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

[RWright]

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.

That looks how the roads in my neighborhood sometimes look after snow. I would not get on them either. I have never broken a bone (knock on wood) and I don't want to start now. I don't heal as fast as I used to.

I live on a hill that is surrounded by two other hills, I have to start climbing very soon to go anywhere. It doesn't snow enough here for me to justify snow tires. My State has some snow moving equipment and they do a decent job on the main roads but we have a lot of secondary roads and for the amount of snow we get, they don't have enough equipment to clear them all quickly.

When it snows here it is almost a festive event. Schools close, kids are all excited. You have a hard time getting a loaf of bread or gallon of milk at the grocery stores soon after even the forecast. Finding a parking spot at the liquor stores can also be a problem.

 

[RWright]

Nigel, that is a very nice ride today. Having a supersonic bike could come in handy at times too!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

When it snows here it is almost a festive event. Schools close, kids are all excited. You have a hard time getting a loaf of bread or gallon of milk at the grocery stores soon after even the forecast. Finding a parking spot at the liquor stores can also be a problem.

A bit like here Rocky, though in recent years we've had some heaver falls, which I blame on the minimal sunspot activate in this cycle, its the lowest since 1906.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Well thats all the main roads covered in a 200 sq mile area and quite a few up to 300 sq miles.

 

[AndyPeace]

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.

I like how he held off on the speed on all the strava segments, what a decent bloke... he slowed down to 4.9mph on the Tanglin Climb. Must have really hammered it on the sections inbetween!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

It's a bit quite in here again.
Well finally a decent ride out, non to taxing, but when I started back in July, I couldn't even contemplate the distance and the time (still not great) but the point is, it was done virtually non stop ( no cig breaks) and done at a reasonable 14.8mph over the 33.8 miles and a modest 31.4ft per mile elevation.
I set one new p.b.which i am pleased with as it had a small climb, about the only one till the homeward leg.
Byram to A63/A162 Roundabout Still last in my age and weight groups though.
I also got a 10th palace Selby to Eggborough (a645 roundabout) admittedly there are only 14 places so far, this is a new segment I created. I did part of the road back in July (before I started using any gps) and absolutely hated it, it was long straight and boring (and I was managing about 11mph), today in some respects it wasn't long enough, another thing I am pleased with is that apart from one segment they were all over 12mph, which is a big achievement for me, and the one that was less than 12mph was this Exit Slip A162 Brotherton which did have a 10.7% gradient at one point.
So as I said quite chuffed, and to all the people just starting just keep at it.
If your interested the ride is here Jan 24th

 

[Reece]

Nice one Nigel.

I've not been out on the bike in nearly two weeks. Have had a company car as had a few days training in daventry over the last fortnight. Not bothered commuting on the bike due to the ice on the back roads I use for work. Have had a few turbo sessions though.

Had some more snow fall tonight so club rides at the weekend will more than likely be cancelled again. Turbo Sunday it will be then lol.

 

[Kins]

Done bugger all except ride back and forward to work. Snow is ok, but its to damn cold. My muscles ache just from the cold and won't warm up properly and now getting pains above my knees. Age, aint it wonderful!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Nice one Nigel.

I've not been out on the bike in nearly two weeks. Have had a company car as had a few days training in daventry over the last fortnight. Not bothered commuting on the bike due to the ice on the back roads I use for work. Have had a few turbo sessions though.

Had some more snow fall tonight so club rides at the weekend will more than likely be cancelled again. Turbo Sunday it will be then lol.

Thanks, I dont think I could cope on a turbo, I have to be out, I am not training to be in competitions so it doesn't really matter what my times are, I set a goal back in June of 15mph avg and whilst I am not quite there yet, I think I am getting there, for instance those hump back bridges that had me dropping a whole range of gears, are nothing now for the most part I dont even change gear, my avg sp had been dropping from Sept to Dec 14.03 to 12.88 in Dec it was as low as 12.88 in Nov but on the other hand I was climbing a little more. It's now going the other way all be it only a modest amount, but whilst i did the hills in Oct and Nov I had covered far more distance than I have this month.
This section Womersley to Chequerfield Ln whilst I only achieved a 3rd best time today, i felt much more better on it as it's a steady 130ft climb over 4.5 miles with a couple of small dips, this section has always been a problem for me I normally drop below 10mph today though i didn't , when I first did it i was in a 26/28 gear not sure what i was in today but didn't drop out of 38 on the front, in fact I don't think i did the whole ride, mind it would be a poor show if i did on the ride today. I had to make the segment to show you. Bank Wood Climb ( still waiting for the full results) i actually got a p.b. on it, by 7's and also this one Gravehill to Top from Whitley 25's quicker (but again not all the results arre in, though i dont do that one very often, I am also really quite low on the leader tables.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Done bugger all except ride back and forward to work. Snow is ok, but its to damn cold. My muscles ache just from the cold and won't warm up properly and now getting pains above my knees. Age, aint it wonderful!

Well done getting out to work in it, but I have to say I feel much better in the colder weather (still not keen on riding on ice on 23c tyres though), I think it's the fact there isn't much wind that's made it enjoyable.

 

[RWright]

Nice 34 miler Nigel, doing one of those would take a lot out of me even though I am feeling like I have more riding endurance than I have ever had. I just did a 17 miler on my Townie and feel pretty good. We just got a cold blast here a day or so ago, so I will be riding in temperatures lower than I have been used to. I still have done two days in the lower temps even though I do try to ride in the mid afternoon so I hit the highest temperatures of the day.

I had my Townie all lubed up, cleaned, gears and cables adjusted and some new reflective tape I added. It was a bright sunny day. I am about two miles in and here comes the state trucks going past me and spraying some sort of anti icing fluid on the road I was on. Luckily the road I was on has a nice wide paved shoulder and I hardly had to get in the car lanes at all, so the ride ended up being a good one with just my toes getting a little cold at the end.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Nice 34 miler Nigel, doing one of those would take a lot out of me even though I am feeling like I have more riding endurance than I have ever had. I just did a 17 miler on my Townie and feel pretty good. We just got a cold blast here a day or so ago, so I will be riding in temperatures lower than I have been used to. I still have done two days in the lower temps even though I do try to ride in the mid afternoon so I hit the highest temperatures of the day.

Well done, your mileage is increasing, you will soon be doing 20+ on a regular basis.
My toes got a little cold today, got gritted the other day. I will tell you what I wear, lower padded cycling shorts, fleece lined tights, leg warmers and another pair of tights, two pairs of socks. Upper base compression top, fleece top, mid layer then a long sleeve cycling top and then a hi vis jogging top, thats a little loose but not to much, neck warmer, and a woolly hat, I also have some arm warmers, so it depends on temp as to what I have on, but I am never cold, apart from the toes a little, and a pair of gloves that cost about $9

 

[RWright]

I have been using a base layer short sleeve t shirt, a long sleeve cotton t shirt, a hoodie (neon green ), cycling shorts, sweat pants, regular type socks and toe covers on my shoes. All of it cheaper items I got on sale, except for the hoodie, got that free at work. I also picked up a headband and neck
warmer combo pack from Walmart, for 6 dollars, actually picked up another one because I liked them,
it has all been working well. My gloves are some pretty decent motorcycle riding gloves I have had for a while, my fingers don't get cold, just my toes getting cold towards the end of the ride, nothing really bad.

I have tights,arm and knee and leg warmers, overshoes, balaclava, knit cap, and base layers. I have not
needed any of this other stuff yet, except maybe the overshoes now. I have filled up one decent size
closet with cycling clothes so far. I would be sort of ashamed for anyone to see all of it but I got all of it on sale mostly and don't have much money in it. I wanted to be ready this winter since I wussed out last
winter. I know if there is sharp wind and cooler temps I will have to adjust but I have jackets or coats I can wear. It is sort of a fine line between too much and not enough. I am pretty sure my rides are not in quite as cold temperatures as your rides are too.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

mines pretty cheep stuff, this next year i will get more cycle orientated tights, the ones I have are more ski wear (as are the tops, but thats a little less critical for comfort), but were cheep, the fleece ones are good, just a little on the small side, could do with over shoes but so fair it's not been a problem, temps here are around about freezing, the avg temp on my last 7 rides have been -0.8, -0.5, 0.4, 1.3, -1, 2.1 and 0.9, the wind speeds have been low which has helped.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

For my commuting I have been wearing padded tights from Sports Direct. A ron hill base layer, a tee shirt on top of that and a Mountain Equipment coat. I have been very warm both morning and night. Foot wise I have a pair of waterproof walking shoes (Nike look like trainers again from Sports Direct) and two pair of socks, only one day have I had cold feet.

Now up to 450 miles for the month, hoping to break 500 by the end of it, though we are forecast another big drop of snow tomorrow.