Can i do it??

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Donna

Active Member
Hi all,

Bought myself a bike last year, been out handful of times, done about 16 miles each time. Would love to get out more but dont find the time with work/kids. Going to try and find time! lol

I would love to do the Great North Bike Ride, this year, am I kidding myself that I could manage 50 miles!?? How much training would I have to do?

PS Im not a size 10, fit person! lol

Heres hoping, looking forward to your advice.

Thanks

Donna
 

fungus

Veteran
Location
Tamworth
Yes you can!
You have until August 29th, to get some miles in.
If you can find some time a couple of days a week to do short rides & get out on a Saturday/Sunday for a longer session, remember to build up slowly & steadily. Perhaps you could have a look for a 50k audax ride to use in your training plan.
http://www.aukweb.net/cal/calsolo.php?Ride=10-304
http://www.aukweb.net/cal/calsolo.php?Ride=10-931
These two do not look too far from Wallsend.
The GNBR should have a training plan on their website.
 

snorri

Legendary Member
I suggest you get out on the bike as often as you can, even if it is just for 20 minutes at a time. Don't get too bogged down in mileage covered, just enjoy it and the miles will build up effortlessly.:biggrin:

I don't know how long you have to build up to the 50 miler, but am sure you can do it, just get out there and pedal.:cold:
 

Amanda P

Legendary Member
If you can do 16 miles now, of course you can do 50 miles in August.

Just do 20 miles next time you're out on your bike. (Give yourself an attractive destination like a tea room or pub to eat at before you come back). Then 30. Then 40. Then you're there!

We'll be expecting you on the LEL 2013 thread sometime soon.

One warning: it's addictive.
 

Rob3rt

Man or Moose!
Location
Manchester
Donna said:
Hi all,

Bought myself a bike last year, been out handful of times, done about 16 miles each time. Would love to get out more but dont find the time with work/kids. Going to try and find time! lol

I would love to do the Great North Bike Ride, this year, am I kidding myself that I could manage 50 miles!?? How much training would I have to do?

PS Im not a size 10, fit person! lol

Heres hoping, looking forward to your advice.

Thanks

Donna

You could manage 50 miles with minimal training and gritted teeth, but if you want to enjoy it, try doing a few shortish rides, 10 miles or so a week, then at the weekend, one longer ride, say 20 miles. Each week or 2, increase the long ride distance by 10%.
 

Scoosh

Velocouchiste
Moderator
Location
Edinburgh
Donna said:
Hi all,

Bought myself a bike last year, been out handful of times, done about 16 miles each time. Would love to get out more but dont find the time with work/kids. Going to try and find time! lol

I would love to do the Great North Bike Ride, this year, am I kidding myself that I could manage 50 miles!?? How much training would I have to do?

PS Im not a size 10, fit person! lol

Heres hoping, looking forward to your advice.

Thanks

Donna
Yes, you could do it :biggrin:

If you are able to build up your rides to about 30 miles , then you'll manage the 50 on the day.

Are there times when you could take the bike instead of driving (cycle commute, light shopping, popping round to visit friends etc) ? Try to get a 'routine' time when you go out riding, add about 10% to your distances each week, and you'll soon be thinking "What, only 50 miles ? That's all ?" Throw in a couple of hills for fun :sad: and it'll be a doddle :cold:.

There are masses of people who do the Glasgow - Edinburgh Pedal for Scotland event each year, many of whom haven't been on a bike for ages, yet they manage the 51 miles OK. It is so much easier when there are lots of others around you and you can chat, encourage, be encouraged and assisted by the general buzz and excitement.

Good Luck and let us know how you get on ..... :smile:
 

adscrim

Veteran
Location
Perth
My wife started cycling in November for the etape caledonia in May. She was not a size 10 fit person either but is closing the gap on both counts (to her credit).

I knew we weren't going to have a great deal of time as we've two kids and she wanted to go out together as much as possible. Due to this, training has occurred exclusively on weekends, one day of. At the end of March she 'happily' completed 50+ miles of the etape course (missing out the loch rannoch and fortingall loops, ie including all the hills) again to her credit.

This was achieved by increasing the miles in quite large steps and taking rest weeks where mileage was dropped but we still went out. Lots of training plans will advise you to steadily increase miles and I think this is probably the easier way to go if you're going out on your own. Also we did next to nothing during January and most of February due to the weather.

We're going to max out the pre event mileage at 65 a fortnight before the event and rest the week before; rest being short trips to loosen the legs.

The training plans that are attached to these events look to be an ideal. Remember that because you can't get out mid week does not mean it's not achievable. You just have to be prepared to put the effort in when you do have the time and remember that the hardest part of training can sometime just be getting out the front door.
 

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
On the bike side, make things easier for yourself and ensure the tyres are at the correct pressure and that the saddle is not too low. I have no idea what bike you bought but decent tyres at the correct pressure and a correctly adjusted bike will make those miles easier and more pain free.
 
OP
OP
D

Donna

Active Member
Hi ive bought a Carrera Subway 1, and love it!! I will check my tyre pressure each time before I go out, I ride with my saddle quite high. I bought a little pump from Halfords for £10 and its rubbish!! need a decent (inexpensive) pump to carry with me that actually works, any ideas?


I will try and leave the car at home more often, using my bike to pop to friends, work (weather permitting - is 9 miles away), I will try and cycle to work as much as possible I think.

Thanks all Im off to register now!
 

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
Donna said:
Hi ive bought a Carrera Subway 1, and love it!! I will check my tyre pressure each time before I go out, I ride with my saddle quite high. I bought a little pump from Halfords for £10 and its rubbish!! need a decent (inexpensive) pump to carry with me that actually works, any ideas?


I will try and leave the car at home more often, using my bike to pop to friends, work (weather permitting - is 9 miles away), I will try and cycle to work as much as possible I think.

Thanks all Im off to register now!

Track pump of any description will repay itself and you will thank me for it. They are effortless to use, almost. The more you can spend on one the better, but you should be able to pick up something decent for £20-£30. Seems a lot until you have to use one regularly. It's probably the most valued 'tool' in my garage.
 

Camgreen

Well-Known Member
Donna said:
Hi ive bought a Carrera Subway 1, and love it!! I will check my tyre pressure each time before I go out, I ride with my saddle quite high. I bought a little pump from Halfords for £10 and its rubbish!! need a decent (inexpensive) pump to carry with me that actually works, any ideas?


I will try and leave the car at home more often, using my bike to pop to friends, work (weather permitting - is 9 miles away), I will try and cycle to work as much as possible I think.

Thanks all Im off to register now!

Well done you've bitten that bullet and registered now there's no turning back;)

If time is a premium get as many miles in one go as is practical, but gradually obviously. That will hopefully boost your confidence as well as your fitness.

This time last year my partner and I decided to ride the Oxford to Cambridge bike event (which was in the September), at the time 5 or 6 miles was a struggle. Probably built it up to no more than twenty miles (around Rutland Water), with lots of smaller rides, before entering the Norwich 50 in early June, which we managed (punctures apart!!) without any problem. Having other cyclists constantly around us was a big factor I think and the excitement of the day helped the miles melt away.

Do what you can between now and the event; look forward to it and then enjoy the day. There's no better feeling of achievement than when you cross that finish line!:wacko:
 

Spinney

Bimbleur extraordinaire
Location
Back up north
When I was building up my mileage, I'd go somewhere on the bike at the weekend. In my case it was often finding a couple of open gardens in the summer that would give me about a 50 mile loop (this was when 30 miles was a long ride for me). Stopping for tea and cakes and to look around the garden each time gave me a nice long rest stop, twice. (And the occasional person who asked how far I'd come, and then looked impressed, helped as well!)

Gardens may not be your thing, but having a place to go (rather than just riding for X miles for the sake of it) helped me to get the miles in.

Now a 60 mile ride is barely respectable and I do it for the fun of it! :wacko:

However you go about it - good luck!
 

Scoosh

Velocouchiste
Moderator
Location
Edinburgh
Donna said:
I will try and leave the car at home more often, using my bike to pop to friends, work (weather permitting - is 9 miles away), I will try and cycle to work as much as possible I think.
9 miles to work is about ideal ! If you have public transport available, you could consider:
Day 1 - ride to work; public transport back
Day 2 - PT to work, ride home
etc etc

After the first week, you might want to do a ride to and from work.

I'll let you work out how it goes after that :smile:

You will be surprised (pleasantly - honest :laugh:) at how quickly you adapt and how much further/faster you are going.
 
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