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

[stevey]

Well i will be taking my winter/everyday bike to service tomorrow in prep for mondays ride to my new job (It's only taken a year nearly to the day).... Nervous not about riding but the new job/people.

 

[Effyb4]

I went for a ride with 2 boys and hubby yesterday. It was a very pleasant ride with a fair number of small children, dogs off the lead and people enjoying the bank holiday sunshine, for us to negotiate. We managed 35 miles with only a pub lunch stop and drink stop at the RSPB reserve.

I'm sorry about the pictures, I always seem to manage a finger or something over the lense.

https://www.strava.com/activities/297988190

 

[Tankengine]

Can't really explain why every hill was such a massive challenge. I even walked a fair way up one hill that was probably a slightly shorter version of Leith Hill. Ah well.

https://app.strava.com/activities/298115352

Looks like hard work!! And fun...! Have you got a link where you can zoom in on the route?

 

[Nomadski]

Looks like hard work!! And fun...! Have you got a link where you can zoom in on the route?

If you click on the strava link at the bottom of my post you will be able to see and zoom the route.

 

[Tankengine]

If you click on the strava link at the bottom of my post you will be able to see and zoom the route.

Couldn't get it to zoom...maybe because I'm on a tablet and/or don't have strava? Will try it the PC tomorrow.

 

[Stonechat]

That isn't Leith Hill Bob. The only sharp hard left like in your pic is right at the bottom, coming off Ockley Road, which has clear white road markings. Plus you wouldn't be in that gear at that point as it's flat at the junction. It's easy to miss photographers on these rides though, especially when your swearing at your bike / legs / brain.

Speaking of which, my ride yesterday with @themosquitoking didn't go quite as planned. Took off a ride from RideWithGPS which was supposed to be a 48 miler as I wanted to go somewhere different, heading down through Godstone and Caterham and looping around.

Obviously the guy who made the route was a bit of a hill fan. I knew it was going to be hilly as it was 3,700 ft of climbing, but I had hoped it was a little spread out, instead there were lots of incredibly sharp, short bursts of elevation gains.

I also would have hoped my legs didn't turn into jelly from the very first hill! On the flat I was fine, could have gone on and on. Every hill though my legs just didn't have any power in them at all. Found it hard just to even sit down and cruise up in granny gear mode.

Had a breather near Hanging Wood (!)

Still, some of the views were cool, and we went downhill on a road so steep even with both brakes on was still moving!

Probably working till 9.30pm and not having much breakfast didnt help too much, but anyway the ride was cut short and we abandoned the route somewhere near Chaldon as it was going to loop down for another bout of Silly Hill Attack.

A road where we met the full onslaught of Surreys Royal Midgie Force, and another unexpected sharp climb later we found Farthings Down which was new to us, and gave a pleasant view, including the London Shard and other buildings (really cannot tell from this pic unless zoomed right in)...

Then it was almost completely flat the way home, and my legs felt fine again, with plenty of zip in them.

Can't really explain why every hill was such a massive challenge. I even walked a fair way up one hill that was probably a slightly shorter version of Leith Hill. Ah well.

https://app.strava.com/activities/298115352

Really good ride @Nomadski
For some reason it was a tough day for you.
You did it

 

[Stonechat]

Went out for usual Weds jaunt to Chertsey.
Powerful winds with swirling gusts made it difficult to find a good rhythm.
Avoided the worst of the rain,

18.3 mi @ 15.5 mph, I suppose a fair speed given the wind

984 ft climbed

One minute was sailing along with the wind, the the wind swirled, and I was against it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/299147197

 

[Nomadski]

Last couple of days have been horrible conditions for cycling. BBC had Morden down for 40mph gusts on Monday.

 

[Stonechat]

Had time for a shortish ride today
Went round the Great Park on familiar roads

22.97 miles @ 16.3 mph
735 feet climbed

A few PRS

https://www.strava.com/activities/300353786

Mild weather and not so much wind

 

[stevey]

Morning ride with a mate (Before the Rain) Was a nice ride/route
https://www.strava.com/activities/300382456

 

[ChrisEyles]

Went out to Exmoor this morning, and managed 51 miles in 3:05, not a bad average speed for me. Even though there aren't any proper climbs as such there's still over 3,000ft of climbing along the route, nearly all on the way out up to the moors. Most of the rides I've been doing recently have had a few proper steep 15%+ climbs after which I tend to take it a little easier, but this route is a good one for sustaining a constant moderate effort - my legs certainly feel a little heavier now than usual after a ride!

On the way back home I got thinking about all the little bearings whizzing around in the wheel hubs, and the springs and cunning action of the derailleurs.... bicycles are really fantastic machines Does make one feel a little precarious if you think too hard about it above 30mph though!

 

[mintymurray]

rode my first 140km last sunday the lovely tour de yorkshire, got a little wet not bad seeing as only had a bike since January
https://www.strava.com/activities/297595943

 

[mintymurray]

just a few pics of the

ride

 

[Stonechat]

Went out to Exmoor this morning, and managed 51 miles in 3:05, not a bad average speed for me. Even though there aren't any proper climbs as such there's still over 3,000ft of climbing along the route, nearly all on the way out up to the moors. Most of the rides I've been doing recently have had a few proper steep 15%+ climbs after which I tend to take it a little easier, but this route is a good one for sustaining a constant moderate effort - my legs certainly feel a little heavier now than usual after a ride!

On the way back home I got thinking about all the little bearings whizzing around in the wheel hubs, and the springs and cunning action of the derailleurs.... bicycles are really fantastic machines Does make one feel a little precarious if you think too hard about it above 30mph though!

Good ride and faster than I have managed 50 miles

 

[Stonechat]

Wanted to do a few hills today
Did 50 miles going from hom here in Staines down to Newlands Corner, Conbe Lane, Crocknorth, and Box Hill

Nice day and plenty of cyclists about, at Combe Lane came across a lot of riders doing a Sportive.
Combe Lane is a tough hill, and I was happily overtaking many riders on the way up - I take that as a mark of the progress I have made. I lost the Sportive riders at the time, only to rejing them later at Box Hill

The Sportive they were doing was Human Race London Sportive - I will look it up later.
I may be thinking them going poorly and maybe they had actually done a lot already.

Still they did hold me up a bit and cars overtaking up Box Hill (and motorbikes) were a major hazard when descending.

50.93 miles at only 14.8 mph.
Strava and Garmin are robbing me blind on the climbing today - it says 2756 feet but it was over 3,000 feet when planned and nothing missed out


https://www.strava.com/activities/301733835