20 Miles and lessons learnt !!

[Grayduff]

After a number of weeks i built up slowly from 3 miles, 5 ,8 , 12 and today a much improved and very much enjoyed 20 miles.
Living in leafy Surrey with Box Hill and Leith Hill 5 minutes away it would of been easy to get caught up in the Olympic and Tour of Britain hype and battled away at both Hills with poor results and bad Knees.
I have learnt much from this forum in the time that i have been her and followed the advice given, go at your own pace and enjoy is the best advice given, but more importantly ignore the bravado that is ,mine is better than yours and i can go faster than you, 14 mph average is that all !!!.
That`s not to say that i do not want to faster or further but at 48 and little or no exercise in the last 25 years, i am quiet pleased with my twenty miles.
So thank you Mr Wiggins, Mr Cavendish and all the Olympic teams but most of all thank Forum members and roll on tomorrow ...i cant wait

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Well done: 20 miles is not to be sniffed at!
What's speed if you can't stop, take a picture, admire the sights, have a snack, for fear of compromising the average speed on the cycle computer?

 

[DaveyM]

good effort Grayduff.
I have never had as much fun exercising so as long as you are enjoying it good for you!

 

[Pedal pusher]

After a number of weeks i built up slowly from 3 miles, 5 ,8 , 12 and today a much improved and very much enjoyed 20 miles.
Living in leafy Surrey with Box Hill and Leith Hill 5 minutes away it would of been easy to get caught up in the Olympic and Tour of Britain hype and battled away at both Hills with poor results and bad Knees.
I have learnt much from this forum in the time that i have been her and followed the advice given, go at your own pace and enjoy is the best advice given, but more importantly ignore the bravado that is ,mine is better than yours and i can go faster than you, 14 mph average is that all !!!.
That`s not to say that i do not want to faster or further but at 48 and little or no exercise in the last 25 years, i am quiet pleased with my twenty miles.
So thank you Mr Wiggins, Mr Cavendish and all the Olympic teams but most of all thank Forum members and roll on tomorrow ...i cant wait

I think your right Pat 5mph we sometimes get sucked into this faster,further thing. shame to have gone out on a ride only to see the peddles turning round!!

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Great stuff Grayduff

 

[paul04]

Well done on doing 20miles. we all start somewhere, just think this time next year you could be posting "I've just done a 100 mile bike ride"
I seen this quote a while back, which I thought was good.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step

 

[Boon 51]

Well done from me too.. thats a nice milestone..

 

[4F]

Indeed well done, always satisfying ticking the distance goals off and seeing the rides get easier as you do more. Keep up the good work.

 

[Reece]

Well done. I hit my first 20miles last week.

 

[Mo1959]

Well done Grayduff. Great achievement.

I am the wrong side of 50 now and new to cycling with any consistency too. I went through a period a few weeks ago of feeling a bit frustrated at not getting faster and reading on here of those that seem to hit good speeds after only a short time. I am happier now that I have realised that I am probably never going to be a fast cyclist and just accepted it and am enjoying my rides knowing that I am getting decent exercise in lovely countryside.

Mind you, it's human nature to want to improve so I am hoping that if I can at least manage a couple of rides a week throughout the autumn and winter, that I may emerge as a slightly stronger/faster cyclist in the spring

 

[skudupnorth]

Good stuff,as long as you enjoyed the ride then mileage and speed are secondary !

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Excellent! I really do think that once you've cracked the 20 mile mark you really are on your way!

 

[RAYMOND]

Well done grayduff
As a very fit 47 year old i have grandeurs of doing a 60-100 miler but
doing one is much harder.
My regular ride is 20 miles and that is more than enough at times.
Its about gradually building up,adding another 5 miles or so if you are upto it.
But the more you do your regular miles the easier the longer rides will be.

 

[Grayduff]

Well done grayduff
As a very fit 47 year old i have grandeurs of doing a 60-100 miler but
doing one is much harder.
My regular ride is 20 miles and that is more than enough at times.
Its about gradually building up,adding another 5 miles or so if you are upto it.
But the more you do your regular miles the easier the longer rides will be.

Once again thanks guys for the comments, only managed 5 miles this morning to shake the aching legs out a bit, BUT set my sights on 25 miles in the week, time permiting that is..

 

[BrianEvesham]

I like your sentiment GrayDuff. Well Done.
I am planning my first 20 miler this week, fingers crossed. My target in time will be 100k and it's just that for now, a target.