first ride

[stephen.rooke]

got back out on the bike today after many years, im unfit and thought i would be in agony did 7 miles, not the longest ride but a good start i think, now need to build on it. was easy enough, some down hills but mostly flat. how long dis it take you guys to start adding miles to your ride

 

[paulw1969]

still breaking myself back in but i have taken it steady since last Sunday and increased this Thursday, although my ave speed has increased. Reckon it will be your backside that complains the most.Well done on 7 miles!

 

[jeremy barker]

I just threw myself straight in, i've not ridden a bike for 18 years or more so have now done 4 rides over the last 4 weekends. My first run was 20 miles, second was 30 miles and a 40 and 46 mile run today. You can read my post about todays ride lol, pushed myself hard today and in heavy rain it was hard going. My backside hurt like hell after the very first ride but to be fair the others have been pretty good now my arse is shaped like a bike saddle.

 

[ianrauk]

Well done for getting back on the bike and your mileage.
I returned to cycling at the age of 40 years old 6 years ago.
I couldn't even ride a mile without feeling I was going to keel over.
I now do a few more miles these days as you can see from my sig below.

 

[Banjo]

Congratulations on getting back on the bike. Just increase the mileage a bit each week and see how you feel. I would set a target of doing a 20 miler in 3 or 4 weeks time then a 30 miler a month later.

Dont overdoe it though You need rest days to let the muscles recover ,I would take a day or two each week as rest days and see how it goes.

 

[LCDEvents]

Congrats on getting back into the game. Aiming for some kind of cycling event or race is often good motivation to keep you training. I find I need something concrete on the horizon to keep me at it, at least now summer is on its way it will be much easier to persuade yourself to get out on the bike in the sunshine

 

[Nosaj]

Well done as a very rough rule try to increase each ride by approx 10% increments. That way can up the mileage each time but not so much at to cause you huge amounts of pain. If you feel good and want to a bit more, do a bit more. The improvement curve is huge when you first start and you will be up to 40 miles in no time.

Then of course some of these behaviours may creep in:
Now i've actually made it to the top of that hill that I used to walk up I wonder if I could it do quicker
I wonder what my average speed is
There is a road sign ahead I wonder what will happen if I sprint towards it.
That other cyclist in the distance seems to be getting closer I wonder if I can catch him up.
I wonder if I can beat my time around that loop that I normally do.
Perhaps proper cycling shoes will help
Perhaps a lighter bike will help
Those blokes riding along together in the funny matching kits I wonder where they go and if they accept new members
Is my fuelling right, if I try this food perhaps I can keep up those last couple of miles of the club run
There is a local chaing gang that goes out on a tuesday night that could be a challenge.
You may even hear yourself say:
Well it was a bit cold/damp/windy/too much/too little sun/too hot for me to crack the 26 minutes ten this week maybe next week.


After this we will no longer be able to help you will be a lost cause - just like the rest of us.

Above all enjoy it

 

[Sittingduck]

I started with similar 5 - 8 milers when I got back in the saddle. I increased in 3 mile increments up to about 20 miles then 5 mile jumps to about 45, then 10 mile jumps to about 65 - 70. When you reach this, you can do a ton!

Good work so far...