Apols for the ramble, but I just wanted to share my modest experience of progressing over the last year. I do some cycling alongside the gym and running for general fitness, mainly doing short distances between 10 and 30 miles within the limited time I have. Anyway, a year back I took my bike on holiday to France and managed to squeeze in some early morning rides on the lovely roads of the Vendeé. This year, despite not cycling through last winter, I've really started to get the cycling bug so was looking forward to some early morning rides on this year's family holiday to the same area. After getting out for a few rides of 20-40 miles during the first week the English guy who was running the campsite cycle hire/repair centre (turns out he used to compete in Cyclocross) offered to take a few of us out on a ride covering sections of Stages 1 and 3 of this year's TdF. I was a bit nervous as he and one of the other guys were clearly far more experienced than me (and I suspected much faster). Despite an aching knee which caused me some grief in a 40-mile spin a couple of days before, I accepted the offer and 5 of us set off on a route estimated to be around 50 miles. I said from the off that, rather than be conscious of slowing them down, I'd see how I got on but would likely let them go off after a while and follow round at my own pace.
We set off and I sheltered behind the others finding it pretty easy going getting dragged along. After a few miles, I got detached from the group after having to wait for traffic at a roundabout. I then realised that at the pace we were going it was very difficult to get back up to them. After 10 miles or so they waited for me and we set off again but after almost 15 miles I couldn't keep up and let them go off (I knew the rest of the route fairly well). Initially I was a bit demoralised seeing the other 4 go up the road but looking at my computer we had been averaging over 18 mph (my average is usually a modest 15). I knew I couldn't sustain that pace and really wanted to complete the planned route which while fairly flat got a bit lumpier towards the later stages.
I plodded on and at just under 50 miles bumped into 2 of them going round the final loop of the planned route in the reverse direction. Turns out that 2 of the others got distanced at around 25-30 miles and, after taking a wrong turn, decided to call it quits as the pace had done for them. The lead 2 after turning back to check they were okay, rode the final loop in the opposite direction than we'd planned and came across me. That gave me a lift for the last few miles knowing I'd made the right choice to save myself to complete the route.
Despite not being able to keep pace, I completed the route which was longer than my usual trips. I ended up averaging just over 15 mph over the 55 miles. I faded pretty badly for the last few miles, but was pleased enough to hit 50 miles in just over 3 hrs 10 mins. It was quite inspiring cycling over the painted messages even if they were intended to encourage Thomas Voekler! Overall, I managed 200 miles during my hols. Despite my average speed not really getting much faster compared to the previous year over the same roads, I cycled further and more often (and the previous year had to resort to the granny ring for hills that this year I could get up in the middle ring). Once again, it was a joy to be able to hear the wheels purring along smooth roads; the chilly mornings and pot holes will be a big come down!
Furthermore, as someone who a couple of years back had to ask upteem questions on here and follow a YouTube clip to change a puncture, on one ride I stopped to help a French cyclist who was having difficulty changing his tube/tyre and received his eternal gratitude for sorting him out. I felt pretty good after than especially a while after when a young lad shouted "vive la France" on spotting me go past in my Team Europcar jersey.
The question for me now is whether I am happy to keep on plodding round at my pace, just increasing the distances, or whether to try and get faster by joining a club/group rides. For now though, just happy that I'm really enjoying the cycling (so much so that I have totally neglected my training for a 10k run in a few weeks!)
We set off and I sheltered behind the others finding it pretty easy going getting dragged along. After a few miles, I got detached from the group after having to wait for traffic at a roundabout. I then realised that at the pace we were going it was very difficult to get back up to them. After 10 miles or so they waited for me and we set off again but after almost 15 miles I couldn't keep up and let them go off (I knew the rest of the route fairly well). Initially I was a bit demoralised seeing the other 4 go up the road but looking at my computer we had been averaging over 18 mph (my average is usually a modest 15). I knew I couldn't sustain that pace and really wanted to complete the planned route which while fairly flat got a bit lumpier towards the later stages.
I plodded on and at just under 50 miles bumped into 2 of them going round the final loop of the planned route in the reverse direction. Turns out that 2 of the others got distanced at around 25-30 miles and, after taking a wrong turn, decided to call it quits as the pace had done for them. The lead 2 after turning back to check they were okay, rode the final loop in the opposite direction than we'd planned and came across me. That gave me a lift for the last few miles knowing I'd made the right choice to save myself to complete the route.
Despite not being able to keep pace, I completed the route which was longer than my usual trips. I ended up averaging just over 15 mph over the 55 miles. I faded pretty badly for the last few miles, but was pleased enough to hit 50 miles in just over 3 hrs 10 mins. It was quite inspiring cycling over the painted messages even if they were intended to encourage Thomas Voekler! Overall, I managed 200 miles during my hols. Despite my average speed not really getting much faster compared to the previous year over the same roads, I cycled further and more often (and the previous year had to resort to the granny ring for hills that this year I could get up in the middle ring). Once again, it was a joy to be able to hear the wheels purring along smooth roads; the chilly mornings and pot holes will be a big come down!
Furthermore, as someone who a couple of years back had to ask upteem questions on here and follow a YouTube clip to change a puncture, on one ride I stopped to help a French cyclist who was having difficulty changing his tube/tyre and received his eternal gratitude for sorting him out. I felt pretty good after than especially a while after when a young lad shouted "vive la France" on spotting me go past in my Team Europcar jersey.
The question for me now is whether I am happy to keep on plodding round at my pace, just increasing the distances, or whether to try and get faster by joining a club/group rides. For now though, just happy that I'm really enjoying the cycling (so much so that I have totally neglected my training for a 10k run in a few weeks!)