Hello from Dunstable

[Twigman]

Hello all, I'm new.....isn't everyone who starts a thread in here?

I used to spend my whole life on my bike - I had an old steel framed 10speed German tank of a touring bike in my early teens....
I took up smoking, rock'n'roll, cars and motorbikes and forgot about cycling.

Just recently 30 years on,I have thought about trying to get fit....I took up badminton and am rubbish at it.
I remembered fondly getting lost on a 40 miler in my teens and realised that cycling would get me fit.

So I went a bit nuts and bought a new bike (carbon roadie) and some gear (shorts/shoes etc) and have discovered that I am now rubbish at cycling too!

I live in Dunstable and have taken the bike out just once so far! i decided to cycle to the trig point on the downs (which according to Googlemaps is a mere 2.1 miles away).........I got about 2/3 of the way up the hill and decided it was time to turn round and go home.

My lungs and legs were complaining very obviously.

I really have to pack in the cigs, I know.....15 a day is just not compatible with cycling.

I am going to make it my initial 'target' to get to the trig point without stopping, then move on from there.

I know to you lot this will sound laughable but we've all got to start somewhere!

Twigman - all the gear, no idea!

How do you do?

 

[Shaun]

Hello

 

[palinurus]

Big ol' hill that. Don't worry, you'll tackle it soon enough.

Just ride around nice and easy to start with. I'll give you a tip, go North out of Dunstable for your first few rides, it's flatter.

Then come back to that hill in a month or so.

 

[Twigman]

Thanks for that advice....I think I'll take the lanes out to Tottenhoe tonight, see how I get on. I wanna try to keep off the A5 for now.

Good to know that that hill is considered to be 'big' - I was thinking that it would be considered a mere bump by you lot!! LOL

 

[palinurus]

Well, it's not so much big as rather steep in parts, I don't like going up it anyway. It's one of those hills that I can't get into a proper rhythm on. Like nearby Bison hill (Whipsnade)

If you go out through Totternhoe, Eaton Bray and head over to Slapton way that area is relatively flat.

 

[Paulus]

Welcome Twigman, I have been out around the lanes where you live, and up and over the downs quite a few times. You know what you need to do, and this is the place to give you the help you need/want.
Many years back i used to go to a place called the Californian pool rooms in dunstabubble, I'm sure it is long gone now but it holds many memories for me.

 

[Twigman]

Thanks chaps for all the advice - yep lots of hills round here.
I just moved here from Abbots Langley after splitting from my wife and left her and the kids in Abbots - and I lived in Watford for 20 odd years before that.
I moved to Dunstable as I refuse to rent and with having a mortgage on the house in Abbots I was limited to what i could buy and Dunstable is cheap as chips!! So now I have 3 bloody mortgages!!!

I don't really know the lanes round here too well and I work in Hemel - so ultimately I want to be able to cycle to work - 13 miles...my prefered route would be over the downs, on to Studham then left at the fork through Gaddesdon Row and up into Hemel through Grovehill....I reckon it'll be next summer before I manage that. LOL


I really MUST stop the smoking though - I say that every day and fail!!

going to the quack to try and get him to prescribe me some Zyban - that worked once before - lasted 7 months but several boring days in 40 dgree heat in Egypt with Mrs saying " i could murder a fag" every 15 minutes and I cracked....she gave up the day we got home but I am too weak willed for that!!

Anyway - it all seems very friendly round here.
I took the plunge (IMO) big time when I decided to do this cycling lark - bought a Verenti Rhigos03 and fitted some Shimano SPD-SL pedals and bought some proper shoes to go with them......I hope I stick at it, get off the fags and don't think in a couple of months that I've wasted my cash.

 

[uphillstruggler]

best of luck and as has been said already, little steps at a time.

i reckon you would be better off heading out west of Dunstable and going up and over the hill to Berko and take a jaunt through there on your commute, roads may be a little quieter but there may be more hills

good luck

 

[NeilEB]

Ironically, I live near Watford and work in Dunstable.

I don't think the A5 south would be too bad to cycle along, I've seen lots of people doing it. There's a 'narrow' cycle lane along it, and although the traffic can move fairly quickly, it's a straight single lane road, and plenty of cars to move around you without needing to 'overtake'.

Good luck with the rides :-)

 

[Marloboroyamaha]

Hi
just joined - am in Dunstable and would agree that the hill to the downs is a tester - also Bison Hill is memorable. I try and cycle 3 times a week - always start off in Dunstable and try and finish there...... had time last week and my partner was off so we set ourself a target of doing 300km in a week.......we both failed as we was around 50 short .............
Stick with it -

 

[Marloboroyamaha]

Thanks chaps for all the advice - yep lots of hills round here.
I just moved here from Abbots Langley after splitting from my wife and left her and the kids in Abbots - and I lived in Watford for 20 odd years before that.
I moved to Dunstable as I refuse to rent and with having a mortgage on the house in Abbots I was limited to what i could buy and Dunstable is cheap as chips!! So now I have 3 bloody mortgages!!!

I don't really know the lanes round here too well and I work in Hemel - so ultimately I want to be able to cycle to work - 13 miles...my prefered route would be over the downs, on to Studham then left at the fork through Gaddesdon Row and up into Hemel through Grovehill....I reckon it'll be next summer before I manage that. LOL


I really MUST stop the smoking though - I say that every day and fail!!

going to the quack to try and get him to prescribe me some Zyban - that worked once before - lasted 7 months but several boring days in 40 dgree heat in Egypt with Mrs saying " i could murder a fag" every 15 minutes and I cracked....she gave up the day we got home but I am too weak willed for that!!

Anyway - it all seems very friendly round here.
I took the plunge (IMO) big time when I decided to do this cycling lark - bought a Verenti Rhigos03 and fitted some Shimano SPD-SL pedals and bought some proper shoes to go with them......I hope I stick at it, get off the fags and don't think in a couple of months that I've wasted my cash.

hi

I have cycled that route into Hemel many times and the Downs, Studham, Gaddesdon Row is the best way