Show us your.......newbie progress!

[RWright]

I seem to be making no progress at the moment. Every ride feels like hard work and I am getting slower and slower. It's a toss up between giving up or resigning myself to forget all about speeds/segments/challenges and try and ride at a much more leisurely pace and just enjoy the exercise and fresh air. Did that today..........leaving it in the small ring for the entire ride and just averaging 12mph over to visit Dad. Getting seriously frustrated with myself seeing folks I follow coming on in leaps and bounds, knocking out big miles and climbing. Used to love climbing myself as it was probably my strong point but no more.

I am back to being slow again from the layoff but I still am a much stronger rider than before I started riding. I also mostly just ride for basic fitness but it is nice to see the speed improve some. Hills that that were torture when I started out and then became almost unnoticeable, are now back to being hills but nothing like they were in the beginning. I bet some of your speed comes back as the weather warms up but trying to keep up with younger riders will be hard to do. Just riding and enjoying the outdoors is plenty of fun for me...especially after I get thru this latest round of saddle soreness.

I also have another theory now of why speeds might not be as fast right now. I couldn't sleep tonight and didn't feel like playing internet spaces and got bored so I went for a quick spin just to shake down some tweaking I had done to the bike. I don't know when the big pollen season is there but tonight while I was riding with the light on, I could see just a steady stream of pollen going into my light beam. I was just thinking breathing all that might not be the most helpful thing for having faster times right now.

 

[sleaver]

Maybe a meet up in Dorking is needed to test out Nomadski's route.

We could all sit in his wheel cursing at how many hills there are before getting him to buy the cakes at the top of Box Hill for putting us through it

 

[stevey]

@Mo1959 As others have said just enjoy the ride no matter how fast/far just don't give up Mo.
We can't all go at 100% all the time.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@Mo1959 just ride girl, and enjoy it, there are good and bad days/periods, just look at what you have achieved, and whilst it might seem tough, I bet not as tough as when you started. My avg speeds are not fast high 14's to low 15's, but when I look at what I am currently doing, I am ok with it, as the rides are much tougher than I used to do, as for p.b's there comes a point it gets very difficult to get them with out serious training, I just like tinkering and seeing what works or not, and whilst I set a few today one on a tough hill (not long but steep) which had me down to the 28x23 (32") I made it, though I think any longer I might have been wanting.

 

[Learnincurve]

Bike is far far more stable with the longer stem and bars rotated up, it's just as murderous on my arms/wrists but that has nothing to do with the bike fit, Just feels like my legs did when I started cycling.

anyway, cycled to rother valley and encountered a pretty much solid shared path filled with absolute hoofing morons. I would have been just as annoyed had I intentionally been on foot, which I had to be anyway because of the huge packs of people with prams stood around in the middle of the path talking and ignoring what the 3 year olds with them were up to.
If I'd been one of the poor saps who had hired a bike from there I would have been utterly livid.

 

[Learnincurve]

I seem to be making no progress at the moment. .

I wonder, is your bike too heavy or weighed down with too much stuff? Pootling speed difference with me is 3 mph on the flat between the 13kg hybrid and the 10kg cyclocross bike with less effort.

edit: are you drinking enough as well? My unfit legs turn to lead if I get dehydrated. You want at least 500ml an hour.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@Learnincurve I think @Mo1959 knows enough about stuff like that, however you have me thinking Mo when was the last time you had your wheel bearing checked, this is a sure fire way of losing speed and not really knowing about it.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

@Learnincurve I think @Mo1959 knows enough about stuff like that, however you have me thinking Mo when was the last time you had your wheel bearing checked, this is a sure fire way of losing speed and not really knowing about it.

or pumped up the tyres, or cleaned the chain - yes I'm teaching grandma to suck eggs

 

[Nigelnaturist]

or pumped up the tyres, or cleaned the chain - yes I'm teaching grandma to suck eggs

My tyres are never flat (never get a puncture, only time they come of is to put new wheels on), I have some of the longest living chains around, my old ones at 3,000+ miles are better than many at 1,500 miles
I mentioned the hubs as its not an obvious first thought.

 

[Mo1959]

@Learnincurve I think @Mo1959 knows enough about stuff like that, however you have me thinking Mo when was the last time you had your wheel bearing checked, this is a sure fire way of losing speed and not really knowing about it.

The wheels are indeed on the way out on the Forme Nigel, but sadly even using the good bike which only comes out on really nice days makes very little difference.

Definitely something up physically I think. Blood tests came back within normal range for usual stuff, but I still feel my lumbar discs may be causing some sort of weakness. Just clutching at straws really as nothing else has changed. Eating and drinking pretty much the same as usual.
The best way of describing how it feels, is like having lactic acid in your legs all the time, but not just after a long hard effort. It starts from the very first sign of a gradient or putting any effort in. I try setting out gently to warm up, etc. Been going on too long to be viral I think but I will persevere for another month or so and maybe go back to the doc if I am still struggling.

In the meantime, I think I will just have to slow right down so that I can at least enjoy what I am currently managing. A more leisurely, touring sort of pace and just enjoy the fresh air and lovely scenery I am blessed with around here.

 

[Learnincurve]

@Mo1959 my partner is using words like "anaerobic metabolism" and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactic_acidosis

 

[Nomadski]

I wonder, is your bike too heavy or weighed down with too much stuff? Pootling speed difference with me is 3 mph on the flat between the 13kg hybrid and the 10kg cyclocross bike with less effort.

edit: are you drinking enough as well? My unfit legs turn to lead if I get dehydrated. You want at least 500ml an hour.

Such a simple thing but something I really don't do enough of. Still in the beginners habit of drinking only when I'm thirsty. End up 2 hours later with cramping legs.



@Mo1959 With what your body went through after your accident, I'm really not surprised there are ongoing after effects. I would personally ride within yourself and not be too bothered by the resulting speed, and see if, over a prolonged period, there is improvement, and if not then speak to someone.

Just don't push your body too hard, if it's telling you it doesn't want to be pushed. There are varying levels of when you should listen to your body of course, and when you need to tell it to shut up, but I think you would know yourself what those levels are.

Most important thing is to enjoy your riding, not to make it something you want to avoid, God knows life is too full of those things already! If I was even slightly bothered about being slower than those I follow, or those riding near me, I would have given this game up a long time ago! Have settled for my rubbish 13 -14.5 mph average speed as being what I do!

I also like @SatNavSaysStraightOn's suggestion about stopping and enjoying the view of a climb. I always do it on top of Box Hill if I am alone and it certainly makes it more a place I want to return to, its an extra benefit so to speak.

Anyway, all my two cents, and not based on any personal medical knowledge, or skillset, but is how I would approach things in your situation.

Hope the bug bites again, your an inspiration to many in this thread, regardless of what speeds your doing.x

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@Mo1959 psychological, if your thinking about the hill before hand and its hurting, I tried not to think about this one today South Elmsall High Street Left but you can't help it really, its short but pretty brutal

 

[nobbyp]

A night at Manchester velodrome - see how hard it can be????

 

[GreigM]

I seem to be making no progress at the moment. Every ride feels like hard work and I am getting slower and slower. It's a toss up between giving up or resigning myself to forget all about speeds/segments/challenges and try and ride at a much more leisurely pace and just enjoy the exercise and fresh air. Did that today..........leaving it in the small ring for the entire ride and just averaging 12mph over to visit Dad. Getting seriously frustrated with myself seeing folks I follow coming on in leaps and bounds, knocking out big miles and climbing. Used to love climbing myself as it was probably my strong point but no more.

12mph is faster than I go don't be thinking about giving up!