Thanks folks, just bought a second hand mountain bike to build any sort of fitness levels and will buy a road bike in the next few months. Went out this morning along the seafront 2.6 miles, now walking another 10 with my dogs. Surprisingly no aches and pains.
Up to 6 miles on friday, worryingly no aches, pains or soreness.
Thanks folks, just bought a second hand mountain bike to build any sort of fitness levels and will buy a road bike in the next few months. Went out this morning along the seafront 2.6 miles, now walking another 10 with my dogs. Surprisingly no aches and pains.
Up to 6 miles on friday, worryingly no aches, pains or soreness.
Good man. Take it handy, your target is for next year isn't it? So just take it gently. Step it up gradually. 10 miles non stop, then 20 and so on. You'll be surprised how soon your body gets the strength to cycle for tens of miles and for hours on end. The main thing is to enjoy it.
Thanks folks, just bought a second hand mountain bike to build any sort of fitness levels and will buy a road bike in the next few months. Went out this morning along the seafront 2.6 miles, now walking another 10 with my dogs. Surprisingly no aches and pains.
Up to 6 miles on friday, worryingly no aches, pains or soreness.
Good man. Take it handy, your target is for next year isn't it? So just take it gently. Step it up gradually. 10 miles non stop, then 20 and so on. You'll be surprised how soon your body gets the strength to cycle for tens of miles and for hours on end. The main thing is to enjoy it.
Yes, I'm taking it slowly and my my target is for under 150 miles over two days, this time next year. I'm really surprised how much I'm enjoying it, I've just ordered an almost new road bike from a cycle shop and fully intend to do ten miles on my next ride on Tuesday with the aim of 20 miles maybe by the end of the month.
5hrs28mins, that’s a bit pants right? Did take quite a while to walk up the last half of the beacon though, otherwise it might’ve killed me...
If you're just aiming to finish, then it doesn't matter what time you did it in Everybody's goal is different. Well done!
For reference, if anyone's interested, last year I did the September L2B - much nicer, especially if you get out early enough to avoid the hordes. Helps if you cross the line first of course (humblebrag) but there were far fewer people in general, so the ride isn't as congested.
5hrs28mins, that’s a bit pants right? Did take quite a while to walk up the last half of the beacon though, otherwise it might’ve killed me...
If you're just aiming to finish, then it doesn't matter what time you did it in Everybody's goal is different. Well done!
For reference, if anyone's interested, last year I did the September L2B - much nicer, especially if you get out early enough to avoid the hordes. Helps if you cross the line first of course (humblebrag) but there were far fewer people in general, so the ride isn't as congested.
To be honest, racing makes you fit enough to bang out miles at a speed that seems impossible to a lot of people - but it's just training and miles in your legs. It's much more difficult when people first start out - those goals (10 miles, 20 miles, 50 miles, 100 miles) all seem completely unattainable at first. Just getting used to the punishment of sitting on the saddle for six hours or more seems like climbing everest
Did L’Éroica Britannia yesterday. Great event, lots of fun. I had a walk of shame though. A hill up a track in a wood that was 15-20% for what seemed like a mile. As my cassette was a 13-20 I didn’t have the gears I desperately needed.
Did L’Éroica Britannia yesterday. Great event, lots of fun. I had a walk of shame though. A hill up a track in a wood that was 15-20% for what seemed like a mile. As my cassette was a 13-20 I didn’t have the gears I desperately needed.
13-20? Christ, I wouldn't use that in a pan flat crit!
Did L’Éroica Britannia yesterday. Great event, lots of fun. I had a walk of shame though. A hill up a track in a wood that was 15-20% for what seemed like a mile. As my cassette was a 13-20 I didn’t have the gears I desperately needed.
13-20? Christ, I wouldn't use that in a pan flat crit!
1982 Vitus 979, mothballed before I bought it. Used the same last time, but they reversed the route this year, so the really scary descent became the even scarier climb. New old stock Uniglide Dura Ace 13-23 cassette on order. And a triple 105 vintage chain set on the front. Sorted.
Smashed my 10 mile target, I know I did. Only to find strava had paused on 0.3.
I didn’t realise you could shift some weight on a bike which is a bonus
Lots. The longer your rides the more weight you can lose.
British Cycling has lots of info you might find useful. If you eat a small mouthful of an energy bar every 15 mins after you've been riding for an hour it'll keep you going, and you won't feel so ravenously hungry after your ride. This is for rides over 25 miles really.
After lasting less than a fortnight on my 25 quid second hand mountain bike, today I invested in nearly new road bike which is being delivered tomorrow. I had an unexpected day off yesterday and despite the heat went out to see what I could do. Despite feeling there was still more in my legs I rode 11 miles in 70 minutes. Appreciating that it's not in the same league as you guys, but is that good/bad/indifferent for someone my age (60) that has only ridden for 10 days. Once again the bike was only a couple of hundred quid to see what I can do with a road bike.
After lasting less than a fortnight on my 25 quid second hand mountain bike, today I invested in nearly new road bike which is being delivered tomorrow. I had an unexpected day off yesterday and despite the heat went out to see what I could do. Despite feeling there was still more in my legs I rode 11 miles in 70 minutes. Appreciating that it's not in the same league as you guys, but is that good/bad/indifferent for someone my age (60) that has only ridden for 10 days. Once again the bike was only a couple of hundred quid to see what I can do with a road bike.
See, this is how it starts. Next you need a second bike in case that one has a problem. The second bike will be your daily trading bike, but you’ll probably need another one for organized ride. Oh, and a gravel bike is case you want to go off road. And a dedicated indoor trading bike permanently attached to a smart trainer, so you can train when the weather is bad.
See, this is how it starts. Next you need a second bike in case that one has a problem. The second bike will be your daily trading bike, but you’ll probably need another one for organized ride. Oh, and a gravel bike is case you want to go off road. And a dedicated indoor trading bike permanently attached to a smart trainer, so you can train when the weather is bad.
It’s a slippery slope my friend.
Lol.....You should have seen the disappointment on my face when I read a sticker on the mountain bike "No suitable for jumping or stunt work"
See, this is how it starts. Next you need a second bike in case that one has a problem. The second bike will be your daily trading bike, but you’ll probably need another one for organized ride. Oh, and a gravel bike is case you want to go off road. And a dedicated indoor trading bike permanently attached to a smart trainer, so you can train when the weather is bad.
It’s a slippery slope my friend.
Yup
Welcome aboard. Let us know when you've got another new bike. I'm betting it'll be in about three months...
See, this is how it starts. Next you need a second bike in case that one has a problem. The second bike will be your daily trading bike, but you’ll probably need another one for organized ride. Oh, and a gravel bike is case you want to go off road. And a dedicated indoor trading bike permanently attached to a smart trainer, so you can train when the weather is bad.
It’s a slippery slope my friend.
Yup
Welcome aboard. Let us know when you've got another new bike. I'm betting it'll be in about three months...
How many bikes do you need?
N+1 where N = the number of bikes you already have.
Genuine question - I’m a XC MTB rider. I ride 60-80 miles a week mainly off road. I usually do a big Summer challenge ; off road coast to coast of England or Wales kind of thing. I usually ride between 25-50 miles off road on a Sunday morning
I love the trails , the beauty of the countryside or mountains, the technical challenge and the ability of the bike to get me through most situations. There is always a bit of banter between our crowd and roadies, but I’d love to know why you ride on the road as opposed to off road
One last thing - in 17 years of MTB the scariest times I’ve had on a bike are without doubt when I’ve been on the road
Comments
You'll be surprised how soon your body gets the strength to cycle for tens of miles and for hours on end.
The main thing is to enjoy it.
Did take quite a while to walk up the last half of the beacon though, otherwise it might’ve killed me...
For reference, if anyone's interested, last year I did the September L2B - much nicer, especially if you get out early enough to avoid the hordes. Helps if you cross the line first of course (humblebrag) but there were far fewer people in general, so the ride isn't as congested.
https://www.strava.com/activities/708986154/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-US&v=1473624959
Would have been quite a bit quicker, but had a couple of slower riders with me, and had to save something for the (much, much nicer) ride back:
https://www.strava.com/activities/708986247/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-US&v=1473624916
https://www.strava.com/activities/1614660976/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-US&v=1528103747
To be honest, racing makes you fit enough to bang out miles at a speed that seems impossible to a lot of people - but it's just training and miles in your legs. It's much more difficult when people first start out - those goals (10 miles, 20 miles, 50 miles, 100 miles) all seem completely unattainable at first. Just getting used to the punishment of sitting on the saddle for six hours or more seems like climbing everest
I had a walk of shame though. A hill up a track in a wood that was 15-20% for what seemed like a mile. As my cassette was a 13-20 I didn’t have the gears I desperately needed.
Used the same last time, but they reversed the route this year, so the really scary descent became the even scarier climb.
New old stock Uniglide Dura Ace 13-23 cassette on order. And a triple 105 vintage chain set on the front. Sorted.
British Cycling has lots of info you might find useful. If you eat a small mouthful of an energy bar every 15 mins after you've been riding for an hour it'll keep you going, and you won't feel so ravenously hungry after your ride. This is for rides over 25 miles really.
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/nutrition/article/izn20140305-Sportive-Nutritional-Timeline-0
It’s a slippery slope my friend.
Lycra shorts.
Welcome aboard. Let us know when you've got another new bike. I'm betting it'll be in about three months...
N+1 where N = the number of bikes you already have.
I love the trails , the beauty of the countryside or mountains, the technical challenge and the ability of the bike to get me through most situations. There is always a bit of banter between our crowd and roadies, but I’d love to know why you ride on the road as opposed to off road
One last thing - in 17 years of MTB the scariest times I’ve had on a bike are without doubt when I’ve been on the road