A strange thing keeps happening.....

[Lisa21]

Iv not been back into cycling long but am getting more and more addicted and since i got my new bikey about 2 months ago im riding 6 days a week,im currently doing about 9 miles a day in the week and then about 25-30 on a Sat and Sun but a strange thing happens.......................
The first 5 or so miles are really hard and im peddaling along thinking i must have something better to be doing than this and could happily turn round and go home!!But then once i hit the first sort of third of my ride, something seems to "kick in" and its fantastic!!! My breathing becomes normal again(!)my legs stop hurting although im going even faster than i was at the start and i feel like im flying!! And by the time im near home i could do it all again and quite often do if iv time Does this happen to you PROPER cyclists???I am definitely starting to feel fitter too, i havent lost any weight yetbut fit into my fave size 10 jeans again with room to spare so bits must be firming up I am getting SO addicted though- its quite scary!!! I know iv not got the bestest bike-its a carrera vulcan mtb(loved it cos its red-women eh)and do mainly roads &cycle paths but im enjoying it so much i dont care!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ACS]

Some wise sage on this forum said 'The first 10 miles are the worst' and they are. Welcome to the beginners club for unfit masochists, the next stage of the addiction are 'hills'.

 

[Sittingduck]

Hi

I find the first 20 or 30 minutes on longer rides relatively tough going too
I think it just takles a while to find one's groove

Good luck with it!
SD

 

[Lisa21]

HaHa!!!
Theres a killer hill near me- Engine Hill- (well its killer in my eyes anyhoo) and my goal is to cycle up it and live!!!!!!!!! I can do it in 6 parts(ride 1/6, rest a minute, etc etc) and felt really silly yesterday when a man in full lycra everything sailed past me as if oblivious he was going up hill!! Made me realise how far iv yet to go but then iv come a long way too as the first time i did 5 miles on the straight i said never again its too far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ill be posting news of my first ton come summer!!!

(dont quote me on that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

 

[ACS]

The main thing is did he acknowledge you as a fellow cyclist? If not, he needs some guidance

I have just retuned to the sport and my goals for this year are:

Shed 3 stone of lard - 1 Jan 10
Cycle 50, 66 (100 km) and 100 miles before the clocks change. Logic: no point fretting about speed until the weight is down, lighter will mean faster, endurance means faster for longer.

Simple misguided logic but I think it will work for me.

 

[marinyork]

It's warming up. It takes me an hour to warm up, some other people I've spoken to say two hours! Some rides can be fairly painful the first 3 or 4 miles and then things settle down as you say. Glad you're enjoying it, that's the important thing.

 

[RedBike]

I think I'm rather lucky in that I don't seem to struggle to cycle normally if I haven't warmed up. However, I do know exactly what you mean. I now find it quite impossible to race unless i've been casually riding for 20/30mins before hand.

 

[Paulus]

[FONT=Book i haven't lost any weight yetbut fit into my fave size 10 jeans again with room to spare so bits must be firming up


Hi there Lisa, You may find that you don't loose that much weight, but you will change shape as various muscles and parts of your body firm up. You will obviously burn the excess fat, but muscle weighs more than fat so don't be too disappointed if you don't shed loads over a period of time.

 

[Sittingduck]

*Wonder if she's related to Keith Oates!!!!*

 

[puddleglum]

HaHa!!!
Theres a killer hill near me- Engine Hill- (well its killer in my eyes anyhoo) and my goal is to cycle up it and live!!!!!!!!! I can do it in 6 parts(ride 1/6, rest a minute, etc etc) and felt really silly yesterday when a man in full lycra everything sailed past me as if oblivious he was going up hill!! Made me realise how far iv yet to go but then iv come a long way too as the first time i did 5 miles on the straight i said never again its too far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ill be posting news of my first ton come summer!!!

(dont quote me on that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

You so can. I got into cycling just over a year ago and did my first 100 miller in September. It's true about the hills as well - just starting to like them now.
The first 7 miles always seem much harder and after that, everything settles down

 

[colcazal]

Sounds familiar! First 5 miles are the worst for me too, then other days I am fine from beginning to end. Don't worry bout it

Cheers,

Col

 

[Lisa21]

Satans Budgie -yes he did, he actually shouted "keep going, your doing well" as he sailed passed which put a smile on my face!

poss 8 out of 10 cyclists i pass nod or say hi but some are downright miserable and it often seems to be women in full kit(no offenct to anyone)
dont know why-i am hardly a threat!!!!!

I say hi to all-ill speak to anyone me-never did listen to my mother

once again thanks for all your encouraging words guys............im getting soooooooooooooooooo hooked and really enjoying myself!!!!!

 

[Steve B]

I would recommend a good stretch before you go for a ride to loosen up your muscles. If you are just getting back into exercise and doing something every day it sounds to me as if you may not be warming up properly before you start. I dont want to say you are doing too much, but a warm up stretch before each ride will help.

Heel to your butt to stretch the quads - hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times. If you cannot feel the stretch being put into your quads push your hip gently forward as you perform the stretch. Stretch your hamstrings by bending down and touching your knees, toes or floor depending ou your flexibility. Again you can cross one leg in front of the other to extend the stretch, but do not bounce while stretching. Then do the calf muscles - sit on the floor and point your toes back towards you - if you can reach put your hands over your toes and gently pull your feet back towards your torso. Sets of 3 held for 30 seconds on each leg. Once you have stretched then walk around for a minute or so then set off on the bike - slowly at first then building up to a normal riding speed. Don't blat out of your garden gate at 20mph. Its all about warming the muscles up and getting them used to what you are going to demand of them. This is why you see the pro's on turbos before time trials - nobody can go flat out from a standing start before warming up. I remember watching Chris Boardmans hour record attempt - he was sweating on the rollers before he even started his attempt!

 

[Lambchop]

Sounds like you've got the bug! It is very addictive I must agree, Ive only recently taking up cycling again myself. I managed a 20 odd mile ride yesterday without too much difficulty, there was only one hill that defeated me and I had to stop. I look at it as a challenge though, hopefully in a few weeks/mnths I'll be tearing up that same hill with ease!

I've found other cyclists to be quite friendly around where I live, although Im normally the first to nod/wave. There are a few who completely blank me, but hey ho, that's life!

 

[grhm]

I'll add my vote to both the warming up and enjoying hills theories.

I've got a steep hill that I enjoy doing on my morning commute - it not technically on the way but I go out of my way to see if I'm getting quicker/betting a climbing it. (Originally, I failed to climb in it one go - but now it's more what gear/time can I do it in than can I do it in one go )

If I ride straight there, I always find it a bit more of a struggle than if I go a slightly longer way round and am warmed up before hitting it.

Keep at it.