First 10 miler

[2wd]

I know its nothing to a lot of you guys but I've been trying to acheive this since I took up cycling a few months ago

Its not been easy .......

Firstly I'm only a few months off being 50 and secondly living round here I dont have to travel far before I hit some big steep hills

There's also the worry of the further I go, I have to travel the same distance to get back

So tonight being a lovely night I sought out a circular route with a mix of flat and medium hills,but I got a bit cocky around 7 miles round and decided to tackle the mother of all hills

Three quarters the way up had to slip it into the granny ring then just before the crest I very nearly had to do the walk of shame but my pride said keep going

Didnt half enjoy the ride down the other side though

Must admit the further I went,some of the medium hills I normally struggle up seemed like a piece of cake.......Mmm cake

I'm going to do the route a few more times before I set my next benchmark (although I may miss that mother of a hill )

 

[Dave Martin]

Well done mate. I've found the hills getting easier the more I try them and as my fitness has increased .

 

[Peteaud]

well done.I still get off and push the big hills (well big ish)

 

[2wd]

Cheers chaps

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Well done on your milestone

You'll hit the next without thinking about it, whether it be going "just a bit further" or just going the same distance but faster

 

[Slaav]

Cheers chaps

Out of interest - and this is something that gets me everytime.... how 'bad' was that hill?

I am worried my nemesis and bad hills are long hills to some

Any chance of mapping your ride on www.mapmyride.com and lettings us all see?

Ta

 

[steveindenmark]

There are a few longish hills where I live in Denmark. I don`t find the hills too bad, it is just short sections of them and not necessarily the steepest sections.

One of them is about 1.5km long but there is only a 300m stretch that I am not keen on.

I am 54 and am not a "cylist" but I do ride a bike. I remember being at your stage, it was not too long ago. On good days I now seek out the hilly routes and go for my "Man of the mountains" ride. Not that we have much in the way of mountains in Denmark. But I certainly have hills.

The hills get easier very fast and then you wonder what all the fuss was about. All you have to aim at then is getting up them faster.

Steve

 

[Pennine-Paul]

Trying to rack my brain as to which hill this could be,
as it's my stomping ground,
You didn't try and ride up Grains Road did you???
That's one road I'll never beat on the fixed,

The hills will get easier,just get out there as often as you can

 

[jonny jeez]

its a big achievement, well done. you should be please as its a lot harder than we assume. Riding to a fixed point (place of work etc) is actually easier in my mind as you never have the sense that you ahve to come "all the way back".

Well done for even attempting the hill as well. You have already found that ...once you get into it...it all seems to get a lot easier but dont be disheartened if you suddenly feel you are getting slower or its getting tougher...its natural and it'll pass.

bet you were thrilled when you got home.

 

[Hebe]

Congratulations from another new cyclist! Especially for getting over the hill.

I did my first ten mile this week too, mine was by accident, due to a navigation error on an eight mile ride I ended up doing 12 miles (though there was some walking on one hill) and am still a bit surprised. I can't wait to do it again though

 

[2wd]

Trying to rack my brain as to which hill this could be,
as it's my stomping ground,
You didn't try and ride up Grains Road did you???
That's one road I'll never beat on the fixed,

The hills will get easier,just get out there as often as you can

Grains Road,thats the one

Although to be fair it was the lower section from the railway,round and up,then up and round a little bit more,that was enough for me

I have seen a guy cycling up the next very steep section and nearly stopped to congratulate him, but I dont think he'd have been very pleased if he had to stop on that hill as there's only one thing to do if that happens,thats turn round and give up

To get over 10 miles I went from High Crompton,down to Royton,back in to Shaw to Wrens nest,back in to Shaw centre,up that bloomin hill,George Street and back,onto big lamp Roundabout then up Church Road and onto home.

10.4 miles

Just look out for a daft old lad on a white Spesh,that'll be me,stop and say hello

 

[Pennine-Paul]

You're still younger than me by a couple of years
I usually walk up grains rd,in fact I've overtaken mtb'ers spinning up in the granny ring
If you see some old dude on a brown fixed gear round Shaw that'll be me

When I took up cycling again a few years ago I used to go to Todmorden and back
about an hour each way and not to hilly,as you get fitter you can go further up the
valley to Hebden Bridge and beyond, up Cragg Vale back down Blackstone Edge to
Littleborough then home

 

[Johnym]

Well done :-)

 

[2wd]

Thanks folks

One thing I need to sort out to enable me to cycle further is a pain I get only on one side of my inner thigh

I have only had this pain since taking up cycling

If I put where the pain is in brackets, does it make it sound like I'm whispering it?

Here goes,read it quietly and to one's self

(Its right at the top of the inside of my right leg where it joins the crotch and I'm wondering if once I put my padded Lycra's on, my boxers are strangling my bits)

Last night,the first + 10 miler, I wore a loose pair of shorts instead of boxers under the Lycra's and there was a general improvement in the pain,although there was still some discomfort.

Or is there another problem?

 

[jamsarnie]

Thanks folks

One thing I need to sort out to enable me to cycle further is a pain I get only on one side of my inner thigh

I have only had this pain since taking up cycling

If I put where the pain is in brackets, does it make it sound like I'm whispering it?

Here goes,read it quietly and to one's self

(Its right at the top of the inside of my right leg where it joins the crotch and I'm wondering if once I put my padded Lycra's on, my boxers are strangling my bits)

Last night,the first + 10 miler, I wore a loose pair of shorts instead of boxers under the Lycra's and there was a general improvement in the pain,although there was still some discomfort.

Or is there another problem?

There's your problem.

No underwear with padded shorts, it just causes all sorts of chafing issues. The pad is designed to go next to your skin. The kinky long distance guys even use lube cream on the pad to reduce chafing even further.