived in Scotland for several years, and whilst Skye doesn't/didn't get it so bad, I used to have to drive from there to either Inverness at night or Edinburgh or have drive down to England in similar conditions, I am only ever limited by the capabilities of the vehicle I am in (usually)

I'm lucky. I bought a second set of wheels for the hybrid, so I have the winters on one set and the normal tyres on the other set. That way I can keep commuting. All in I have spent circa £175. I reckon for every two weeks of bad weather I am saving circa £50-60 in fuel, therefore I will have saved the cost in the worst case in 7 weeks of using them, already into the second week and if I only use them 2-3 weeks a year, I reckon the tyres will last longer than the bike.
.

I dont work, so I cant make the savings to justify it, the only savings I can make are £4 every wk for the train to go to the photo group, and then not every wk.

Though I might be prudent and push down the 1/10 to the main road.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Well I was going to say that having had no sleep and doing the ride to the photo club (picking up 5 p.b.'s and 2 2nd best times and 7 3rd best times, and this with virtually no wind for a change), only to find no one there, I came across this http://app.strava.com/activities/38335903 and I think, I want his bike.

http://app.strava.com/activities/38335361#622276806 9.4mph in Aug 12.6mph today 34%inc.
http://app.strava.com/activities/38335361#622276831 9.3mph in Aug 10.7mph today. 15%
http://app.strava.com/activities/38335361#622276817 9.7mpg in Aug 11.3mpg today 16%
They were in to a 3.0-3.5mph headwind. Today there was a light wind up to 1.6mph from the north (right as I was going out) so maybe it was all down to wind the improvements.